(An Accidentally in Love Story, #6)

Publication date: December 27th 2021

Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

I'm Toni Capella and I'm a bad-man-o-holic. (Hi, Toni!). If a guy lives on the eastern seaboard, is covered in tattoos, muscles, and motor oil, I've probably already dated and dumped him. But it's a new year and for the first time in my twenty-nine years I'm determined to attract Mr. Right. I'm doing this by changing my type and my look.

So when super-hot contractor Cooper Flint walks into my office, I immediately put him on my 'no way' list. He embodies every bad boy trait there is. Besides, my eye is on another new co-worker, Sumner Livingston. Handsome, well-heeled, and professional, Sumner is nothing like my usual type, which I assume makes him perfect for me.

Determined to take things slowly for once, I insist Sumner and I keep our budding relationship separate from work. I even suggest we do our initial courting via text while we get to know each other better. Things are going beautifully and just when I'm starting to think he's 'the one,' I find out there's been a horrible mix-up. My boss accidentally gave me Cooper's number, not Sumner's, and I'm falling for Mr. Wrong, again.

Unfortunately, after I break it off with Cooper, I discover that Sumner isn't the good guy he portrays himself to be. When Cooper rescues me from a compromising situation, I belatedly realize I might be been missing out on the man of my dreams.

Have I lost my chance at true happiness or is there some way I can convince Cooper I'm the woman he needs?

Excerpt

My mom’s other sisters have been equally involved in trying to help me find my one true love. Aunt Margie has been sending workmen to my apartment for the last month with false claims of leaky pipes and malfunctioning kitchen appliances. I caved and went out with one of the plumbers, but our relationship only lasted two dates. The guy loved to talk about his work and honestly, there’s only so much banter about clogged toilets I can stand. And during dinner, too.

Unbeknownst to me, Aunt Sheila started a Tinder profile in my name. She was swiping right, left, up, and down trying to find me a man. I went out with one guy believing he was my aunt’s neighbor. Things were going well until he mentioned a conversation we’d had online about blowup dolls.

That’s when I discovered he didn’t know who Sheila was and that she told him I’d be up for a threesome as long as the third party wasn’t human. I’m not sure I’ll ever look at her the same way again.

In addition to vowing to never go out on another setup, I’m determined to take my dating life into my own hands. I also decided to change my type (see item six on my list). As a lifelong admirer of working-class men—there’s something so fundamentally manly about a tight T-shirt covered in axle grease, grass stains, or whatever (I refuse to consider what was on the plumber’s T-shirt)—it stands to reason I must now avoid them at all costs.

In a bid to attract a different kind of guy, I decided to channel Melanie Griffith in Working Girl. I’m upgrading from a slick-haired, cheating, lying Alec Baldwin to a sweet, respectful Harrison Ford—à la Jack Trainer (if you’ve never seen this golden oldie romcom, do so now).

After New Year’s, I went out and blew a fortune on clothes I figured a classy woman would wear. No more plunging necklines and tight pants for me. From now on it’s modest dresses with conservative heels—no more drag queen shoes. I’ve also dialed down the amount of makeup I wear, and I’ve swapped out certain phrases in my vocabulary. My penchant for colorful language has been redirected. I now say things like, “Oh, dear, my word, and for heaven’s sake.”

So far the only men I’ve attracted have been a pair of nice young men who wondered if I’d heard about the Book of Mormon. But fear not, it’s early days. I’m sure there’s hope for me yet.

While turning off the cold water tap with my left foot and upping the hot with my right, I decide I can’t keep waiting for the man of my dreams to show up out of thin air. If I’m serious about changing my luck—and I am—I have to be willing to go out with someone who doesn’t make my heart beat like Ricky Ricardo playing the bongos. (I don’t care what generation you’re from, if you haven’t watched every episode of I Love Lucy by the time you’re twenty, you haven’t lived.)

My luck might be about to change. Tomorrow, Sumner Livingston, the fundraiser my boss hired for the foundation I work for, is going to pop by the office for his first meeting with us. I googled him earlier today, and I have to say the guy’s got potential. Clean cut, classic good looks, and a steady job at his family’s company. He grew up in Forest Hills, which means he’s likely well-educated and probably doesn’t catcall women on the street.

I couldn’t find any evidence of a significant other, so I’m putting him at the top of my list of potential future life partners. It’s a short list, consisting of him and Jack Trainer. Being that Jack Trainer is fictional, let’s hope Sumner is single and into me.

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About the Authors

Whitney loves to laugh, play with her kids, bake, and eat french fries -- not always in that order.

Whitney is a multi-award-winning author of romcoms, non-fiction humor, and middle reader fiction. Basically, she writes whatever the voices in her head tell her to.

She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband, Jimmy, where they raise children, chickens, and organic vegetables.

Gold Medal winner at the International Readers' Favorite Awards, 2017.

Silver medal winner at the International Readers' Favorite Awards, 2015, 2016.

Finalist RONE Awards, 2016.

Finalist at the IRFA 2016, 2017.

Finalist at the Book Excellence Awards, 2017

Finalist Top Shelf Indie Book Awards, 2017

Connect:
https://whitneydineen.com/
https://twitter.com/whitneydineen
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8145525.Whitney_Dineen
https://www.instagram.com/whitneydineenauthor/
https://www.facebook.com/Whitney-Dineen-Author-11687019412/

Melanie Summers also writes steamy romance as MJ Summers.

Melanie made a name for herself with her debut novel, Break in Two, a contemporary romance that cracked the Top 10 Paid on Amazon in both the UK and Canada, and the top 50 Paid in the USA. Her highly acclaimed Full Hearts Series was picked up by both Piatkus Entice (a division of Hachette UK) and HarperCollins Canada. Her first three books have been translated into Czech and Slovak by EuroMedia. Since 2013, she has written and published three novellas, and eight novels (of which seven have been published). She has sold over a quarter of a million books around the globe.

In her previous life (i.e. before having children), Melanie got her Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta, then went on to work in the soul-sucking customer service industry for a large cellular network provider that shall remain nameless (unless you write her personally - then she'll dish). On her days off, she took courses and studied to become a Chartered Mediator. That designation landed her a job at the R.C.M.P. as the Alternative Dispute Resolution Coordinator for 'K' Division. Having had enough of mediating arguments between gun-toting police officers, she decided it was much safer to have children so she could continue her study of conflict in a weapon-free environment (and one which doesn't require makeup and/or nylons).

Melanie resides in Edmonton with her husband, three young children, and their adorable but neurotic one-eyed dog. When she's not writing novels, Melanie loves reading (obviously), snuggling up on the couch with her family for movie night (which would not be complete without lots of popcorn and milkshakes), and long walks in the woods near her house. She also spends a lot more time thinking about doing yoga than actually doing yoga, which is why most of her photos are taken 'from above'. She also loves shutting down restaurants with her girlfriends. Well, not literally shutting them down, like calling the health inspector or something--more like just staying until they turn the lights off.

She is represented by Suzanne Brandreth of The Cooke Agency International.

Connect:
https://mjsummersbooks.wordpress.com/
https://twitter.com/mjsummersbooks
https://www.instagram.com/mj_summers_author/
https://www.facebook.com/MJSummersAuthorPage
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17105602.Melanie_Summers

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