No Rings Attached

Love conquers the pitfalls of fake dating, a stressful road trip, and the distance of the Atlantic Ocean in Lacey’s sweet second Ms. Right romance (after Read Between the Lines). Brit turned New Yorker Lia Harris desperately wants love. She also wants her family to stop trying to get her back together with her ex. Lying about having a girlfriend is easy while her family’s in England, but when her brother’s wedding rolls around, the jig is up. She’s without a date and in trouble until New Yorker turned Brit and total stranger Grace Poston swoops in. Enlisted by their mutual friend, Rosie, Grace reluctantly attends the English country wedding as Lia’s fake date while in emotional turmoil over some recently unearthed family secrets. These secrets have her flying back to the U.S. with Lia and embarking on a road trip down the East Coast. The big set pieces keep things fun, but Lia and Grace rarely spark in their dialogue. Grace is perpetually tense, understandably so, and Lia and Grace spend more time in confusion and disgruntled silence than anything else. Still, the characters are nuanced enough on their own to make up for their more stilted interactions. Fans of fake dating and road trip tropes will find plenty to enjoy. Agent: Sarah Younger, Nancy Yost Literary. (Apr.)