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The Real Thing (Sugar Lake Book 1) by [Melissa Foster]

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Melissa Foster

The Real Thing (Sugar Lake Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Melissa Foster (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

1,956 ratings

Book 1 of 3: Sugar Lake

Editors' pick Best Romance

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Bakery owner Willow Dalton’s friendship with Zane Walker has always been a bit complicated. Now a scrumptiously hot A-list actor, Zane’s always had a reputation as a player. He’s arrogant, and he’s definitely not boyfriend material. Sure, he did Willow a favor by agreeing to take her virginity before college, but is that reason enough for her to go along with a fake engagement a decade later—even if it comes with a real diamond ring?

Zane should have known better. Nothing involving Willow has ever been easy. Still, he knows her better than anyone, and becoming America’s hottest new leading man means cleaning up his reputation. An “engagement” to curvy, sass-mouthed Willow is the perfect PR move—provided no one gets hurt.

Now Zane and Willow’s little white lie has turned into an irresistible recipe for sweet temptation. And soon no one will be able to tell the difference between their fake engagement and the real thing—including them.

Print length

288 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Montlake Romance
Publication date

September 5, 2017
File size

2280 KB
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Books In This Series (3 Books)

Complete Series

Sugar Lake

Kindle Edition

Page 1 of 1Start OverPage 1 of 1

1
The Real Thing (Sugar Lake Book 1)
Melissa Foster

(1,956)

Kindle Edition

$3.99
2
Only for You (Sugar Lake Book 2)
Melissa Foster

(1,449)

Kindle Edition

$4.99
3
Love Like Ours (Sugar Lake Book 3)
Melissa Foster

(1,285)

Kindle Edition

$4.99

Melissa Foster
1,449
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $4.99
Melissa Foster
1,285
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $4.99
Melissa Foster
1,958
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $4.99
Melissa Foster
1,716
Kindle Edition
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Melissa Foster
2,086
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Melissa Foster
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Popular Highlights in this book

What are popular highlights?

“But if you both make an effort, you grow together, not apart. You’ve got this, Liz. Be happy.”
Highlighted by 132 Kindle readers
‘A player will play while he’s searching for his soul mate, and then they’re all in.’
Highlighted by 119 Kindle readers
“Promise me you won’t hate me for being weak. You’ve always owned me.”
Highlighted by 112 Kindle readers

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Engaging, humorous banter between characters and lively, engaging storytelling are the highlights of Foster’s latest romance. Fans of Foster will not be disappointed.” —RT Book Reviews

“The Real Thing is like the perfect dessert—sweet and satisfying with a touch of spice!” —New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Probst

“Sizzling hot and so much fun! The Real Thing is a must read for romance lovers!” —New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis

“If you love the small town romances written by Donna Alward, Kristan Higgins, and Laura Trentham—you will adore Melissa Foster’s The Real Thing!” —Lady Celeste Reads Romance

About the Author

Melissa Foster is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of more than sixty-five books. Her novels have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown magazine, the Patriot, and more. She has also painted and donated several murals to the Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC.

She enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and she welcomes an invitation to your event. Visit Melissa on her website, www.MelissaFoster.com, or chat with her on Twitter @melissa_foster and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MelissaFosterAuthor.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01N232BRC
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Montlake Romance (September 5, 2017)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 5, 2017
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2280 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #1,743 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #32 in Contemporary
- #260 in Romantic Comedy (Books)
- #463 in Romance (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
1,956 ratings

About the author

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Melissa Foster

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NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL, and USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

Download FREE first in series! www.MelissaFoster.com/LIBFree

Never miss a release and get a FREE Braden/Remington short story! Sign up for Melissa's newsletter: www.MelissaFoster.com/Newsletter

Melissa writes sexy and heartwarming contemporary romance, new adult romance and women's fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Readers adore Melissa's fun, flirty, and sinfully sexy, award-winning big-family romance collection, LOVE IN BLOOM featuring the Snow Sisters, Bradens, Remingtons, Ryders, Seaside Summers, Bayside Summers, Harborside Nights, Wild Boys and Bad Boys After Dark, Tru Blue and the Whiskeys, the Wickeds, and the Montgomerys. Melissa's emotional journeys are always family oriented. Perfect beach reads for contemporary romance lovers who enjoy reading about loyal, wealthy heroes and smart, sassy heroines with complex and relatable issues.

Melissa also writes sweet romance with no harsh language or explicit scenes under the pen name Addison Cole.

Melissa has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Her interests include her family, reading, writing, painting, friends, helping others see the positive side of life, and visiting Cape Cod.

Melissa is available to chat with book clubs and welcomes comments and emails from her readers. Visit Melissa on social media or her personal website.

"Melissa Foster is synonymous with sexy, swoony, heartfelt romance!" -NYT Bestseller Lauren Blakely

"With her wonderful characters and resonating emotions, Melissa Foster is a must-read author!" -NYT Bestseller Julie Kenner

"What sets Melissa Foster apart are her compelling characters who you care about... desperately. I dare you to read the first chapter and not be hooked." NYT bestseller, M.J. Rose

"You can always rely on Melissa Foster to deliver a story that's fresh, emotional and entertaining. Make sure you have all night, because once you start you won't want to stop reading. Every book's a winner!" New York Times Bestselling Author Brenda Novak

"Melissa Foster is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Fated For Love was amazing. It kind of reminds me of Jill Shalvis' books and they are my benchmark for contemporary romance awesomeness." --Books Like Breathing

Comments from Melissa:

I grew up in Maryland with my mother, a slew of wonderful brothers, and never a shortage of friends or pets. I am passionate about writing, reading, living healthy, and helping others do the same, and I enjoy just about anything outdoors (and anything chocolate!). I love to chat with readers and book clubs, and welcome your comments and suggestions. Feel free to email me. You can also catch me on Facebook.com/MelissaFosterAuthor.

Thanks for reading!

Customer reviews

5 star		66%
4 star		20%
3 star		9%
2 star		3%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Katie W.

Love Love 💕

Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2022

Verified Purchase

Willow & Zane are beyond adorable together. Willow is the perfect mix between stubborn and heartfelt as well as gorgeous and so compassionate. I love all the characters of Sweet Water and they all have their own books so run don’t walk to get to know them all. However, Willow and Zane are beyond my favorite couple. The way Zane protects Willow no matter what and will do everything in his power to keep her happy and smiling. Their love is addicting and adorable. Their love story is one that will leave you smiling and swooning over. Happy Reading!!

2 people found this helpful

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Sherrie Watkins

So Smexy

Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2022

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If You like Second Chance Romance, Fake Engagements, and a Sexy as Hell Alpha Movie Star, then this Book is for You. This is Book 1 in The Sugar Lake series. I Loved This Book So Much. Willow and Zane's Chemistry is off the Charts Hot as Hell 🔥🔥 I am so Vested in Every Single Character, the development is some of the BEST I've Read!! I smiled so Freakin much while Reading this Book and was routing for Willow and Zane to figure out how much they truly Loved each other and always had.. I Love their Love.. Definitely Your Next 5 ⭐️ Read..

One person found this helpful

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Valerie StuckInBooks

Lots of heat!

Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2017

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This is my first book by this author. I couldn't resist a good faking story, though this one wasn't exactly what I was expecting, still enjoyed it!

I always think of a good faking it story as the ones where a couple that's not likely to get together are forced to fake their relationship. Then the kisses they inevitably share start something either of them ever expected. It's my very favorite trope. So many possibilities. And this book gave it a different look.

Zane and Willow (love the names, btw) grew up together. He's her brothers best friend and he was her secret first (v-card type first). She set up rules and then left for college. And lots of other things happened that, well, I just can't tell you. Need to read it yourself for that. But later when they end up in this fake relationship, it's bringing where they always should have been. Finding out all that other stuff (which I still won't tell you) and figuring out their purpose. I just can't see a world where these two don't find it back to each other. They are just too perfect for each other. I guess that's the "difference" I felt in this book. Their fake relationship did bring them into each other's arms but if it hadn't been that it would have been something else. They are pretty clearly meant for each other. Sweet and sexy these two are!

Zane is adorable. His reputation needed fixing but he's just not that guy. It becomes clear pretty quickly that he loves Willow and isn't gonna cheat on her.

Willow did take a bit longer for me to love. She's been protecting her heart for a long time and she pushes too hard sometimes. Does make her real.

I'm not sure if it's characteristic of this author since this is the first book I've read of hers, but the romance is smoother. By that I mean, the angst that these two deal with is not so much a mess one of them makes as it is dealing with other issues (also not telling on what those issues are - you peeps need to read this book yourself). I found that I rather enjoyed that aspect of things. It felt more real to me. It also left more room for some seriously hot action between these two.

Oh yes, this author believes in couple time with lots and lots of heat! And these two were creative in their heat...um and dirty. Willow likes him talking dirty. Gotta be able to deal with that if you're gonna read this book.

Oh, and there's this book two coming out in December that I already want to read. Looks so good too. Sounds totally different but equally good. Can't wait to hang out in this small town again.

60 people found this helpful

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PamD

A perfect situation to reconnect with her dropped in his lap

Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2017

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Remember that first time? The hopes, the dreams, the feelings! Remember how long that mood stayed with you? Willow Dalton tried to control it. She asked her friend Zane Walker to be her "first" & then forget about it. No special feelings involved, just one night. She screwed up though. She fell for him. He stopped texting and her heart was crushed. In every encounter after then, she's guarded her heart by being sassy & snarky towards him. Now he wants her to be his pretend fiancée to clean up his image. Can she keep herself safe through that? Can she keep up a lie to her family for that long?

Zane Walker is now a Hollywood leading man but he never forgot Willow. A perfect situation to reconnect with her dropped in his lap. A focus group said he needed to clean up his image & date someone nice. Zane took it a step further thinking that if he could get Willow to open up, he could express his feelings. He's been in love with her since that night years ago. His life feels empty. He has everything he's dreamed of except her. Can he get Willow to ignore his image as a playboy? Will she fall in love with him?

OMG, I love Zane! So many times, the girl falls in love & the guy wants a one nighter. Not in a book by Melissa Foster! She's flipped it around to Willow wanting the one night stand, Zane in love with her for years & both of them suffering for years. The characters are well defined & the reader is given a good look at the characters for the rest of the series. The Dalton's love to give each other crap but support each other through thick & thin. I loved the interaction between Willow & Remi when they first meet. I am not going to leave spoilers but I had to laugh! I can't wait for the next book! I would recommend this book to all contemporary romance lovers that like their stories with spice & heat. There is some dirty language & sex but that isn't the focus of the story.

5 people found this helpful

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Xtymom

Sexy, fun read!

Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2017

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I enjoyed The Real Thing so much. This is a fun sexy book, but it's got its ups and downs too and this is why I go out of my way to purchase and read Melissa Foster's books. She is on of the few authors that I can count on to publish a well written book that I know I'm going to enjoy every time. It's refreshing to read that Zane, the alpha male lead, doesn't have to be a controlling jerk through most of the book before he redeems himself. Zane has the perfect amount of cockiness and Willow sure isn't a wilting wallflower. She's got spunk and sass. She gives as good as she gets.
I think it's great how Zane and Willow have stayed connected all these years and yet never realized the relationship they had going. I laughed and had my heart hurt with them as they navigated past hurts and current/future situations. They were always meant to be, they just had to get out of their own way to realize it. And how could they not when Zane is determined to communicate about everything.
It was so fun to spend time with Willow's family and learn more about all of them.

5 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Fee

The Real Thing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 5, 2017

Verified Purchase

One thing I love most about Melissa is her ability to write the most sweet & sexy romance novels, and even better second chance romances, and if The Real Thing is anything to go by Sugar Lake is going to be a great series for Melissa to add to her already amazing collection of books.

Willow Dalton & Zane Walker have been friends since childhood, and secretly loved each other from afar all these years. Before Willow headed to collage she enlisted Zane to take her virginity so she could away to collage a “woman” – she said there would be no strings attached and he was more than happy to oblige. Over the years they have kept in touch, with some flirting along the way, but it was always Willow who held back.

Now Zane is back in town with a proposition for Wills – as he nicknamed her – a proposition of a fake engagement to him for a few weeks as a publicity stunt thought up by his PR to gain him more exposure as a romantic actor, then once it over they go back to their respective lives. Willow naturally is against it at first as she is very close to her family and they will raise all sort of questions about the sudden engagement, but Zane seems to have it all planned out.

The lines begin to get blurred between fake and real and you are left wondering just how this is going to play out. It is clear that Zane & Willow want to be together and they he has thought of her for year, but as I said before it was Willow who held back – can this be the prefect ruse to bring them together again for real?

The banter between them both is brilliant and real, there are time when they are annoying and their are time when the lines blur and no one know what is real or fake, over all this is a great story from Melissa and I can not wait to read more from the Sugar Lake series!

6 people found this helpful

MLM 66

This is... The Real Thing!!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 25, 2017

Verified Purchase

Here we go again with the start of another brilliant series from Melissa Foster...Willow and Zane are the first ones to kick things off and just like everything else from this author this is no different! we are already addicted to all things (Sugar Lake)
Zane's intensions may have seemed fake to begin with but let's face it there was never any doubt that they would become a reality even though Willow had her doubts after all said and done Zane was a brilliant actor, you couldn't blame her for being a little cautious.
The Real Thing... is written with so much care and attention and it's a very thoughtful read much like all of Melissa Foster's stories however this feels like Zane and Willows movie.
There are plenty of touching moments between Zane and Willow but let's not forget when Zane met Sam the fact that he never even read Zane's script he just knew... he'd been there and done that, he just gave him a few words of wisdom, it was lovely.
All the characters are brilliant and we have been well and truly teased for what's to come, I've got... Only You Bridget's story on Pre-order. I think it's going to be quite emotional.
Thank you.

Michelle Hatton

Another hit from Melissa, love the Daltons

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 5, 2017

Verified Purchase

After reading about Sweetwater in the Wild Boys I have been looking forward to returning to this quaint little town and getting to know the Dalton girls (and guy) better.

Willow Dalton is definitely more free spirited than most of her siblings especially when it comes to skinny dipping. From a young age she has always known that she had feelings for Zane and that was one of the reasons she chose him as her first. She has tried to keep her feelings for Zane under control by either pushing him away or sassing him.

Zane Walker is the annoying best friend to Willows big brother Ben. He’s always had feelings for Willow but having any relationship with your best friends little sister is a big no no! Zane needs help improving his reputation and to do this he believes that Willow is the only person for the job.

Old feelings start to reappear, truths from the past come forward and a love that’s been there for over a decade is developed and built upon.

This story is something you can imagine being turned into a ‘chick flick’, I loved it and I’m looking forward to meeting all the Dalton's.

Kindle Customerrainbow

Wow, if your up for a great but naughty read, enjoy....

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 3, 2019

Verified Purchase

Hi this is the 1st Melissa Foster novel I've read...... Needless to say its not the last I've got 2 waiting....
Her Characters are brilliant. They leap off the page with humour, strength, stubbornness friendship, bravery and love..... To mention but a few.... The are real..... Life is full of sugar and spice but many Author 's seem to forget, bring the majority of the world we have to live in....
Got to go to read the next installment of the Dalton's and What happens Next !!! 😂

One person found this helpful

Lynnie-Loo

Zane Walker is hot to trot!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 23, 2017

Verified Purchase

OH. MY. GOD. *fans self* How gorgeous, funny, and sexy is Zane Walker? Honestly, I was sucked into this book immediately, with mention of cupcakes...but once sexy Zane appears I was completely hooked. His whole persona wraps around you like a comforting duvet. He really is 'sex on a stick' and the humour in this book had me chuckling all the way through.
It was a great introduction to the Dalton family (a few we have met before in previous books) and also to Bodhi Booker - who is the alpha male in Only for You - the 2nd book in the Sugar Lake series, due out later this year.
Enjoy Zane, ladies. I'm sure you will...He had me at "Hello" <3

One person found this helpful

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Melissa Foster
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Melissa Foster
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Melissa Foster
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Melissa Foster
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