Published by Berkley on July 15, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Goodreads
A millionaire and a house cleaner are a match maid in heaven in this sparkling new romantic comedy by Lynn Painter, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Happily Never After.
As a professional cleaner, Abi Mariano never thought her apartment would have any sort of infestation, but because of a building-wide outbreak, she now needs somewhere to stay for a week. As a part-time student with two jobs, she doesn’t have many options. Then the solution presents itself: the owner of the penthouse she cleans is out of town for the week. She normally wouldn’t consider it, but he’s literally never around (she hasn’t even met him). It goes great…until one morning she finds two strangers in the kitchen. They’re the parents of the penthouse owner and they seem to think they’ve heard all about Abi—not as their son’s maid, but as his girlfriend.
Declan Powell has always put his career first, working his way up to become an executive at his company, but he still has his sights set on the next level. When his parents mention that they met his girlfriend, “Abby,” he all but chokes on his escargot. As wonderful as it sounds that she was just darling, he doesn’t actually have a girlfriend—he made her up to get everyone off his back. When Dex finds out who Abi really is, he makes her a proposition: pretend to date him, and he’ll provide everything she needs during their little arrangement. What harm would it do? It’s purely business, no pleasure…right?
Abi didn't think it would be a problem to spend the night in her employer's apartment while hers was being fumigated. I mean, he wasn't using it, but when his parents show up and mistaken her for his girlfriend, Abby, things get a bit complicated. Abi and Declan strike a deal to fake date. It's a win-win for everyone until the line between real and fake feelings is blurred.
As soon as I dove into Maid for Each Other, I knew this would be another hit for me. From the meet-cute to the coincidence that Abi and Declan's imaginary girlfriend more or less shared a name, Painter had me hooked. This book was packed with Painter's signature blend of humor and emotion highlighting a delightful story of two people from very different walks of life falling in love.
Declan and Abi were both layered characters who slowly revealed themselves to each other. Declan was more of a mystery, but I really loved when I discovered his hidden pieces. I knew he was a sweetheart from the little things he did, but he was a grumpy sweetheart who held most people at arm's length. It was lovely to see a friendship grow between him and Abi. This was one of those opposites attract type couples who had great chemistry and also balanced each other well.
A fun and funny rom-com, Maid for Each Other was a delightful read which hit the trifecta of making me laugh, smile, and swoon.
Published by Berkley on July 8, 2025
Age/Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Goodreads
An infamously grumpy star soccer player is forced to fake date a Hollywood starlet, only to develop real feelings for her—just as she learns he was pretending and vows to get even.
Abigail Hunt’s Hollywood dreams could best be described as slow burn…but she’s about to graduate from TV sidekick to dramatic actor. When the esteemed director of what she’s hoping will be her breakout role suggests she do a deep-dive for her part by shadowing the director of a struggling pro soccer team, she jumps at the chance to prove she’s ready.
She wasn’t expecting notorious grump and gorgeous star player Luke Wolfe to ask her out though, and suddenly her research is getting a lot more…hands-on. Their relationship quickly sets social media on fire, and Luke seems determined to prove he’s more than his villainous reputation. But just when Abby is happier than ever—her name in the spotlight and heart in good hands—the other cleat drops: Luke was coerced into faking their relationship.
Furious, Abby refuses to give him the satisfaction of dumping him—she decides to get even. It’s only a matter of time until she pushes the right buttons.
She just didn’t expect him to keep putting up with it—or to say I love you.
In order to get off the protected list, soccer player Luke agrees to fake date actress Abby. Both Abby and Luke have reputations in need of rehabilitation, so this could be a win-win for everyone involved. And perhaps this grumpy guy may have finally met his match.
This was a fun one! I had a great time with Abby and Luke. Maybe Luke embarked on this relationship with less-than honest intentions, but it quickly became something so real for him. I would call this a grumpy-sunshine romance with Luke being quite the grump. It was Abby and her goofball charm that softened his edges and let his squishy side shine.
The story was packed with lot of great rom-com moments, but more interesting was where the story went when Abby discovered why Luke asked her out. Naturally, I anticipated some anger and a break-up, but this went in the direction as promised when Abby pulled a How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days type scheme. This resulted in some pretty wild antics and plenty of hilarious and over the top moments, but in the end, it led to something super sweet that *may* have had me tearing up.
Overall, I throughly enjoyed how something forced and fake led to something real and amazing for both Luke and Abby. Fun and sweet and packed with tons of humor, this was was a solid grumpy-sunshine romance that left me grinning from ear to ear.
*ARCS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER
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