'The Real Thing' by Melissa Foster is the First Book in the New Series called "Sugar Lake. This is the story of Willow Dalton and Zane Walker.
Zane was Willows brother best friend and always popular in school, where Willow was the opposite. Before she went off to College she ask Zane to do her a favor by taking her virginity. Now 10 years Willow has her own bakery and Zane is a famous actor. Zane comes back to ask if Willow would be his pretend fiancée to help build his image up.
This was a very sweet love story that I really enjoyed.
"My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read."
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The Real Thing is the first book in Melissa Foster’s Sugar Lake series….and it’s AMAZING! Set in the small town of Sweetwater, New York, the story features the Willow Dalton and Zane Walker. The characters, small town setting and the author‘s fabulous dialogue quickly drew me into the story.
At first, I was not thrilled the ‘fake engagement” trope in this novel. But, I quickly discovered that The Real Thing isn’t about a fake engagement; it’s about two people coming to terms with their long standing feelings for each other. The writing is rich in detail and the characters are so likeable that it’s easy to forgive Zane’s fake engagement idea and Willow’s sassy comebacks because it is apparent that these two people are meant to be together. Their sexual chemistry is off the charts and kudos to Ms. Foster for the sexy, steamy, fun, tender bedroom, bakery, blanket and car scenes! The novel is beautifully written and each word, each scene between Willow and Zane captivated me. Enjoyed reading how the couple sorts out theirs feelings for each other as desire changes to love.
Loved Willow’s relationship with her sisters and her mom. Zane won me over when Spiderman arrived at Willow’s nephew’s birthday party. Zane went out of his way to make a little child happy and showed Willow he truly cared for her. This scene had all the feels. It was hysterical, emotional, loving and poignant. Ms. Foster does a fabulous job weaving in Willow’s family members, bakery regulars, friends and Zane’s assistant and coworkers into the novel. These minor characters added a lot of fun and depth to the story line. Can’t wait to see if the next book features Piper or Bridgette Dalton. The smart, snappy dialogue between Zane and Willow drew me into the story. Zane used the fake engagement ruse to connect back to Willow, his heart’s desire and that’s what makes this story so romantic and special to me.
Melissa Foster has the ability to write an honest, relatable, entertaining romance—and I can’t wait for book two in this amazing series!

As deliciously, sweet as it is sexy, this is an irresistible second chance romance. I loved everything about this book, the plot, the pacing, and especially the characters. The Real Thing had it all. Wildly romantic! Incredibly sexy! Witty and Sweet! A sigh worthy love story and steamy love scenes. It will leave your heart full and a smile on your face. You will fall in love with Willow and Zane. Their chemistry is combustible. They are simply magic together. Melissa Foster infuses sweet emotions into almost every single interaction. Fun, heart tugging, emotional, titillating and off the chart Hot. You definitely will want to get your copy and fall in love with Willow and Zane. This is my new Favorite story, I couldn't put it down and neither will you. Loved it! Cannot wait for more in this series.
Thanks for this utterly charming, witty, deliciously sexy story filled with laugh out loud moments, swoons and even a tear or two.
Received an ARC through Publisher via NetGalley and voluntarily wrote an honest review.

If you ever doubted that you can meet the right person at the wrong time, then you need to read this second chance romance by Melissa Foster!
Willow and Zane have been life long friends (and a little more) when he decides to use a career issue to spend more time with her and hidden desires blossom.
These two were fun together! I loved the idea that they had 10 years of miscommunication to deal with and that they never really let the other one go.
Willow and Zane don't have a perfectly smooth road once they reconnect, but it's a definitely an entertaining one to watch.
As the first book in the series, we spend time with Willow's family as the cast of Sweetwater is established. As important as the secondary cast is, the focus is firmly on our lovebirds and their journey to happily ever after. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next in the series!

Reviewed on behalf of Amo’s Book Corner

4 Stars

Willow has always loved her hometown of Sweetwater, when she left for college it was very bittersweet so as soon as she could she returned home and has since opened her own bakery.

Zane, grew up with Willow, he is her brother’s best friend. He could not wait to get out of Sweetwater and move to LA where he became a very well-known actor.

These two have some history, Willow gave her virginity to Zane before she left for college. They have always had a crush on each other but never said anything.

When Zane needs Willow’s help looking better for the press will she help him? Will they both get all they have ever wanted or will it all crash and burn when everyone finds out they were lying at the start?

I have chosen to not review this title.

Thank you.

Sweet and sexy second chance romance from the author of the Love In Bloom series.

Zane and Willow have known each other from childhood. Zane was her older brother's best friend and the most popular boy in school. Willow was the slightly shy, slightly awkward little sister of his best friend. Ten years ago, just before she left for college she asked him to take her virginity so she'd never have any regrets and afterwards they moved into the background of one another's lives. Now that they're adults things have changed a bit, Willow owns her own bakery and Zane is a hugely famous A-list actor. As a favour she agrees to be his pretend fiancée for a couple of weeks, but what happens when the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur?

This was incredibly sweet and I fell head over heels for Zane, he was amazing! He was sweet, sexy, funny and just enough arrogance to make him entertaining but not enough to become obnoxious! I was rooting for his character from the opening pages as he was never anything but committed to Willow. I had a slightly harder time with the character of Willow I must admit. She was sweet and loyal with her family, but she constantly underestimated Zane and that bugged me. At every obstacle it seemed she was ready to throw in the towel and it was Zane who fought for their relationship. It was sweet, but I'm always left a little uneasy when a relationship is unbalanced like that (one character giving more, making more adjustments and compromises than the other).

I did love it though and eagerly look forward to reading Bridgette's story next.

*ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in return for an honest review*

Willow Dalton loves having her own business, but when a blast from her past,in the form of actor Zane Walker, asks for a favor, she finds her world turned upside-down and everything she thought she knew starts to become unraveled.
Willow and Zane are my favorite couple created by this author, and I can't wait for the rest of the series featuring Willow's siblings! A great romance with endearing characters, for a story you don't want to miss!

I love that Melissa Foster has set this SUGAR LAKE series in Upstate New York...I'm from there and it brought back great memories of LAKE GEORGE and LAKE CHAMPLAIN and wonderful summers. Willow and Zane have the kind of love story that makes you feel like you are part of it. So many laughs and a few tears later and I can't wait for the next sibling's story...will it be Bridgette?

I have become a fan of Melissa Foster over the last year and believe me she does not disappoint. If you want a feel good romance with some sexiness added, The Real Thing is IT!!! Believe me when I say that I told my husband he needs to be just as sweet as Zane. Willow was adorable and even though they started on a rough patch, things heated up soon enough!

Zane had me swooning from his words to his actions. I am serious I did not put this book down. The zolt of electricity Zane and Willow have is exciting. I am a huge "New Love" fan. I get the butterflies and a cheesy smile over it and The Real Thing gave it to me. The storyline was great, the cover gives you a perfect idea of Zane. Did I mention I obsessed with the guy :) Just because the book is a feel good romance, you get the zest with the sexy times too.

I loved this well written romance. It has a good plot, two friends who have had longtime crushes on each other. I also enjoyed this author's writing.

Willow and Zane have been friends since they were young. He did her the favor of removing her virginity and then stuck by the rules she had laid out afterwards. Now, ten years later, he’s cashing in the favor. He needs to repair his reputation as a playboy A-list actor and the only woman he wants to pretend to be his fiancée is Willow. It’s always been Willow. She’s his real thing and this story showcases how this couple moves from a friendship into a romantic relationship.

I loved Willow and Zane! As individuals they were both sincere and likable. As a couple they were intense, engaging and so hot I’m sure my Kindle was scorched. This story has a crew of secondary characters that will be getting their own stories and there’s not one of them I’m not anxious to read about.

I’m relatively new to the Melissa Foster bandwagon, but OMG…I’m so glad I was able to hop on!

ARC provided by NetGalley

Dual POV
Safety issues – they slept together once when they were young and they each have other relationships afterwards but once together as a current couple there is no one else
No apparent triggers

Long time friends, with long time crushes, play the fake engagement game to help Zane seem settled. But when it turns to more for both Willow and Zane, they have to figure out how to continue the relationship. Fun read, I love a good friends to lovers story!

The Real Thing is a great read to kick off a new series from this author. The characters are funny and well developed and the storyline is nicely paced and entertaining. It's a second chance story that will make you laugh and swoon. I'm don't really care for the "Hollywood" stories but this one isn't about the glam and glitz. It's more about coming home and seeing what's been there all along. This is definitely a great read and one I highly recommend.

Thank you to Lisa for letting me take part in this blog tour. This is a new series for Melissa and I have to say I like the new look.

The story follows Willow and Zane. Willow has been featured in the Bad Boys books so she is not a completely new character but we have only heard snippets about her and her family before this book.  Willow has been in love with Zane for as long as she can remember but she has kept him at arms length since she was 18 because he unknowingly broke her heart. She compares every man to him and none of them live up. I really liked Willow she was easy to identify with. She is sweet strong and has an immense amount of willpower.

Zane couldn't wait to go an conquer the big wide world. Life in sweetwater lake was just too small for him. But now he's a big shot Hollywood actor but something is missing. Zane needs to clean up his act for his next role and the only  person he can trust to help him is Willow. I thought Zane was a cheeky chappy with a big front but deep down he's a good guy with a big heart.

I really enjoyed the style of this new series. It was sweet with heat. It still had Melissa's stamp on it but with a fresh new edge.

I hope that there are more books to come from the rest of Willow's family. I can already see some stories forming.

I tried hard but couldn't finish this one. I struggled to get through the first half and finally gave up. I didn't enjoy the characters at all, and couldn't find a reason to finish.

4.25☆ I thought The Real Thing was a great start to a new series. As it was an enjoyable, sweet, easy to read second chance romance. That was low angst and entertaining. Plus the story itself drew me in and kept me hooked throughout. I also found the characters very engaging and likable and not just the main two Willow and Zane. But all of Willows family too and I would therefore happily recommend this book to others. Especially if you are a fan of Melissa Foster.

I really enjoyed this book. Melissa is a phenomenal writer. It was witty and fun at times. It was also serious and steamy. It is a second chance romance between best friends.
Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

DNF. I just couldn't get into this one, and after forcing myself to continue a bunch of times, had to call it quits. She was nuts if she thought after asking him to help with her virginity and putting conditions to keep him away that they would magically be together. And she was really kind of a jerk to him. And judgemental. Just not for me.

A wonderfully sweet second chance love story that was equal parts swoony and sexy. Melissa Foster fans will fall in love with Willow and Zane and go nuts over this new series.

I have only read a couple of Melissa Foster’s book and would venture into characterizing her stories as low drama high voltage swoony sexiness. They’re easy to read with just the right amount of steam and heart that support a strong connection between the main characters. The Real Thing is Zane and Willow’s story which unfolds in the small town of Sweetwater. It is one full of friendship, desire and affection as well as the obstacles that accompany a second chance at love.

Willow Dalton and Zane Walker fell in love when they were so young they couldn’t have possible understood the concept but they never expressed their feelings toward the other. He was her older brother’s best friend, the boy who spent so much time at her place he could practically be part of the family. They’ve always been close friends and before she went to college she asked him to be her first but then he moved to LA to become an A-list actor and turned into a well-known player. So why is he back a decade later asking her to be his fake fiancée?

Zane thought his decision to clean up his playboy name by asking Willow to help out was harmless enough and solely for public relations purposes, but as soon as she’s in his arms pretending, all the feelings of familiarity, intimacy and love they’d never acknowledged before flood them, lines get blurred and neither can distinguish between what’s real and what’s fake. But do they really want to?

The closeness between Zane and Willow practically leaps from the page. They were cute and sweet and sexy. It was wonderful and heartwarming to see these two get their second chance at a love that had been latent for years and how their relationship helped Zane find his life’s purpose.

Zane realizes he’s deeply in love with Willow and would do just about anything to be with her. He goes big with everything he does to convince her to give them a chance and the things he says are super sweet and cheesy. He was incredibly endearing. And let’s not forget about the sizzling chemistry between them! I really enjoyed how Melissa explores all the ties that bind them starting from a young age and the lasting power of their love.

And although I personally don’t have a big sweet tooth and like stories with a bit more drama, I found Zane and Willow’s journey very enjoyable, smiling and swooning throughout their story and can’t wait to read about Willow’s brother and sisters.

The Real Thing is the first book in Sugar Lake series by Melissa Foster. It is a full length second chance romance that is easy to read with likeable characters, very little drama a whole lot of sexy sweetness. It has a happy ending and is told from both points of view.