COVER STORY

An investigative reporter and her office’s new intern must pose as a couple to get the scoop of a lifetime.

Award-winning podcaster Bel Macauley recently joined the staff of a prominent British newspaper, but she’s tucked away at its small Manchester office. Her only coworkers are fellow journalist Aaron Parry and a rotating cast of interns. Things quickly sour with newest intern Connor Adams, who’s in his early 30s and is looking for a career pivot from finance to journalism. Bel is surprised that they’re around the same age, and her dealings with Connor often make him feel patronized. Meanwhile, Connor writes Bel off for her unprofessional outfits and has a chip on his shoulder when it comes to women due to his crumbling relationship. When Bel uncovers evidence that Manchester’s mayor is exhibiting predatory behavior toward young women and Connor accidentally jeopardizes her surveillance operation, she’s forced to do some quick thinking and introduce him as her boyfriend. With Connor now officially roped in, the two take on the assignment together while maintaining their fake romance. Both characters are prickly, which leads to some sizzling banter and adds an enemies-to-lovers element to the story, but there are times when things skew more mean than moody. Connor’s early judgments about Bel feel indicative of a larger distaste toward women, an off-putting introduction to the character that takes quite a bit of time to redeem. McFarlane’s romances, such as You Belong With Me (2024), tend to feature darker elements, and this is no exception, with themes including suicide and stalking. The journalism story adds great tension, and the scenes of Bel and Connor working to collect evidence are some of the most compelling in the book—more so than the romance. That being said, readers may feel disappointed that not everything in that plotline wraps up neatly.

A slow-burn romance with some topical, though unfulfilling, suspense.