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Relentless Desire: A Second Chance Fake Dating Romance
Paperback
Series: Ruthless in Love, Book 3
Please select the version of book you would like to purchase.
ISBN13: 9798249409838
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Feb 23 2026
Pages: 200
Weight: 0.60
Height: 0.42 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Feb 23 2026
Pages: 200
Weight: 0.60
Height: 0.42 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
She never forgot her first love.
He never stopped regretting leaving her.
Their fake relationship is about to become dangerously real. Seven years ago, James Blackwood made the biggest mistake of his life. He chose his architecture career over Natalie Sterling, the woman he loved. He left for an opportunity abroad, leaving behind a heartbroken twenty-year-old who swore she'd never trust him again. Now, James is back in Manhattan. Successful. Respected. And completely miserable. Because the one thing he wanted-Natalie-is the one thing he can't have. Until fate throws them together at a gallery opening and gives them both exactly what they need. Natalie Sterling has spent seven years building her career as a gallery curator. She's brilliant, driven, and on the verge of becoming the youngest director in her institution's history. There's just one problem: the board values stability, and being perpetually single at twenty-seven doesn't project the image she needs. James needs to appear settled for his conservative clients. Natalie needs to appear stable for her promotion. Their solution? Fake dating. Six months of public appearances, carefully orchestrated romance, and absolutely no real feelings. Just business. The rules are simple:
He never stopped regretting leaving her.
Their fake relationship is about to become dangerously real. Seven years ago, James Blackwood made the biggest mistake of his life. He chose his architecture career over Natalie Sterling, the woman he loved. He left for an opportunity abroad, leaving behind a heartbroken twenty-year-old who swore she'd never trust him again. Now, James is back in Manhattan. Successful. Respected. And completely miserable. Because the one thing he wanted-Natalie-is the one thing he can't have. Until fate throws them together at a gallery opening and gives them both exactly what they need. Natalie Sterling has spent seven years building her career as a gallery curator. She's brilliant, driven, and on the verge of becoming the youngest director in her institution's history. There's just one problem: the board values stability, and being perpetually single at twenty-seven doesn't project the image she needs. James needs to appear settled for his conservative clients. Natalie needs to appear stable for her promotion. Their solution? Fake dating. Six months of public appearances, carefully orchestrated romance, and absolutely no real feelings. Just business. The rules are simple:
- Exclusive (publicly)
- Family events together
- Public affection, private boundaries
- Complete honesty with each other
- Six months, then part ways
- No falling in love But fake dating your first love is impossible when the chemistry never died. Every touch for the cameras feels real. Every staged kiss ignites old feelings. And when Natalie is in James's arms, she remembers exactly why she fell for him in the first place. Then the worst happens: someone exposes their arrangement. An anonymous tip to the gallery board questions whether Natalie's relationship is strategic. Her integrity is challenged. Her promotion is threatened. Everything she's worked for is on the line. James knows he has to prove their relationship is real. So he proposes. Actually proposes. With a ring and everything. But is it love driving him, or desperation to save her career? Are they ready for marriage after just weeks of real dating? Or are they making the same impulsive mistakes that tore them apart seven years ago? When James receives a call about Shanghai-a three-year project, on-site, the career opportunity of a lifetime-history threatens to repeat itself. Natalie faces her worst nightmare: watching the man she loves choose his career over her. Again. But seven years apart taught them both something crucial: that love doesn't mean giving up your dreams, it means choosing to build dreams together. That second chances are rare and precious. That some people are worth the risk, worth the fear, worth choosing every single day. This time, they're not letting fear or pride or career ambition destroy what they have. This time, they're fighting for their love. And this time, they're not settling for anything less than forever. TROPES:
Second Chance Romance
Fake Dating Turns Real
First Love Returns
He Grovels
Forced Proximity
Billionaire Architect
Career Woman Heroine
Public Proposal
HEA Guaranteed Heat Level: Medium spice with fade-to-black intimate scenes
Stand-alone: Can be read independently but better with Books 1-2
No cheating. No love triangles. Just two people getting their second chance right. Perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Ali Hazelwood, and Christina Lauren.
- Family events together
- Public affection, private boundaries
- Complete honesty with each other
- Six months, then part ways
- No falling in love But fake dating your first love is impossible when the chemistry never died. Every touch for the cameras feels real. Every staged kiss ignites old feelings. And when Natalie is in James's arms, she remembers exactly why she fell for him in the first place. Then the worst happens: someone exposes their arrangement. An anonymous tip to the gallery board questions whether Natalie's relationship is strategic. Her integrity is challenged. Her promotion is threatened. Everything she's worked for is on the line. James knows he has to prove their relationship is real. So he proposes. Actually proposes. With a ring and everything. But is it love driving him, or desperation to save her career? Are they ready for marriage after just weeks of real dating? Or are they making the same impulsive mistakes that tore them apart seven years ago? When James receives a call about Shanghai-a three-year project, on-site, the career opportunity of a lifetime-history threatens to repeat itself. Natalie faces her worst nightmare: watching the man she loves choose his career over her. Again. But seven years apart taught them both something crucial: that love doesn't mean giving up your dreams, it means choosing to build dreams together. That second chances are rare and precious. That some people are worth the risk, worth the fear, worth choosing every single day. This time, they're not letting fear or pride or career ambition destroy what they have. This time, they're fighting for their love. And this time, they're not settling for anything less than forever. TROPES:
Second Chance Romance
Fake Dating Turns Real
First Love Returns
He Grovels
Forced Proximity
Billionaire Architect
Career Woman Heroine
Public Proposal
HEA Guaranteed Heat Level: Medium spice with fade-to-black intimate scenes
Stand-alone: Can be read independently but better with Books 1-2
No cheating. No love triangles. Just two people getting their second chance right. Perfect for fans of Emily Henry, Ali Hazelwood, and Christina Lauren.
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