Willette Archer has a secret—though some would argue how well kept it actually is. As right-hand woman and best friend to the owner of Bird’s Eye Tattoo Studio, her job has become her whole life. So, she occupies her days with shop decisions to avoid her disappointing dating life.
Of course, that might also have something to do with her two-decade old infatuation with her aforementioned best friend’s older brother.
Derek Tanner is at a loss—with basically everything. His apartment lease is up, most of his belongings are somewhere in storage, and the good doctor has been pulling extra shifts at the hospital due to lack of staff. So, yeah. His life is chaos. Thanks to these wonderful circumstances, dating is nowhere on his radar.
When his little brother suggests he stay in Willette’s spare room for the time being, he’s both grateful and hesitant. Sure, he grew up with Will too, but they’ve never been as close—let alone in close quarters.
It doesn’t take very long for Doctor Derek to start seeing Will in a new light. This makes him think perhaps he should be examined. Will, on the other hand, is this close to feigning injury just so he’ll touch her already.
When boundaries are crossed and relationships are finally taken to the next level, will Willette get exactly what she’s been hoping for since childhood, or will her fantasy be forever ruined?
Sunny Shelly’s Review: 4 Stars
Derek’s lease is up, his hours at the hospital are insane, and he needs someplace to crash while he house hunts. So Hawk offers up Will’s spare bedroom, and we have a forced proximity/roommates romance with a bit of secret crush mixed in. Derek has always been a serial dater, never committing because he doesn’t believe in love. Will has always dated losers, because she knows nobody will measure up to Derek. But as they spend more time together as roommates, Derek starts to look at Willette differently and asks her out. There is hesitation from both of them about not wanting to ruin their decades-old friendship… and that is exactly what happens when Derek finds out that Willette has been in love with him since she was a kid. He freaks out, moves out, and leaves Will heartbroken.
I really liked Will and Derek’s story, but I wanted *more* from them. Why is Derek so against love? He’s seen it go bad with his parents, but that was a one-liner and I wanted more about how that affected him. I wanted more of Derek’s inner thoughts when it came to his feelings for Will and his willingness to “hope” for more. The scene was beautiful but I wanted to know how he got there. I also wish that there had been some reference to Will’s family — it would have given her more depth as a heroine. The one reference to her Generalized Anxiety Disorder was kind of a throw-away, and I think there was so much that could have been explored there with how that affects her.
But overall, Will was a great read, and I’m really enjoying this series. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Avery and Hanson! I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
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