The Deal Maker

De: Louise Bay

Narrado por: Samantha Brentmoor, Jason Clarke

When the maid of honor and the best man fabricate a romance to keep the peace, the only thing they can’t fake are the sparks.

Lucy Jones is tired of being the “other sister.” Elizabeth is the golden child—beautiful, serene, and engaged to the perfect man. Lucy? She’s thirty, single, and still dodging her mother’s digs about how she never quite measures up. But when Elizabeth names Lucy as her maid of honor, she vows her sister’s wedding will be her grand rebrand. She’ll prove she’s polished, sophisticated, and totally in control.

Enter Hunter Bain. Best man. Business bro. Walking scowl emoji. Also the rudest, most aggravating man Lucy has ever met—and her new partner in planning the joint bachelor/bachelorette weekend. Fantastic. Because nothing says “reinvent yourself” like clashing with a man who thinks party planning is beneath him.

From drunken disasters to shenanigans on Martha’s Vineyard, Lucy and Hunter can’t stop butting heads. Until one impulsive lie forces them to pretend they’re dating. It’s supposed to be temporary. It’s supposed to be fake. But every lingering glance, every stolen kiss, every unexpected laugh makes it harder to remember what’s real and what’s not.

Full of sharp banter, slow-burn tension, and laugh-out-loud chaos, The Deal Maker is a swoony enemies-to-lovers rom-com about messy families, fake relationships, and finding love when you least expect it.

©2026 by Louise Bay. (P)2026 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Fake Dating Turns Into Real Love ❤️

Lucy Jones (MFC) Successful and talented Paralegal working in New York City, she moved away from her home town family Boston home, after she graduated college and never looked back. Far from her controlling mother, but left her very perfect sister, Katherine, and her parents behind there.

Hunter Bain (MMC) Ed’s Best Friend, Best Man, and Business Partner at Portis Investments.
Now Katherine and her fiancé, Ed, are getting married and Lucy is the maid of honor and she and Hunter are expected to work together on the combination bachelor/bachelorette party that the over the top bride wants to take place last minute in the Cape on the beach.
Lucy is having some serious eye twitching issues and Hunter is struggling to contain his self control and they both are putting on quite the show and pretending to get along so much so, to “fake date” to keep up a united front for Ed & Katherine and pretend all is perfect 😍 What could go wrong 😂

Louise Bay delivers another enjoyable & wonderful story to us readers, with a HEA 💕

The narrator’s: Samantha Brentmoor & Jason Clarke did an incredible job bringing all the characters to life in the story in the audiobook

Glad I stayed with it!

The early arguing about did me in. I am not a fighter and the constant bickering at the start was frustrating. But the longer I listened the more drawn in I became. I could relate to the self doubt and fear of failure that they dealt with. I admired how the characters became stronger with each page.

I loved it

I’m such a fan of Louise’s books. Book after book is great. The narration is fantastic as well. Thanks for another great book

Emotionally on Point ❤️🌊💵💙

Hunter and Lucy have such a fun dynamic from the very beginning. She’s so tightly wound and he’s clueless in a non-airhead way. He’s just so laser focused in his business, he doesn’t see much else.

I like how the both work through their issues with their parents. Family dynamics are so painful sometimes when the people who are supposed to protect us the most let us down. In the case of this couple, it only makes them stronger in the end.

When Hunter finally realizes what is most important and how his new group won’t let him down, he’s able to embrace them fully. I loved the end!

The narrators do a nice job. They’re easy to listen to and pulled me into the story.

Lucy & Hunter

Forced to work together, a battle begins that is as tense as it is entertaining. It had me laughing out loud from the beginning! Their snarky banter and sizzling chemistry light up every page. A truce is called when they are suddenly fake dating, and with it comes a shift—sparks fly, walls begin to crumble, and unexpected sides of each character emerge. As their relationship evolves—from animosity to reluctant respect, to fake dating, to friendship, and finally to a love that feels earned and enduring. They deliver all the heart, heat, and emotional depth I crave in a romance, and I felt every beat of their journey. Lucy is fierce, capable, and a people pleaser, shaped by a life of constant criticism. Vulnerability has never been safe for Lucy, but with Hunter, something changes and she she finds herself opening up. And Hunter listens. He doesn’t weaponize her pain—he honors it. He sees her, supports her, and becomes the safe space she never knew she needed. Hunter, also dealing with emotional wounds—is defensive and guarded. He becomes one of the swooniest characters I’ve read in a long time—gentle, protective, and quietly powerful. Lucy brings out a joy in him that’s been buried for years and watching him rediscover it is pure magic. If you love enemies to lovers AND fake dating…YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK!!

Samantha Brentmoor & Jason Clarke do an amazing job portraying the characters, bringing them to life and humanizing them with their emotions, attitude and personality. They do more than giving their characters their voices, they fall into the roles and become the character.