Love, Academically

**Shortlisted for the Contemporary Spicy Romance Novel Award 2026**'What a delight! This book has it all: a grumpy, brooding hero, a relatable vulnerable yet sassy heroine, and a hot romance. A really hot romance. It starts as a slow burn and then explodes across the page' Lilac Mills, author of The Tanglewood BookshopFALLING IN LOVE WASN'T ON THE CURRICULUMLila Cartwright is thriving after dumping her toxic ex - well, mostly. That is, until she bumps into him and his new girlfriend, forcing her to grab the nearest man and introduce him as her boyfriend. Unfortunately, that man is her infuriatingly moody (yet undeniably attractive) colleague, Rhys Aubrey.Rhys isn't Lila's biggest fan either, but when he needs to convince his family that he's excelling in both work and love, striking a deal with her suddenly makes sense.As their fake relationship unfolds, the lines between pretence and reality blur. Can they keep up the act, or is there something real beneath the rivalry?