Spotlight & Giveaway: Built to Last by Lexi Blake

Posted May 27th, 2025 by Sara @HarlequinJunkie in Blog, Spotlight / 12 comments

Today, HJ is pleased to share with you Lexi Blake’s new release: Built to Last

From New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake, discover The Park Avenue Promise Series…

Three young women make a pact in high school—
to always be friends and to one day make it big in Manhattan

Built to Last

Harper Ross has always dreamed of working on one of the magnificent brownstones of Park Avenue. Now one of her closest friends has bought the house of her dreams and hired Harper to do the construction work. She wants to showcase the renovation on a television show for her brand-new production company. It’s the same grand home she and her friends promised themselves they would be able to afford one day. Working on it isn’t the same as living in it, but it’s all a part of Harper’s grand plan to grow her father’s construction business into one of the biggest in the city. The only obstacle—the designer on the project.

Reid Dorsey believes in the balance between beauty and functionality. As one of Manhattan’s new voices in design, he’s excited to get to work on a true Gilded Age property. If only the owner had selected a contractor he enjoyed working with. Oh, Harper was brilliant and her work was excellent, but she has an opinion on everything—and it’s usually the opposite of his.

Over the course of the job, these enemies start to see different sides of each other, and suddenly their fights don’t seem so bad. But when the project is threatened, they might have to choose between their jobs and the beautifully designed future they could share.

Enjoy an exclusive excerpt from Built to Last

The door slams behind me but I don’t care because the only thing that matters is getting my hands on this man. “Are you going to kiss me?”

His lips kick up as he pulls his bowtie off. “I’m going to do more than kiss you, baby. Do you have any idea how much I’ve thought about this? Since the moment I saw you and made a complete idiot of myself.” He frowns suddenly. “How much did you drink?”

I set my tiny purse on the foyer table. It’s a whole big, gorgeous suite. It looks a lot like the one I’m sharing with Ivy and Heath, so I would bet there are two bedrooms in this sucker. I don’t see Jeremiah, so I have to think he’s either getting lucky himself or still enjoying the party. “Two glasses of champagne and that whiskey you brought me. I also ate way too much, and that’s a much better reason to not do this.”

There are so many reasons to not do this. So many.

I can’t think of any of them right now. If I’m drunk off anything, it’s lust. And maybe longing.
The last two hours have been a whirlwind of dancing and toasting my friends and sitting with Reid and talking about pretty much everything. We had a spirited debate about restoration methods that made all my friends leave the table. Jeremiah sat there watching us argue with wide eyes, as though it was the best tennis match ever.

It was fun to argue with Reid. Fun to dance with him. Fun to try Ralavian pastries with him. Especially since he apparently can’t stand lingonberries, and it is the national fruit. I had to eat his because Luca was walking up and he didn’t want to admit he hated it.

It was adorable.

I don’t think I’ve had a boyfriend before who I felt was a teammate. Like we’re truly in it together. Not that Reid is my boyfriend. He’s not, and I need to remember that.

“What are we doing?” He seems to slow down.

I don’t want to. “Having a brief fling at the most elegant and romantic event either of us will ever attend.” Now I do kind of wish I had some more of that whiskey he’d given me. It might give me some more courage. I’m wondering if he’s come to his senses. I can probably handle it if it’s about work. “But if you’ve changed your mind…”

He reaches for my hand and then drags me close. “No. I’m a careful man. I make very few mistakes, and I’ve started to wonder if that isn’t the problem.”

I raise a brow. “I’m a mistake?”

“Probably, since we’re about to work together and I think we’re going to butt heads a lot. This is your dream project, but I’m the designer. I’m in charge, and you’re going to hate me at times. Yes, this is a mistake, but I want to make it. One selfish decision. Something only for me.” His hands find my waist and pull me close, our bodies nestling together like puzzle pieces. “Harper, have I told you how fucking gorgeous you are?”

A couple of times. When we danced, he made me feel like I was the princess and he the handsome prince. He was so attentive, making sure I had anything I wanted.

I know it won’t last, but for a couple of hours I want to pretend I have the kind of life my friends have.

He even fit in with them. He and his brother had laughed and joked around with Heath and Luca and tried to hide when CeCe came around.

It felt like I fit in that moment. Like I fit in the new paradigm I find myself in.

I know it’s not real, but for one night it can be. “You look good, too. That tux suits you. We both know this is a one-night thing.”

He’s looking into my eyes like he can find something important there. “Why? Why do we have to put a time limit on it? What if it turns out we can handle butting heads at work and still feel comfortable outside of it? Are you a delicate flower who can’t handle a little conflict?”

Oh, he’s throwing down a challenge that I can’t help but pick up. “I’ve worked with construction crews my whole life. I eat conflict for breakfast.”

I had to develop a thick skin to survive. Even as a kid, my dad didn’t hold back on the criticism, and I get a ton of it now. Honestly, the idea of working with this man, of sparring with him, kind of excites me. I’ve been the boss for a long time, and that means pushing back when the men around me think they know better. This will be something different.

“Then why does this have to be a one-night thing?” He strokes a hand over my hair, looking into my eyes like I’m something precious. “Stop thinking, Harper. We both think too much. Let’s go with it for once in our lives.”

It’s the exact right thing to say because he’s correct. My life feels like it was planned from the beginning. Like I was set on a path and I never thought to wander off it. I followed my father, listened to my mother. I love the work I do, but what would I do if I didn’t have the responsibility the company gave me? What would I have done in college if I wasn’t expected to get a business degree?

If my father lived, would he have introduced me to some nice guy he picked out and I would be home having his babies while he ran the company that was supposed to be mine?

Do I even want it?

I toss all the questions aside as Reid’s head lowers and his lips brush over mine for the first time.

I definitely wouldn’t be here, and here suddenly seems like a brilliant place to be.

Giveaway: Signed print copies of the three books in the Park Avenue Promise series. Includes Start Us Up, My Royal Showmance, and Built to Last. Open internationally.

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Meet the Author:

New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake lives in North Texas with her husband and three kids. Since starting her publishing journey in 2010, she’s sold over three million copies of her books. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings.