Spotlight &Giveaway: The Best Friend Problem by Mariah Ankenman

Posted August 19th, 2019 by in Blog, Spotlight / 82 comments

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Mariah Ankenman to HJ!
Spotlight&Giveaway

Hi Mariah and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The Best Friend Problem!

 
Hello, book lovers!
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

It’s a best friends to lovers, planned baby, but oops, not that way! Rollercoaster of a ride. A romance set in the heart of the city complete with a hot firefighter best friend, sweet rescue pup, and two of the best roomies/business partners a girl could ask for. Also, it might make you crave chili cheese fries.
 

Please share your favorite line(s) or quote from this book:

Much as he hated to kill the moment, he had to know. “Pru, what are we doing?”
She gazed down at him, dark brown eyes clear and filled with a burning need. A need for him. And hell, if that didn’t make him feel ten feet tall.
She shook her head, gaze falling to his lips once more. “I have no idea.”
“Well…as long as we’re on the same page.”

 

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

Finn’s furbaby Bruiser is inspired by my real life pup-nephew Holt, who is the cutest Yorkie mix ever and very patient when my girls give him enthusiastic hugs. He’s a very good boy.
Pru’s chili cheese fry obsession is taken from me. I love them. Give me all the chili cheese fries!
Pru and her roommates/business partners, Lilly and Mo, are based on the amazing and iconic Golden Girls.

 

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

Finn has always kind of had a thing for Pru, but he’s never acted on it because he values their friendship too much and he knows with his risky job as a firefighter he’s not the kind of man she’s looking for, but he’ll always be the one there for her.
Pru knows Finn is attractive, downright spank-bank material, but as her closest friend she never crossed that line, until she does. The moment she starts viewing him with new eyes is the moment he supports her decision to have a child on her own with nothing but 100% encouragement.

 

Did any scene have you blushing, crying or laughing while writing it? And Why?

I blushed and laughed while writing the moment they crossed a line in their friendship. Finn was just so cute in his disbelief that it was actually happening and so sweet in making sure Pru was 100% on board.
Every scene with Pru, Mo, and Lilly made me laugh. I adore them. Girl power!
Bawled like a baby while writing the black moment. Why can’t characters just be perfect and realize they deserve love? Oh, right, character development, lol.

 

Readers should read this book….

If you want a laugh out loud, swoon worthy story of friendship and true love where life plans fall awry, but happily ever after still wins, then this book is for you. Plus, there’s a trio of female friendship and a cute dog!

 

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have in the works?

I’m working on book two of the Mile High Happiness series, Lilly’s book. It’s a lot of fun and let me tell you, our Type-A Lilly is about to meet the man who’s going to make her question everything. I love messing with tightly wound characters *evil laugh*.
 
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

 

Giveaway: $20 Amazon e-gift card

 

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: What is your favorite friends to lovers movie? I’ll start, I have to go with the classic: When Harry Met Sally. Followed closely by: Always Be My Maybe.

 

Rafflecopter Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/4b1a39fa0/

 

Note, this Rafflecopter is hosted by the author.

 
 

Excerpt from The Best Friend Problem:

There was a moment. A pause in their goodbye that normally didn’t happen. Under ordinary circumstances she would wave, turn, and head inside. But last night had been anything but ordinary. It seemed they were still trying to find their new footing, even though they’d agreed not to let what happened change their friendship.
You dummy! her brain screamed. Sex always changes everything.
It didn’t have to. They could be two mature adults about this. So why wasn’t she leaving? Why wasn’t she waving? Why the hell was she moving closer to Finn and why was he grasping the back of her neck and pulling her to him?
He tugged her closer, and she came to him, like a moth drawn to an irresistible, dangerous flame.
His head tilted, lips pressing against her own. She opened for him instinctively, allowing his tongue to slip inside. She moaned, deepening the kiss at that first electric spark of his tongue caressing hers. Then, all too quickly, it was over, and he was pulling away.
“See ya, Pru.”
“See ya, Finn.”
Then he was gone. Pulling away on that ridiculous excuse for a vehicle. Leaving her wondering what that was. They’d said sex wouldn’t change anything, so why did he kiss her goodbye? Friends didn’t say goodbye with their lips. Okay, so they did, but not in a tongues-down-each-other’s-throat kind of way.
She headed into her complex, pondering what had just happened and what she should do about it as she made her way to her apartment.
Nothing. She should do nothing because they agreed on as much.
That was just a goodbye kiss. A ‘thanks for the great night’ kind of thing. Right? She didn’t need to think about it or talk about it with anyone. She could just put it in her nice memory box in her brain and move on.
Mind made up, she opened the door to her apartment to be greeted by the sight of Mo and Lilly at the kitchen table going over seating charts.
“I slept with Finn!”
Stupid self! We weren’t supposed to tell anyone.
Oh God, she couldn’t keep it in. She needed to tell someone, talk about it, analyze what the hell just happened. Who better to do that with than her two closest friends? Well, her two closest friends who she hadn’t just slept with, that is.
“What?” Lilly pushed her glasses up her nose, shock dropping her jaw wide.
“Hell yes! I knew it!” Mo pumped her fist in the air, jumping up and doing a little booty shake dance around the table. “Come here, sit. Tell us everything.”
She allowed her roommates to ply her with coffee and cookies as she poured out the entire tale. Minus some of the more private details.
“I knew it,” Mo crowed again, a smug grin on her face. “I knew you two would hook up eventually.”
“So, what now?” Lilly asked, concern marring her brow.
“Nothing now.” At her friends’ confused stares, she continued. “It was a one-time thing. We both agreed. I have plans, baby plans, and Finn doesn’t want anything like that. His job is too dangerous. Too much risk of putting any potential wife and kids through trauma if he were to…” She swallowed past the lump in her throat. She knew Finn’s logic was sound because if he ever died in the line of duty, it would gut her.
And she was just his best friend. She couldn’t imagine what it would do to any wife or children he had.
“We just had to see, I guess. What it would be like. Now it’s out of our systems and we go back to just being friends.”
Mo and Lilly shared a skeptical glance.
“Seriously, you guys. It’s fine.”
Mo crossed her arms over her chest. “Then why did you tell us?”
Because she didn’t like keeping things from her friends. “I don’t know…bragging rights?”
Lilly shook her head. “One night with Finn and you turn into a frat boy.”
“Finn was never in a frat.”
“Yeah, but he was in you. Last night. Heigh-oh!”
No one high-fived Mo, so she raised her other hand and slapped fives herself.
“My humor is so underappreciated around you two.”
“Can we just move on from this, please? I don’t even know why I brought it up. Let’s just get to work.”
Lilly glanced over at her and tilted her head. “Why don’t you go grab a quick shower and change of clothes? When you’re done, you can meet us downstairs and we’ll go over the Marlowe-Hillard wedding. They finally decided on a venue, so they’ll be sending us a deposit check soon.”
Pru breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness for Lilly who was always ready to put off emotional stuff and dive into work. Work would distract her from whatever weirdness was going on between her and Finn right now.
After the venue was set, things tended to take off pretty quickly from there. The Marlowe-Hillard wedding wasn’t for another eight months, but things in Denver tended to book up fast. The couple was smart to lock down their location now.
It was time to work. She couldn’t ruminate on last night’s drunken escapades, no matter how good they’d been. Her mind drifted to last night. And the way Finn had seemed to know what she wanted, what she needed, even before she had.
How?
Had their years of friendship formed a connection that spanned into the bedroom or was he just that good?
Ugh. She had to stop thinking about it. It was over. Done. A nice memory to bring out on a cold, lonely night, but not one to analyze to death.
It happened and it was over. Their friendship remained. Last night would soon be nothing but a pleasant memory for them both. It had no lasting effects.
None at all.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Prudence Carlson has been lucky in life. A fulfilling wedding-planning business run with her girlfriends in Colorado, plus the best guy friend ever in her firefighter bestie Finn. All that’s missing from it is a baby. Luckily, it’s the twenty-first century—Pru can take matters into her own hands. She doesn’t need to find true love to create the future love of her life.

Except all this talk of babies and insemination and…Pru and Finn cross a line they never expected to. Sure, one night of passion won’t change their close friendship. Until Pru goes in for a fertility check-up to find… she’s already pregnant.

As best friends, Pru and Finn have survived college, new jobs, and bad breakups, but can they survive crib shopping, birth classes, and late-night cravings? Especially when Finn has never considered himself even remotely Daddy material?
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | kobo | Google |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Bestselling author Mariah Ankenman lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains with her two rambunctious daughters and loving husband who provides ample inspiration for her heart-stopping heroes. Her books have been nominated for the prestigious RWA Golden Heart® and CRW Stiletto awards.

Whether she’s writing hometown heroes or sexy supernaturals, Mariah loves to lose herself in a world of words. Her favorite thing about writing is when she can make someone’s day a little brighter with one of her books.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | GoodReads |

 
 
 

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82 Responses to “Spotlight &Giveaway: The Best Friend Problem by Mariah Ankenman”

  1. Ami

    I can’t help it, I love Notting Hill. That ending alone is effing romantic, my heart soars everytime.

  3. Jeanna Massman

    My favorite Rom Com is While You Were Sleeping. I love the chemistry between the 2 main characters.

  12. janinecatmom

    There are quite a few that I like equally, so picking a favorite is difficult. The one that pops in my mind first is Just Go With It.

  18. Kim

    I can’t think of a friends to lovers movie. Everything I think of just a romantic comedy, but not friends to lovers.

  41. Summer

    I re-watched When Harry Met Sally earlier this year, and I think I appreciate it more now, especially the dialogue than I did when I originally saw it.

    • Lynne Brigman

      My favorite friends to lovers is When Harry Met Sally. My all time favorite RomCom is Pretty Women.

  49. Mood Reader

    Oh God! There are so many! If we are going with friends to lovers only: 13 going on 30, Some Kind of Wonderful & You’ve Got Mail! 🙂

  56. Nina T

    Lol, I thought I don’t remember any but then I read the comments and omg, I can’t choose one! So let’s say my favourite is definitely Made of Honor and Win a Date with Ted Hamilton (the guy is so sarcastic it makes me laugh!) and Just go With it is funny too! I watched Always be my Maybe couple weeks back, I agree with you that’s a great movie!

  57. Terrill R.

    My favorite rom-com (and John Hughes movie) is Some Kind of Wonderful. Watched it the first time at 17 y.o. and I still get swoony thinking about it.