Spotlight & Giveaway: The Best I Never Had by Amy Buchanan

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Amy Buchanan to HJ!

Hi Amy and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The Best I Never Had!

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

Three years ago, Owen paid Thea to pretend to be his girlfriend at a family wedding to escape his mom’s meddling. The weekend was flawless, with the whole family fawning over the “perfect couple.” With their fake dating scheme a success, and they went their separate ways without so much as a kiss, even if they both wanted it.
Now, their lie is about to blow up in their faces, because when Thea shows up in the Blue Ridge Mountains for her sister’s whirlwind wedding, she realizes the groom (who she’s never met) is Owen’s younger brother. The two of them are desperate to keep their secret so Owen’s emotionally reactive mother doesn’t blow up the entire wedding. But with his giant family trying to push the “soulmates” back together and those pesky feelings they ignored the first time coming back with a vengeance, keeping track of what’s a lie and what’s real gets even more complicated.
 

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

There are still a couple of feet between us, but it’s enough to get a whiff of her scent. Nothing flowery for Thea. It’s deeper, a spicy, addictive fragrance I didn’t realize until now I’ve been trying—and failing—to recreate with my baked goods. Harrison had asked why I suddenly put cinnamon in everything. I didn’t have an answer then. Guess I do now.
_____
“You don’t need to beg, Thea. Not for what’s already yours.”

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• The working title for this book was Never Getting Back Together (because of Taylor + the meddling family pushing them “back” together), but a couple books were announced with the same title while I was editing, so I had to go back to the drawing board. It ended up working out, and I think this title fits even better!
• I’d originally planned to set the book in Napa, which is silly since I’ve spent all of 36 there (for a wedding, so not even exploring!). I was talking about how hard that was while we were in North Carolina visiting family when my husband looked around and said “Why are you writing it in California when you have all of this at your fingertips?” Thus, Elk Ridge was born!
• In the bar scene, the song Thea and Addy sing is “I Feel A Sin Comin’ On” by Pistol Annies, and I listened to it an absurd number of times while writing.

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

There’s a boldness to Thea that Owen is instantly drawn to. He’s been forced into this caregiver role since such a young age, and there’s something about how she says exactly what she thinks that inspires him. For Thea, it’s Owen’s stability and how genuine he is in every interaction. Life has put her through it, and she knows enough about the bad of this world to quickly recognize the good.

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

There’s one scene that hit all three! It’s the first truly spicy scene (which is always fun), but it’s also the first time the two of them really let their walls down:

I sit back on my heels as Thea’s legs give out. My arms come around her back as hers land over my shoulders, and we hold each other.
I’ve always thought Thea was too bright for me, like a spark shooting off the campfires we had every summer. I’d watch them twist through the air, constantly changing directions, mesmerizing in their unpredictability. They were meant to be watched and admired, not touched. I’d assumed Thea would be the same. But instead of feeling burned, I’m warm, like the spark sunk into my soul and is heating me from the inside out.
Her face is buried in my neck, and I think, of all the incredible things that have happened in the past fifteen minutes, this is the greatest of all.

Readers should read this book….

-If they love fake dating and want to new twist on the trope
-If they want their men sick with yearning
-If they’re an eldest daughter who is tired of being told to calm down
-If they like their spice ghost pepper hot
-If they love the twilight baseball scene (but on X-mode)

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

I can’t share any details, but I’m working on something right now that is probably my favorite thing I’ve written! I’m also planning out a series to self-publish in the next year-ish!
 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: A copy of THE BEST I NEVER HAD 

To enter Giveaway, please share this post on your Socials and Leave a comment below to this Q: Fake Dating is a favorite trope of mine and I’m always looking for new ones to add to my TBR! What’s everyone’s go-to fake dating rec?

🎉 Giveaway Rules 🎉
✨ Must be 18 years or older to enter.
✨ MUST leave a comment answering the giveaway question.
✨ Bonus Entry:Share this post on your social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) 
and drop a comment below letting me know you've shared it.
✨ Winner(s) will be selected at random.
✨ No purchase necessary—just enter and cross your fingers!
✨ If you win, I'll need your full name and mailing address to send your prize. 
This information will be shared with the author, publisher, or publicist solely for prize fulfillment purposes.
✨ Giveaway closes 3 days from the date this post is published.  
 

Book Info:

They staged a romance, faked a breakup, and this time around, anything can happen―even something real.

Thea Pappas has always been the storm in her own life―fiery and unpredictable―traits that led her and her younger sister, Addy, through a series of foster homes. But with Addy’s whirlwind engagement, Thea is determined to be the perfect maid of honor, even if she finds it odd that she hadn’t heard of the fiancé until the ring was on Addy’s finger. She believes she can survive a week in the Blue Ridge Mountains with a group of strangers without causing any trouble.

But upon arrival, Thea realizes these aren’t strangers. Among the familiar faces is Owen Hayes―the man who, three years ago, paid her to pretend to be his girlfriend at a family wedding. Now, he’s looking at her with the same panicked expression.

Owen’s life has always been about control―managing his mother’s matchmaking schemes, his family’s expectations, and the career path he never truly chose. Thea was his one rebellion, a beautiful lie that ended with a “heart-destroying” fake breakup. Now, with his younger brother’s wedding underway and his mother on the prowl, Owen begs Thea to reprise their roles. One week. Same fake breakup. No feelings.

But as old sparks reignite and the lines between pretense and reality blur, Thea and Owen will have to choose: carry on their greatest performance yet or admit the truth―that it was never fake at all.
Book Links: Amazon | B&N |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Amy Buchanan’s affair with romance and books started at three, when she watched Beauty and the Beast and couldn’t decide if she was more obsessed with the prince or the library (The library. Definitely the library). After decades of devouring love stories written by others, she decided to share the ones pinging around in her brain. She writes fun and spicy contemporary romances with relatable heroines, swoonworthy heroes, and loving found families.

She lives in Central Florida with her three littles, two pups, and one husband. On top of writing, she uses her Masters in Higher Education Administration to run a scholarship foundation for first-generation college students. When not working, she trolls travel sites for luxury rentals outside of her travel budget and–poorly–trains for half-marathons.
Website | Instagram |