Romance tropes are one of the things I enjoy most about both reading and writing m/m.

Hurt/comfort, enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience, trapped together, and even the alpha hero. I think my favourite, though, is friends to lovers. There’s something about falling for the person who knows you best in the entire world, who understands what you need without asking, who knows all your secrets and sticks around anyway. Hell, that’s halfway to love already.

I love the moment when they realize that the person they’ve known, the person they thought they knew, was everything they were looking for in a partner all along. The sizzle of attraction buried in the familiar makes it all that much sweeter somehow. I love reading about it and I love writing about it.

For the last while, I’ve been working on a new book, and I just finished a few days ago. It’s a best friends to lovers story, and I’m really pleased with how it turned out. Today I’m going to give you a super sneak peek into Married for a Month.

Here’s the blurb:

Best friends since high school, Chase Bradley and Alec Montero are opposites in almost every way. The one thing they can agree on, though, is that marriage is for suckers.

Everything is going their way until a drunken bet leads Alec and Chase to the alter. Their temporary “I Do’s” aren’t as amusing in the sober light of day when they find themselves thrown into married life and everything that goes with it.

The question they have to ask themselves now is, can their friendship survive being married for a month?

And here’s a little (unedited) snippet:

Dropping to one knee, I took his hand in mine.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Proposing. Don’t ruin it, asshole.” I straightened my tie. “Alec Gabriel Montero, will you marry me?”

“Why me?” He looked baffled.

“Brynn said I should marry my best friend. You’re my best friend and I wasn’t the only one they were laughing at. They think you’re just as inept at maintaining relationships as I am. I could take the bet on my own, but you’re the only other single one in the group. You want me to have to find a perfect stranger to marry? How awkward would that be?”

Alec rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll marry you. Fake marry you,” he clarified before grabbing my outstretched hand and pulling me to my feet.

“Well, we’re certainly off to a romantic start.”

“People are staring.”

“Let them. I don’t care who knows we’re in love,” I declared with as much dramatic flair as I could manage after nearly a full pitcher of beer.

The eye roll was back.

…

“Fabulous,” Jo said with enough enthusiasm to light up the whole bar. “Let’s go get you two hitched.”

Serena took my hand and Brynn took Alec’s, and they led us out onto the street. The night was warm and balmy as the women pulled us after them down the block to the corner. There sat a boutique hotel, pushed back from the street. It was one of the historical properties in the city, transformed from family mansion to tourist mecca by some enterprising individual. All the charm remained, however, and the front yard was beautifully landscaped even in the cool of early spring.

We ducked to the side, away from the main walkway, and Jo stood with her back to the carefully trimmed rose bushes.

“Join hands,” she ordered, her own hands clasped in front of her.

Reluctantly, Alec took my hands and we stood facing each other as the rest of our friends looked on.

“Dearly beloved, we have gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union of Alec Gabriel Montero and Chase Edward Bradley in marriage.”

I tried not to laugh. She looked so serious standing there, acting as our impromptu officiant. She cleared her throat.

“Do you Chase, take Alec, to be your unlawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward, for the next thirty days?”

I batted my eyelashes at him. “I do.”

“And do you Alec, take Chase, to be your unlawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, from this day forward, for the next thirty days?”

When he answered, his voice was low and rough. “I do.”

“Then by the power vested in me by Shock Top Ale from Webster’s, I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may kiss your husband.”

I leaned forward, lips puckered. Alec pushed me back with the heel of his hand on my forehead.

“I’m not kissing you.”

I pulled his hand away and stepped in, catching him off guard as I pushed up to my toes to press my lips against his before he could stop me. He shoved me away again, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, laughing as he did.

“We’ve been married for all of thirty seconds and you’re already annoying.” He threw his arm around my shoulders and kissed my hair.

“And think, you’ve got a whole month of this ahead of you. Just try not to fall in love with me, ‘kay?”

Alec grinned. “I’ll do my best.”

Stay tuned in the next week or two for a cover reveal! In the meantime, what are some of your favourite tropes, and bonus points for book recs to go with them!

Thanks for reading,

Cate