{"id":76822,"date":"2024-10-25T08:00:38","date_gmt":"2024-10-25T12:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=76822"},"modified":"2024-10-29T08:54:38","modified_gmt":"2024-10-29T12:54:38","slug":"release-the-invitation-brewer-family-3-by-adriana-locke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=76822","title":{"rendered":"Release & ARC Review: The Invitation (Brewer Family, #3) by Adriana Locke"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Invitation by Adriana Locke is live!<\/strong><\/h4>\n

A smart, fun, and beautifully romantic enemies-to-lovers story, this book made me laugh and swoon. \u00a0It\u2019s such a great read, and I loved it.<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amazon<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\r\n <\/div><\/div><\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n

Blurb<\/strong><\/h4>\n

I\u00a0<\/strong>hate<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0Ripley Brewer.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So, why am I fake dating him while being trailed by cameras recording our every move?<\/p>\n

My best friend was in a pinch, and she\u2019s the only person in the world I would do anything for. Helping her by pretending to be in love with a stranger for a few weeks would net me good karma, a few bucks, and a bit of exposure\u2014all of which I need desperately right now\u2014to help secure my dream job.<\/p>\n

Pretty straightforward, right?<\/p>\n

What could go wrong?<\/p>\n

Ripley<\/em>. He\u2019s what always goes wrong.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m surprised the producers hired Ripley and me for the reality show after we realized we would be working together and not with strangers, and we almost came to blows in the conference room. But they did. Now I\u2019m stuck pretending to be in love with the biggest, cockiest, most gorgeous billionaire playboy in all of Tennessee.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m even more shocked at Ripley\u2019s acting skills.<\/p>\n

As we settle into our new roles, it becomes increasingly difficult to separate the real Ripley from the character he\u2019s portraying. His strong hand nestled in the small of my back blurs the line between reality and fiction. His dazzling green eyes and decadent smirk distract me from the man I loathe. I could almost believe his small acts of kindness\u2014bringing me soup when I was sick and threatening to dismantle an overbearing ex\u2014were because he was falling for me.<\/p>\n

And that I\u2019m falling for him, too.<\/p>\n

This season of\u00a0The Invitation<\/em>\u00a0began as an enemies-to-lovers (pretend) romance. Can we possibly finish it with a real-life happy ending?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Add to Goodreads<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Review<\/strong><\/h4>\n

4 stars<\/b><\/p>\n

A smart, fun, and beautifully romantic enemies-to-lovers story, this book made me laugh and swoon. It\u2019s the third book in the Brewer Family<\/i> series, the story of one of the middle brothers, Ripley (though the rest of his siblings do appear in the book, you can easily read this one as a spoiler-free standalone). It\u2019s such a great read, and I loved it.<\/p>\n

Ripley and Georgia hate each other. They have since high school, and all through the years since, even though they share a friend group and now their respective best friends are getting married. Their dynamic is pure snark and open hostility, and watching them together is wildly entertaining.<\/p>\n

Their relationship takes a turn when, to each help out a friend, they individually agree to sign on to film a pilot for a new dating show. They agree to fake date a stranger and make it look romantic, and it\u2019s only when they show up to sign the contracts that they learn that they\u2019ll be fake dating each other. Both of them are too stubborn to walk away from what is essentially a dare, and they don\u2019t want to let their friends down, so they agree to a series of \u2018dates\u2019 where they will pretend they don\u2019t know each other and that they\u2019re falling for each other.<\/p>\n

It’s a fun set-up, and there\u2019s an immediate shift in their dynamic when they are forced to be nice to each other. No more snark and bickering, they have to get to know each other as strangers would, while being their charming best, and they start to see things differently.<\/p>\n

She hated me. Life was grand. But now we\u2019ve spent alone time together while on our very best behavior, and I don\u2019t think I quite hate her anymore.
\nIn fact, I wonder if I ever really hated her at all. <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It doesn\u2019t take long for them to realise that there is a more to each other than they cared to acknowledge before. They can talk to each other, and though they still bicker, it\u2019s more playful now. And when their forced proximity leads to them finally hashing out their grievances \u2013 revisiting the past and what went wrong between them all those years ago when they were on the cusp of becoming more<\/i> – all of that tension and building chemistry explodes, and everything changes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you want, Peaches?\u201d He kisses across my jaw and down the wide of my neck. \u201c<\/i>Tell me what you want.\u201d
\nI tilt my head back and he places a kiss in the hollow of my throat.
\n\u201cWhat do you think I want?\u201d I ask, the sound raspy.
\nHis chuckle vibrates against my cheek. \u201cKnowing you? Probably carbs.\u201d
\n\u201cAsshole,\u201d I laugh. <\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I loved watching these two come together! There\u2019s all the build-up that you expect with a fake relationship, with the flirty talk and glances, the little touches and the meaningful looks, and in this case there\u2019s the added complication of Ripley and Georgia\u2019s past which makes it all the more intense. Every little moment brings a subtle shift, and the story is written in a way that makes it feel so real. And when these two go all in, they go ALL IN! The chemistry and sexual tension are there, the feels are there, and they do not hold back. They\u2019re open and honest about everything, they\u2019re keen to explore it all, and I loved watching their love story unfold. They already know each other so well, and the shift in their dynamic is effortless, and they are so gorgeous together.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you know why this is so easy? \u2026 It\u2019s easy because this is the way it\u2019s supposed to be.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

They do have some external drama to work through which brings emotion to their situation, and I hurt for them both. But you never doubt how it\u2019s all going to end up for them, and I was right there with them as they deal with it functionally and maturely and get their gorgeous happy ending.<\/p>\n

This is such a fun read. Ripley and Georgia are so much fun, their changing relationship is gorgeous to watch, and the involvement of family and friends adds a lot to the story. It\u2019s a sweet and easy read, and I loved it.<\/p>\n

4 stars.<\/p>\n

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Brewer Family<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0 \"\" \u00a0\"\"<\/h4>\n

The Proposal (#1)<\/strong> (Renn & Blakely)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

The Arrangement (#2)<\/strong> (Jason & Chloe)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

The Invitation (#3)<\/strong> (Ripley & Georgia)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

The Merger (#4)\u00a0<\/strong>(Gannon & Carys)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

The Situation (#5)<\/strong> (Tate & Aurora)
\nReview<\/a>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Meet Adriana<\/b><\/h4>\n

\"\"USA Today and Amazon Charts Bestselling author, Adriana Locke, writes contemporary romances about the two things she knows best\u2014big families and small towns. Her stories are about ordinary people finding extraordinary love with the perfect combination of heart, heat, and humor.<\/p>\n

She loves connecting with readers, fall weather, football, reading alpha heroes, everything pumpkin, and pretending to garden.<\/p>\n

Hailing from a tiny town in the Midwest, Adriana spends her free time with her high school sweetheart (who she married over twenty years ago) and their four sons (who truly are her best work). Her kitchen may be a perpetual disaster, and if all else fails, there is always pizza.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Website\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Goodreads\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Amazon\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Facebook Group<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Instagram\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 \u00a0TikTok\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bookbub<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0\u00a0Pinterest\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0 \u00a0Youtube\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0 \u00a0Verve<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  The Invitation by Adriana Locke is live! A smart, fun, and beautifully romantic enemies-to-lovers story, this book made me laugh and swoon. \u00a0It\u2019s such a great read, and I loved it.   Amazon   […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":76137,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":4,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[86,1132,9,29],"tags":[763,1520,634],"class_list":["post-76822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-enemies-to-lovers","category-fake-relationship","category-romance","category-steamy","tag-adriana-locke","tag-brewer-family","tag-release"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/The-Invitation.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-jZ4","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=76822"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76822\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/76137"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=76822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=76822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=76822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}