Three reasons Stella shouldn’t fall for Leland:

1. He’s her brother’s best friend
2. She’s a bit of a disaster, and he deserves better
3. He’s her fake boyfriend Ever since the car accident that dashed her dreams of skating professionally, Stella has made countless bad decisions. At almost thirty-five, she has a failed marriage under her belt, no job, and she’s living rent-free with her best friend after returning to her hometown. Her latest bad decision? She agreed to go to the high school reunion hosted by a former friend…and she roped her brother’s best friend Leland into being her fake boyfriend so she wouldn’t have to attend said reunion alone. The timing is perfect, though: with Stella’s past mistakes and disastrous dating history haunting her, a fake relationship is exactly what she needs to prevent her from continuing her journey down the Hot Mess Express. Bonus points for the fact she actually enjoys Leland’s company while they spend time together in order to ensure their ruse is believable. With Leland’s help, along with the love and encouragement of her three lifelong best friends, Stella starts to feel less lost and aimless. She also begins to feel more than friendly feelings for her fake boyfriend. If only she could get past the old fears that prevent her from believing she deserves more. As the reunion approaches and the deadline for their fake relationship looms, Stella will need to decide whether to remain ‘just friends’ with Leland or pursue what her heart truly yearns for: the real, lasting love she’s never experienced, but that she thinks might be possible with Leland. Reunions & Ruses is a fake dating, friends-to-lovers romantic comedy set in the fictional town of Bellevue, Ontario, Canada. Full of banter, crackling chemistry, and plenty of swoons, this is a kissing-only romance with mild language. It's the second book in the Best Friends & Birthdays series, and can be read as a standalone.