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A Novel
by Tarah DeWitt
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They say love and construction don't mix. By that logic, hate and construction may as well be condemned.
LaRynn Lavigne and Deacon Leeds had one short and contentious summer fling when they were teens―certainly nothing to build a foundation on. But a decade later, when their grandmothers have left them with shared ownership of their dilapidated Santa Cruz building, they're thrust back together and have to figure out how to brace up the pieces.
LaRynn has the money, but in order to access her trust, she has to be married. Deacon has the construction expertise, but lacks the funds. A deal is struck: Marry for however long it takes to fix up the property, collect a profit, and cut ties.
Thrust into a home without walls, LaRynn and Deacon quickly learn that it's easy to hide behind emotional ones, even in a marriage. But with all the exposure and pitfalls that come with living with the opposite sex (and none of the perks, much to their growing mutual frustration) they'll also have to learn what it means to truly cooperate as a team.
Filled with crackling tension, The Co-op is a steamy second chance romance about restoration and renovation, and uncovering all the things that build character within ourselves. It's about the never-ending construction project that partnership is, and finding enjoyment at every stage.
"Incredibly satisfying." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"DeWitt delivers a sensitive marriage of convenience romance...[tackling] tough issues without ever losing sight of the fun. This satisfies." —Publishers Weekly
"An atmospheric tale of second chances... Fans of slow-burn, emotionally charged romances, such as those by Kate Clayborn, Yulin Kuang, and Emily Henry, will enjoy DeWitt's novel immensely." —Library Journal
"Sexy, smart, playful, and poignant, DeWitt has created pure romance magic!" —Christina Lauren, New York Times bestselling author of Love and Other Words
"Tarah Dewitt is the master of messy, unforgettable characters who make you desperate for the happily-ever-after that this author always perfectly delivers, and The Co-op is no exception. Cleverly constructed, laugh-out-loud funny, heart-achingly tender, and deeply sexy, this book gave me exactly what I want from a romance: passionate, imperfect characters I could fully root for, placed in complex, emotionally-fraught situations I wanted to see them through. I finished this book with a sigh of happiness." —Kate Clayborn, author of Georgie, All Along
This information about The Co-op was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Tarah DeWitt writes character-driven romances filled with laughter and Big Feelings. She loves stories centered around perfectly imperfect characters, especially those with just enough trauma to keep them funny, without ever being forcefully cavalier. She's the national bestselling author of Savor It, The Co-op, and Funny Feelings, with plenty more to come.
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