The Deal Maker

By: Louise Bay

Narrated by: Samantha Brentmoor, Jason Clarke

When the maid of honor and the best man fabricate a romance to keep the peace, the only thing they can’t fake are the sparks.

Lucy Jones is tired of being the “other sister.” Elizabeth is the golden child—beautiful, serene, and engaged to the perfect man. Lucy? She’s thirty, single, and still dodging her mother’s digs about how she never quite measures up. But when Elizabeth names Lucy as her maid of honor, she vows her sister’s wedding will be her grand rebrand. She’ll prove she’s polished, sophisticated, and totally in control.

Enter Hunter Bain. Best man. Business bro. Walking scowl emoji. Also the rudest, most aggravating man Lucy has ever met—and her new partner in planning the joint bachelor/bachelorette weekend. Fantastic. Because nothing says “reinvent yourself” like clashing with a man who thinks party planning is beneath him.

From drunken disasters to shenanigans on Martha’s Vineyard, Lucy and Hunter can’t stop butting heads. Until one impulsive lie forces them to pretend they’re dating. It’s supposed to be temporary. It’s supposed to be fake. But every lingering glance, every stolen kiss, every unexpected laugh makes it harder to remember what’s real and what’s not.

Full of sharp banter, slow-burn tension, and laugh-out-loud chaos, The Deal Maker is a swoony enemies-to-lovers rom-com about messy families, fake relationships, and finding love when you least expect it.

©2026 by Louise Bay. (P)2026 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Fake Dating Turns Into Real Love ❤️

Lucy Jones (MFC) Successful and talented Paralegal working in New York City, she moved away from her home town family Boston home, after she graduated college and never looked back. Far from her controlling mother, but left her very perfect sister, Katherine, and her parents behind there.

Hunter Bain (MMC) Ed’s Best Friend, Best Man, and Business Partner at Portis Investments.
Now Katherine and her fiancé, Ed, are getting married and Lucy is the maid of honor and she and Hunter are expected to work together on the combination bachelor/bachelorette party that the over the top bride wants to take place last minute in the Cape on the beach.
Lucy is having some serious eye twitching issues and Hunter is struggling to contain his self control and they both are putting on quite the show and pretending to get along so much so, to “fake date” to keep up a united front for Ed & Katherine and pretend all is perfect 😍 What could go wrong 😂

Louise Bay delivers another enjoyable & wonderful story to us readers, with a HEA 💕

The narrator’s: Samantha Brentmoor & Jason Clarke did an incredible job bringing all the characters to life in the story in the audiobook

I loved it

I’m such a fan of Louise’s books. Book after book is great. The narration is fantastic as well. Thanks for another great book

surprising

This story hit me really different I'm not sure why but the beginning just for whatever reason Hit me um different I mean it was like they were enemies to lovers They definitely Got the vibe in the very beginning that they did not like one another even though they thought each other was attractive. so was surprising as the story went on on how much I fell in love with both these characters with her strength with his resilience it just was so refreshing and actually kind of different for this author I don't I feel like this story hit very different from her other stories though very very good I really enjoyed it and I would definitely tell people to listen to it both narrators are brilliant at their craft so of course they brought the story in a whole new level. I love that Lucy had to dig deep to become not independent because she became independent but really find her strength in the person that she was. and for the male character he well he had his own struggles and his own resilience that he had to persevere through to find his way both these characters had to find their way and by finding one another they did just that.

Lucy & Hunter

Forced to work together, a battle begins that is as tense as it is entertaining. It had me laughing out loud from the beginning! Their snarky banter and sizzling chemistry light up every page. A truce is called when they are suddenly fake dating, and with it comes a shift—sparks fly, walls begin to crumble, and unexpected sides of each character emerge. As their relationship evolves—from animosity to reluctant respect, to fake dating, to friendship, and finally to a love that feels earned and enduring. They deliver all the heart, heat, and emotional depth I crave in a romance, and I felt every beat of their journey. Lucy is fierce, capable, and a people pleaser, shaped by a life of constant criticism. Vulnerability has never been safe for Lucy, but with Hunter, something changes and she she finds herself opening up. And Hunter listens. He doesn’t weaponize her pain—he honors it. He sees her, supports her, and becomes the safe space she never knew she needed. Hunter, also dealing with emotional wounds—is defensive and guarded. He becomes one of the swooniest characters I’ve read in a long time—gentle, protective, and quietly powerful. Lucy brings out a joy in him that’s been buried for years and watching him rediscover it is pure magic. If you love enemies to lovers AND fake dating…YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK!!

Samantha Brentmoor & Jason Clarke do an amazing job portraying the characters, bringing them to life and humanizing them with their emotions, attitude and personality. They do more than giving their characters their voices, they fall into the roles and become the character.

Loved this so much!

5⭐️ 3🌶️ 5🎧

I loved this book so so much!! Hunter and Lucy both have difficult family dynamics in very different ways, and the way they showed up and supported each other through the tough times was so beautiful. Lucy’s mother and aunt were sent from hell, and you can’t convince me otherwise. Truly miserable people and I was in tears for Lucy, I can’t even fathom being treated that way 😭 The third act hurt my heart, so much trauma boiling to the surface and overflowing. The way Lucy and Hunter stood up for themselves had me jumping up and down rooting for all their success!

This book was narrated by Samantha Brentmoor and Jason Clarke. They are two of my favorite narrators, I will listen to a book soley because they are the narrators!