A Bookish Story: a clean and wholesome, workplace, secret identity, book lovers romance

⭐️ An Indie Book Buzz pick for February 2026
⭐️ A Top Indie Favorite February 2026 He trashed romance.

Now he's secretly the man behind the biggest love story in the country.

And she's the woman hired to take the credit.

Ever since Lucia Milagros "Luci" Santana called off her engagement, her enormous Hispanic family has treated her like a community project. Between her tio's daily check-ins, her abuelita's unsolicited dating advice, and enough homemade food to feed a small army, there's nowhere to hide—not even in the backyard she-shed she's reluctantly calling home.

Then she lands the opportunity of a lifetime.

The job?

Pretend to be the author of the country's most beloved romance novel.

The problem?

She can't stand the book.

And the real author?

Ryan Brady—a broody literary darling who once went viral mocking romance novels and the people who read them.

The novel he secretly wrote under a pen name has become a cultural phenomenon. But when a national appearance threatens to expose him, Ryan needs someone else to step into the spotlight.

Someone believable.

Someone charming.

Someone willing to live a lie.

Enter Luci.

Suddenly she's the face of the book. The voice behind the interviews. The woman taking credit for a story she didn't write.

But secrets have a way of surfacing.

A heartfelt, slow-burn romance featuring:

✨ Secret author / fake identity
✨ Grumpy hero, sunshine heroine
✨ He falls first
✨ Workplace romance
✨ Bookish vibes & publishing drama
✨ A big, loving, meddling Hispanic family
✨ Family, friendship, music, and finding your way back to yourself
✨ A swoony happily ever after