Not Just Pretending: A small-town, fake-dating, friends-to-lovers, slow-burn, medical romance ~ Priya & Jamal’s Story (Hearts of Hope Bay #4)
Emma Hartley
It was only meant to be for a weekend…
Priya Desai has built her whole life on being the reliable one.
At Hope Bay’s small community hospital, she holds the rota together, smooths over complaints, rescues struggling colleagues, and keeps the chaos quieter for everyone else. Because if she doesn’t keep it controlled, it all falls apart.
So when her mum’s messages start piling up about a family gathering, Priya does what she always does with pressure she can’t fix: she ignores it.
Until the voice note hits:
We’ve invited someone lovely. Just to meet.
In Priya’s world, “just to meet” has never meant just to meet. It means questions disguised as concern. It means being assessed. It means smiling through the tightness in her chest and trying not to feel like a disappointment for the crime of being single.
Jamal Campbell is the hospital’s warmest kind of chaos: late, charming, quick with a joke, and somehow always exactly where people need him. But underneath the easy grin is a man who pays attention. The kind of man who notices when Priya’s “busy” really means “not okay.”
So when Priya finally cracks and asks him for one impossible favour, Jamal agrees.
On one condition.
If he’s doing this, he’s doing it properly. No making her the punchline. No “funny fake boyfriend” routine. Just steady, calm support whilst Priya faces the family pressure she’s been carrying alone for years.
It should be simple. One weekend. A believable backstory. A few carefully managed smiles.
Except Hope Bay is a town where everyone knows everyone’s business, and rumours travel faster than the tide. Mae’s harbour café is basically the local newspaper with better pastries, and the second Priya and Jamal walk in together, the town decides.
And the longer they pretend, the harder it gets to ignore the moments that don’t feel like acting.
Because letting someone in is one thing.
Letting them stay is another.
Not Just Pretending is Book Four in the Hearts of Hope Bay series, a heartfelt, slow-burn, closed-door contemporary romance set on the British coast. Expect:
• fake dating for a family weekend
• opposites attract (organised heroine / chaotic hero)
• friends-to-lovers with “too close for comfort” tension
• workplace medical romance (hospital life + small town scrutiny)
• Mae’s café, meddling locals, and found-family warmth
• a satisfying HFN with more Hope Bay love to come
Priya & Jamal’s story continues in future Hearts of Hope Bay books, each ending with a warm, satisfying HFN as they move towards their full HEA.
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The 'Hearts of Hope Bay' series
0.00 · 0 ratings- A New Beginning by Emma Hartley Book #1
- More than Just Friends: A small-town, single dad, slow-burn, medical romance ~ Alex & Lily's Story by Emma Hartley Book #2
- Stay With Me: A small-town, single dad, slow-burn, medical romance ~ Alex & Lily's Story by Emma Hartley Book #3
- Not Just Pretending: A small-town, fake-dating, friends-to-lovers, slow-burn, medical romance ~ Priya & Jamal’s Story by Emma Hartley Book #4
