Just our luck

Williams (Technically Yours) charms in this steamy interracial rom-com. Recently jobless and ping-ponging between friends' apartments, Sybil Sweet decides to try her luck at the lottery, buying herself a ticket and a donut with her last few dollars. Donut shop proprietor Kevin Anderson deferred his medical school dreams to help his ailing grandfather's failing business. Sparks fly when these two meet, leading to a red-hot one-night stand. In the morning, Sybil jots a farewell note on the back of the lottery ticket before taking off--only for Kieran to later learn that it's the winning ticket. When he goes on a local news show to find Sybil and return the ticket, viewers take it for a grand romantic gesture and the segment goes viral, drawing much-needed business to the donut shop. So the reunited Sybil and Kieran make a pact: they'll keep the publicity going by fake-dating for three months, hoping to use the relationship to save the shop and convince Sybil's concerned family that she has at least one area of her life under control. The plot already has a lot going on, so the fake dating angle feels a bit contrived, but the story is fun enough and the relationship sparky enough to hold interest. Williams's fans will not be disappointed. (Mar.)

When Sybil Sweet loses her job and experiences another bad dating-app match, she decides to embrace her reputation as the aimless member of her family and spends her last few dollars on a lottery ticket and a late-night donut. Her visit to Joe's Donuts puts her in the path of Kieran Anderson, a hyper-responsible medical student who has put his education on hold to run the family business and care for his ailing grandfather. They have immediate chemistry, and an encounter in the shop's office results in Sybil rushing out, leaving her lottery ticket behind. When the ticket wins, Kieran makes a public appeal to return it to Sybil, and they decide to fake a relationship for the benefit of Sybil's reputation with her family and to bring business to the struggling donut shop. The arrangement has an expiration date, but the pair's increasing closeness has both questioning their futures. While a final moment of conflict is brushed over quickly, and readers may struggle with how Sybil's family treats her, the story will appeal to those who don't mind some family angst with their romance. VERDICT Williams (Technically Yours) writes a sexy fake-dating romance with charm, featuring a protagonist navigating the challenges of family expectations and love.--Meagan Day