To deter his ex, a lovelorn cellist starts a fake relationship with his one-night stand in this steamy, swoony fake dating romance from USA Today bestselling author Adib Khorram.

Arya’s always been a “one-and-done” man when it comes to romance—but with his friends all pairing up and the big 4-0 creeping ever closer, he’s starting to question his life choices. Especially when he discovers his latest hookup is the new committee chair for the charity ball Arya’s company is planning.

Ben’s plan to start over in Kansas City isn’t going so great. And having to spend lots of time with the one-night stand who ghosted him isn’t helping. Worse yet, when his ex-boyfriend shows up looking for a reunion, a panicked Ben claims he’s already moved on—with Arya.

Torn between staying professional and helping the man he can’t forget, Arya agrees to give Ben a hand, in exchange for Ben’s help landing a big client. But when the lines start to blur, they’ll have to decide if it’s time to change their tunes about love.

I received an advance copy of this book courtesy of the publisher. All thoughts are my own.

I read and loved It Had to Be Him last year, so I couldn’t wait to get back to these characters. The bad news is that this book closes out the series. The good news is that I still haven’t read the first book, which means I get to go back and watch Farzan and David’s story from the beginning and see Arya and Ramin before Noah and Ben ever showed up. So while the series is over, I still have one more trip into this world waiting for me.

This book focuses on Arya, who has always kept things casual when it comes to romance. He’s a self-proclaimed slut and prefers to keep his relationships string-free. While away on business, he has a one-night stand with a guy named Ben. Sure, he felt a connection, but Ben lives in California and Arya is in Kansas City, and Arya doesn’t do relationships. But he’s wrong. Ben is a cello player and just moved to Kansas City, and turns out to be the new chair of a charity event that Arya’s company is organizing for the philharmonic. They have to work together now. Awkward, but they can make it work. Until Justin, Ben’s ex-boyfriend, shows up looking to get back together. Ben tells Justin he’s already moved on, and he uses Arya as his cover story. Arya agrees to play along, but there’s a condition: Ben helps him land a big client in return, and they don’t develop feelings for each other. Yeah, right.

Sure, this book hits every expected rom-com beat. The misunderstanding, the moment everything almost falls apart, the big romantic gesture at the end. None of it is a surprise. But honestly? Who cares. It worked for me, and a lot of that has to do with how much I love these characters. I loved watching Arya reconcile his past and his “no relationships” belief with some very real, very deep feelings. And I loved watching Ben make his way in a new city with new friends, and a complicated dynamic with his ex. Ben and Arya belonged together, and I loved watching them figure that out, and the friendships surrounding them are (as one would expect) just as real and meaningful as Arya and Ben’s connection. I also loved the way the sex was handled and how Arya reconciled Ben’s preferences with his own. And, of course, the banter is fantastic. The whole thing is unapologetically and authentically gay, which I always appreciate.

I’m sad this series is over. Khorram writes authentically gay characters and situations that I really connect with. I’m already looking forward to whatever he writes next. And I still have that first book waiting, so at least I get one more trip back to this group of characters. And then maybe I’ll read the other two again.

If you like your rom-coms fun, sexy, and authentically gay, this series belongs on your list.