Title: Friends Don't Kiss
Series: Emerald Creek #4
Author: Bella Rivers
Genre: Small Town Steamy Romance
Tropes: Friends to Lovers/Fake Dating/Found Family
He Falls First/No Third Act Break Up
Release Date: April 30, 2025
BLURB
They didn’t plan the kiss. Or anything that happened after…
Colton
When I kissed my best friend to shut up her judgmental family, I didn’t expect her to melt in my arms.
Kiss me back.
Hold me tight.
I thought she didn’t feel for me the way I do, but this changes everything.
Our friendship started the day I found her sleeping in her car, fresh off a betrayal that should’ve broken her. I cracked her protective shell and helped her start over. Now she’s become a part of me.
It’s simple: this kiss is the beginning of our forever.
But nothing with Kiara is simple. Not the wounds from her past. Not her struggles to succeed as a pastry chef. Not the reasons she fights her battles on her own.
She turns me down? Fine. I’ll wait.
She starts swiping right on other men? Absolutely not.
Kiara doesn't know it yet, but she's already mine.
Kiara
This fake kiss wasn’t supposed to leave me breathless, aching for more, and wondering what if.
Because Colton Harper doesn’t do anything halfway. Not kissing, not pretending, and definitely not loving.
Now he wants to date for real, but I’m terrified.
I built a new life in Emerald Creek, made friends who are my new family. Colton is my rock, and changing our friendship to dating could lead to losing everything.
I’ve seen how love ends, and I won’t let that happen to us.
He’s relentless though, so I cave in. He can be my first. Just once. No expectations. No heartbreak.
When he refuses, I’m left with no choice but to swallow my disappointment and move on.
But Colton can be very persuasive.
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AUTHOR BIO
Bella Rivers writes steamy small town romances with a guaranteed happily ever after, and themes of found family and forgiveness. Expect hot scenes, fierce love, and strong language!
A hopeless romantic, Bella is living her own second chance romance in the rolling hills of Vermont. When she’s not telling the stories of the characters populating her dreams, you can find her baking, hiking, skiing, or just hanging around her small town to soak in the happiness.
Her newsletter is where Bella shares progress on her writing as well as sneak peeks into upcoming books, the occasional recipe from her characters, and books from other writers she thinks her readers might like. Subscribe from her website, www.bellarivers.com.
You can also connect with Bella on TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook, all @bellariversauthor, or through the contact form on her website.
AUTHOR LINKS