Blurb:

A bake-off between enemies…what could go wrong?

MATEO

Can you believe this? Haverton’s football hero is opening a bagel shop next to my pizzeria and he’s selling—wait for it—pizza bagels. The nerve! 

And Rob Vilmer isn’t above using his fame to attract clients. It’s annoying and yes, I’m feeling a little crusty about the situation. My temper has gotten me into a few binds, but a pizza-bagel war? This is a first. 

I’m gonna crush him. 

ROB

After years of playing in the pros, I’m beat. All I want is to open a bagel shop in the town that gave me a shot at the big time. I’d love some peace and quiet too, however, I won’t be getting that with Mateo Cavaretti next door. 

Geez, I can’t believe I had a crush on that guy in college. Sure, he’s still incredibly good-looking, but he’s a grouch. And while I like my business partner’s idea of settling our dispute with a classic bake-off, Mateo and I can’t be in the same room without fireworks exploding. 

Okay, some of those fireworks are extra sexy and that might be a problem. 

Or is all truly fair in love and pizza…and bagels?

All’s Fair in Love and Pizza is an MM grumpy/sunshine, small-town romance featuring former teammates, a culinary challenge, and a HEA worth fighting for. 

*A portion of All’s Fair in Love and Pizza was originally included in the Delicious Anthology. This new version has doubled in length to over 40k words and a whole lot of bake-off shenanigans! 

AVAILABLE NOW

*****

Excerpt:

“Whoa. Wait up.” I held my hand like a stop sign and stepped into his space. Bad move. I had to tilt my head to meet his eyes now, and that was weird. I was six one—not exactly a small dude, but that asshole had sprouted at least another two inches since college. I’d bet he was six foot six. And yes, he was an asshole. I hadn’t thought so until a minute ago, but now… “You can’t sell pizza bagels next to a pizza parlor.”

“I can’t?” 

“No, you can’t. It’s brand assimilation or something. It’s illegal.” 

“Illegal?” he scoffed. “I don’t think so, Mateo. Bagels are bagels, pizza is pizza. But I was only kid—”

“Yeah, but a pizza bagel is a piece of dough that’s dressed up to look like something it isn’t. It’s shady advertising, not to mention blatant customer poaching. Sell all the bagels you want, but don’t sell pizza bagels. That’s a great way to get off to a rotten start. You know what I’m saying?” 

Rob regarded me for a long moment. “Are you threatening me?”

“Threaten is a strong word. I’m suggesting you do the right thing.”

“Or what?” 

I snort-laughed in my most derisive, supremely irritating fashion. It was the kind of insincere and dismissive gesture that had pissed off opponents on the field years ago and still probably got under my cousins’ skin. Nothing to brag about, but hey…I’d learned how to play with the big kids early. Rule number one: Never show fear. Rule number two: Never back down or give someone else the upper hand. 

“I ’spose you’ll find out.” I turned on my heels, tray clenched to my chest as I sauntered next door.

Yeah, yeah. Look, maybe Rob wasn’t the enemy. Maybe it was a quirky act of fate that he’d happened to lease the property next to mine. The one I wanted.

Fortune had shined upon him and that was nice and all, but Boardwalk Pizza was an institution in this town. We were the experts, we were the ones with decades of experience, and we weren’t going anywhere. 

So Rob could shove his goddamn pizza bagel up his ass.

*****

Review:

I love Lane Hayes’s books. Her name on the cover makes it an automatic read for me but honestly I struggled a little at the beginning of this one. It’s set up as an enemies-to-lovers or rivals-to-lovers story but I just didn’t get why Mateo was so antagonistic to Rob from the beginning. I had faith tho and kept going and I’m glad I did. Once I got a little further, I loved the two of them together, and individually, and it made for lighthearted fun.

Teo is all sorts of prickly and sarcastic but he loves big and loud. And he’s surrounded by a family that loves just as big and loud and I love that for him. I need more from them because they are a hoot. While Rob may be a little quieter, he loves big too and he adores every bit of Teo’s grouchiness.

I do feel like there was an opportunity to go a little deeper into their issues – Rob’s anxiety and Teo’s reasons for putting up walls. It was originally a novella in an anthology so I’m wondering if maybe the additions just didn’t mesh quite as well as they could have.

Mixing a bit of fun with a dose of family love and some heat, Hayes gives us a nice, comfortable read. It’s not angsty, more a quiet slide into a HEA.

*****

Author Info:

Lane Hayes lives in sunny Southern California with her amazing husband, who thankfully doesn’t mind cooking, and their fabulous fox red Labrador, George, who’s pure mischief. Both provide oodles of inspiration for the low-angst, humorous books Lane loves to write.

She’s been telling stories about sexy, funny, sometimes geeky and quirky men who find love for a dozen years now and loving every minute. In her previous life, she sat at a desk and dealt with numbers, so yes…romance is much more satisfying!

Lane loves tea, travel, and chocolate…in any order. Add a book and she’s set!

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Website: www.lane-hayes.com

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*****