Rebecca Kelley Knihy

After returning from an unsuccessful work abroad scenario teaching English in the Czech Republic, Joanna puts down roots in the damp drizzly neighborhoods of Portland, Oregon. Jetlagged anddisappointed, she sets up camp in her sister Laura's tiny laundry room. Weeks later, Joanna attends a house party at Ted's, Laura's new beau. While reading What to Expect When You are Expecting (even though becoming pregnant is the farthest thing from Joanna's mind), Joanna is caught by surprise when Ted's best friend Malcolm, out of nowhere, approaches her. Lanky, dark-eyed, and strangely weird, Malcolm banters with Joanna, intriguing her with his dry, unconventional approach to flattery. Later that evening they fall asleep in each other's arms in a self-fashioned shed that Malcolm made with his own hands. Only one slight problem: in less than 24 hours Malcolm is leaving for the Peace Corps.

In this gripping novel about obsession, control, and self-preservation, a woman desperate to provide a new life for her sister enters a compromising arrangement with an entitled tech billionaire. Rosemary Rabourne is already struggling to pay the bills when her recently orphaned half sister, Wendy, shows up at her door. Rosemary will try anything to provide for the traumatized teenager--including offering her services as a high-end escort. Leo Glass is the billionaire CEO of a revolutionary social app. He wants the "girlfriend experience"--someone contractually obligated to love him--and he thinks he's found the perfect match in Rosemary. His proposition has its perks: a free luxury apartment and financial security. And its conditions: constant surveillance and availability whenever Leo calls. It's not the life Rosemary wants, but she's out of options. Then she meets her new neighbor, Sam, a musician with whom Rosemary shares an immediate attraction and a genuine intimacy she's never felt with anyone. Falling in love makes it possible to imagine a real new life. But Leo won't let go of her that easily, and his need for control escalates. So does Rosemary's desperation--to protect Wendy, to protect herself, and, at any price, to escape.