Gavin Dimarco is a journalist for The Los Angeles Times. As Gavin Martin, however, he is a successful author of historical mystery novels. When his agent calls with an opportunity to be the next reality TV “Bachelor,” he agrees—with one stipulation. None of the ladies vying for his heart can know his true identity until the end of the show. Gavin’s past has made him leery of women seeking his fortune, and that fear has left him alone, with only his dog and his love of reading as company. When Gavin meets the girl of his dreams right before Most Eligible airs, he’s ready to abandon the show. Everyone knows that you can’t find true love in a week on a TV show. When Hollywood reality meets Gavin’s reality, he has to make a tough choice—is he still eligible?
~Excerpt~
I knew that I couldn't, or rather, didn't want to live without love forever. Sure, I wanted the happy home, adoring wife, even the screaming of the rug rats jarring me from my concentration. I had two major problems. First I hadn't any idea how to go about attaining such a lofty goal, and second, where would I find the absolutely perfect woman—for me? I wanted a woman who would love me for me and not just the successful author. I wouldn't settle just because some woman batted her eyelashes and gave me a few compliments. I always believed in the importance of finding a real woman with whom I shared common interests. This would be the only situation enticing enough to make me want to settle down.
I'd had girlfriends every now and again, but it rarely went anywhere emotionally. Those relationships were mostly physical, and although I wished they could have developed into something more, they never did. Many of the women who met my parents said they thought I got my good looks from my father and my brains from my mother. I preferred to be liked for the latter, something that rarely, if ever, happened.
