It's release day for The Wild Card by Kendall Ryan!

The Wild Card

Author: Kendall Ryan

Release Date: August 20, 2026

Publisher: Independent

Genre: Romance/Fiction/Contemporary

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He buried a fake-girlfriend clause in a seventeen-page roommate agreement.

She signed it without reading.

What could possibly go wrong?

FBI agent Crew Jensen thrives on control. His rigid routines keep his anxiety and OCD in check: no chaos, no distractions, and definitely no relationships.

Until his boss threatens to transfer him to Alaska.

Desperate to prove he has “roots,” Crew makes a wildly unhinged decision: he slips a fake-girlfriend clause into his roommate contract, hoping his next applicant won’t read it carefully.

Emmie Marshall signs on page seventeen without blinking.

Emmie is everything Crew is not—warm, messy, impossibly chatty—and currently racing a cookbook deadline that could make or break her career. She needs stability. He needs a convincing relationship. It’s a simple, mutually beneficial arrangement.

Fake dates. Public hand-holding. Mandatory cuddling sessions (her counter-demand—he’s just so touch-starved and grumpy).

The more they pretend, the harder it becomes to remember where the contract ends and real feelings begin.

Because she makes the counting in his head stop. He makes her feel like she doesn’t have to try so hard.

Suddenly, the arrangement that was supposed to be temporary feels dangerously real.

A grumpy, touch-starved hero, a sunshine heroine who won’t take no for an answer, forced proximity, roommates-to-lovers, fake dating that feels way too real, and one very judgmental cat. Perfect for fans of Tessa Bailey and Elsie Silver.

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4vTGEPy

Kendall Ryan

Kendall Ryan writes contemporary romance. Her books have been featured on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestsellers lists a combined total of more than 100 times.

Connect with Kendall Ryan: https://www.kendallryanbooks.com/instagram/

Crew Jensen's life is always in order, never a detail amiss, everything runs like clockwork...that is until a slightly messy and unorganized cookbook author wanders into his world and turns it upside down. Now he finds himself doing things on a whim, straying from his usual diet, and pushing the limits on clockwork regimen, and it scares him more than a little!

The pages of The Wild Card will touch your heart and leave you with an unshakable smile on your face...these two are magical on the page! Crew Jensen is the type of guy that never strays from his set path, always does things with purpose and always has a plan... then he meets Emmie. Emmie is his complete opposite in about every way. She lives life as it comes to her, takes time to smell the roses, and always does things on the spur of them moment, and at first that drives Crew crazy. Then with a little urging from Emmie he starts to try new things, stray from his usual trusted path, and he begins to realize just how much he's been missing out on. He thinks they are too different to find common ground, but little by little love keeps pushing them in the right direction and suddenly things just start to make perfect sense... it's quite heartwarming to watch it all unfold!

Once again Ms. Ryan has introduced us to two characters who may not make sense at first glance, but little by little they start to find their way and create something so beautiful that there is no denying their compatibility. They find love and there is no bigger bond than that, it brings out the best of them and helps them see what they've been missing out on... and it's pure joy to watch it all fall into place. Ms. Ryan just has a knack for this stuff and I always look forward to seeing how it all comes together... nobody does it better in my book! Highly recommend this one, it's pages will bring you joy, smiles, and a very happy heart!

I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.

The author, Kendall Ryan