The Kiss Countdown

Easton charms with her lively debut, a slow-burn, fake-dating roommate romance. At the center of the story are Vincent Rogers, a hotshot NASA astronaut, and Amerie Price, a struggling event planner who is recently single, jobless, and in need of a place to stay. A meet-cute in a coffee shop, with Amerie spilling coffee on undeniably hot fellow customer Vincent, provides Amerie with the chance to enlist his support in pretending to be her boyfriend in front of her ex. As it turns out, Vincent could also use Amerie’s help to pose as his girlfriend in front of his family. A mutually beneficial and platonic—at least to start—relationship is born. The story is set in Houston, providing a fascinating peek into the space industry, combined with lots of family drama. Narrator Angel Pean captures the chemistry between the two leads, including some steamy open-door scenes.