Friends-to-Lovers… The most difficult kind of love stories
Back in 2025, on a strangely warm Scottish day, an idea downloaded into my head. A scenario where there were four half-brothers who didn’t know of each other’s existence. What would happen if these brothers inherited their absent father’s business after he dies under mysterious circumstances? This premise intrigued me enough to keep digging into these brothers’ stories.
It so turned out that one of them was a pompous know-it-all, another loved to talk, the eldest loved to fight for justice, and the youngest one… it so turned out that he is the peacemaker and glue that held them all together.
The moment I ‘met’ these brothers, they shared their stories with me except for the quiet, younger one. He loved to stay in the background, only showing his presence when the rest of them got into arguments.
Who was this guy? Why was he so silent?
I decided to probe into his past.
Turns out Neil Buchanan had the biggest story to tell.
Growing up, this guy had a best friend. She was his protector, the only one who understood his love for computers. The two of them were inseparable until she moved away, and they lost touch.
Decades later, after inheriting a new surname and more money than he ever imagined, Neil finds himself meeting people who are drawn to him for his wealth.
In a sea of unfamiliar faces, he is lost, his heart aching for something familiar.
Until… guess what?
Yup! He sees her again. His best friend, the one who got away.
Great premise, isn’t it?
A Friends-To-Lovers Romantic Suspense
His story intrigued me. As someone who writes books where most of her couples are opposites who hate each other, a friends-to-lovers would have been a refreshing change.
Who doesn’t love friends who are meant to be together but don’t seem to ever move from well… best pals to something more? Think Colin and Penelope from Bridgerton, Booth and Bones from Bones, Castle and Beckett from Castle…
If I thought writing in a new genre would be easy, I’d have been mistaken.
Why Slow-Burn Friends-to-Lovers is Tasty
Every friends-to-lovers romance has a gradual transition. Everyone around the couple can see why they are perfect for each other, the couple themselves knows how much the other person means to them. Then a series of events occur which draws them together until they reach a point where one of them says, ‘f**k it’ and kisses their friend.
It’s almost like how Leo Buchanan, Neil’s half-brother, got together with Molly. The two of them were strangers when they met in a pub. They were definitely strangers when he rescued her and her sweet daughter. But they grew close after Leo spent every evening babysitting Rose, Molly’s daughter. They formed a bond every time he helped Molly get back on her feet.
Their friendship became something precious to both of them. A unique bond that held them together. In Dangerous Escape, you can see how much like a family they are. Although they aren’t officially together… messing up their bond with romance is definitely a bad idea. Or is it?
Leo and Molly’s slow-burn romance is torturous but so right especially seeing if they do become an official family. Read Dangerous Escape, book one in the Buchanan Security series, to enjoy their slow-burn, friends-to-lovers, single parent romance.
Why Neil’s Friends-to-Lovers Was Difficult to Write
If Neil’s romance was similar to his brother’s, things would have been simpler. But of course the quiet ones are always the difficult ones!
Neil and Faith were apart for over two decades. They should have been strangers who would reconnect and grow closer gradually. With a twist of fate, the two of them picked up their friendship like they’d never been apart!
There were no ill-feelings, no arguments, none of the elements I always have in my novels. They weren’t enemies nor were they opposites. In fact, they were soulmates from the get-go.
This made things so much more difficult for me. I love couples who banter!
Struggling to figure out what Neil and Faith’s deal was, I tried to uncover just what was going on.
That was until…
The External Push-Pull in Friends-To-Lovers
Neil and Faith would have been the perfect couple. Hell, they would have resumed their friendship and maybe never jumped into becoming more than friends.
But well, the reason Faith re-enters Neil’s life is because she is suspicious of his family and wants to find evidence that would incriminate the Buchanans. Only, she doesn’t know Neil Graham is the new Neil Buchanan.
External pressure much?
As the two of them continue their friendship, toeing the line between friends and lovers, Faith’s distrust in Neil’s family threatens to pull them apart. This external tension is what keeps them apart. It slows down their romance, adds in some push-pull of the heart. And it makes you the reader question: would evidence and a promise to find the truth win against budding love?
Neil and Faith’s story unfolds in Impossible Escape, book two in the Buchanan Security series. If you hadn’t guessed already, Impossible Escape is a friends-to-lovers, billionaire romantic suspense. If you love those tropes, Faith and Neil’s book will be available to read on 1st December, 2026. It is available to preorder and read for free on Kobo Plus before then!