A 90‑Minute Union Arc Romcom
A week. One roof. Zero margin for error.
A complete 90-minute romantic escape set in Chicago's Union Arc Market, where ceramic artist Lia and grant writer Theo must save a community project—and maybe find something more.
Ceramicist Lia Santos must deliver a safe, crowd-friendly art pilot or see Union Arc Market shut for 30 days and lose half its funding. Grant writer Theo Kline brings the keys, the timeline, and a clause that keeps them on-site 24/7.
Sawdust becomes sparks. A careful boundary becomes one unforgettable night. Then a city press release erases Lia's credit and lights up the internet. The maze, the money, and their fragile trust are all on the line.
He can fix logistics. She owns the story. Together, they might save both.
Grab your coffee and settle in for 90 minutes of romantic escape.
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"A perfect blend of steam and heart! Pace captures the electric tension of forced proximity while building genuine emotional stakes. Lia and Theo's chemistry leaps off the page."— Contemporary Romance Reviewer
"Best Efforts delivers everything it promises: smart dialogue, competent characters, and a romance that feels both inevitable and earned. A delightful 90-minute escape."— Indie Romance Blog
"Reese Pace has created something special with Union Arc Market. The community setting feels authentic, and the romance is both spicy and emotionally satisfying."— Book Review Magazine
The 90-Minute Romcoms Series
Smart, spicy novellas set in and around Union Arc Market—an imagined Chicago community marketplace where artists, vendors, and night-shift guardians build more than stalls.
Each book is a complete 90-minute read with a guaranteed HEA, sharp banter, real-world problems (permits, press, budgets), and open-door chemistry.
The cast overlaps; the romances stand alone. Come for the deadlines and donor drama. Stay for kids' clay tiles, midnight coffees at Nightjar, and couples who write their own rules.
Glass-roofed maze of produce stalls, pop-ups, and artist studios on Chicago's Near North Side
Community projects take shape on the mezzanine while night guards patrol and coffee brews
Part workplace, part neighborhood heart—the perfect setting for unexpected romance
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Reese Pace believes the best love stories happen in the spaces between—between market stalls and late-night planning sessions, between first impressions and deeper truths. A Chicago native who's spent countless hours in community centers, coffee shops, and farmers markets, Reese captures the electric moment when two people realize they're exactly where they need to be. Each Union Arc romance is designed to be devoured in one sitting, because sometimes you need a complete escape and a guaranteed happy ending in 90 minutes flat.