It’s my very great pleasure to welcome Lulu Morris to Linda’s Book Bag today to tell me all about her latest book. My enormous thanks to Kate at Canelo for putting us in touch with one another.

Let’s find out more:

Staying in with Lulu Morris

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Lulu and thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Absolute pleasure! Hopefully, I can bring some Caribbean sunshine to warm these long dark nights of winter!

That would be wonderful. I love the Caribbean. That said, tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it? 

I’ve brought my first romcom, The Dating Pact.

And it’s out today! Happy The Dating Pact publication day. Isn’t romcom a change of genre for you?

I’ve been writing historical romances since 2021 with Mills & Boon, but I was desperate to write a contemporary romcom with a plus-size heroine and a Hollywood hero, and so, The Dating Pact was born! 

I think a plus-size heroine is so relatable for many readers. How has The Dating Pact been received so far?

So far, I’ve had some lovely comments from reviewers and fellow authors who received an early copy, but I think Laura Carter’s comment that it’s, ‘At an intersection of Notting Hill and The Proposal…packed full of heart and humour,’ is a brilliant description.

You must be delighted with that description. Is The Dating Pact a one off?

This book is part of a three book series, showing the lives and loves of people who work behind the scenes in film and tv.

It sounds as if it could become a film or television series itself! What else have you brought along and why have you brought it?

Well, I live in Essex and my heroine Ellie is from East London, so it has to be a bottle of prosecco – we can celebrate the new year and the official release of The Dating Pact, out today. 

I’m very fond of a glass of prosecco Lulu. 

But I’ve also brought a tropical cocktail, called a Bahama Mama (Pineapple and lime juice, grenadine, two types of rum – we can make it a mocktail if you don’t like rum), it’s full of sunshine fruits. 

I love a cocktail even more – I could tell you a story of excess rum punch in Barbados after a snorkelling trip, but that’s for another occasion. Let’s just say that walking in a straight line was beyond me. But why a Bahama Mama?

Ellie and Alex agree to fake date at his brother’s wedding on a private island in the Bahamas, and they drink this cocktail by the pool.

That sounds perfect. 

Food wise I’ve got plenty of nibbles, home-made sausage rolls, crisps and dips, scotch eggs – with soft yolks- of course, and a box of Guylian Belgian chocolate seashells… 

So, we can bring the beach to us. We’ll put on some fun pop music and banish the January blues away.

This is almost as good as heading off to the Caribbean on a cruise – something I love to do in January! I think The Dating Pact sounds like the most glorious escapism. But who’s that with you?

I’m inviting Ellie and Alex’s family to our get together. Ellie’s family are Londoner’s born and bred, her Nan is hilarious, and although her mum and brother can be hard work sometimes, their heart is in the right place. They own a flower shop, so they’ll probably bring you some lovely flowers too.

Food, prosecco, cocktails, music, flowers…I’m inviting you back Lulu. You’re my kind of guest!

Alex’s family are all Hollywood actors, and will keep us entertained with stories of their showbiz life. But be warned, there’s a lot of family rivalry and hurt feelings behind those mega-watt smiles.

You’re making me think of Tolstoy here – ‘All happy families resemble one another, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way’. 

Family drama is a huge theme in my book, and even though everything works out in the end, there’s some painful home-truths learned along the way.

I think The Dating Pact sounds utterly wonderful, Lulu. Thank you so much for telling me all about it. I think you should mix us all a Bahama Mama and I’ll give readers a few more details.

The Dating Pact

He’s acting royalty. She’s a nurse at The Royal hospital. What happens when their scripted romance starts to feel too real…?

When Ellie bluffs her way into a high-end party with her best friend, the last thing she expects is to end up going home with infamous actor Alex King, because he’s too drunk to remember what hotel he’s staying in. But when the paparazzi catch them together the morning after, their new friendship suddenly becomes the tabloids’ front page.

Alex needs a plus-one. Not only is his brother marrying his ex, but he’s become the villain in the eyes of the press. With a loved-up date by his side, the public might finally see him as moving on and his new play might finally get the ticket sales it needs to not close down.

But a wedding in the Bahamas, surrounded by gorgeous celebrities, with the paparazzi lurking everywhere, is plus-sized Ellie’s worst nightmare. Even as Alex’s displays of affectionate become more real and less fake, will she lose a part of herself during their pact?

Published by Canelo today, 15th January 2026, The Dating Pact is available for purchase here.

About Lulu Morris

Lulu lives in Essex, UK, with her husband, two children, and two cats. She writes funny, sexy and uplifting romances. She is a director for the RNA where she has volunteered for 4 years and has published 10 historical romances for Mills & Boon which have been translated into German, French and Italian.

For further information, visit Lulu’s website or find her on Instagram and TikTok.