“You’ll see me at the games. I’ll be the one wearing Miller’s jersey.” – Stephanie Archer (The Fake Out).
To get back at her cheating ex, a pro hockey player who was just traded to the Vancouver Storm, team physiotherapist Hazel Hartley decides to fake date her ex’s rival, all-star Vancouver Storm hockey player Rory Miller, whom Hazel tutored in high school. The more time Hazel spends “fake dating” Rory, the more she discovers the secret softy under Rory’s arrogant, bad boy exterior. Amidst ice skating lessons, “fake” dates, and playful games of assassin, Hazel and Rory support each other whilst dealing with family drama and soon come to question whether their budding relationship is still “fake”. But Hazel has been burned before and is hesitant to start something with Rory that could end badly, especially since Rory is her future brother-in-law’s best man and teammate…can Rory convince Hazel to give him a real shot? The Fake Out is a delightful new adult, hockey romance featuring the forced proximity, fake dating, enemies to lovers, and “he falls first” tropes. I highly recommend it to fans of spicy hockey romances like Icebreaker by Hannah Grace, Iced Out by Veronica Eden, The Graham Effect by Elle Kennedy, Breakaway by Grace Reilly, Shutout by Avery Keelan, Collide by Bal Khabra, Always Only You by Chloe Liese, and Play With Me by Becka Mack. Themes and topics present include body image, self worth, appearance versus reality, family dynamics, friendship, love and heartbreak, loneliness and isolation, communication, work-life balance, competition, and second chances. Some potential trigger warnings include divorce and absentee parents, body negativity and harmful self-talk, cheating, and harassment. I suppose The Fake Out could be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend reading book 1 in the Vancouver Storm series, Behind the Net, first to avoid spoilers; Pippa and Jamie from Behind the Net make frequent appearances throughout The Fake Out as Pippa is Hazel’s sister and Jamie is Rory’s best friend/ teammate. I absolutely loved this book…in fact, I had a very hard time putting it down! I liked that, having already introduced Rory and Hazel in Behind the Net, Archer dove right into the fake dating plot without a lot of preambles or backstories. Like Behind the Net, I very much appreciated that The Fake Out did not have a third act break-up as this is currently my least favourite trope. The Fake Out isn’t holiday-themed, but Rory and Hazel end up doing quite a few cute winter and Christmas activities together, so I found it to be delightfully seasonally appropriate – it would be a great addition to your holiday TBR or wish lists, but it can be read at any time of year. Rory and Hazel’s steamy chemistry was explosive, and I thought Rory, who had been secretly pining for Hazel since high school, was very swoon-worthy (I especially loved Rory’s nicknames for Hazel, their ice skating lessons, their shenanigans during the game of assassin, and Rory’s impromptu holiday decorating)! “You’re my tiny fire-breathing dragon.” – Stephanie Archer (The Fake Out). To be honest, there wasn’t much about this book that I didn’t like. If I had to be nitpicky, the drama surrounding Rory’s parents and Hazel’s mom’s body image issues weren’t as interesting to read in my opinion. Also, at times, I found some of the romantic dialogue to be a tad cheesy for my tastes. Overall, I really enjoyed The Fake Out and can’t wait to read more from Stephanie Archer, especially more of her Vancouver Storm series! I’m really hoping that Darcy, whom we are introduced to in The Fake Out, will be the focus of book 3 in the Vancouver Storm series as I found her character and storyline to be intriguing. If you’re looking for a spicy and swoony fake dating hockey romance with no third act break-up, I highly recommend picking up a copy of The Fake Out!
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In a world where wolf shifters are widely known and integrated into modern society, shifter doctors Noah Taylor and Mackenzie “Mack” Carter enter a mutual arrangement where they pretend to be mates at work. Fearful of loosing out on an upcoming promotion, often grumpy Noah needs to appear to be mated when his unmated alpha status, a designation that holds negative stereotypes and is often discriminated against, is discovered by the hospital board. Needing a break from her grandmother’s constant matchmaking attempts, Mack is more than happy to pretend to be Noah’s mate at work if he pretends to be her boyfriend at dinner with her grandmother. Having to remain in close proximity in order to keep up their lie, Noah and Mack eventually start a friends-with-benefits arrangement, which makes it hard to separate “fake” feelings from real.
The Fake Mate is a steamy contemporary romance, with some paranormal elements, that is perfect for fans of romance authors like Tessa Bailey, Ali Hazelwood, Chloe Liese, and Talia Hibbert. I would also recommend The Fake Mate to fans of paranormal romances like A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine, Ice Planet Barbarians by Ruby Dixon, or Spookily Yours by Jennifer Chipman. Tropes present in The Fake Mate are close proximity, fake dating, friends-with-benefits, grumpy with sunshine, workplace romance, and fated mates. Themes and topics include discrimination, stereotypes, blackmail, matchmaking, insecurity, loneliness and isolation, abandonment, love and sacrifice, and secrets and lies. I thought that The Fake Mate was very unique compared to other werewolf/ wolf romances I’ve read in the past, like the Twilight or Shadowhunters series, in that wolf shifters aren’t a secret, nor do they live in a hidden fantasy world. Furthermore, The Fake Mate was more of a Grey’s Anatomy-like romance that just so happened to include some paranormal elements, which I found delightful yet different from what I was expecting. There were a ton of steamy scenes throughout The Fake Mate as well as some swoon-worthy moments, both of which I think fellow romance readers will enjoy. I will definitely be reading more of Lana Ferguson’s books in the future! On the downside, I felt like the third-act conflict was predictable and was resolved unrealistically quickly. I also personally felt like some of the wolf shifter terminology could have used some more explanation as I sometimes found myself guessing. Lastly, I thought that the main characters spent too long doubting or hiding their true feelings and insisting that their relationship was still fake, which was a bit frustrating. If you love Grey’s Anatomy, spicy contemporary romances, and paranormal elements like wolf shifters, then you should definitely add The Fake Mate to your TBR list! |
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February 2024
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