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Today is a Red Letter Day because it’s a Book List that wasn’t inspired by a recent read. I love putting together Book Lists and when I’m in a mini book slump (which happens far more often than I’d like #thanksdepression), I’ve found the best way to reignite my love for books is by looking back at my favourites on Goodreads.
Today’s Book List features another of my favourite tropes: Fake Dating. It’s kinda self-explanatory but the definition of Fake Dating is “two people start dating each other for some reason other than actually wanting to be in a relationship with each other, then as time goes by, the feelings turn real” (Medium). Fake Dating has the same feels as Marriages of Convenience, which I’ve already blogged about.
Side Notes: You can find links to my previous Book Lists in the Archives.
I’m always looking for recommendations so if you’ve got any Fake Dating romances I might have missed out on, please let me know either in the comments or by e-mail at louisehallbooks@gmail.com.
Until next time, happy reading!
(Originally Posted: 25 June 2024, Last Updated: 27 June 2024)
(1) Running Mate (Running Mate #1) by Katie Ashley (2017)
Barrett: The name’s Barrett Callahan. Yeah, that Barrett Callahan—the one the press dubbed “Bare” after those naked sexting pictures surfaced. At twenty-five, I was armed with an MBA from Harvard, an executive position at my father’s Fortune 500 company, a penthouse, and a different piece of delectable eye candy in my bed every weekend. I had a life most men dreamed of. But then my father decided to run for president, and my playboy lifestyle became a liability to his campaign that was built on family values. My “makeover” comes in the form of a fake fiancée who I don’t even get to choose–one who is an uptight, choirgirl acting priss but also sexy-as-hell.
Addison: My latest relationship had gone down in flames, and I was drowning in a sea of student loans when in true Godfather status, James Callahan made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. Seven figures for seven months on the campaign trail pretending to be the adoring fiancée of his son, Barrett. As soon as he won the election, our engagement would be dissolved amicably for the press, I was free to ride off into the sunset a million dollars richer, and because of the NDA, no one would be the wiser. Sure, I’d never met the guy, but I’d been a theatre nerd in high school. I could pull off any role from Lady Macbeth to Maria Von Trapp. But that was before I met my fake fiancé—the infuriating, self-absorbed, egotistical, drop-dead-sexy King of the Manwhores.
The race will be a fight to the death finish, and that’s not even the actual campaign.
Tags: Enemies-to-Lovers / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog) / Political Romances
(2) Mr. Mayfair (Mister #1) by Louise Bay (2021)
It should be the most shocking news I’d ever gotten – My boyfriend is getting married. Okay, technically he’s my ex-boyfriend. Two months ago he decided he wanted a break. I still thought he was my happily ever after. On any other day, knowing he was gone for good would be the worst thing that could possibly happen. But not today. Because not only is my boyfriend getting married—his bride is my best friend. And they’ve sent me an invitation.
There’s no way I’m going to attend. I don’t care if it’s in beautiful Scotland. Nothing and no one could convince me. Not even when a deliciously handsome stranger tells me he needs to go as my plus one. Not even when he shoots me a wickedly, sexy smile. But then he offers me the opportunity of a lifetime—a dream come true. How can I say no? But I have one condition. He has to be my new boyfriend. I mean, my pretend new boyfriend.
I’m about to find out that faking it can be a whole lot of fun.
Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Series
(3) Dr. Fake Fiancé (Doctors #4) by Louise Bay (2023)
What’s a heartbroken American to do when she’s in London trying to get over her ex? Find herself a fake fiancé. Obviously.
I’m walking past Big Ben, trying to get over the world’s worst break up, when I slam into a hot hunk of British man. And pour scorching hot coffee all over him.
My caffeine casualty not only forgives me for ruining his shirt, but when I ramble on about needing to distract the press from my recent heartbreak, he agrees to be my pretend prince charming faster than you can say ‘espresso’. Our agreement is clear: nothing is real.
Except the more time we spend pretending to be a couple, the harder it is to keep my side of the bargain. And his smouldering stare tells me he might be having the same problem.
And then we have a game night. Maybe it’s naked Twister that pushes us over the edge.
I’m starting to think my fake fiancé might be husband material. For real.
Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Series / Five Star Reads / Musicians
(4) Outmatched by Kristen Callihan & Samantha Young (2019)
What happens when a boxer finds chemistry with a geek?
Parker Brown can’t believe she needs to hire a fake boyfriend. When she landed her dream job in renewable energy, she thought she’d be entering a world at the forefront of progressive thinking. But the head boss prefers to promote employees who are “settled.” Thankfully, she’s found the perfect candidate, a fellow intellectual looking for some quick cash. What Parker gets is his protective big brother—Rhys Morgan. The tall, muscled ex-boxer with a foul mouth shows up just as her boss does, and now she’s stuck with the manipulative jerk.
Responsibility weighs heavily on Rhys. Now permanently out of the ring, he’s trying to hold together his late father’s gym and keep his younger brother, Dean, on the straight and narrow. To save Dean from himself, Rhys takes his place, ready to give this society girl a piece of his mind. Instead, he finds an opportunity. Even though they can hardly stand each other, posing as Parker’s boyfriend is a win-win deal. She gets to keep her job, and he’ll charm her star-struck boss into sponsoring his gym.
Problem is, they can barely keep their hands off each other. And what started as an easy deal isn’t so easy anymore. Because what future can a rough ex-boxer, afraid to open his heart, and a polished society geek, who has sworn off real relationships, possibly have?
They say opposites attract. These opposites are about to combust on impact.
Tags: Favourite Authors (Kristen Callihan & Samantha Young) / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog) / Unusual Sports Romances (Boxing)
(5) The Lies Between the Lines (The Fontaines #2) by Ember Casey (2016)
Emilia Torres has everything she’s ever wanted. After years of struggling to become an actress, she’s finally caught her big break—a part opposite the hottest star in Hollywood, the gorgeous and charming Luca Fontaine. But her biggest role might be the one she plays off-screen, where she and Luca pretend to be in love. The rules for their relationship are simple: in front of the paparazzi, they play the perfect Hollywood couple. In private, their contract states that all feelings—and sex—are absolutely forbidden.
Luca Fontaine knows what’s he’s doing when it comes to fake relationships. His relationship with Emilia gives him exactly what he needs: lots of publicity for their movie with none of the complicated emotional stuff.
It’s the perfect publicity stunt—until someone wants more. Needs more.
Sometimes, the truth is even hotter than the lies…
Tags: Favourite Author / Stage & Screen
(6) The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren (2019)
Olive is always unlucky: in her career, in love, in… well, everything. Her identical twin sister Ami, on the other hand, is probably the luckiest person in the world. Her meet-cute with her fiancé is something out of a romantic comedy (gag) and she’s managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a series of Internet contests (double gag). Worst of all, she’s forcing Olive to spend the day with her sworn enemy, Ethan, who just happens to be the best man.
Olive braces herself to get through 24 hours of wedding hell before she can return to her comfortable, unlucky life. But when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning from eating bad shellfish, the only people who aren’t affected are Olive and Ethan. And now there’s an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii up for grabs.
Putting their mutual hatred aside for the sake of a free vacation, Olive and Ethan head for paradise, determined to avoid each other at all costs. But when Olive runs into her future boss, the little white lie she tells him is suddenly at risk to become a whole lot bigger. She and Ethan now have to pretend to be loving newlyweds, and her luck seems worse than ever. But the weird thing is that she doesn’t mind playing pretend. In fact, she feels kind of… lucky.
Tags: Favourite Author / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog) / Hawaii
(7) Hard Sell (21 Wall Street #2) by Lauren Layne (2018)
Twenty-eight and filthy rich, Matt Cannon is the youngest broker on Wall Street. He may be a “boy wonder,” but he’s every inch a man. Ask any woman—any night. But when Matt’s latest fling makes scandalous headlines, his clients get anxious, and his bosses at Wolfe Investments level an ultimatum: keep his assets zipped, get a “real” girlfriend, and clean up his act. Only one woman can help Matt with something this hard.
For PR genius Sabrina Cross, the best fixer in Manhattan, playing Matt’s steady is going to be a challenge, even if it’s just for show. They already have an explosive history, she can’t stand the cocky party boy, and worse—she can’t stop thinking about him. So who’ll dare to break her “no touching” rule first? Because when that happens, Matt and Sabrina’s game of let’s pretend will get so hot it could set both their reputations on fire.
Tags: Favourite Author
(8) Isn’t She Lovely (Redemption #0.5) by Lauren Layne (2013)
She needed a place to live. He needed a girlfriend. The rules were clear… until they were broken…
The only thing Ethan Price and Stephanie Kendrick have in common is their screenwriting class at the NYU Film School. Ethan’s family is loaded and expectations are high for his stepping into the family business one day, while Stephanie is the class outcast and from the other side of the tracks.
When a project brings this unlikely pair together, Stephanie becomes the fake girlfriend who plays a part similar to that of the character in their screenplay. What Ethan didn’t expect was to fall in love with her – but has he fallen for the real her? Or just the version he created…?
Tags: College / Favourite Author
(9) Marriage on Madison Avenue (Central Park Pact #3) by Lauren Layne (2020)
Can guys and girls ever be just friends? According to Audrey Tate and Clarke West, absolutely. After all, they’ve been best friends since childhood without a single romantic entanglement. Clarke is the charming playboy Audrey can always count on and, knowing that the ever-loyal Audrey will never not play along with his strategy for dodging his matchmaking mother, announces he’s already engaged…to Audrey.
But what starts out as a playful game between two best friends turns into something infinitely more complicated, as just-for-show kisses begin to stir up forbidden feelings. As the faux wedding date looms closer, Audrey and Clarke realize that they can never go back to the way things were, but deep down, do they really want to?
Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Series / Five Star Reads / Friends-to-Lovers
(10) The Love Wager (Mr Wrong Number #2) by Lynn Painter (2023)
Hallie Piper is turning over a new leaf. After belly-crawling out of a hotel room (hello, rock bottom), she decides it’s time to become a full-on adult.
She gets a new apartment, a new haircut, and a new wardrobe, but when she logs into the dating app that she has determined will find her new love, she sees none other than Jack, the guy whose room she’d snuck out of.
Through the app, and after the joint agreement that they are absolutely not interested in each other, Jack and Hallie become partners in their respective searches for The One. They text each other about their dates, often scheduling them at the same restaurant so that if things don’t go well, the two of them can get tacos afterward.
Spoiler: they get a lot of tacos together.
Discouraged by the lack of prospects, Jack and Hallie make a wager to see who can find true love first, but when they agree to be fake dates for a weekend wedding, all bets are off.
As they pretend to be a couple, lines become blurred and they each struggle to remember why the other was a bad idea to begin with.
Tags: Favourite Author
(11) Fake by Kylie Scott (2021)
He walks the red carpet. She’s more familiar with vacuuming one.
When a scandal tarnishes the reputation of hot as hell A-lister, Patrick Walsh, he needs a reputation rescue, pronto.
Enter waitress Norah Peers – a nobody who’s average with a capital A. She’s available, dependable, and has sworn off men for the rest of her natural born life. In other words: the perfect match for a no-strings fake romance.
For the right amount of money, she can avoid waitressing and play the part of his dependable down-to-earth girlfriend. What she can’t avoid – dammit – is the growing steam between them.
But being hounded by the paparazzi and having her life dissected on social media is a panic attack in the making. And while Patrick might be a charming rogue on screen, in real life he’s a six-foot-two confusing, gorgeous, brooding grump, who keeps her at a distance… but also makes her feel like this bond between them might be more than just an act.
Being dumped on cue should be no big deal. Except being fake with Patrick is the realist relationship Norah has ever had. What’s a girl to do, but flip the script, and ask for a re-match made in Hollywood?
Tags: Favourite Author / Stage & Screen
(12) Sips & Strokes (Unlikely Pairings #1) by Sarah Skye (2021)
Lily Maldonado is screwed. The people-pleasing art professor has been roped into attending her ex’s wedding by her overbearing, image-obsessed parents. Even worse? The woman her ex is marrying is Lily’s childhood bully. She can’t back out, but she’s not sure she can face this nightmare solo.
Enter Calder Ross. The sexy Scot’s abs have graced the cover of many romance novel bestsellers, but the reformed playboy needs a more serious image if he wants to land his dream job as the spokesman for Sonce Whisky. Modeling for Lily’s figure drawing class is step one in the right direction.
After their very adorable—and very naked—meet-cute, Lily and Calder realize that they can be each other’s saving grace. Lily can bring Calder to the wedding as her fake boyfriend to ward off pitying stares. Calder can bring Lily to Sonce events as his fake girlfriend to show he’s the responsible, relationship-minded guy that execs want as the face of their brand.
But the longer Lily and Calder play pretend, the harder it becomes to deny the very real chemistry between them. Will they play it safe and stick to their fake roles? Or will they throw out the playbook completely and risk it all for love?
Tags: Favourite Author (Sarah Echavarre Smith)
(13) How to Fake It in Hollywood by Ava Wilder (2022)
Grey Brooks is on a mission to keep her career afloat now that the end of her long-running teen soap has her (unsuccessfully) pounding the pavement again. With a life-changing role on the line, she’s finally desperate enough to agree to her publicist’s scheme . . . faking a love affair with a disgraced Hollywood heartthrob who needs the publicity, but for very different reasons.
Ethan Atkins just wants to be left alone. Between his high-profile divorce, his struggles with drinking, and his grief over the death of his long-time creative partner and best friend, he’s slowly let himself fade into the background. But if he ever wants to produce the last movie he and his partner wrote together, Ethan needs to clean up his reputation and step back into the spotlight. A gossip-inducing affair with a gorgeous actress might be just the ticket, even if it’s the last thing he wants to do.
Though their juicy public relationship is less than perfect behind the scenes, it doesn’t take long before Grey and Ethan’s sizzling chemistry starts to feel like more than just an act. But after decades in a ruthless industry that requires bulletproof emotional armour to survive, are they too used to faking it to open themselves up to the real thing?
Tags: Stage & Screen
(14) The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead (2023)
As a shy school librarian, Alexis Stone is comfortable keeping out of the spotlight. But when she’s dumped for being too meek-in bed! – she decides she needs to change. And what better way to kick-start her new more adventurous life than with her first one-night stand?
Enter Logan, the gorgeous, foul-mouthed stranger she meets at a hotel bar. Audacious and filterless, Logan is Alexis’s opposite-and boy, do opposites attract! Just as she’s about to fulfil her hook-up wish, the hotel catches fire in a freak lightning storm. In their rush to escape, Logan is discovered carrying her into the street, where people are waiting with cameras. Cameras Logan promptly-and shockingly-flees.
Alexis is bewildered until suddenly pictures of her and Logan escaping the fire are all over the internet. Turns out Logan is none other than Logan Arthur, the hotshot candidate challenging the Texas governor’s seat. The salacious scandal is poised to sink his career-and jeopardize Alexis’s job until a solution is he and Alexis could pretend to be in a relationship until Election Day… in two months. What could possibly go wrong?
Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Book by This Author / Five Star Reads / Political Romances
(15) The Love Plot by Samantha Young (2023)
Star Shine Meadows is all about freedom, thanks to the hippie parents who raised her. Juggling her jobs as a professional costume character actor and a line sitter, she believes in no expectations, no stressful ambitions, and no-strings-attached relationships. So when she meets a birthday girl’s grumpy uncle while working a princess party, she can’t help but needle him. She’ll never see him again, and honestly, he’s pretty hot.
Rafe Whitman may be a veterinarian with a great bedside manner, but that doesn’t mean his patience extends to anyone with opposable thumbs. His family will not stop nagging him about finding “the one,” so when he runs into obnoxiously cheery Star again, he makes her an offer: He’ll pay her more than she would make doing her odd jobs if she’ll pretend to be his girlfriend at family gatherings. She can stop sitting in line waiting for someone else’s new phone, and he’ll get his family off his back.
When the tension between them heats to a breaking point, Star’s desire for “no strings” is tested against Rafe’s staunch stability. They say opposites attract, after all….
Tags: Favourite Author / Five Star Reads
Louise Hall 