Fake-ish by Winter Renshaw

From Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon bestselling author Winter Renshaw comes a sizzling romance about two people who fall in love, go their separate ways, and then try to reconnect against all odds.

Always a bridesmaid, never a bride—and that’s the way I like it.

I may be anti-marriage, but I’m still pro-romance. Case in point? That sexy curmudgeon I met last year during my cousin’s tropical bachelorette getaway.

That grump was Dorian, the groom’s old college roommate, there for the bachelor party. I couldn’t get enough of his messy brown hair and gorgeous turquoise eyes. We connected on a deep level—emotionally and physically.

But the timing wasn’t right. So we made a pact to reconnect in two years. Now I’m starting a new “job.” It’ll take a lot of work and pays really well—I’m talking seven figures here. All I have to do is pretend to be my boss’s new fiancée… and spend eight weeks with his family on their private island. How hard could it be?

Turns out, a lot harder than I thought. Because the man I’m pretending to love? He’s Dorian’s brother, and now all bets are off…

 

 

Buy Links

Amazon US  ~  Amazon UK  ~  Amazon Au  ~  Amazon Ca
Audiobook (US) Narrated by Stefan Cordova & Kathryn Lynhurst
Paperback (US)
~ Also Available to Read & Listen with KindleUnlimited ~

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary – ☆☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars

Briar and Dorian meet at a mutual friend's wedding and hit it off. They were left at several bars during the bar crawl, so they went alone. The more time they spent alone, the more they had in common. They didn't want to say goodbye in the end and didn't want to have a long-distance relationship, so they decided to wait two years and start a relationship.

It is now a year later, and Briar is pretending to be in love with a man, who turns out to be Dorian's brother, and it feels like she is betraying Dorian. She can't explain why she is with his brother so he would understand, and Dorian doesn't seem to care.

This story started out fun and flirty. But turns into a drama filled with pain, family, and greed. Will Briar and Dorian make their way back to each other or is the damage too far gone? This author has a way of making me laugh and cry at almost the same time. She can pull you into a story from the very first page and you are glued until the end. I loved Briar and Dorian and I hope you do too.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆
3.5 stars of fake...ish

I really enjoyed the start of the book – still confused how Briar could afford to attend her cousin's event, when later she was clearly not well off, but still, it was a fun adventure in the Caribbean to start the story. The 'wait two years' thing is strangely liberating I think, and I had no problem with the fake engagement as it filled a gap, however, the way Burke treated her would have made me break the deal!

The island holiday set up was clever, and I found the dynamics engaging but in a harsh, thank goodness that is not my life way – definitely a clear nod to money not being a true source of happiness! It made it difficult to care about them, when it was far more to do with getting an inheritance, and not family time.

I was glad that the book resolved a number of issues in a believable way, with siblings staying in character, but it was slightly depressing to have to acknowledge such flawed selfish people do exist! Briar was consistently the naive one in the story, and thankfully she did end up with the right, loving outcome, but it was a mind-bending journey!


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆
M/F Romance

This is a second chance story, but I'm not 100% that I would consider this a romance. It's more of a second chance friendship – maybe in another book, turned romance.

The actual story here is a little farfetched and not something that I would normally read. The couple meets and then they don't see each other for several years. By that time, she, (Briar) has signed an NDA with Dorian's brother, Burke – who is a seemingly greedy guy, in my opinion. Burke won't let her out of the contract, so in order to get the money Burke promised, Briar has to stay quiet, despite knowing that it's effectively ending any chance she might have had with Dorian.

Overall, this was a somewhat convoluted story with more young adult dialogue and feelings than what I would have expected.

 

 

Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon bestselling author WINTER RENSHAW is a bona fide daydream believer. She lives somewhere in the middle of the USA and can rarely be seen without her notebook and laptop. When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about writing. And when she’s not thinking about writing, she’s living the American dream with her husband, three kids, the laziest puggle this side of the Mississippi, and a busy pug pup that officially owes her three pairs of shoes, one lamp cord, and an office chair.

Winter also writes psychological and domestic suspense under her Minka Kent pseudonym. Her first book, The Memory Watcher, hit #9 in the Kindle Store, and her follow-up, The Thinnest Air, hit #1 in the Kindle Store and spent five weeks as a Washington Post bestseller.

Connect with Winter Renshaw!

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ARC provided by

Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided with a free copy of Fake-ish by Winter Renshaw to read and review.