That Kind of Guy by Stephanie Archer
I went into this book not expecting much so I actually really enjoyed it. It’s not often I remember the actual act of sitting down and reading a book, but this one was around Chrismtas in 2023 and I remember my boyfriend was playing Baldur’s Gate III in the same room.
I love a fake relationship book, as we all know, and I especially love it when the characters can’t stand each other. In my review I said “I feel like getting away with a fake relationship is much more difficult when it’s a close-knit community. The antics Avery and Emmett get up to are pretty wild, did someone say turtle sanctuary?” I remember the turtle sanctuary scene being very funny.
The characters are very likable, even though they don’t sound it from the synopsis. There’s also a bit of spice in this if I remember correctly. I’d assume yes as Stephanie Archer is pretty known for writing spicy romances. I haven’t checked out her hockey romances yet, but I do own most of them in audio (they’re narrated in duet so I had a feeling I’d love the audiobooks).
Book Review: That Kind of Guy by Stephanie Archer
Synopsis: My arrogant fake fiancé? I can’t stand him.
Cocky and charismatic Emmett Rhodes isn’t the relationship kind of guy, but now that he’s running for mayor of our small town, his bachelor past is hurting the campaign.
Thankfully, I’m the last woman who would ever fall for him.
We’re total opposites—he’s a golden retriever and I’m sharp and snarky, but he’ll cosign on my restaurant loan if I play his devoted fiancée. Between romantic dates, a prom night re-do, and visits to a secret beach, things heat up, and the line between real and ruse is lit on fire. I see another side of Mr. Popular, and now I wonder if I was all wrong.
We can’t keep our hands off each other, but it’s all for show… right?
The Faking Game by Portia MacIntosh
If you can look past the ridiculous names Portia MacIntosh gives the male love interests in her books (the three I’ve read have been Millsy, Rex and Ziggy), they’re a lot of fun. I personally think the humour in her books is effortlessly funny and while the characters are pretty similar across the board, they work well.
This book isn’t perfect by any means, but if you’re looking for a quick, entertaining read, it’s a good choice. A lot of events that could have a big impact on the building of their relationship were skirted over, but I imagine this was to keep the book on the shorter side. Which is both positive and negative. I’ll never understand contemporary romances that are over 400 pages long. I didn’t quite have this feeling towards it in my original review though:
“My next issue with The Faking Game was how most of the events, which seemed like they’d have a huge impact on the story and character relationships, were completely skirted over. The most annoying in particular was the trip to Aviemore. Cara and Millsy were just starting to get back on track again and you don’t get to see any of it happen. You hear small details about it in a future chapter, but honestly, I was a bit disappointed in the lazy approach the author took. How am I supposed to root for them if I don’t get to see anything happen?”
I had a lot more time to read back then so a book being so short and missing these things would have annoyed me. I still gave this a solid four star rating though, so clearly I enjoyed it a lot. I’m not doing a great job of making you want to read this book, but trust me, it’s fun.
Book Review: The Faking Game by Portia MacIntosh
Synopsis: Cara and Millsy have broken up… sort of.
After years of being everyone’s favourite couple, always up for a party and having fun wherever they go, things have fizzled out.
But when they realise they have a whole calendar of events and celebrations with friends and family coming up, Cara and Millsy can’t face letting them down.
So they decide to make a pact: just convince everyone they’re as madly in love as ever and get through the festivities without causing suspicion, and then deal with the break up in the new year. How hard can it be…?
Swept up in the festive spirit, will Cara and Millsy fake it til they make it? Or will they realise they are meant to be after all…?
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Like this post? Why not read this one too: Re-Read Review: Heartstopper: Volume Three by Alice Oseman