Faking It by Christine D'Abo

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From Riptide:

Max Tremblay should be happy. His nightclub, Frantic, is one of the most popular gay clubs in Toronto, and his childhood refuge, Ringside Gym, is well on the way to reopening. But when he finds yet another drunk in the alley beside the bar, Max isn’t sure this is the life he truly wants.

Grady Barnes has it all. He’s rich, famous, and wants for nothing. Well, nothing but a good relationship with his father. When he discovers that his father is going to force him into an arranged marriage, Grady has had enough. He tracks down Max, the man who got him to safety after a night of overindulgence, and makes him a proposal: pretend to be his fiancé for two weeks and he’ll invest in Ringside Gym.

When the pair travel to Vancouver to attend a family wedding, the flames of their mutual attraction ignite, and they discover that the only difference between pretend and reality is how well they can fake it.

Source:  Advance electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.

Faking It is a fun fake fiance story.  I love these stories - the couples in question are always to clueless and while the stories are often predictable, I find comfort in them.  And their silliness.  I hadn't read Working It, when I grabbed Faking It, but they can be read as standalones.  Max and Grady come together at a time when they are both are examining their lives and finding them wanting.  Grady's got some angst, but together he and Max find something worth fighting for.  

Faking It is an entertaining story.  It's not my favorite in the Ringside Series, but definitely enjoyable.  Making It is my favorite.  I love that book so much.  Book 3 - Making It released last week, you should check it out while you are at it.  

~ Shel

Losing It by Cora Carmack

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Virginity.

Bliss Edwards is about to graduate from college and still has hers. Sick of being the only virgin among her friends, she decides the best way to deal with the problem is to lose it as quickly and simply as possible-- a one-night stand. But her plan turns out to be anything but simple when she freaks out and leaves a gorgeous guy alone and naked in her bed with an excuse that no one with half-a-brain would ever believe. And as if that weren't embarrassing enough, when she arrives for her first class of her last college semester, she recognizes her new theatre professor. She'd left him naked in her bed about 8 hours earlier.








Review:

This was one of titles we received at the Romantic Times Convention.  I had seen it in passing but didn’t know anything about it.  I like the new New Adult genre so was definitely excited to learn more about it and receive a copy.  The  premise seemed both cute and romantic.  One of my many favorite combinations.

Bliss Edwards gives into peer pressure to lose her virginity.  By picking up a random guy at a bar.  Just when she is about to lose her nerve and go home alone, she meets Garrick Taylor.  The sparks fly between them so fast and furiously that she doesn’t think twice about chatting with him at the bar and then taking him home to her apartment.  But she chickens out at the last minute.  And I mean the LAST minute.  Leaving Garrick naked and alone in HER apartment.  After fleeing her apartment in only her bra and skirt, Bliss doesn’t think anything could be more mortifying.  The next day proves her wrong when she finds her one night stand that wasn’t is her new theatre professor.

I enjoyed this story.  Bliss is ridiculously awkward.  To the point that I was laughing and cringing every time she was in the same vicinity as Garrick.  She is what I imagine Stephanie Plum would be if Stephanie wasn’t so flaky.  I had a hard time connecting to Garrick.  I didn’t feel I knew enough about him to love him as much as Bliss did but their relationship was still engaging.

What no one who knows me will find surprising is that I absolutely fell in love with one of Bliss' BFF's.  Cade is a total forever boy and Bliss completely rejects him.  Let's be completely honest.  He might be the reason I couldn't connect to Garrick.  Why would I want the sexy British boy when I could have the sexy boy next door?  Fortunately for me, Finding It, which comes out in June is all about Cade.  Needless to say, I have a date with Cade on June 4th.  Don't bug me that day.

Although Bliss totally chooses the wrong guy, this book would make a great beach read.  Laugh out loud moments with a couple you want to both throttle and cheer on (yeah, even I cheered them on).  If you are looking for a light romance, this one might be for you.

Nat