Rumor Has it had me laughing so hard I cried. Then it had me crying so hard I couldn’t breathe. I loved the humor and chemistry of this couple in this story. Jessica Lemmon is new to me, but I will be adding her to my TBR shelf. Barrett and Catarina are complete opposites when it comes to their careers and relationships. I loved his nickname for her and really got into their dates. Rumor Has It felt real but also had an escape feeling. I am still thinking of some of the lines and scenes in this book. I will be rereading it. Great summer read.

I am loving this book! I was only just able to start it and will edit my review later on, but I love it so far. There's snark and humor and of course the sexual tension, and dont forget the boring boyfriend! This is actually my first book by Jessica Lemmon, and I am kinda kicking myself for waiting so long to read her books!

4 stars

Rumor Has It by Jessica Lemmon is a well written, entertaining and enjoyable read.
The storyline kept me turning the pages and I enjoyed watching Barrett and Catarina's relationship develop.
It took me a little while to connect with Barrett as he wasn't very likable in the begging but by the end I was very happy to have read their story.

The Real Love series has been a joy to read, each book can be read as a standalone and I highly recommend them all.

*Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the advance copy.*

Rumor Has It is book 4 in the Real Love series but it's the first that I've read.

Catarina is a journalist who has to 'date' The Bad Boy of the NFL, Barrett, for a series of columns for the magazine she works for. Barrett is trying to save his career as a broadcaster after being caught on a hot mic. Catarina is a perfectionist and hates this assignment. Barrett is arrogant and does his best to live up to his nickname.

I'm a sucker for enemies to lovers and fake relationship stories. This book was so funny and once these two succumbed to the insane chemistry between them, there was an intense amount of heat. After reading Rumor Has It, I have to go back and read the first three books in this series!!!!

*This is my voluntary review of an advanced reader copy*

What a fun read!

This time we meet Barrett and Catarina. They have to work together for a relationship column in order to show how it is to date a bad boy.

Ok, I have to say I wanted to slap Barrett silly in the start of the book. He was such a jerk! LOL. Catarina is a bigger woman than me, ‘cause I would’ve punch him after that first day. :-P But I’m glad she stuck to him, because he proved himself to be worthy of her.

I liked Catarina, I liked her independent spirit, and her more vulnerable side. It was great to see her with Barrett and how she let her walls come down. And it was the same for Barrett, acting all bad boy, but really, just a big ol’ heart (loved him with his nephew!).

Just fun all around and a fun addition to the series. <3

*Thank you to the author for providing a copy for which I’m giving my honest opinion*

Rumor Has It is the latest in the “Real Love” series by Jessica Lemmon. I’d say it’s a complete standalone, as I have not read the others in this series and didn’t have an issue.

Catarina Everhart is relationship columnist for a magazine. She’s been given the assignment of “dating” the former NFL bad boy, Barrett Fox.

Barrett makes it a little tough to like him as a reader in the beginning of this book. I’d say Catarina - our heroine - would probably agree. He’s arrogant and a bit much sometimes, slowly but surely, he’s shown in a new light. We see the real him, not the image he projects to the world.

I liked their banter, and I found them to have a sizzling chemistry.
The push and pull had me flipping the pages, anxious to see when they’d finally give in.

This story was missing something I could not pinpoint, but was otherwise an enjoyable read.

Rumor Has It, is a quick, funny and entertaining book. I enjoyed the author’s writing and look forward to reading more.

Jessica Lemmon has done a wonderful job with this series. Catarina has a problem. One six feet of smart ass, former defensive line man Barrett Fox. Catarina is a type A, uptight do right personality who follows the rules while Barrett Fox is known as the Bad Boy of the NFL. What happens is that Catarina's boss assigns her to date Fox for a column that starts off as a publicity stunt/advertising money bonanza. Since Catarina remains the consummate professional and does as she's told, she spends more time with Barrett. In the process she finds that he isn’t really such a bad boy and in this finds her heart getting entangled with his. She learns that this is a man who is more than just a former NFL bad boy who now wants to get into field reporting. There is so much more to him than the bad press. Barrett also learns things about Catarina and finds himself softening towards her and in this process learns something unexpected as well: its better to be on Catarina’s good side than her bad side. What you have is an enemy to lovers’ romance that has really great push/pull, drama, angst, tension, action and romance. I enjoyed the characters, the fresh plot and the zing and chemistry between the main characters. Jessica Lemmon did a fantastic job in writing this book and I look forward to reading what she writes next.

My Rating: 4.5 stars *****
“I received an advanced copy of this book from the author at no cost to me."

While I loved the first three books in this standalone series, it was not the case with Barrett and Catarina’s story. I actually had to put it down numerous times and walk away, which for me is unheard of with a Jessica Lemmon book. I’ve always been a fan of the sexy banter between her characters, which was still present for the most part. But the lack of chemistry and like-ability, at least in my opinion, wasn’t enough to save this book for me.

This was a good read for me. I haven't read this author before, but the writing caught my attention from the start. It flowed well, and I thought the story was a good one. I wasn't a fan of Catarina for most of the book. She was snobby and stuffy, and looked down her nose at Barrett for a long time. I was happy to see her finally get over herself, and see that not everyone has to be a "Northrop" to be a good mate. Barrett was funny for the most part, but his temper did get he best of him in the end. I really felt like more should have been done to Mia. She was let off the hook WAY too easy, and then to continue on as if nothing happened was annoying. I would have liked a little bit of a look into their future as well. I feel like an epilogue is a must :) All in all I enjoyed the book, and I will be reading this author again!
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.

Frankly, I did not enjoy this book. I read about half of it, and I could not stand the hero. He seemed fine from the heroine's point of view but when they switched to his point of view, he seemed like an entirely different person. And what a worse person that was. There was basically very little chemistry between the couple, and I couldn't really stand them together.

4 STARS
Rumor Has It by Jessica Lemmon

When I first started reading this book I thought I'd read this story before but was pleasantly surprised as I continued through. The story is strong however the character development could have been stronger. There is one piece of the story that will upset some readers (as indicated in other reviews) in this evolving climate. I'm a woman and strongly encourage this change. That said, this is FICTION and Barrett is remorseful however that doesn't come out until much later in the story. The author put this in play and should have let it evolve a bit more giving the readers more opportunity to understand Barrett. Again, if the characters were a tad more developed readers would have accepted him and his past.

The story was sold as a bad boy but is Barrett truly a bad boy orrrrrr misunderstood? Barrett is likable and a former football star. Most of what we hear about him is based on perception and assumptions...thus Rumor Has It.

Catarina is also likable to a point. She is almost too perfect if that makes sense, her only flaw being that she settled for a past relationship...but haven't we all? It would have been more intriguing if she was flawed in some untypical way.

Please understand this is still a 4 star read and I was entertained. Would I recommend this book, yes. Rumor Has It is a lighthearted fun read.

Rumor Has It by Jessica Lemmon was a very enjoyable enemies to lovers story that was fun to read. It was funny, sweet and charming with great characters!

Barrett Fox’s NFL career ended after an injury sidelined him. He jumped back by becoming a sport broadcaster, which ended when he made some very inappropriate comments that were caught on his mic. Seemed he is out for the count, right? Not this guy. He has the opportunity for to change his image and he is ready to jump on the chance.

Catarina Everhart is driven and smart. She takes her career seriously and is ready to do what is needed to get the job done. But when her boss suggests some “dates” with Barrett she can write about, she is anything but enthusiastic.

The last thing Catarina wants is to fake-date Barrett, but when forced by her boss, she finds herself not wanting to like the arrogant ex-jock. Barrett is used to women falling all over him. But Catarina has no time for him, even if their chemistry is explosive! I loved the banter between Catarina and Barrett.

The more time Catarina spends with Barrett, the more she sees different sides to him than what is portrayed publicly. Can they find a way passed their differences and find love? I enjoyed Rumor Has It by Jessica Lemmon. The story was captivating and engaging and had me both laughing and swooning!

Happy reading!

Well, my fellow romance book loving friends, I’m not sure where or how to begin my review on this latest release by Jessica Lemmon. As always, I certainly did enjoy the writing style, especially due to Catarina, the sassy heroine. Surprisingly, this author can pull off first person dual POV without bludgeoning us with overuse of the word “I”. Nothing sets off eye twitching episodes quicker for me than repetitive use of that particular pronoun. So I can’t help but give a special shout out of acknowledgment and gratitude for doing so.

You could definitely feel the attraction and chemistry between this main couple, once Catarina got over her instant dislike of Barrett, which at first was well earned. You also got a glimpse into Barrett’s problems, poverty stricken past, and how fame and fortune didn’t buy this famous bad boy, former NFL football player love and loyalty. It was also endearing how he was able to push his loser sibling issues aside in order to be able to reach out and help another family member who needed him.

With that being said, there is no rationale or reasoning that lets a guy completely off the hook for bad behavior. The past is the past, folks. It doesn’t have to determine the future. It is a choice to become narcissistic and obnoxious. Barrett came across both of those in the very beginning. Fortunately, his character took a turn for the better once this couple actually started getting to know one another.

However, Barrett certainly made it difficult to like him at first. Inappropriate flirtatious remarks had me raising an eyebrow a time or two. But it was at 30%, while he is on a work related fake date with Catarina, that he earned a major penalty flag from me. Illegal contact/holding came to mind due to the manner in which he grabbed the backside of a complete stranger. Her later off-screen giving him her phone number didn’t speak well of her, either. Handsome or not, any self respecting woman wouldn’t have put up with that. She betrayed her sisterhood and own dignity with that move. Oh, and you’ll likely take issue with the reason he got fired from his last job in the first place. I simply have no words to describe those imbecile remarks, making the reason he got in this predicament of his current job situation a hard pill to swallow. Yeah, he reached out and tried to make amends several times because he claimed he didn’t mean it, but funny thing is once words are spoken you can’t unspeak them. It got the job done painting him as a knucklehead hot head, that’s for certain.

What I especially wasn’t a fan of was his past history/occasional references to an on and off again former lover/fiancee of six years, a woman named Beth. Nor Barrett’s admission during their very frequent breakups, he took advantage of numerous one night stands just because he could. Though he claimed to be loyal while they were together, he didn’t bat an eye about sleeping around during their frequent separations. At 40%, a mental comment about make-up sex after he went cave man jealous when Beth showed interest in another guy wasn’t appreciated, as well. Nope, this avid romantic at heart just doesn’t appreciate that OW type commentary. Despite the fact some tried to use it as an example he could do a long term relationship. Unfortunately, it was obviously a very dysfunctional one.

Already in a rocky relationship of her own, Catarina, the heroine, had enough sense to see right through Barrett, despite their instant attraction. When that relationship sank, Barrett is barely holding himself back from moving in for the thrill of kill in seducing Catarina, whom he calls Kitty Cat.

With dancing around each other that evolved to doing the tango between the sheets, these two unlikely love birds take their work relationship to a whole new personal level. They truly start to enjoy each other’s company, along with their smexy time together.

Rumor has it book 5, America’s Sweetheart, is in the works now. With zero details currently available, I have no clue who it will feature.

Here’s to hoping my review was insightful in some way in helping you decide if this book is a good fit for you.

Title: Rumor Has It, Series: Real Love (Book 4), Author: Jessica Lemmon, Pages: NL, fake dating relationship for work, very steamy scenes, stand-alone, celebrity/very sure of himself hero that hides his soft side, sassy at first resists him heroine, has a boyfriend briefly in beginning, former other woman/fiancee references, no epilogue, dual first person POV. Rating: 3.5 stars

Book 1 - Eye Candy
Book 2 - Arm Candy
Book 3 - Man Candy
Book 4 - Rumor Has It
Book 5 - America’s Sweetheart

(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review, nor is there any affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author/publisher/NetGalley.)

Catarina Everhart isn’t very excited about her latest assignment. Her life is order and this is everything but that. Always focused on her career, everything else has paid the price.

Barrett Fox isn’t where he thought he’d be after a career-ending injury along with an on-air lapse of judgment and he’ll do whatever it takes to get back into broadcasting. Playing the role of the “Bad Boy of the NFL” for a little longer is sure to get him noticed

I have read other works by this author and was happy to get my hands on this one. The plot was a bit different though no less intriguing and I loved getting to know the characters as well as revisiting a couple from a previous book.

I was immediately pulled into this book and hooked all the way through. I felt like the characters were very well developed and I loved the interactions between them.

I look forward to reading more by this author and would definitely recommend her to a friend,

Rumor Has It
By: Jessica Lemmon

📚💕⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💕📚

Jessica Lemmon has made my heat swoon yet again by pairing the most unlikely pair in Barrett and Catarina. He’s a former pro football player and she’s a no nonsense journalist. What I loved about this book is both are likable but is such different ways.

Authors Blurb: Barrett: As a former pro football star, I’m used to playing the field. After injuries cut my NFL career short, my second act as a broadcaster ended on live television when a hot mic picked up a little verbal . . . indiscretion. But this latest publicity stunt might just land me back on top—much to the chagrin of Catarina Everhart, the prissy, beautiful journalist who’s been assigned to date a bad boy (i.e., me) and write about it. Catarina swears I’ll never touch her, let alone kiss those full lips of hers. Based on our chemistry, I’m not buying it. . . .

Catarina: Barrett Fox seems to be doing everything in his power to make me hate him. The cocky egomaniac is infamous for his bad behavior, and now, thanks to my boss’s harebrained schemes, he’s apparently my problem. As one fake date leads to another, I start to see a different side of Barrett. He’s close with his family. He does volunteer work. And, okay, he kisses like a dream. Am I really dating Barrett Fox? Or is he playing me? Because suddenly I’m risking my reputation—and my heart.


I really enjoyed this book and it kept me engrossed throughout. I really loved the characters and the way they interacted with each other. This is a fun, hot, romantic must read book and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

This book has everything I love in a book. Then you add that it's beautifully written and believable. It is easily a five star read. Written in dual POV my personal favorite this story flows so incredibly well that the next thing you know your 80% into the book and loving every second of it. The believable way the characters interact is perfect. Run, Hop, Jump or use your (1 click) finger to do whatever you have to do and get this amazing book. It'll break your heart, you'll want to scream with frustration and it'll let you discover that love just might conquer all. The chemistry is steamy and sweet and oh so romantic.

Thanks Netgally for letting me read and review.📚💕

This was a very enjoyable book from the very first page! The story was well written, the plot flowed effortlessly throughout the entire book and the characters were so well defined that I was hooked until the turn of the very last page!

I totally loved this story, it was a great rom com. Barrett Fox had played college & pro football & stopped due to an injury. After that he was a reporter at college games but lost it at a ref at a game, when her call lost his team the win.

Catarina Everheart is a writer for Chat and has to write a series called Dating a Bad Boy. She is a type A when it comes to work & behaves and always does what she should. Barrett is the bad boy but we get to see his layers. It was so much fun to see these 2 characters interact with each other while pretending to date. Barrett is used to women falling all over him & Catarina barely smiles at him.

A new romantic comedy from Jessica Lemmon that features an uncouth, bad boy hero and the proper working girl who can't stand him upon first sight. Forced together for a work assignment to boost Catarina's column at work, her and Barrett are enemies first, kinda friends, lovers and so on. Their banter is realistic and fun and Barrett's ability to thaw Catarina's ice was my favorite part of the journey they take together. Written from alternating points of view the story gave us Lemmon's writing from both perspectives in interesting ways.

It lacked for me in certain places where I felt like it was dragging and Barrett was really over the top selling his bad boy image. I didn't buy into it exactly and kept thinking he was acting like too much of a fraud. And some of their dates that I thought would be the highlight of their story weren't very passionate or exposing in any way. The vulnerability didn't come until towards the end.

Both the characters and the writing make for an enjoyable comedic romance though. It has it's tender moments along with the passionate ones full of charm. It's not too long and made for a nice afternoon read

I voluntarily read an advanced review copy of this book and I loved it!

This book was great because it's so easy to see Stars that live their lives in the public eye and fans expect them to be perfect..to have no flaws. This book showed how beautiful it can be to be perfectly imperfect.

Jessica Lemmon did a great job with this book, when you read it... you will def laugh you will fall in love with both characters and be prepared because you just may shed a tear or two.

Very good job Jessica Lemmon, please don't make us wait to long for book #5!

I'm always up for a good enemies to lovers romantic comedy, and having enjoyed this author's work before, I was excited to read Rumor Has It. The story does have all the elements for a potentially hilarious and romantic read, but it missed the mark for me. The wonderful thing about a bad boy in romance is that he meets that special someone who makes him want to be better, to be redeemed. Barrett comes across as so over the top sexist in his interactions with Catarina that I found myself asking why she would even bother to try. Then we have Catarina who is so reserved and stuffy, she seems unapproachable. They are enemies right from the start, and they're most certainly opposites. So much so that I couldn't believe a romance would blossom from this arrangement. Granted, Barrett and Catarina are forced together for the sake of an article, so it is a fake relationship from the start. The problem is it never felt like anything more to me. I assume that the over the top personalities were done that way for the comedic element, and while parts were amusing, neither character was particularly funny. In the end, it's just hard to root for and connect with unlikable characters, making this one a disappointment.