***I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley.***

2.5 stars

I’ve read a bunch of Cindi Madsen books and I’m definitely a fan of her work. Unfortunately, Counterfeit Boyfriend fell short for me.

Evan convinces his twin Ethan to take his place on a road trip with his girlfriend. Ethan plans to break up with Gwen but his immediate attraction to her sidetracks his plans. As he gets to know her and the attraction between them grows, Ethan struggles to stay on the right side of appropriate, clinging on to the hope that he might somehow have a chance with Gwen once she finds out the truth.

First off, I really wrestled with Ethan’s deception. It didn’t make sense to me that a seemingly decent, responsible man would agree to such a convoluted switcheroo scheme, let alone one who’s a lawyer. It’s just so fundamentally wrong that I struggled to connect with him. As soon as Ethan realized he had real feelings for Gwen he should have been honest with her. Of course, that’s not what happened, and it certainly didn’t make me think better of him. Plus, Ethan’s brother is a complete jerk, so why do anything for him? I didn’t connect with Gwen that well either. All the signs were there that something was up with “Evan,” yet she ignored her instincts, or maybe she didn’t have any? It made her seem a bit ditsy or simpleminded. Not that I won’t acknowledge that the manipulation she found herself in was beyond imagination.

The writing didn’t reach out and grab me like Madsen’s words usually do. Normally her writing has heat and emotion and connection, and I didn’t really feel any of those things. Gwen and Ethan had some chemistry, but not the kind that blows me away or makes me root for the couple. Maybe it’s because their whole relationship was based on a lie, and in that case it’s my hang-up, but I don’t think that’s what it was. I just found the story in general lacked depth, depth in plot, emotion, connection, you name it. Ethan’s “grand” gesture at the end was adorable, but it also reminded me that there wasn’t much to this story. Overall, it was just an ok read for me.

this is amazeballs!!! 😍

It's not heavy... it's not light...

Just Right.

love the quirks, the setting, and I love the characters!! 💕

Thank you Netgalley for giving me an opportunity to read this. This contains spoilers.

This is my first book by Cindi Madsen. I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style. It seemed somewhat immature for the story.

We have twins, Ethan and Evan. Evan is your normal frat-boy, immature. Partier. The normal. Then you have Ethan, a just-passed-the-test Lawyer who would do anything for his family... including pretend to be his twin.

And fall for his twins girlfriend.

I love the pretend-to-be-my-boyfriend plots. I live for them.

This one didn't really do it for me though. The entire story, save for the last few chapters, took place over 4 days. There wasn't a slow burn. It was lust at first sight on Ethan's part.

I felt sorry for Gwen. Ethan should have been more honest but I do understand why he wasn't.

All in all it was a nice quick read that introduced me to an author I may pick up in the future.

This was my first book that I've read from Cindi Madsen and it definitely won't be my last. I typically read e-books quicker than physical books, but I could not put this book down. I finished it in just a couple hours. While this story wasn't very realistic, it was still very enjoyable.

I found it endearing that Ethan would do something like that for his brother even though he knew it probably wouldn't end well. Gwen was such an amazing character. Even after being betrayed, she's still trying to live her life. I thought it was amazing that she went back for her friend's wedding even though she knew it would be an awkward moment.

I loved the road trip aspect of this book. It gave the perfect setting for the book and the plot behind it.

Gwen needs her boyfriend take her to a wedding. So she can act like shes over a betrayal by her best friend and former boyfriend. What she doesn’t know is that her boyfriend has other plans. So he gets his twin who Gwen doesn't even know about to take his place. Since Evan still hasn't grown up. Ethan agrees because he's a good guy. Really it's just a three day road trip. Seems easy enough, but as soon as he meets Gwen he knows he's in trouble. She beautiful, talks a mile a minute and hits all his buttons. As the trip continues Ethan find himself in trouble he's falling for her hard. Now how does he tell her who he is. And try to explain what happened without losing the first woman he's fallen in love with. Sit back and enjoy this is one fun road trip.

A twin switch always makes for a fun story! Ethan takes his twin brother's place on a road trip with his girlfriend, Gwen. Gwen is returning to her hometown to attend a childhood frenemy's wedding.

Gwen and Ethan definitely have strong chemistry but they also have the time to get to know each other during the road trip. They seemed to have a cute, sweet relationship.

Gwen is a bit of a pushover though--she's way more forgiving than I would be both the former friend and Ethan (as well as Evan).

Overall, this was a cute story that kept my interest but overall, a bit predictable. I'd give it 3.5 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

It’s been awhile since I’ve read Cindi Madsen. I was definitely excited to read Counterfeit Boyfriend.

Evan Haynes is a natural charmer and uses his good looks and charm to get what he wants. He doesn’t take anything too seriously and he would definitely much rather party with his friends than do anything that requires him to work hard and be responsible. His identical twin brother Ethan is the opposite of him in every way. Ethan believes in hard work and responsibility. In fact, he has just returned home to Raleigh, North Carolina after passing the bar exam. He even wants to establish himself on his own, which is why instead of taking a job at his father’s law firm he’s working somewhere else. Evan is notorious for getting the brothers in trouble. Usually, when disaster hits, Ethan is the one who ends up with the short end of the stick. So when Evan asks Ethan to pretend to be him and go on a roadtrip with his girlfriend, Ethan is very much against the idea. Yes, the brothers have switched places before, but not when it comes to relationships. Against his better judgement, Ethan agrees.

Gwen Cosgrave is a little nervous. Okay, maybe a lot nervous. She’s agreed to return to her small town in Pennsylvania in order to attend the wedding of her childhood best friend. The problem is she had two childhood best friends. Unfortunately, one “friend” decided it was okay to sleep with Gwen’s boyfriend. Now the two are back in their hometown, living together and everyone knows what happened. Thus, having someone by her side for the wedding is important to her. She needs to show that she’s moved on, even if in her heart she truly hasn’t.

When Gwen and Evan (Ethan) meet up to plan out the roadtrip for the next day, Gwen senses something is different about him. She’s not really sure what the difference is, but she knows there’s something because now she feels the spark that has been missing for the past three months. Ethan knows he should tell Gwen the truth, but when he kisses her goodbye what starts out as a small timid peck turns into a full blown inferno. Now, he just wants to spend a little more time with her.

As characters go, Gwen and Ethan are extremely likeable. It was fun being able to watch them together, talking and having fun. There’s this playfulness about them and they connect really well. I will admit the whole time I was reading the story, I kept waiting for the dreadful moment when the truth came out. Honestly, that wasn’t the worst part of the book for me. The worst part was Paige and Kyle, Gwen’s ex-best friend and ex-boyfriend. I won’t say what it was I didn’t like, but I will say Gwen is w-a-y too sympathetic and forgiving. Overall, I liked the book. Where I thought it would be predictable, it wasn’t. I do hope Cindi decides to write a story featuring Gwen’s current roommate, Tori. She’s extremely funny and I know just who she should fall in love with.

Obviously from the blurb and the reviews this book is about twin brothers switching identities, but it's so much more than that!. I really appreciated the journey that Ethan and Gwen embarked on during their road trip. One might say it was an insta-love, but I felt it was a slow-growing, then smoldering, then burn-it-up, kind of love and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Ethan is a sweet, thoughtful, but sexy guy that's easy to fall in love with and I'm glad the author wrote the character of Gwen as a smart, resilient, strong female lead. This was my first experience reading this author and I won't hesitate to read more of her work. I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC for NetGalley.

This was a fun story. The chemistry between Ethan and Gwen was hot, hot, hot. I loved getting to know the characters. Ethan had a good heart and good intentions. I loved his self control as his attraction to Gwen soared. Gwen was such a fun loving woman. I loved how she was able to pull herself together after being so hurt in her past. The only thing that bothered me was the fact that they both lied to each other, but then we wouldn't have this great book. I recommend this to anyone that loves steamy romance and plots that won't let you go.

I received a free copy from netgalley honest review. I was hesitant about the book from the moment I started until pretty much the very end I didn't see how this could end with in Happily Ever After after the way it started. Ethan's just moved back to town for graduating from Law School and once he comes back his brother Evan ask him to pretend to be him in order to accompany his girlfriend to a wedding he doesn't want to go to. This doesn't sound like it's going to end at all and I don't think I should have. Despite Ethan lying the entire book part of me did like him.

This was a decent read. The writing wasn't bad, but I did skim so I could get through it. I knew going in that Ethan was going to be switching places with his brother, what I didn't know was how many times he was going to beat himself up over it. Between that and Gwen's inner monologue of low self esteem it was annoying. I would have liked a little bit more of a confrontation with the cheating ex and BFF. He apologized, and Gwen forgave him. The end. As much as it was built up, I would have liked more. I do think that Gwen and Ethan belonged together, but it was still weird to have one twin take the other's girlfriend. The only thing that made it better was Gwen and Evan hadn't slept together. This was a first for me from this author, but I would give her another read.
I voluntarliy reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.

An interesting concept. What happens if your twin asks you to pretend to be him with his girlfriend and you fall in love with her instead?

I have enjoyed a number if Cindi Madsen's books and was excited to read Counterfeit Boyfriend after she announced it on social media.

While this one wasn't my favorite of her books, I still enjoyed it. Gwen is a great character. She is smart, funny, and relatable. I liked Ethan, but Gwen definitely made the book for me.

The road trip aspect of the plot was fun as it provided the opportunity to get to know Ethan and Gwen better as they get to know each other. Parts of the book did feel a tad repetitive, but the story picked up and I really liked the last third a lot.

I had such a great time reading this book! It was so fun. I had a smile on my face for most of the book. A similar premise with twins, one taking the place of the other, but this book I enjoyed much more than any other. I loved the road trip, the banter. I don’t want to give away too much of the book, but I definitely recommend grabbing it!
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

An entertaining delightful romance with wonderfully written characters. It’s fun, emotional and romantic with a twin switch as the center. Gwen is unique, quirky and dealing with past hurts and hopes a road trip home will help with healing. Ethan is just wonderful in his treatment of Gwen and appears to be the better twin, but I kinda like bad boys so there’s hope for Evan. Maybe in a future story he will be redeemed. This is a terrific, feel good, slow burn love story that will have a smile on your face. Worth the read.

When Ethan agrees to pull a switcheroo with his twin on a road trip with Evan's girlfriend, the whole thing has disaster written all over it.

I loved absolutely everything about this book. I laughed so much and I cried some. This was a slow burn but it still had some heat. I haven't read a story like this one so I never wanted it to end. I loved the connection between Gwen and Ethan but I also loved the other characters I got to meet. I so want this to be a series so all the side characters can get their HEA!

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

I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

4 stars — Honestly, this book was kind of up and down for me. There were so many things I LOVED, but occasionally I felt like I was missing something. That’s why I ended at 4 stars, b/c there were both 5 star and 3 star moments.

I think part of that was our hero and heroine. There were things I LOVED about them, but in other areas I felt like I was missing a full connection. They were both hilarious and sweet. I loved so many of their interactions with one another, the way they fell right into teasing and joking around. Gwen could feel like such a ray of sunshine sometimes. And I loved how fiercely and immediately Ethan cared about Gwen, and earnestly tried to learn about her. But there was this weird layer of superficial on top that for some reason didn’t always work for me. It’s like, I liked and felt their friendship chemistry more than their steamy chemistry…but then again, sometimes their steamy chemistry was really good too. Honestly, I can’t articulate it. It wasn’t some huge thing, it was just something that separated this book from full 5 stars for me. I hate when that happens, b/c it’s not super helpful to anyone reading this review, eh?

I was worried how I was going to feel about the whole premise of this book, but you know what? We got to see inside Ethan’s head as well as Gwen’s, and I think that helped me to not hate Ethan and the ruse he was pulling. I’m not good with lying, but he wasn’t really either. And he knew all his excuses were bullshit, he was just afraid. And fear I understand. I really felt his pull towards Gwen, and the connection that got deeper and deeper with each interaction, so I understand why he made those selfish choices. And I appreciated that he didn’t try to excuse his behavior as anything other than selfishness and fear. And that’s what made me forgive him.

I had a harder time watching Paige and Kyle try to get forgiveness from Gwen, and even that I was okay with, b/c she was also reluctant. I hated the position they put her in. I actually totally get Paige’s despair, and so it was a really complicated situation where basically everyone loses. I’m glad that while there was forgiveness, it wasn’t some magical immediate thing. Gwen’s feelings with all that were very realistic and I totally felt for her. What amazed me is that Ms. Madsen made me feel for all those involved (even Madison for remaining friends with Paige and Kyle). It’s funny, b/c I prefer to feel black and white about things, but we really got to see how many shades of gray come out when presented with this kind of situation. It was a side plot point, but I appreciated what Ms. Madsen did with it.

As for other secondary characters, I will admit I didn’t really care for Evan…which is a bummer, b/c I feel like he and Tori might have a book coming up. Maybe I need to give him another chance though, and being in his head might help. Tori, on the other hand, was hilarious, and a good solid best friend.

The ending was perfect for me, I loved the way it played out and how Ethan got Gwen back. It was definitely swoony.

So yeah. There’s my super helpful review. Basically if the premise is making you wary, I recommend giving it a shot. This was a solid romance with sweet moments, steamy moments, and lots of giggly moments.

I have read books before about mistaken identity, but this put a huge twist on that.
I'm not going to lie, this book had me mad most of the time. I wanted to slap Ethan and Evan more I probably should have. I kept waiting for Ethan to man up and tell Gwen the truth, but it didn't happen. He keeps kissing her and she is calling him Evan. I felt sorry for Gwen the whole time.
This book did have its funny parts and sweet parts, it wouldn't be a Cindi Madsen book without them. Those parts were just overshadowed by the characters. I just kept yelling at Ethan to man up and confess.
The redeeming part of this book is the ending. After going through all the craziness, the ending was perfect. If it wasn't for that, I would be rating this book a 3 instead of a 4.

First thoughts about this book, there’s a twin. I love twin stories! I think it’s one way to get my attention towards books! If there’s twins in it, sign me up imma devour that baby! And then it’s a road trip, dang! I’m sold!

I was immediately hooked the moment I read the first sentence. Well, knowing that there’re twins in it already had me hooked.

Onto the characters now.
Let’s start with the male protagonist, Ethan.

I like Ethan’s character. He’s gentleman, sincere, thoughtful, sweet, and very, very naughty. I mean he is like a cinnamon roll kind of character but with a very wild imagination when it comes to Gwen. His thoughts were not a secret both to the reader and Gwen. He vocalized his want towards Gwen a handful of times that I sometimes find them cute with their teasing and stuff.
I appreciate every effort Ethan did for Gwen. I mean, he’s the type of guy you wouldn’t want to let go. Definitely a keeper, that guy! Up till the end, his efforts were awesome and I feel like I appreciate his efforts more than Gwen did. Haha! Anyway, despite Ethan being a handsome, irresistible munchkin I didn’t swoon to him like I usually do whenever I met a guy like him. I don’t know. He’s a great character but I guess I just don’t want to be on Gwen’s bad side. xD
I actually felt bad for him for being in the situation he was in and the circumstances of his relationship with Gwen, how they started the wrong way but also the perfect way. I can’t imagine him and Gwen meeting any other way. You could say that it was a blessing in disguise despite the pain they both suffered when all was revealed around the end.


Next is Guinevere, commonly known as Gwen.

I love Gwen! She was described as “a redheaded hurricane of energy and brains” and also very hot. But that’s not what I loved about her. I love her because she’s very talkative. She talks a lot and really fast. Sometimes she makes sense most of the times she just rambles. And I know that is a weird trait but I love that about her because I can relate to her in that department. Talking a lot of time most people would eventually get tired of hearing your voice. And she’s not a pathetic heroine! She’s not a weak type of heroine. She’s actually pretty strong and independent and feisty. She’s not dependent on men either. I like that she has a strong persona. She and Evan is a perfect pair!


Their story is very close to reality and actually has the possibility of happening to real people. And what’s amazing is the delivery of the story of this book feels like it was based on true events.
I love the story so much. There’s not much mushy, cheesy scenes aside from Ethan being a nerd. There’s no excessive drama either. It felt like everything is chill about this book until the bomb exploded and even then the drama doesn’t feel too heavy. Just a light drama but drama nonetheless.
There are also times that I’d laugh out loud while reading. In all honesty, the only book that could make me laugh out loud while reading was Rick Riordan’s books. And this made me laugh like I was actually a movie instead of reading a book. The kilig moments I felt while reading this are real. Even though there are only few kilig moments in this book (huh. Funny, I just noticed that while writing this review).

The narration of the book is also great. It is told in a first person POV and it was written so amazingly that I read them very fast. I managed to finish this book around more or less 5 hours. And it was narrated so great that I indeed felt like I watched a movie instead of reading. I seriously had fun reading this.

Also, I love the ending so much. And I have some suspicions about those two people who went missing on the epilogue part of this book. I wonder if they got to have a book of their own.

To wrap this up, this book is a very great read in contemporary, romance, adult genre. I don’t usually give so high a rate on adult contemporaries because for some reason, I find them lacking despite being so satisfying. (I hope that makes sense.) But this book is really a great read. I recommend this bessies! Read it!

Counterfeit in all the good ways. Ethan is Evan 2.0. If only he could find the words to let Gwen know...

She hadn't been feeling it. Sparks. There were exactly zero sparks. But she needed a date for her friend's wedding and he is her boyfriend, so...

Except he isn't. And Ethan has no idea how to tell her the truth as he continues to fall for this beautiful woman.

It's sweet and fun. Counterfeit Boyfriend is an entertaining romp.

Ethan must have been out of his mind when he agreed to help his twin. Now he's in over his head and if he's not careful, his heart could be the ultimate casualty. CounterFeit Boyfriend is all a romantic comedy should be. Cheesy, over the top and fun. Cindi Madsen creates characters that are hard to walk away from and a pleasure to revisit again.