This book was SO FREAKING GOOD!!!

I haven’t had a book hangover in way too long but I’m finding it really hard to stop thinking about Brody and Gwen. I don’t want to move on yet.

I haven’t been dazzled by a hero the way that Brody managed to in a really long time. Everything about him felt so genuine and kind. I hate to refer to anyone as perfect but in all the ways that really matter, Brody really was perfection. You know how sometimes heroes come across as very smooth when it comes to women but you just know that it’s just because they are players? I’m so over those heroes right now and honestly I was worried when Brody first kickstarted his plan to help Gwen “get her guy” because he was really good at getting Gwen to blush and react to his lowered voice and lean-in. However, the more you get to know him, the more you realize that he’s just really good at paying attention and reading people and oh man, is that an attractive quality!!

I really enjoy when I love the heroine just as much as the hero. I love that Gwen, while she came across at times as a pushover, especially when it came to Ted, was not naive and was willing to open herself up to Brody’s help. I was worried that the issue of her protectiveness of Ted and insistence that he was a good friend to her was going to cause bigger issues with the developing relationship between her and Brody but I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised at how self-aware Gwen was about everything.

The whole premise of the fake-relationship to win over someone else is a pretty basic and well-represented trope but Brody and Gwen’s story was written in a way that made it feel fresh and exciting. I genuinely have zero complaints about how this story played out. The pacing, the character and world-building were flawless. This is by far my favorite book in a series that I’ve loved the whole way through.

Gwen has plenty of things going on, and usually fairly astute, she’s just not seeing that her best friend Ted, the one she’s been in love with for For-Ev-Er isn’t all that, and really hasn’t done anything to deserve (or warrant) her undying admiration. Brody sees all of this, and really can’t get it: sure people fall in love for all sorts of reasons, but after all of this time with zero encouragement and, really, her consideration of Ted as her best friend – it’s just weird. Brody knows that Gwen deserves more, and well, he’d like to show her that – even if he’s not necessarily the guy who gets her heart in the end. He’s not altruistic in the least when the idea that he and Gwen go to the wedding as a “couple” to hopefully encourage Ted’s jealousy and (in Gwen’s world) make him see that they are perfect for one another.

In some ways, this plot device was juvenile and cliched, and yet, it worked (who knew?). The fake relationship that turns real is usually rather straight-forward and clear, with most of the drama coming from the characters and their hangups. But here, we add in a third person – rather more than oblivious and certainly unaware of the underlying potential for drama as Gwen is near-fixated, but it doesn’t overwhelm, and we see (as Brody does) that Ted really isn’t worth the time. Brody, on the other hand, is perfectly suited for Gwen – starting with the fact that HE actually WANTS her to find love and be happy – he sees all of her, faults and all, and appreciates it – not using her friendship and good heart against her to fob off unwanted attention, only to move on at the first opportunity.

Kelly managed to create a story that felt fresh even with an oft-used trope and the heroine feeling rather immature and untested at first. Gwen is determined to schedule and control her world to the best of her abilities, until and unless it involves Ted. Fortunately, much of that control seems to be a direct result of the lack of control she has regarding her feelings for Ted, and it takes a Brody, to loosen her up and challenge her reasons for staying in the one little box – to great effect. I clever little romance that is easy to read, low angst and sure to please fans of fake relationship stories.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-a9i/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

I like these kinds of books. Where wedding are involved. I'm hooked. Good read. I like this series.

Look, I'm normally a sucker for a good ol' fake romance scheme. Anything along the lines of Cyrano de Bergerac (of course in a much less tragic way), I'm usually down for. And I was really drawn into Brody and Gwen's story. But it just didn't keep me. It was not a book that really truly kept my attention. I got through it and, sure, it was a nice story (a little cliche perhaps - but then again I love a good cliche), but I just didn't connect with it. And that may have just been me, not necessarily connecting with Ms Kelly's writing, which is not a stain on her or this novel at all. I would still recommend you give it a go, if you love these types of stories (and I know that there are a lot of us out there). It is a solid novel, just not one that I fell in love with.

Note: I was kindly provided and ARC of this novel by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

My opinion is a little biased regarding novels about fake relationships because I love it so much. But the subject in this book was approached differently than what I'm used to reading and I really enjoyed it because it was refreshing!
In this story, the main characters, Brody O'Donnel and Gwen Danes, know each other and they have been friends for a while. Thus, that typical storyline of "I have this wedding and I need literally the first guy I see to be my date" does not happen here.
BUT, Gwen is head over heels for some other guy, who has been her best friend her whole life, Ted Normandy. If only he could see she's always been in love with him *sighs*. So the pretending begins gradually. Her friend Brody is tired of seeing her suffering for a guy who doesn't deserve her. And he's willing to "date" Gwen to show Ted she's not his and can't have her whenever he wants.
Nevertheless, people change and also their feelings! In the end, it was a light and very cute and sweet read. 4.5/5

*Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I L-O-V-E this book... I am loving the crap out of this series, but I've honestly been waiting to see what woman would own Brody's heart and never let go. Brody is the guy you want to snuggle up with at night. The chivalrous man who's going to make you feel safe and protected. Gwen is the girl who's unavailable because she's nurtured a crush on her friend Ted for decades. Brody decides to help put pressure on him by concocting a faux relationship with Gwen. When things start to feel all to real, will they be able to get on the same page? Will Ted realize he's about to miss his chance and ruin the beginning of a beautiful relationship?

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have LOVED this series and am a little bummed that it appears to be over. I didn't think I could love a guy more than Jase or even Sean, but Brody-so easily my favorie! I'm a sucker for a big burly teddy bear. Although I laughed more when I read Just This Once, I still really enjoyed this story. Plus we still got to see a bit of Molly and Sean so that made it all the better. This story covers a lot of romance topics; fake relationship, friends, misunderstandings, it's all in there and then some with a super sweet ending. I couldn't ask for more!

The Story in 4 Sentences or Less: Brody wants Gwen but Gwen wants her longtime friend Ted who pretty much treats her like his backup plan. So Brody being an observant and good friend offers to help Gwen get Ted so she can finally see that he isn't the guy she wants by "pretending" to want Gwen. After a few "pretend" dates and less than fake kisses Gwen realizes that Ted will never make her feel the way Brody does but she doesn't know how to tell Brody that she wants more than just a fling. Oh but Ted isn't going to let Gwen just forget about him without a fight now that he sees that he is losing her undivided attention.




Like It? Hate it? Love it? Why? Can you absolutely fall head over heels in love with the hero all while feeling "meh" about the heroine? Yes you can because that's how I felt about Brody and Gwen.

Here's the thing, Brody is the absolute dream guy. He's big, strong, and gorgeous which can describe a lot of guys but get this: He's also considerate, kind, observant, and a great listener. He's conscious of his size and strength but doesn't use it to bully or intimidate, instead he remembers that and doesn't go around punching people left and right. He's a sweetheart AND an alpha. It can be done people! A guy doesn't have to be a controlling jerk to be an alpha and he doesn't have to be a pushover to be a sweetheart. I adored that Brody wasn't an insecure jerk about Gwen's friendship with Ted even though I would have understood if he was a little upset by how Ted constantly threw it in his face that he and Gwen had years of being in each other's lives. Brody shrugged off Ted's goading behavior and preferred to focus on the present where HE was the one Gwen wanted. If Brody had one flaw though it was that he was too passive sometimes. Especially when Ted and Gwen's father made it obvious that they wanted him out of Gwen's life.


Speaking of Gwen, I spent half the time being okay with her and the other half wishing she'd fall into a hole and be lost forever. She's so dang hung up on Ted in the beginning that she doesn't see the amazing guy Brody is! Fine, I can forgive that but being spineless is something I can't forgive, especially when it is hurting or wronging someone else. Gwen is so convinced that Ted is such a "good guy" that she completely overlooks moments where he's a total D-bag! I don't care how many years of friendship you have behind you or how much your parents "loooove" him, if he gets drunk and starts being insulting he is NOT, I repeat, NOT a good guy! Good grief but she was so dumb and passive when it came to Ted. It's like he brought out the TSTL in her! It was so obvious that Ted was purposely trying to make Brody feel like an outsider and yet Gwen never told him to cut his crap! Never! And what the heck is wrong with her AND her mother not telling her father to step the heck back and stop acting like a child just because Ted is like a son to him. I guess what Gwen wanted and felt wasn't important, only what Ted and Gwen's father wanted for her. Geez.

I really wanted to smack this girl and tell her that she didn't deserve a man like Brody, that Ted was more her style: Spineless and selfish. Grr.


However when I wasn't seething at Gwen's idiocy I was falling in love with their romance, well with how romantic Brody was and how great of a boyfriend he was. And not just an amazing boyfriend but a wonderful friend too. I fell really hard for this guy and for the longest time after reading Decoy Date I couldn't move on. It wasn't a book hangover per say, more like a book boyfriend hangover.


Click It or Skip It? Click It. Despite wanting to push Gwen, Ted, and Gwen's dad into a hole, Decoy Date has Brody. Smokin' hot, considerate, big hearted, loyal Brody. *sighs*

FOUR STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The book had all the flavours of a typical Mira Lyn Kelly book making it an overall
light romance read however, the chemistry between Gwen & Brody could be lot more vibrant & stronger! That said the banter between them is really witty & cute...& the way they fall in love made me swoooooonnnn.

The premise of the book is interesting in which Brody is helping Gwen bag her man of dreams, Ted, but in the process as expected Brody & Gwen fall in love. So if you are a fan of friends to lovers romance then this book is a must read !!

ARC GENEROUSLY PROVIDED BY SOURCEBOOKS CASABLANCA VIA NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE OF AN HONEST REVIEW!

Ahh, the fake relationship. This was a kind of refreshing take on the fake relationship trope in that it was also a rescuing her from Mr. Wrong take on it. How fun! I'm not usually much of a fan of love triangles, but since Gwen's love for Ted is so one-sided I figured it would all be fine... or would it?!

This book is told in the third person limited POV and alternates between giving a deeper look into Gwen's inner thoughts/feelings/motivations and into Brody's. I can't believe how just unbelievably GOOD Brody is (even if he does mess up and do A Very Stupid Thing a couple of times.... Oh Brody.) Gwen is also pretty dang great, and I just LOVE THEM TO PIECES. Brody's friends are also really fun, and I feel like I'd have loved this book so much more if I'd read the first three books in the series and gotten to know them more through their own stories. As it was sometimes they were a little much, and I think that's because to some extent the reader is expected to already be familiar with them and have built a certain level of affection for them. (But that MOLLY, oh my gosh, OK, I need to go back and read Molly's book.)

The Decoy Date is just an amaaaazing slow burn until suddenly it's not, and I was sitting there like "Uh oh, I'm only halfway through this book, what the heck is going to happen?!" Because you know there's not going to be 150 pages of Happily Ever After, so there is SOME BIG ASS DRAMA COMING DOWN THOSE PAGES, FRIEND. Oh my gosh, this book. BRODY. GWEN. YOU GUYYYYYYS. 3 Suffice to say that The Decoy Date delivers all the best bits of the fake relationship trope, right down to both of them falling hard for the other and being convinced that the other person is just playing their part. NNNGH, right in the feels. And then it gets WORSE FROM THERE! (Or maybe... BETTER.) And that's all I can say because no spoilers, so you'll just have to read the book and ride the Brody + Gwen Rollercoaster of Love.

This is the fourth book in The Wedding Date series, but it can be read as a stand alone. There are some spoilers for books in the earlier series (but I'm totally going to go back and read the earlier books anyway...)

I was looking forward to reading this book!! Brody... he is the best of the hero’s... soo sexy! The plot itself was a little weak, I couldn’t get on board with the whole ted thing. But I loved Brody, so read it for Brody! A satisfying conclusion to this series!

I read Mira Lyn Kelly way back when she was a Harlequin writer (and that is NOT a put-down) but lost track of her in recent years. I was excited to read an advance copy of her latest, “Decoy Date,” part of her Wedding Date series.

Reviewers, publishers and authors always urge, “You don’t have to read all the books in the order of the series! It’s a stand-alone as well!” I no longer believe this. In fact, series romance arcs are getting to be too cumbersome, especially when the titles are all takes on the previous title: Hot in the City, Hot in the Desert, Hot in the Laundromat, Hot in the Kitchen. I can’t keep them straight. Aside from that, there is too much repetition trying to speed-update new readers to the 3 or 5 or 7 previous entries.

So full confession: I have not read the previous entries in this series. Maybe I should have, because I could not connect with the characters or the plot.

If you’re looking for a Book Boyfriend, you could hardly go wrong with Brody. I read the book twice and still can’t detect a single Brody flaw. Gwen however…Nuff said. She enlists Brody to make her lifelong crush, Ted, jealous.

What could possibly go wrong?

Well, everything. And I will say Ted surprised me. It was the best part of the story.

But for all that the plot is very, very talky. I was just about to put Kindle down and pray for a car chase when lo and behold, there was some action. And redemption, and resolution, and All the Things.

This will never be a favorite of mine but if you’re invested in the series, it’s probably a good payoff.
ARC provided for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my digital arc this is my unbiased review.
I throughly enjoyed Decoy Date. Good plot, fun characters and great writing. I recommend this book.

Loved this book! I was sucked in from the beginning and found myself not being able to put it down. I gravitated towards all of the characters and wanting to be friends in real life with them.

"Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review."

Loved this book very much. It had just enough sweet romance and the storyline was great! I highly recommend!

5 - "Brace yourself…" Stars!

So far, each and every book that I have read in The Wedding Date series has been better than its predecessor, and The Decoy Date was no exception.

"I’m about to do something crazy."

I have to admit I was a little nervous when it came to starting Brody and Gwen’s book, mainly because the story revolves around Brody helping Gwen bag the man of her dreams, I’m not a huge fan of secondary drama, and although there is drama with the guy in question; Ted a man Gwen has been friends with for nigh on two decades. The author didn’t make it too heavy or give it massive amounts of page time.

Even playing around, the man had serious pull…

As with all the previous heroes in the series, I adored Brody. I was expecting too as his involvement in the previous book as Molly’s friend and boss gave a good insight on his character, but with Gwen it was great to see a big, beautiful alpha guy dealing with his own vulnerabilities and feelings, whilst trying to navigate the pitfalls of a pseudo coming together with a woman he actually wants to be with, when in the past he has been all about keeping it casual and not committed.

"Never want to let you go…"

Gwen was easy to like as well, and with the rest of the crew’s involvement from the previous books, The Decoy Date was an absolutely outstanding read.

"Give me forever…"

I hope to see more from this series in the future. The author has got a great base of characters now, and I love the fact we get updates on them as new pairings are added into the mix.

Awesome romance! Will there fake relationship turn into the real thing? Will Gwen realize the boy next door (Ted) was never meant to be more than a first crush? Will Brody let Gwen know she is the one? Read on to find out!

Another good book in a series I love. What great characters and a sweet ending. I always enjoy this author's work.

This is the fourth book in this series and I really implore for you to start from the beginning you just get so much more added spice. I am sad to see this series go, but I have to say I enjoyed every bit and this last installment we had Brody and Gwen and unfortunately Ted. I was rooting and cheering and hoping so please grab a copy and enjoy, because I sure did.

This is a familiar trope but turned on its head in an unexpected way. It's a story of Gwen, Brody and Ted. Gwen has had a life long crush on her childhood friend Ted for years. They've known each other since they were kids. Their family are close friends. They've hooked up a couple times but Ted has never been ready to settle down. He's hooked up with other women while Gwen watches from the sidelines pining but trying not to show how hurt she is. We all know where this is going right?

Enter Brody. Who has known Gwen for a couple of years and noticed her fixation on Ted. He has a crush on Gwen and wants her to understand Ted is taking advantage of her.

And so begins this story. Ted isn't portrayed as a bad guy but I found him insensitive. This is the story of Gwen waking up to her worth and seeing the better man in Brody. So often these stories end with the lesser man getting the girl. Not here. This is Gwen and Brody's story. Which was extremely refreshing.

If you like me are sick of the men who don't see the heroine's worth and the heroine forgiving all at the end? This is a really nice spin on this. My only issue was with the end. I think Ted got a way a little too easy for the years of game playing. His excuse for why he didn't make his move long ago rang hollow.

I thought Brody was the better man and I was so happy to see Gwen realize it too.

I've read most of the books in this series. I think this is one of the strongest entries. I recommend this.