I really wanted to like it.
But honestly, both main characters were very annoying and childish.
The smut however was decent, and i liked the side-characters.


2.5 stars.

I really enjoyed this book and I'm upset it took me so long to get to it! I definitely couldn't put it down and finished it in one sitting, so if you're looking for a quick and easy summer read, put this on your tbr!

I loved the premise of this story, but let's be honest, I'm a sucker for fake dating romances. It did go a little heavy on the she's different and not like other women, and I don't know if her insecurities and dating history really added anything to the story. It took me a bit to get all of the characters sorted at that first family dinner, but once I got the hang of things I was in it! I definitely want to see the rest of the brothers get their HEA!

I really loved the dialog and chemistry between Kinsley and Connor, it felt fresh and genuine. I love it when books really make you feel something, and this made me want to fall in love along the lakeshore! However, the way I screamed at Connor when they got back to the west coast! That man. That man needed to be in cold storage for much, much longer than he was. It felt so unforgivable, I couldn't see how he'd be able to redeem himself. And while I did love his grand gesture (and I nearly cried at the end) I was still mad about it! 😂

This was the first book by Ember Leigh that I've read and it definitely won't be my last!

This past Pandemic year has been a bit much for us all. I am not normally a huge romance reader, but find myself craving a definite HEA at the end of my books now, so romance is quite nicely fitting that bill. It doesn't hurt that romance is a HUGELY popular genre at my store, so my reading more romance is helping me to make better suggestions to our romance reading customers. So nice silver lining.

I knew nothing about this author, or series, when I requested this book. I admit, the bright green cover and washboard abs of the model is what caught my eye and the synopsis made me click request. I can't resist a strangers to lovers and secret crush plot line.

The one thing I've come to realize with contemporary romances written now, if it's not labeled as clean or religious, the language used in normal conversations, not even dirty talk or highly emotionally charged scenes is FILTHY and there are pre-marital sex scenes. Not unexpected, just...on occasion disheartening.

So this one has language and some very intense sex scenes, though they aren't all described, you know they are engaging in it. Since it is primary a romance book that takes place in this era, the sex scenes don't come as a surprise and aren't bad, BUT....

The Hero is an IDIOT. Some spoilers follow, read on at your own risk.

He and the h both work at the same company and her boss who is toxic to the max and treats her like absolute POO is his ex. Like, RECENT ex. Like, they broke up last WEEK ex. And she posts something on FB showing how gorgeous she is and how much fun she is having and so the H sends her a private pic of him and HER UNDERLING WHOM SHE HATES, having a good time of their own, about a week after they broke up.

And he doesn't tell the h, after she tells him more of how badly her boss treats her. He doesn't even THINK of what he did and how much worse her work environment is going to be after he did that. And he did it and he didn't have the excuse of being drunk!!

And THEN, because the evil ex/boss has an in with a company he wants to work for, he DROPS the h, completely GHOSTS her, so he can get the job he wants because the ex tells him that is her condition for her helping him.

Are you KIDDING me?!?

And THEN when it comes time for his grovel scene, he never clearly tells her why he did what he did, to FULLY admit his guilt and she forgives him. WAAAAY too quickly. And without realizing the full extent of his perfidy.

Ok, sorry, my ranting just dropped this another star. One moment.

I think what bothered me in this book won't bother most readers, so I will recommend this to our contemporary romance readers, with the warning about the language, sex and kind of jerky H if the warning is necessary.

2, it wasn't my cup of tea, stars.

My thanks to NetGalley and The Wild Rose Press, Inc for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

Kinsley had one rule growing up and that was to stay away from the Daly brothers. Connor was everything she filled her high school and young adult fantasies. What are the odds they both end up working for the same company on he West Coast?! Totally a dream come true. Never feeling the type he would notice their fake relationship slowly evolves into something more. Absolutely loved it! What a great romance and reminding you the one who completes you might be right in front of your eyes.

This was the first book I've read from this author and I really enjoyed it. The story was different from anything I've read recently and really captured my attention. It was so well written and the characters were fantastic.

Make Me Fall is book 2 of the Bayshore series, but I read it as a stand alone with ease. Ember Leigh writes an entertaining story, and I found her characters, both primary and secondary, to be interesting and well drawn. I especially appreciated the crispness and clarity of her dialogue, which always seemed to fit both character and situation. The only thing that I struggled with was a desire to have the heroine display a little more personal growth - in short, at times I wanted to shake her and tell her to grow a spine! Overall, I enjoyed Make Me Fall enough to seek out the rest of the series.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

This is part of a Daly brother series and it left me wanting to read so much more in the series and by the author. It is a quick and enjoyable read with lots of steamy scenes and a bit of an awkward, unlikely heroine. We had to work for the ending a bit and it was frustrating at times, but a happily ever after did exist.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. The characters are well rounded. Amusing and full of angst I loved the family dynamics and drama. As well as the constant need for coemption.
With all their many flaws imagined or real the kept moving forward. It wasn’t easy to overcome, and it was sometimes at the expense of the other. This book starts out with two high school acquaintances who now both live in San Diego and work at the same company as well. Connor Daly was one of five handsome brothers but the one that Kinsley Cabana had a crush on. Yup! Since she was a junior and he was a senior.
Now, she is twenty-five and still gets carded because she looks like a twelve-year-old. She is so bummed this whole adulting thing is eluding her, and her degree feels wasted. So, a Rum Chata it is. She notices him, go sit at the bar after being at the table for a meeting. He looks down.
The server lines up three shots in front of him and hits all three one after the other. She decides to investigate the new adult her. She finds out his grandma died back home in Bayshore, Ohio their hometown.
Going home means dealing with Granny’s death but also jumping into the cesspool of competition father so brutally stirred up and still does with all his sons. Connor comes up with a plan. One that he feels is brilliant.
Since he just broke up with his girl, he needs a fake one. There is at least a three-decade feud going on between the Daly’s and Cabanas, Kinsley’s the one to help him make his mark.
He can bring home a girlfriend which none of his brothers have, piss off his parents because she is a Cabana, and rub his ex in it with Kinsley her underling at work where there is no love lost between them. Plus, since he hates flying alone, he will pay for her ticket, but she needs to stay at her parent’s place with minimal PDA. Win-win.
Things don’t go according to plan and the plain Jane wallflower becomes his ray of sunshine. She teaches him to laugh again, to enjoy life again, his plan hits its mark (brothers, parents, and ex) but he questions it. His cutthroat ways he now questions too.
For Kinsley, the fake becomes too real. Lines are blurred and emotions are toyed with. How can this woman whose past relationship left her voiceless ask if anything is true or ask for what she wants? When the man she is with is using sexual warfare.
I enjoyed the transformation that each character goes through. Like watching a caterpillar become a butterfly. But oh, those bumps were harsh getting there. A sexual couple just so you know.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

This was my first book by Ember Leigh. Overall, it was a solid read. Interesting characters, fast-paced story, good chemistry, and great writing.

Would definitely read more by this author!

thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC. I must say this book was even better than the first book of the series! This coupling made me laugh, cry and i just wish they were real and we could be friends on Facebook. I truly cannot wait for the next book. I even wonder if we will get a book about the parents. that would be nice. Love this author.

Make Me Fall by Ember Leigh was an OK read; didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. I enjoyed the summer vibe of the story and the setting most.

It’s a story as old as time; a boy, a girl, grow up in the same town, their parents hate each other, the boy, the girl move away and end up working for the same company but do not have a relationship, until one day, they end up in the same bar drunk. Boy suggests girl come home with him to his parent’s house for a funeral, she agrees, figuring she can visit her own parents, he’s paying. They pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend to the immense chagrin of their parents.

Predictable story, had some interesting parts but not enough to make it a solid read for me. Connor’s personality changes completely toward the end of the book making it a head-scratcher. I never invested fully in the characters.

I am fast becoming obsessed with the Daly brothers.
Connor was likeable despite his selfish ways and I really LOVED Kinsely! She is everything I wanted in a heroine. She has such a strong core and even though she was head over heels for Connor, she didnt back down and she really stood up for herself when it counted.

This is pure Ember Leigh magic. Beautifully written and constructed, I loved this one so much. It’s sexy, sweet, filled with drama and all the feels you could want. This author at her best. Grab your copy today. Happy reading!!

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC to read and give my honest opinion.

Such a sweet romance! So used to this authors MMA romances that this was a nice change and still beautiful writing. Connor Daly comes from a big family with three other brothers who were the hotties in high school. Kinsley Cabana is a wallflower, and has crushed on Connor since high school. A chance meeting at a bar and they strike up a deal to head back home as a fake couple. Only turns out they have more feels in common and hit it off better than they think.

What did I like? This is such a sweet romance, with no fake or artificial stuff. No real drama until the end and it felt like a real thing.

Would I buy this book? This author writes real well and I snap up pretty much everything she writes. Love the MMA series but this just as hot. Wish I had book one!

Thoughts for the author? Great job. Sweet and sexy read. Love how Kinsley takes charge and doesn’t wallow in her feelings for Connor. Fun read.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a decent romance. Kinsley meets Connor at a bar and he proposes to bring her with him back to his hometown. Shes always had a crush on him and agrees . Although he starts out unsure of his attraction to Kinsley and has his own secret agenda, their close proximity forces them to realize their attraction to each other. I wasn't crazy on how clumsy and unkempt Kinsley is described but she grew on me. Decent story with a happy ending.

DNF - I just couldn't finish this book. Like I really really tried - but it just wasn't for me. Kinsley and Connor went to high school together in small-town Ohio. Now they work at the same tech company on the west coast. When connor's grandmother passes away, he invites Kinsley home to pose as his fake girlfriend for the week. I usually enjoy the fake-to-real romances, but something about Connor and Kinsley just didn't work for me. I hated how Connor talked about Kinsley in his mind - and I really didn't like Kinsley's inner voice either. Sometimes new adult is just too new.

I think that Connor was supposed to grow as a human and learn that ambition and outer looks aren't all they are supposed to be - and that Kinsley is supposed to grow up and be more confident, but I just couldn't get on board with their journey. I am probably in the minority - but it is what it is.

I received this book as an ARC from netgalley, but these opinions are my own.

This is the second book in the series, just as good as the first one. Just love the Daly brothers, can't wait for the next one to learn more about the feud.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ACR, I voluntarily read and reviewed.

After Make Me Lose, I was very happy to see yet another cool cover of Ember Leigh. Make Me Fall is about Connor Daly, Grayson's little brother. Connor lives away from Bayshore, where he works as a developer for a software company. When Connor has to go back to Bayshore, to attend his grandmother's funeral, he doesn't want to go alone. After just breaking up with his girlfriend Tamara (who is the HR manager at the firm where he works), he doesn't want to return home single. Connor's father is a coldhearted ambitious man and Connor doesn't want to show any weakness.
So, when he encounters Kinsley at a bar, who is also from Bayshore, he offers to pay a plane ticket for her to visit her parents in Bayshore, if she poses as his girlfriend for two weeks. Kinsley doesn't know whether she should be flattered that her high school crush Connor asked to come with him or disappointed that he didn't recall her from before. Although she has been working at the same company as Connor for some time now..
But she agrees and they are both surprised to find that they have a lot in common. Their humor, their interest and their dreams. However, their relationship is a fake... but why doesn't it feel that way?
And when they go back after two weeks of Bayshore, what will happen then? Find out for yourself in this wonderful read about yet another Daly brother. And I'll be waiting for the next story by Ember Leigh. Five out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

“Make Me Fall” is my my first read by Ember Leigh. This book tweaked my curiosity because of its twist on the enemies to lovers trope with a dash of fake boyfriend/girlfriend trope. In it we meet Kinsley and Connor. Their parents are (for reason we will uncover towards the end of the book) enemies, as a result, Kinsley and Connor are as well. However, having moved away from their small town to further their careers they end working at the same firm. They meet up and form an unlikely alliance. Having to go home for his grandmother’s funeral he propositions Kinsley. Against her better judgment she agrees. The attraction between the two of them is strong and they eventually give in to it. While in their hometown the relationship blossoms but when they go back to their daily grind all hell breaks loose. Connor makes some bad decisions and Kinsley pays the price. When he realizes the mistake he made he sets his sights on winning her back and succeeds splendidly. A great book, I look forward to more by this author.

I enjoy a good fake relationship story, and this one is ultimately very satisfying. Kinsley and Connor set out to fool their feuding parents when Connor needs a date to take home for his grandmother’s funeral. But they end up with some very real feelings. The two both have some growing up to do, personally and professionally. They might just be able to help each other and find something great together.

For the most part, I found the central pair endearing. I was annoyed by something Connor does and how Kinsley handles it, though. No spoilers, but it slightly soured the book for me.