I really enjoyed this second book by Sharon M Peterson. I absolutely loved the pickup lines opening each chapter. And I loved the strong connection Mae had with her family and her town. I feel like I got to know her world and supporting cast much better than in a lot of romance novels.

I did feel like the relationship between Mae and Chris was lacking in depth at certain points. In some ways, this is the downside of a first person novel because only one person's perspective is represented. But I felt like certain moments were just underdeveloped. And this is not an attack on the author's closed-door stance...I just wish that the door was being shut a little more gently rather than being slammed shut all the time.

Still, the book was fun and lighthearted, making it a perfect vacation read.

This was a delightful read with plenty of steam, the right amount of danger, and a fantastic romance. Could not put it down.

I am totally in love with Mae our heroine in this story. This is a book that in some ways we all know the ending but I loved the kick ass lead woman who only wanted to look after her family and will do anything to make sure that happened without changing for a man. When she meets Chris who is asleep in her library her life is changed beyond all her wildest dreams when her new book club friend offers her a deal that will sort all of her problems the question is can either of them stick to the deal without feelings getting in the way and will other people ruin it all. I loved this book and read it in one night.

I laughed throughout this book. The banter was excellent. Good banter is a must have for me so *chef kiss* well done.

The romance was believable and I am a sucker for the fake dating. I have some reservations because Chris kept doing lovely things for Mae but I wanted to see more of why Chris fell for her. It felt a tad too insta love for me but not a massive negative.

I also prefer steamier romances, which I thought we would get what with all the romance book reading but it was rather tame. Again, I enjoyed it enough that this wasn't a huge problem.

This is the 2nd book by this author and I must confess. She is now become an automatic read for me. This book caught me in all the right places, a small town librarian with the heart of a warrior. She takes care of everyone that she loves while masking her needs in her fierce determination that she doesn’t need help. The hero in this story is such a nice guy, with one liners that had me chuckling all the way through. Add in family dynamics, quirky friends, and the love of a small town and its community and it is a great recipe for making me smile the whole time I was reading. I can see the additional characters in this book having their very own happily ever after,. I hope this author will be writing many more stories!

I was completely absorbed by this book. I loved everything about it! Mae and Chris had so much chemistry and banter. I loved that he texted her cheesy pickup lines. They were so much fun, and each chapter of the book began with a cheesy pickup line that was submitted by readers. The book was really funny, but it was also heartwarming too.

I loved Chris' family. His sisters and his parents were so loving, and when they trapped them with only one bed, it was so much fun! The family had so much love for each other, and their family dynamic made me feel like I was a part of the family.

For Mae, she was such a strong and independent character. She took care of her mom and her younger sister, and she also worked two jobs to help out at home. Mae felt like she didn't need anyone to help her or take care of her, but Chris pushed through to be there for her in unexpected ways. The way that he said to her 'it suits you', and the sweet story behind why he chose that phrase melted my heart.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC of this book.

Read this book if you love:
- fake engagement
- fake dating
- small town romance
- a sweet love story
-cheesy pickup lines
-witty banter
- family fun
- librarians

This was pretty fun! It didn’t take itself too seriously and I enjoyed it for that reason. It wasn’t life changing or anything but it was pretty solid.

I didn’t expect to but I really enjoyed this book, great characters that you were routing for and definitely a book for the beach this summer.

I knew I would love this book once I learned that it contained a fake engagement, but I didn't know how much I would love it. I was consistently giggling and swooning while reading.
The tropes of this book include: grumpyXsunshine, fake dating, she fell but he fell harder, I've loved you since I met you, and small town.
I just want to start off by stating beware of the SLOW burn of this book. I loved every second of it but was not prepared ahead of time (that is my fault). The banter between Chris and Mae fulfills my every wish for the grumpy sunshine trope. The two MCs worked so well together and I connected to each of them so easily. Mae's backstory made my heart hurt, but the way Chris taught her that it's okay to let someone else take care of you made my heart burst. The two of them brought each other exactly what they needed and I would kill to read more about their relationship.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me this arc to read! I would recommend this book to anyone whole loves a slow burn and some good banter!

I loved it and you’re going to love it too! Mae is incredibly independent, used to tackling all hers and her family’s problems herself from a young age, and very much over men - with good reason. She had a lot of depth to her character and I loved that she was grouchy and sarcastic, and it made for a lot of funny interactions with NFL star, Chris. There was plenty going on in this book beyond the romance, and plenty of characters that fit well into the storyline. Chris’ family was good fun and I would have sold my soul to spend some more time with them but we can’t have it all, am I right?

This book comes in strong with the grumpy vs sunshine, he falls first, fake dating, only one bed tropes and it’s thoroughly delicious. Some of the heavier topics are balanced out with a lot of sweetness and humour, and the two person romance book club was inspired (can I join??) but I would say knowing a bit more about Chris would have added an extra bit of pzazz to this story and he perhaps needed at least one flaw? That man was perfect and I know it’s fiction but there’s got to be something! That being said, I blasted through this treat in a day and you’re going to want to grab a copy for yourself.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

OMG I love this book so much! I want a Chris Stern in my life asap.
I loved the pickup lines at the beginning of every chapter, they were hilarious. I loved that the female character was the grumpy one, and I loved the Chris wasn't a dumb player who had no ambitious in life.
This stories is one of my favourites of this year, and after I read this arc provided from netgalley, I will certainly buy the book and read other titles from the author.
Best romance ever !!! So in love 💕

The fake out by Sharon M. Peterson is a great romance which is the perfect length. It’s about a small town librarian and a football player who agree to have a fake engagement. But what happens when they develop feelings for each other.

I absolutely adored this book. If I didn’t have to work I could’ve easily finished this in a day because it’s such a fast paced book. The writing style isn’t complex to follow along which makes it great to read if you need something simple yet amazing in between fantasy books.

At each start of the chapter there is a different pickup line which cracks me up every time. They are cheesy yet incredibly funny.

The characters were also great, I love Chris. He is a caring football players who does a lot of charity and donates a lot. From the start he cared about Mae (the librarian). He is the ideal book boyfriend.

Mae is a driven woman who takes care of her family. She has a lot of jobs to pay her mothers hospital bills and likes to do everything herself. She doesn’t want any help. She is also a great main character, she is funny and sarcastic.

Next the relationship between the two was pure chemistry. I loved how much they cared about each other.

I also loved the small quirky things in this book. Usually they give me second hand embarrassment but Peterson really pulled it off.

And the last thing is that I really enjoyed the epilogue. It was in Chris POV while the rest of the book was in Mae’s. It was a nice switch up and didn’t make me want to skip the epilogue.

I would recommend this book to everyone if you like romance. Even if you don’t like the fake engagement trope, because it’s really well done!


I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to the author and netgalley for this opportunity

The Fake Out is an adorable laugh out loud romance you won’t be able to put down. I love Sharon Peterson’s writing style and the humor she adds to her story had me laughing throughout. Mae and Chris are characters you fall in love with and root for them till the entire time. I can wait to read another book by Sharon because this story was soooo good.

My cheeks hurt from smiling through this delightful book. This one kept me hooked and entertained until the last page… The characters each have these little pieces that make them such believable characters! This fabulous summer read is a gentle reminder love never gives up on anyone.

An all-star NFL player stays in the library to hide from his fans... He asked the librarian to pretend to be engaged to him to fix his image... She needs the money to help pay her mom's medical bills...

A funny, sweet rom-com. Love both characters... Very light-hearted... So many LOL scenes... A quick fun read.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

love a fake engagement story and this one was top notch!!

such a fun read, also love a small town setting so that was a bonus also. i loved chris, mae and the entire town of two harts!!

the pick up lines at the start of the chapters had me laughing the whole way through.

this book was sweet and funny, it's not spicy at all so if you're looking for a fun, feel-good read look no further.

thank you to netgalley for the opportunity to love this book

A fun, quick read.

Favorite bits (spoilerish)
❤️ it suits you (at the restaurant)
❤️ Ali’s pranks!
❤️ Iris and Aidan
❤️ the first flight

BLURB:
I can’t lock up the library until the guy asleep at his desk leaves. Thank the universe for audiobooks because I could be here all night. But I see his mouth twitch at the exact moment a steamy kiss takes place. My face burns when I realize my headphones aren’t plugged in and my phone is at full volume.

It's not every day you see a new face in my small hometown of Two Harts, let alone one belonging to an annoyingly handsome all-star NFL player. But for some reason Chris Sterns has decided that the library where I work is his go-to spot to hide from his mega-fans, and unfortunately, winding me up is his new favorite sport.

Being crowned “world’s sexiest man” has done little to curb his confident charm and when he somehow ropes me into his two-person book club, I can’t help warming to his endless positivity.

But when a photo of him stumbling out of a Las Vegas club with a woman in tow is leaked to the press, I can’t help but question whether his good boy persona is just an act.

And that’s far from the only answer I’m left searching for when Chris pops the question I’ve only ever heard in my favorite romance books. Did he really just ask me to marry him?

It’s not the proposal I was expecting, but with my mom’s medical bills piling up faster than I can pay them, and with the scandal threatening to ruin everything Chris has worked for; could an engagement be the perfect fake out for us both? Or is this a game we’ll both lose?

MY REVIEW:
I loved this book! I found it so funny, there were so many cringe moments that I could fully relate to, which had me feeling embarrassed for the main character.

I’m a sucker for a fake relationship romance, and this one didn’t disappoint. Although utterly predictable, as any good romance book should be, it was such a fun read.

This light-hearted book was a quick read, finished in under an hour.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.