Aw, man. these two really touched my heart; I saw so much of myself in them. Beyond the humor and the unfolding mystery, it was a beautiful exploration of forgiveness and dealing with long-held insecurities. In an ideal world, we could simply talk things out, but we all know it's much more complicated in reality, which is reflected in both characters’ personal journeys. I think that’s what gives the story its charm and makes these flawed characters so relatable.

A great read!

I enjoyed the romance between Calvin and Daphne. Both are complicated characters and find solace in each other which I thought was beautiful. I find emotional intimacy to be really romantic. I just really liked the bond these two created. It felt genuine and realistic. It definitely gave the book a cozy vibe. The steamy scenes are nice but not anything crazy.

I also was pleasantly surprised by the mystery storyline. It didn't feel like it was out of left field. It flowed nicely with the rest of the story. I also thought it had a good resolution.

Would recommend!

This was everything that I was looking for and enjoyed the romance going on in this. The characters had that realism that worked with everything that I wanted, I enjoyed getting to know the characters and enjoyed the overall concept. Lilian Monroe wrote this perfectly and left me wanting to read more.

I absolutely loved going on Daphne & Calvin’s journey. I loved their banter & chemistry! I was captivated from the first page to the last.

I can’t wait to read more by Lilian Monroe.

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

I'm a big fan of Lilian Monroe and have read 17 of her books, so when the opportunity came up to read this advanced copy, I jumped at it.

I liked the book, but I didn't love it. I honestly found myself more intrigued by the mystery than the romance. I really liked Calvin, He was the cute and broody new Sheriff who was a troublemaker in high school. It was Daphne I had an issue with. I just got so tired of her making assumptions about Calvin deciding she's too boring and therefore dumping her. And Daphne had an inner monologue about how boring of a person she was every chapter it seemed. It was just overkill and didn't make her likable with the whole 'woe is me' attitude. I found her strong in her conviction of not letting the bad guy win, but she was weak when it came to her self-esteem. That said, I enjoyed the epilogue and it was nice to see them as a couple years down the road. They were cute together and brought out the best in each other once they finally got their head out of things and went with their heart.

I will note that I didn't read the first book in the series, so I wasn't familiar with the family before now.

Loved this book !!
Daphne and Clint were adorable as a couple. Neither are perfect, in fact they both have enough emotional baggage to go on a round the world cruise with it, but they are both likeable characters.
Clint has a troubled childhood and was envious of Daphne's loving parents, Daphne always felt restricted by her family and was never allowed to find out who she really was.
Years later they re connect and find that just because you know someone, you don't know them. I enjoyed Daphne ability to get involved in things, yet not be one of those TSTL characters. Calvin is just looking for someone to put him first and he finally finds it with Daphne.

Thank you for the arc and I will be looking at this authors other works

A notorious rule follower, the old Daphne Davis could do no wrong. But lately she can’t get anything right.

Jilted by her ex, ousted from her home, and laid off from her job, Daphne retreats to her little hometown, Fernley Island. But even there, she feels out of sync. So, bailing on her own sister’s engagement party, she suddenly embraces a brand-new philosophy: no more goody-two-shoes.

Unfortunately, Daphne’s new mantra lands her squarely in the headlights—literally—of her high school nemesis, Calvin Flint. No longer a scrawny jerk, he’s Fernley’s acting sheriff, filling out his uniform waaay better than he ought to.

He’s also Daphne’s new boss.

As Daphne balances the books after a department scandal, a series of mishaps throws her and Calvin together. The sparks that fly take them both by surprise. But will a fake dating scheme and quest for a stolen heirloom ruin their chance at something real?

I really enjoyed this quick romantic adventure read. Fun read, nice love story. I could’ve used a little more spice as I’d say maybe a 1.5 🌶️. But my spice expectation might be too high. Of course miscommunication is always the key to these stories. But I like it. Cute development of the characters and I loved the little sister. Thanks for the opportunity to read this early!

Clint has a troubled past and a terrible relationship with his mother but wants to make sure his much younger sister doesn't experience the same upbringing as him so moves home to the island to be more involved. Lucky for him the stand-in sheriff role has become available and a great opportunity for him to show his community how much he has grown since he left.

Daphne moves back home after her fiance dumps her citing that she's boring. Falling back into the rhythm of being the "good" sister in her family dynamic she begins her new job investigating accounts of the recently disgraced local sheriff's office of her homeland island. Unfortunately for her she knows the stand-in sheriff as the boy who almost cost her her scholarship and he pulls her over one evening.

I enjoyed this book, the characters were annoying and loveable. Daphne was complicated and endearing with her family relationships and adventures. Clint had more than one side to him. The mystery running in the background didn't feel shoehorned in. Just enough spice to keep me interested along the way.

I would maybe rate this as a 3.5-3.8.
This started out really cute and I liked how Calvin and Daphne got to know each other and then developed feelings, I also liked how Daphne didn't just sit back all the time and helped and was an accountant. I didn't like the constant repetition of her not feeling like enough and not talking to Calvin about her plan with her grandma. Her family really bothered me with constantly putting her in the good girl box and I feel like that was never addressed or solved before she did her plan with Mabel, it felt like she could only belong if she did this thing and Mabel saying how much she loved her for doing it was wrong to me. She should have been accepted and loved for who she was, she didn't need to prove herself to them, her being herself was enough and I only got that vibe from her dad really. Those parts I didn't enjoy, I mainly liked Calvin and Daphne together, I wish she had told him what she was planning and then gotten him in on it with her, that would have been cute to see, she made some poor decisions but I'm glad she owned up to them in the end. The spice was really low, like a 1.5 but it was mainly about the building of their relationship, they both had things they needed to sort through to find their happy, I feel like some things were slightly glossed over that should have had some kind of conclusion. The epilogue was a pretty decent jump into the future and was a good wrap up of the whole story.

Very cute, wholesome romance with a bit of mystery intertwined in it. Also a great cast of side characters that really enhanced the plot too.
3.25

this book was good. i’m always down for a good fake date trope and who doesn’t love enemies to lovers. i think the beginning could have a bit shorter some because it felt like it kinda repeated itself but other than that i thought it was fairly good. i loved the banter between the two. the old ladies were my favorite characters. i rated it a solid 3.5.

Quite pleasantly surprised by this book, and will seek out the author again. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

I went into this one blind other than the obvious hints from the title, and I found both of the main characters engaging and enjoyable to read. They both had their insecurities, which got tiresome at times, but still both seemed like real actual people. In fact all of the characters in the book, except for those you were not supposed to like, seemed like very likeable folks you'd meet in any small town.

The farce of the cast iron pot was delightful and appropriately silly when it needed to be and charming. How it tied into the greater mystery was a bit forced, but still made sense.

The romance seemed to go from nada to in love in the span of a few pages, but I didn't really mind that so much as the rest of the story was entertaining. And I am a sucker for a fake dating trope.

Steamy, funny, enchanting. Four Steps to the Perfect Fake Date was great! A cute read perfect for anyone looking for a romance with plenty of laughs and a satisfying love and connection. If you enjoy fake-dating tropes and witty banter, this book is a good choice!

This book was entertaining in the moment but forgettable after. Still worth the read but not a favorite. I liked the format. I felt the dual POV help you understand the characters better. There were many times they were frustrating thought. , At times you wanted to shake them, along with cheer for them when you see how they each grow for themselves and each other.

Four Steps to the Perfect Fake Date by Lilian Monroe is a fun read with sexy banter, a bit of a mystery, and a touch of slapstick humor involving septuagenarians.

I like the fake dating trope if it is not too over the top, and that is what drew me to this book. The author handled it well, and it did not defy credulity. However, there was so much more to the book. Although I would class this as a romcom, the main characters have some issues to overcome. They work them out as their romance develops. The setting is an island in Washington state, and the descriptions of community as well as family add to the charm, as do multiple generational characters.

Adding interest to the story is the investigation into some accounting irregularities in the sheriff’s office. This mystery keeps the story moving. This was a very enjoyable read.

I was in the mood to switch up my reading tropes and grabbed this one up. Honestly I was very glad I did, it was an enjoyable read that had wonderful dual POV, characters that made you hooked you, a twist in the end, and great pacing.

Daphne and Calvin both went into this story with issues between each other and baggage from the years that had been away from the town. I felt the dual POV help you understand them both more, even if at times you wanted to shake them, along with helping you see how they each grow for themselves and each other.

i was not expecting to eat this up but i finished in less than 24 hours. i couldn’t put this book down – the writing was easy to read, the story was quick, the characters had depth, and i genuinely loved them together.

outside if the romance, i found the sort of mystery to be interesting while also not taking itself too seriously. the town and its members were cozy and entertaining, and i felt like i was actually there for most of the book.

overall this wasn’t what i was expecting but i really enjoyed it! i really hope this gets big when it releases because i feel like so many people would absolutely adore this.

Coming from out of some hard times, Daphne Davis moves back to her childhood town, Fernley, to try to recover and get back on her feet. Daphne finds herself face to face with her old high school rival, Calvin Flint.

Flint is Fernley's acting sheriff and her new boss. As they are thrown together sparks fly as they uncover the truth behind the department's biggest scandal and as they uncover their feelings about each other.

I so thoroughly enjoyed this book! It really felt like you were living in Fernley with the cozy descriptions of the town and the townspeople. By the end of the book I was part of the community and knew all the neighborhood gossip.

I feel like the story was paced perfectly and the mix of goofy family shenanigans mixed with the seriousness of balancing books at the police department and they had me flipping the pages to see how Calvin and Daphne would be taking on these new challenges.

I think this book is going to be a hit and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a cozy romance story.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!

WOW!!! What a great book!! This one had me hooked from page 1! This was a first for me from this author and I will not be my last! This one was a win for me!