Dana is a perfect personal assistant to her boss. Practically doing his job at times. So when he needs her to be his fake date to win a contract she agrees. But when she discover that they have to share a bed things get dicey. Cute steamy romance.

Thank you, NetGalley and BDA Publishing LLC, for the advanced reader copy of Fake It 'Til You Feel It by Fortuna Lux.

Fake It 'Til You Feel It is an erotica/romance novella about a bossy CEO, Nathan, who orders his personal assistant and company manager to pose as his girlfriend for a weekend retreat. This story features the beloved fake dating, forced proximity, and one-bed tropes—so you can only imagine the banter, tension, and all the swoon-worthy moments that come with it!

I absolutely loved this book—it was the perfect, easy read I needed. I’ll definitely be reading more of Fortuna Lux’s books!

Spicy, male female, 1st person dual point of view, contemporary romance. This was a fun, steamy novelette. I wish it were a tad bit longer so everything didn't have to happen so quickly. I look forward to reading more from this author.

This short story was short but sweet. I enjoyed the fake dating scenario and the chemistry between the two characters. The steamy scenes are steamy!! I would have liked this to have been a longer story. The ending was unrealistic as was the whole book but still a good read especially if you like steamy books.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book, all opinions expressed are my own.

The tension was chefs kiss! I didn't realize it was a short story until I got it but I liked it so much.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this e-ARC.

I LOVE the fake dating trope. Something about it that makes me so excited. Nathan asks (demands? states?) Dana to be his fake girlfriend on a three day work retreat to impress an higher up executive.

I love how the amount of work Dana does for the company was acknowledged. Nathan was not taking credit for the work she was doing.

This novella is 55 pages, so stuff is moving very fast. First day of pretending to be a couple, Dana is saying she does not know what’s real.

I SWOONED at the “you bought me books?” scene.

The tension and buildup to the spicy scene is definitely there. I will say, while this novella is marketed as erotica, but I don’t believe it is as there is only one scene. With that being said - that scene is hot 🥵 all I will say is mirror!

The ending was unrealistic.

Tropes:
Fake dating
Workplace romance (but on a retreat)
Only one bed

If you like a smutty filled office romance that is a quick read, then this is perfect for you. It didn’t have a huge plot to it, but the spice was worth it.

Cracked me up how the book started off with Dana ticked off at her boss, Nathan. The two of them have some strong chemistry that is undeniable. Also, a fake dating trope can never steer me wrong.

Dana is the assistant to Nathan, the CEO. She is pretty much the backbone of the company. He proposes that they fake date for a weekend work meeting so that they can impress a potential investor. But as the weekend goes, they realize what they have is more than just a work relationship.

4⭐️
2.5🌶️

A fun spicy short novella about an assistant and her boss who go on a yacht resort for a few days….but they’re fake dating 🥴

I normally like MMC’s wayyy more than FMC’s but I loved how capable Dana was and how she was seen and recognized for all the work she puts into the company she works for, anddd how Nathan was just as proud (if not more…) about all of her achievements, he likes showing them off to people.

This was my first ARC and i’m super excited about that, but that being said, I’m not going to give dishonest reviews. I don’t think this one was for me. I did have fun with it, and I do believe it would be a great palette cleanser book for someone looking for an extremely fast paced novella.

But in my personal opinion, it was too rushed. Again, in the sense of an easy quick read, this was perfect. But I personally lean towards books with more character development. I didn’t realize it was a novella going into it so that definitely could’ve swayed my opinion in the beginning when everything was speeding up.

There was also a lot of repetition with their back and forth and some of the phrases throughout the book. Overall I’d recommend trying it out if you’re looking for a quickk low brain power read where the spice is spicing (towards the end). I personally gave it a 2.5 star. But I feel like it has 3 star potential.

Fake It Til You Feel It is a short but steamy workplace romance that packs a punch in just 55 pages. Set over one intense weekend, this novella delivers forced proximity, sizzling tension, and a billionaire boss who absolutely worships his brilliant Executive Assistant.Dana is the kind of heroine I love—sharp, capable, and effortlessly cool. Nathan? A billionaire who's totally done for when the fake dating (and practice kissing ) starts feeling way too real.

And can we talk about the book-buying? This man buys her books, and honestly, that’s the kind of energy I need in my romance heroes.

Read this if you love:
- Short, spicy romance novellas (under 100 pages)
- Forced proximity & only one bed (on a yacht, no less)
- Fake dating that gets way too real
- Grumpy & sunshine dynamics
- Slow burn with high heat

The story wraps up with a very satisfying Happy For Now, but I’d devour a full-length sequel with Dana and Nathan in a heartbeat.

If you’re in the mood for something quick, steamy, and totally swoon-worthy, this one’s a must-read!Huge thanks to NetGalley, Fortuna Lux, and BDA Publishing LLC for the advance copy.

This was a very fast paced, fun read. It starts off pretty funny to me with Dana already being pissed at her boss, Nathan 😂 Also, have to mention how much I love the playlist for the book. It's literally just great smut. I was not expecting all that from Nathan Clarke but I was not disappointed one bit! If you love spice, short reads, office romances, with fake dating and BW/WM MCs then this is a great read. While the plot of the story is minimal, the spice and tension between the characters has you sweating, swooning, and wanting more! The bonus scenes also make it 10x hotter, so it's definitely worth the read!!

Fav Quotes:
I shift to face her. "You're awake."
"Unfortunately," she sighs, "What's your excuse?"
"Too much on my mind."
She snickers softly, turning toward me. In the faint moonlight, her outline is sharp and soft at once. "Like what?"
"You." The word escapes before I can stop myself.

"You're impossible."
"And you're irresistible."

The whole "You bought me books?" scene *swoon*

"Eyes on us," he orders, voice low and unyielding. "No looking away."

Full disclosure I decided to DNF this at 33% but felt bad since it's so short so I just skimmed the rest of it to the end.

Listen, I get that a romance novella won't have the best developed relationship in the world and I'm all for a quickie little palate cleanser sometimes. But they decided to fake a relationship and literally the FIRST morning of acting like a couple in front of other people this girl said to him "I just don't know what's real anymore." Hello you've had one breakfast?! It's been an hour, calm down.

Overall I didn't feel like their emotions followed a logical course, there was just so much back and forth and I wasn't invested enough to try to make sense of it. I do think some more editing could help this flow better, because the bones of a fun little story are there. This was also marketed as erotica but it's definitely not (there's only one scene about 75% in), so if you do decide to read it, adjust your expectations.

2 stars because I feel bad rating lower when I didn't read every word.

This was a quick, fun read. Slightly unrealistic, but that is what made it a great escapism style book.

This book was pretty boring. Nothing new and that I haven’t read before, and it could have been better if it were longer because the characters aren’t fleshed out. It was all too fast, more things could have happened. The spicy scene was so cringe, the way the MMC spoke. I just didn’t like this book but didn’t want to give it 1 star.

This book is novella length, which I wasn’t expecting. The writing is good: both style & technical elements, but the story moves so quickly—likely because of the length of the book.

I like to understand the characters more, and that’s really hard to do when the POV is shifting every two pages. Not only that, but the POVs have almost a 3rd person feel, where you are getting a glimpse of what the character thinks, but also primarily experiencing the situation around them from what appears to be a more objective POV.

It’s pretty confusing actually, because the characters are so mercurial with their feelings. I understand the idea of wanting something and feeling hesitant about it, but I am not reading that in these scenes.

I’m getting the vibe of a borderline manipulative navigation of emotions from the MMC, who is supposed to be taking advantage of this opportunity & acting upon real long term feelings. Then you have this boss ass b*tch FMC, but she seems to not actually know her worth—her behaviors fluctuate between overly confident & extremely insecure.

Both characters keep moving forward and then pulling back, constantly citing a game of pretend that both have already acknowledged (to themselves & to each other) isn’t as fake as it seems. So why is it still such a key point of conflict halfway through the book?

Instead of tension, I’m reading a lot of these situations as just tense. So it’s a bit of a struggle, especially considering we don’t get to know these characters intimately apart from each other & outside of the focal event that is the premise for their story.

Above everything, I’m not loving the MMC because if you care about her and value her so highly as an employee, then GIVE HER THE TITLE SHE DESERVES.

Note: I received an ARC from NetGalley.

"She's everything I shouldn't want, but I do."

I found this book enjoyable and an easy read. The story follows Dana, personal assistant to CEO Nathan, her boss. Nathan asks Dana if she will pretend to be his girlfriend during a work trip with his investor to help charm him into signing a deal. They promise to keep things strictly professional which all sounds simple, except the pair secretly have feelings for each other. I thought this book was well-written and if it was a longer novel it would be great to read more of a backstory of the two main characters, although as a short story I appreciate it must be difficult to cram everything into a limited amount of pages. it also included a couple of spicy scenes but this wasn't over-the-top. I prefered the character Dana over Nathan, I loved that she was portrayed as intelligent and savy and not just a damsel in distress like you find in some romance books.

Tropes:
- Forced proximity
- Fake dating
- Forbidden love
- Frenemies

Super cute & spicy novella!

I actually would have loved for this to have been a full book. It was good, but felt a little rushed, which i totally understand with it only being about 50/60 pages!

This is the first book I have read by Fortuna Lux, and i will absolutely will be going to read others by her!

Thank you NetGalley & publishers for the ARC!

Okay, so this was fun! The fake dating trope is always a win, and the romance was actually really cute. The main characters had great chemistry, and there were some solid flirty moments that kept me hooked. That said, it was kinda predictable and I feel like I’ve read this story before. But if you’re in the mood for something light and easy, it’s a good time.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.
Fake It ’Til You Feel It by Fortuna Lux is a fun and empowering romance that blends humor, self-discovery, and the journey to love. Lux’s writing is lighthearted and relatable, with a strong focus on character growth and finding confidence. The romance is sweet and full of chemistry, making it an enjoyable and uplifting read. Perfect for fans of feel-good, contemporary romance with a touch of humor.

A novella that should have been extended into a full length book. It was easy to read and had potential to be enjoyable, but felt rushed. There was no depth to the characters or their relationship because not enough details were provided. There was a point in the book where the character says something like “I don’t know what’s real or fake anymore” that made me scroll back to see if I accidentally skipped pages, because nothing had happened between the characters at that point to lead to this. Overall, even though I liked the writing style, it just felt like something was missing from this book.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC!

This book follows a boss and his assistant, and there weekend of fake dating. I loved how we got to see what the relationship was like while they worked together, then while they were fake dating. Even though it was short I think the pacing was great and it was a smooth transition between all events that took place within the book. If you need something short and to the point this book is the right one for you.