In Development

I’m a fan of both Rachel Spangler and the ‘fauxmance’ genre so I had a pretty good feeling I would enjoy this book. Having said that, I was surprised by how much I absolutely loved getting lost in this story and how nicely and likeable even the sidekick characters were. I kept looking at how much was left of the book because I just didn’t want it to end! Loved, loved, loved these characters and would’ve followed them for a whole book series if I could. It also included a couple of beautifully gentle and dare I say it.. even sexy?! instances of getting consent before a romantic move. Somehow Spangler still managed to let the characters and moment be effortlessly smooth through it all. Definitely a fun and bingeable read. Loved it.

4.5 rounded up. Wow, this is my first Spangler novel and I have to say what a way for me to start. Despite my Sci-fi/ dystopian / spec fic/ fantasy leanings. I do love a good slow burn romance if the plot interests me enough. And for whatever reason, I've enjoyed many of the "celebrity" roms I've read. Let's talk about the characters. Famous singer, Lila Wilder, is person of interest #1. Famous "girl next door" actress, Cobie Galloway is our #2. Lila is a singer and clothing designer who's known for her scandalous parade of male arm candy, but her place in the limelight is slipping. Cobie is ready to break out of the Disney type roles and go after a movie part that is significantly darker and more edgy. Their agents come up with the perfect plan. A fauxmance. What could go wrong, right? Throughout the novel I got the feeling that Lila was trying to come across as a controlling and unfeeling, eye on the prize, kind of person. She went into the arrangement thinking that it didn't make any difference if her arm candy was a man or a woman. She's never even considered a woman before but thinks "how hard could it be?" She truly believes that everything is fake anyway and all her interactions are best left as negotiations and pre-written scenes. She's always aware of the paparazzi and treats life as just one big show. But there is something deeper to her character that the astute reader will pick up on and while you may want to shake her out of sheer exasperation, you keep…

This is a tough one to rate. I almost want to rate it 5 stars since it’s a standout in the genre but there’s something kind of undefinable that’s holding me back from that one extra star. I literally just finished reading this story, so I’ll probably be able to put better words to it later. The setup is there, the great writing is there, the characters and characterization are there. It’s truly a well written romance. It was just a bit...heavy on the angst? Maybe. Thankfully it’s not in the same vein of the completely illogical angst you see in many other romances. I mean, yes, there was that dynamic of character A and character B being completely unable to communicate at times, which I usually find insufferable. But for the most part Ms. Spangler really does not shy away from writing dialogue and arguments between the MC’s that feel real and intense and get to the heart of the matter. It is very refreshing (almost cathartic) when a character says the exact thing they *should* say rather than something that ultimately ratchets up the angst, but solves nothing. Thankfully, there’s not much of that here. What lack of communication there is makes a lot of sense given how heavily guarded Lila is. On that note, Lila’s guardedness and egoism is what dials up the angst factor the most, to the point that I felt she weighed down the story a bit. Sometimes I just wanted to tell her to eat a Snickers bar! (Lol.) Overall though, this was a story written by an author who seems to have…

This is without a doubt one of the best books of the year (or ever). I loved how Cobie and Lila began their fauxmance and I really loved how it turned out. Lila being somewhat of an ice queen and Cobie being somewhat of an innocent----although both were famous in their own right. However people are not always what they seem. There was just enough drama and questions to keep those pages turning as fast as possible. Ms. Spangler did an outstanding job of personalizing the characters so that I couldn't even begin to chose my favorite.....even the side characters were wonderful. Many thanks to this author for yet another absolutely amazing book. I definitely recommend you get this book asap. You will be ever so happy that you did.

Every once in a while a fantastic gem like this is written and revives my boredom with so much of the mundane, absurd, and repetitious in lez fic novels. The characters had typical drama (which I love), but instead of it taking 4,000 chapters to resolve, they actually talked it out soon after and had it out in fiery and real ways. I loved Cobie’s patience and tenderness with Lila, but I was soooo drawn to Lila’s stubbornness and hesitant passion. Another reviewer mentioned that this novel also incorporates female to female sexual consent and I loved that too. This book was so well thought out from start to finish and all the emotions and characters in between. LOVED it!