Review: Fake Date by Monica Murphy (Dating #2)
Note: An advanced reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author via Social Butterfly PR.
I admit it: the fake relationship trope is not a personal favorite of mine. I don't necessarily dislike it, but it isn't a go-to or even in my top five. However, I'm always open to reading the trope, particularly when it's penned by an author whose work I've enjoyed numerous times in the past. So naturally, I dove right into Fake Date, the second novel in Monica Murphy's Dating series. Not only have I loved Murphy's other books, but I really liked Save the Date, the Dating series starter, as well. While not my favorite from this author, this was a good enough follow-up.
Fake Date is the story of Sarah Harrison, a twenty-four-year-old sales associate at an exclusive boutique called Bliss Lingerie, and Jared Gaines, a thirty-four-year-old wealthy businessman and a loyal customer at Bliss. Of course, all that shopping on Jared's part has more to do with buying gifts for the numerous women he's been with over the past two years he's been a client at Bliss. Many a sales associate has flirted with and fawned over him, and he's never been interested...that is, until he meets Sarah. He needs a fake girlfriend, she develops real feelings. Uh-oh...
Let me get this out of the way: I struggled liking Jared. Did he win me over by the end? Yes, he did, but I'd already spent a heck of a lot of time disliking the guy and not trusting his motives. He shopped in Bliss for the women he'd been with, and then would later send a sales associate--Sarah--lingerie, shoes, flowers, etc. plus ask her to be his fake girlfriend? Ummm... Yeah, no. She was professional and he got far more personal, and while that may seem somewhat cute, it wasn't the least bit romantic. But with Sarah by his side, he did change and my heart did thaw.
While I wasn't a fan of Jared's, I did quite like Sarah. She was beautifully confident and was an amazing older sister to her younger siblings, Brent and Andie. She certainly the one I need to thank for making Jared a better man, and he definitely needed her in his life. Monica Murphy's writing was, as always, enticing, and there were both sweet and steamy moments that I liked. Now, I may have not liked this second in a series as much as I did the first one, but it was still a pretty good read, which leads me to give Fake Date 3.5 stars. Let the waiting begin for book three! ♥
Fake Date is the story of Sarah Harrison, a twenty-four-year-old sales associate at an exclusive boutique called Bliss Lingerie, and Jared Gaines, a thirty-four-year-old wealthy businessman and a loyal customer at Bliss. Of course, all that shopping on Jared's part has more to do with buying gifts for the numerous women he's been with over the past two years he's been a client at Bliss. Many a sales associate has flirted with and fawned over him, and he's never been interested...that is, until he meets Sarah. He needs a fake girlfriend, she develops real feelings. Uh-oh...
Let me get this out of the way: I struggled liking Jared. Did he win me over by the end? Yes, he did, but I'd already spent a heck of a lot of time disliking the guy and not trusting his motives. He shopped in Bliss for the women he'd been with, and then would later send a sales associate--Sarah--lingerie, shoes, flowers, etc. plus ask her to be his fake girlfriend? Ummm... Yeah, no. She was professional and he got far more personal, and while that may seem somewhat cute, it wasn't the least bit romantic. But with Sarah by his side, he did change and my heart did thaw.
While I wasn't a fan of Jared's, I did quite like Sarah. She was beautifully confident and was an amazing older sister to her younger siblings, Brent and Andie. She certainly the one I need to thank for making Jared a better man, and he definitely needed her in his life. Monica Murphy's writing was, as always, enticing, and there were both sweet and steamy moments that I liked. Now, I may have not liked this second in a series as much as I did the first one, but it was still a pretty good read, which leads me to give Fake Date 3.5 stars. Let the waiting begin for book three! ♥
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Read my reviews for the Dating series:
Save the Date (book one) - 4.5 stars - My Review
Fake Date (book two) - 3.5 stars - My Review (posted above)
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Date Read: 17 September 2019
Learn more about Monica Murphy.
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