How does a one-night stand turn into your fake girlfriend?Senior year. I should be partying and living it up with my friends before graduation, but one more mistake and I’m off the team. Enter Chloe.She comes into my life at a low point, but she becomes the bright spot I reach for every day.She’s the kind of girl who makes a guy want to be a better man. And for a while, I even start to believe … man. And for a while, I even start to believe I’ve changed enough to deserve her.
I’ve got my eye on the future, and I’m letting my past stay where it belongs.
But the thing about the past… it always comes back to bite you when you least expect it.
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ARC REVIEW
An incredibly touching story with a whole lot of laughter and fiery chemistry.
Every time I get to read a book in the Smart Jocks series, I am always thrown in the middle of a well written and planned touching story that gives me food for thoughts while also reminding me why I love it so much, with tons of fun and passion thrown into this incredible mix.
‘The Fake’ by Rebecca Jenshak is book 4 in the ‘Smart Jocks’ series, it finally gives us insight into one of the most unique and interesting characters in the whole series, Nathan, and it gives him a chance to be better for the new girl, Chloe.
This book is more than I could’ve thought from reading the previous books in the series. It feels as if in the other books, we only got to see the tip of the iceberg and finally now we can study and find out what really lies beneath the surface of the water.
It is a moving and artistic story that will touch you deep into your soul but also make you laugh until you cry and snort at even the smallest details.
We meet Nathan and get to know him throughout the series, we know he is a sweet and cocky guy with a past that keeps haunting him to this day, skilled fingers that could make even the best basketball player jealous and the right humor to light up a whole room.
His whole life has been anything but easy, and especially these past few months, his resolve has been really tested and everything feels upside down.
Nathan is charismatic, handsome, funny as can be, sweet, caring and someone who’d do anything, literally anything for his family and friends. He is someone who is putting himself second in order to make those around him happy, someone who deserves the world but doesn’t even believe there will be a future waiting for him.
Someone that needs a surfer princess to come and jolt his life, show him a different perspective and take a bit of the burden off his shoulders.
Chloe is a talented volley player, she is sarcastic, sweet and vulnerable, especially now that her life has been flipped upside down and she had to transfer on her senior year of college. She is strong, resilient and tough, ready to prove her new volley team that she deserves to be there, that she isn’t the person they believe to be and she is ready to do anything to do so. Even open her big mouth and create a mess she is responsible for.
Chloe is truly unique, she is someone who wants to be around too, not because of what she does or not has, not because of what she did or did not do, but more because of who she is. She is genuine, true, passionate, someone that’ll go to great lengths for those she cares about.
Nathan and Chloe’s relationship starts at 100 degrees celsius, and what I mean by that is, their chemistry is off-the-charts hot. When they touch, fires start, when they kiss, they become fiery hurricanes and when they unite, they become something that cannot be ruined, no matter the circumstances.
Their relationship may be fake, but their feeling is most certainly not. The way they get each other is not fake, the way they feel each other’s presence is not fake, the way they laugh together and smile even when they live seem to be falling apart is a hundred percent not fake.
And the reality of these facts may hit them too hard and too late to do anything about it other than accept it.
This is a fast-paced book that will bring you back to the Valley U universe.
It will bring back all the couples we all know and love, and maybe even some new ones, it will remind you why you fell in love with them in the first place and make you fall even harder with Nathan, Chloe and all these other amazing new characters.
This book is special and tender, it will pull at your heartstrings more and more with every chapter, make you laugh until you can’t take it anymore and give you a piece of something you never knew you needed.
Bring your happiness back and make it shine brighter with this sports romance of a masterpiece.
The latest Smart Jocks romance from Rebecca Jenshak is live!
LOVED Chloe & Nathan!!!
So, Chloe & Nathan’s story is the 4th and unfortunately the last book in this series!
The Assist, book one, led me to this author and made me fall in love with her (writing) ever since. I totally love every single word in this series, and devoured all books!!
We met Nathan before in this series, and he was always a bit mysterious to me. This book finally gives you conclusion about him. I don’t want to get into everything, to not spoil anything!
Chloe is new at Valley, transfer from California. She doesn’t have it easy with her room-/teammates, because they think she gets everything handed to her and her father paid for her ‘in’ into college.
Really really loved this story. So much banter, funny moments in there, but also a lot of depth! Great seeing the other characters again and catching up. This group of friends will always have a piece of my heart!!!
I kindly received an arc and voluntarily left a review
This series just keeps getting better and better. I’ve been most curious about Nathan and his background story so I am thrilled that we finally get his book! Both Nathan and Chloe are amazing characters on their own, but when they are together, they are just perfect. In learning more about Nathan, I came to admire his loyalty to his team, his supportive and loving nature towards his family, and how he was with Chloe. He makes some bad decisions where I want to shake him, but I still couldn’t help but love him. Chloe is the type of girl that I’d love to be friends with in that she is caring and kindhearted. Having survived a scandal, the poor girl has a lot to prove to herself and to her teammates and she isn’t looking for a “real” relationship. There were moments of laughter as well as some swooning when it came to these two. Second chances and forgiveness are huge and I enjoyed watching their relationship evolve. It was also great to get caught up with the other characters from the previous books as well. It is a bit bittersweet that the Smart Jock series is over, but Nathan and Chloe’s story was the perfect ending. The Fake can be read as a standalone novel, but if you haven’t done so already, be sure to check out the other books in this series because they are all amazing.
Dang – I loved the cover and Nathan!
I didn’t know I needed Nathan’s story so much until I started reading this book. OMG – I absolutely adored him and Chloe. They are both troubled and a little scarred, so they are perfect for each other. This is a great ending (albeit sad) to the Smart Jocks series.
This has been such a great series and this one is probably my fave of the bunch – it is by far my favorite cover!!
“The way I feel when he’s around makes it easy to remember how I ended up drunk and naked the first time we met.”
There is so much to love – Nathan’s brokenness, Chloe’s determination, their notes back and forth to each other, when they finally realize maybe things aren’t as fake as they thought, and then their fight to get back to each other.
Nathan rises above his past, but it does come back to rear its ugly head before the end, but the way they work through it was real. This series has turned me into a Rebecca Jenshak fan.
Don’t miss out!!
I voluntarily requested and read an advance reader copy!
The Fake is the fourth and final book in the Smart Jocks series.
Nathan’s story is sweet, fun and emotional. There’s some stuff that Nathan is going through that no one knows about. And once things are revealed you can’t help but feel for him.
Chloe is a new volleyball transfer. She has self doubts about herself, her talent and other people’s loyalties. Being at a new school she definitely has something to prove, especially to herself.
Nathan and Chloe may have started off as a fake relationship, but in the end there was nothing fake about it or their genuine feelings for each other. Their attraction and undeniable chemistry was fiery. They both had their own personal struggles but together they were stronger.
The Fake is a great college romance filled with sweet, sexy and romantic moments. With a hero and heroine that you can’t help but root for. All in all it was an enjoyable read.
Chloe is in a bad place after what happened to her at her last school. She just wants to keep her head down and prove to herself she is worth it. She has so many self doubts about herself, her talent, and other people’s loyalties.
Nathan has his hands full. He has so many responsibilities and not enough time to fulfill them all.
This fake relationship turned true love story was so genuine. The conversations and interactions that took place had me falling in love with this couple even more. They were real with each other the entire time and didn’t try to deny things when secrets were revealed.
I have loved getting to experience this series from the start. These characters and their stories are realistic and genuine, and I’m super sad to see it end. The best part is knowing that there will be more jocks in the future.
– An Arc was generously provided in exchange for an honest review.-
Rebecca Jenshak captivated me in The Fake. Nathan and Chloe might just be my fave couple in the series. It’s bittersweet to know that this series has come to an end. The couple had amazing chemistry and I found they completed eachother. They are couple goals. This is a fun, sweet and sexy read that I recommend to all new adult sports romance lovers. Start this series today!
The play on the title is cute. It’s not only a basketball term, but is based on a fake relationship. Chloe’s story is interesting and eye opening because it deals with a major current event in college scandals. She’s looking for acceptance, to be included. Her meet with Nathan kicks into overdrive after the first meeting. Chloe impressed me with her trying to earn her place and respect. Nathan made me swoon with his uber-romantic ways and his refusal to give up, no matter what life throws in his path.
4.5 stars!!
I really liked the chemistry between Chloe and Nathan.
Nathan was such a mystery in the other books, so I was excited to see we got to learn about him. He has been through a lot and has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. You get to see why he acted like he did.
Chloe was the best thing for him. They helped each other!
I’m so happy to see the other characters still involved in the books. Can’t wait to see who else will be written about!
This book was not what I was expecting! it was definitely more! I read it in one sitting.
Okay, first of all…for four books we’ve gotten to know Wes, Joel, Zeke, and Nathan. This book was bittersweet with all four now graduated and headed off into their future endeavors. Rebecca really did a fantastic job with all four novels and the ending of this Smart Jock era. (I’m so sad, but happy all at the same time.)
Now…Chloe was the perfect match for Nathan. At the moments when he felt unworthy she had the amazing ability to make him feel like a prince, yet as he always compared himself to a pauper, she was the prince who rescued him from his worst self.
I’ll explain…
Even before Nathan moved into the White House to live with the men who would be not only his best friends, but would change his life forever, he never felt like he was worth much. His father died before he came to school, his mother lost her job, and his younger brother was left home to basically fed for himself. Nathan didn’t make the best choices to help his family scrape by, but he made them nonetheless. Living his life always looking in, that was how he met Chloe.
Chloe is a transfer in to Valley U her senior year. Trying to leave a scandal behind from her prior university she’s wanting to start over, but her teammates make it difficult when they all seem to hate her. After a one night stand and Nathan wakes up in her dorm, she introduces him as her boyfriend and the snowball only gets bigger as the lie grows, but when her teammates seem to like her more because of his association she’s hesitant to correct it.
Nathan would really like to date Chloe for real, but she insists on keeping their “relationship” fake. Honestly he’ll take just about any reason to be around her, she makes him want to be a better man, but the more time they spend together the more he wants the real deal. He’s afraid she’ll leave their arrangement and he not only likes himself since knowing her, he just likes her.
I’m going to miss these guys. The comradery, sportsmanship, learning, love, friendship, basically everything that was wrapped up in the Smart Jocks novels. The good news is Rebecca did promise a new generation of jocks will be coming and I’m soooooo looking forward to more great stories!!
The perfect ending to the Smart Jock series. I laughed, I cried, I swooned… I am IN LOVE with Jenshak’s words.