A royal deception. An accidental romance.When fast-living flight attendant Brayden Wood agrees to accompany a first-class passenger to a swanky charity ball, he discovers his date—“Call me Flip”—is actually His Royal Highness Prince Antoine-Philipe. And he wants Brayden to pretend to be his boyfriend.Being Europe’s only prince of Indian descent—and its only openly gay one—has led Flip to select … openly gay one—has led Flip to select “appropriate” men first and worry about attraction later. Still, flirty, irreverent Brayden captivates him right away, and Flip needs a date to survive the ball without being match-made.
Before Flip can pursue Brayden in earnest, the paparazzi forces his hand, and the charade is extended for the remainder of Brayden’s vacation.
Posh, gorgeous, thoughtful Prince Flip is way out of Brayden’s league. If Brayden survives three weeks of platonically sharing a bed with him during the romantic holiday season, going home afterward might break his heart….
more
Fast paced and flirty, this fake relationship royal romance had all the feels. It’s a quick read that hits all the right romance notes, with humor and heart.
What’s not to love! A frothy 200-page romp through several popular romance tropes, We start with a rich, royal hero who, when stressed, becomes overly stiff (not in a fun way) and formal, plus a sassy flight attendant whose charm makes up for his tendency to say the wrong thing at the wrong moment, Stir well with some fake dating, past tragedy, an adorable family, as well as external conflict in the form of paparazzi, social media, racism. Sprinkle liberally with laugh-out-loud humor, add a dash of spicy love scenes, and you’ve got an adorable romance. Highly recommend.
La, la, la, la, la, la!! I am in such a good mood right now, y’all. I’ve got all the warm fuzzies, and my cheeks hurt from grinning. Why, you ask? Because I just finished Fake Dating the Prince by Ashlyn Kane—released by Dreamspinner Press—and I am in a euphoric cloud of readerly bliss.
I’m not even sure where to begin with this review because there was so much about this read that just floated my boat. It ticked sooo many of my boxes. First and foremost, I fell madly in love with the two MCs. Like, heart-achingly in love. Brayden had the most brilliant and hilarious and charming personality. I could just eat him with a spoon, I swear. I’m not sure I’ve laughed out loud at a book even half as much as I laughed at this one. I got a lot of grumps from the hubs because I kept waking him up in cackling hysterics. (Because, of course, I couldn’t put the dang thing down and read all night long. In bed. Next to my spouse, who was attempting to do the sleep thing. ) Brayden slayed me with his antics and his witty one liners. There was one scene I literally read three times, back to back, and got the hiccups because I was laughing so uproariously. When my husband woke up and questioned what the ever-loving-H-E-double-hockey-sticks was wrong with me, I read him the scene (making read number four) and even he busted a gut without knowing the characters or story. It’s that dang funny.
I won’t spoil the whole thing with a giant excerpt dump (especially since I most definitely don’t have the permission for that and you need to just go buy and read this whole book right now) but I’m going to share one little snippet that pretty much sums up the awesome, even without context:
“What kind of guys have you been dressing, if you have to put extra dick room in their pants?” He gestured down at his boxer briefs, which hid nothing—not that Brayden had anything to be ashamed of. “I mean, you can basically see it. It doesn’t need its own trouser leg.”
Then there was Flip. Oh, my heart. Flip is so very, very different than Brayden. Kane has some cray cray character building skills. There was never any question whose head I was in, and the dialogue could’ve stood on its own without tags of any sort and I would’ve still known who was speaking. And Flip was just… oh, Flip. He was a prince, all right. Compassionate, poised, and heart-meltingly lovable. And he makes this romantic gesture that’ll have your eyes turning into hearts, I promise. When I hit that part, I was a squeeing puddle of squish.
There are a hundred other things I could write in this review, because Kane has a phenomenal handle on the writing craft and just knocked this one outta the park. But I’m going to cut myself off here or I’ll write a novel. (Ask the poor author… I was that reader who hunted her down on Twitter and sent middle-of-the-night messages because I quite simply couldn’t not tell her how much I loved her words.)
I would recommend this book to everyone who loves romance and love and witty banter and killer chemistry. Full stop. Everyone.
I was looking for a sweet, fun romance to fit in between some suspenseful/ angst-ridden reads when I began Fake Dating the Prince and I got that and more. The fake relationship trope always seems to catch my eye because of the chance to see the chemistry build from seemingly nothing. I was especially pleased the connection between Brayden and Flip, though obvious from the start, was fostered and given time to grow into a palpable chemistry. It made this fairy tale of sorts that much sweeter and kept me fully engrossed in the couple’s story.
Beyond the romance, I really enjoyed the fictional setting of Lyngria. The descriptive scenes the author painted throughout the book, both in this fictional Baltic country and in nonfictional locales transported me and made for a great weekend read. This was my first book by Miss Kane and I really didn’t know what to expect but I so enjoyed her style, smooth dialogue, and the easy pace. If you’re looking for a light, sweet love story to get lost in with minimal angst, Fake Dating the Prince is definitely worth the read.
*Reviewed for Alpha Book Club*
Romantic Comedy at it’s best. I love the light hearted and fun feel to the story. I read this to take a break from a heavier story and it was the perfect fit. I like how Brayden really comes into the story with his own set of strengths which can help you see how this can be a perfect long term match. Flip is his own man and together they seem to be a perfect pair.