e-ALC, 11:17:16
Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
Release Date: July 14, 2026
Published by: Hachette Audio
Read from: July 7-8, 2026
Stand-alone
Source: Libro FM
Content Warning: Sexual Content, Death, Grief, Bullying, Infidelity
For Readers of: Adult, ARC, Audio, Catchy Title, Contemp Romance, Contemporary, Dual POV, Fake Dating, Libro FM, Most Anticipated, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Sports, Workplace RomanceA hockey team captain and a bubbly staffer mix business with pleasure when they start fake dating through the wedding season in this hot sports romance perfect for fans of Mariana Zapata and Elle Kennedy.
Darcy Kendrick is used to putting out fires. As an overworked admin to a hockey team, she’s seen it all. But nothing prepares her for accidentally DMing her very private, very NSFW fantasy to the subject of this fantasy: team captain Eric Tremaine. Nobody actually dies of embarrassment. Right?
But when a wedding invite puts them on a collision course with her chaotic family and his emotionally fraught past, Eric suggests a plan: they fake-date their way through the “Wedding Experience.” It’s mutually beneficial. Totally strategic. And definitely not real. Except between mini tacos, slow dances and lingering glances, Eric starts to wonder if the sharp-tongued assistant with a bottomless to-do list might be the one person who truly sees him. And for Darcy? The fire in her heart might be the only one she can’t put out.
It’s supposed to be fake. It’s supposed to be temporary. So why is it so hard to walk away?
*MY THOUGHTS*
The first is still my favorite, but this one was hella good too! And now I’ve heard there’s another coming out?! Yesssss! I need it yesterday!
Ok so from the beginning I loved this! Not only is it fake dating, but it’s fake dating to a wedding. And y’all know that’s my jam. It is a little different because its for her family member and not her ex, but it’s still interesting because the player knows them too, so the stakes were still high. And with that being said, literally all of them (her family) pissed me off and I wanted them to all leave her ass alone anyways LOL
The romance was ok. She kind of made me mad when she was like running from him. He yearned after her for so long and she ran from him and she made all these excuses and didn’t allow him to make any decisions for them too. I was mad because how dare you make me agree with a man LOL She was so stubborn and it irked me a little. I do know part of it was their jobs, but after having gone through this last year with her friend no less, I thought it was unnecessary for her to worry. I think they even say this in the book at some point, so I was like girl let it go and go get your man! LOL The smex scenes were ok, but again, I liked the first book’s better. But I won’t lie, when he said he was “stripped down to heated skin and big ideas” I lost it LOL
The characters were what made this for me tho LOL They were hilarious. But this was a also hella real. Trying to navigate the slang and language from the younger ones to them making assumptions and seeing things but never actually figuring things out was hilarious. And the way he was so good at doing it?! THE MINI COOKIES?! Gah the bar is low, but if he wanted to he would lol They gave this story what I felt was missing.
It was ok, but I won’t be thinking about it for a year like I was the first one. Idk I think I had held this one to a super high standard because I loved the other so much, and it just didn’t live up to it. But again, I still enjoyed it. Can’t wait for the third one now that I know it’s happening lol I hope y’all pick it up!
Overall, I give this
