Faking Ms. Right by Claire Kingsley

Category: Rom Com
Publication date: 05/23/2019
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Cliffhanger: No

I’ve enjoyed this author’s books in the past, but for some reason, this one just didn’t do it for me.  

Plot overview:  Shepherd Calloway, sexy billionaire, needs a fake girlfriend because REASONS. His assistant Everly steps in. The fake relationship soon becomes all too real (as is law in the fake relationship trope). It’s a billionaire, fake relationship, office romance.  

I’ll start with the good stuff, I guess.

Everly is a decent heroine. She’s unabashedly kind and generous. But she’s not SO kind that she lets people take advantage of her. She let a few people know that just because she appears to be marshmallow fluff,  she wasn’t going to be anyone’s doormat. I appreciate those qualities in a romance heroine. 

Shepherd wasn’t an awful hero, either. I mean, he’s a bit of a cliche (it’s not like the whole-hot-billionaire-who-likes-to-dominate-in-the-boardroom-and-the-bedroom-and-who-isn’t-used-to-getting-attached-to-anyone thing hasn’t been done a million times before), but at heart, he’s a decent guy. 

Now for the not-so-great stuff: 

1. If my boss ever called me after hours, told me to show up somewhere, and instructed me to “look hot”, I wouldn’t go. Then I’d report him for sexual harassment. The fact that Everly went along with this and never even questioned him on it was completely unrealistic.
2. Shepherd’s reasons for needing a fake girlfriend were beyond ridiculous. How about you man up and tell people the truth? 
3. Everly’s reasons for accepting Shepherd’s proposal were equally ridiculous. I won’t give anything away, but Everly’s sister asked her to do something that NO rational person would EVER do, especially when it involved their boss. 
4. There’s an evil, gorgeous, gold-digging other woman. Sigh. Haven’t we seen enough of this kind of horrible, one-dimensional character? Can we all just agree that we’re sick of this character and agree to never speak of her again?
5. There are literally NO surprises here. Everything that you think is going to happen, happens. The lack of surprises made it a little tedious after a while. 

Long-story-short, this one wasn’t for me. It felt like something I’ve read a million times before. But the other reviews are overwhelmingly positive, so if it looks good to you, I say give it a read. One person’s crap is another’s treasure, and all that...

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
It’s not exactly stigma-y, but it’s definitely cliche-laden.

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