My Fake Vegas Boyfriend by Lori Sizemore

​HISTORICAL ROMANCE
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Publication date: 02/06/2016
Kindle Unlimited: No
Cliffhanger: No

I don’t read much historical romance these days. If you don’t believe me, check out our review policy. It’s not that I don’t like the historical category. Years ago, it’s what I read exclusively, as a matter of fact. But as is the case with any binge reading, I got burnt out and had to move on to contemporary and paranormal romance. So when Lori Sizemore asked if I was interested in reading her historical set in 1958, to say I was skeptical was an understatement.

But I’d read Infamous, one of her  contemporary romances , before, and really enjoyed it, so I thought, what the hell; I’ll give it a read. Given how good Infamous was, I shouldn’t have been surprised that the author was able to pull off a historical romance that even I (a self-proclaimed grumpy old historical curmudgeon) enjoyed.

First of all, for those of you who (like me) often grow weary of the level of old-timey detail included in some historical romances (sometimes there’s so much that you feel like the author is writing a book report about the time period just to prove to history buffs that they actually researched their subject matter), won’t be disappointed by My Fake Vegas Boyfriend. There’s enough detail to let you know when the story is set, but not so much that you’re bogged down or overwhelmed by it. The star of the story is the characters, not the time period. I consider that a huge plus in a historical romance.

Layla is a complex and very interesting heroine. She’s simultaneously fragile and strong, wanting to fit in, yet still entirely comfortable with isolation. She’s a walking, talking contradiction, which made her incredibly relatable as a character. (Who among us isn’t a little contradictory and complicated, heh?) The fact that she’d managed to survive a fairly horrible upbringing and still grow up to be a loving, compassionate woman was impressive. She was flawed, and had done things that were questionable and dangerous, but she was at heart, a good person. In that way, she kind of reminded me of Justine from Infamous.  

Jace was a good hero, too, if a little bland when compared to Layla. He was everything he needed to be, I guess: strong, handsome, caring, compassionate, and honest. I think it was his honesty that I most appreciated. Never once did he lie to Layla or keep something from her “for her own good.” He treated her with the utmost respect, always. His lack of high-handed, alphahole behavior was especially welcome in a historical romance. (Historical romance is notoriously littered with alphaholes)  

But, since there aren’t many perfect reads out there, I had a few minor quibbles:

1. I’ll admit that I don’t know much about the state of psychiatric facilities in 1958, but I somehow doubt that the parent of a 25 year-old woman could make a single phone call and have her committed against her will. I think that even in 1958, there would’ve been an evaluation of Layla’s mental health that would have deemed her sane. (Admittedly, I could be wrong about that, but the whole thing tripped my bullshit meter, and I never question my bullshit meter too much)
2. Layla’s mother was cartoonishly awful. There was no clear motivation for her action—no nuance to her character—and it made her uninteresting and unrealistic.
3. It looks like this book is being marketed as a romantic comedy, and the title implies that it’s a romantic comedy, but it wasn’t really funny. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think the lack of humor is a bad thing. This was a very emotional read. But anyone going into this book hoping for a ton of laughs or silly slapstick comedy will most likely be disappointed.         

   
But, minor quibbles notwithstanding, this was a breath-of-fresh-air historical that was a welcome addition to my Kindle.

Does this book contribute to or help crush the romance stigma?
This one’s clean and sober. No rehab needed.

Other reading suggestions
Definitely read Infamous. But for other historical romances that crush romance cliches, check out this list. ​

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