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Loveless Brothers #2
Best Fake Fiancé
I told a judge I was engaged to my best friend.
Now we’re faking it.
How hard can it be?
My life has room for exactly two women: my daughter Rusty and my best friend Charlotte — known to everyone as Charlie.
One is a feisty, tomboyish firecracker. The other is my seven-year-old. I can’t imagine life without either.
So when my ex springs a custody hearing on me, I find myself telling the judge that I’m engaged to Charlie.
The only problem? I’m not.
Time to fake an engagement.
Pretending we’re a couple will be no big deal.
We’ve been friends for years. We used to sneak cigarettes behind the bleachers. We turned cans of hairspray into flamethrowers. We got drunk on stolen malt liquor.
She’s beautiful, vivacious, spontaneous, and she loves my daughter to death. It’s the perfect answer: we fake it for a few months, then go back to our lives.
Until we touch, and sparks fly. Until I can’t take my eyes off her. Until I can’t stop thinking about what she’s got on under her coveralls.
It takes one kiss.
One touch.
One shared secret and suddenly, I’m not pretending anymore. I want her, I need her in ways I didn’t know I could.
But there’s a lifetime of friendship between us, and falling in love with Charlie could risk everything.
Now we’re faking it.
How hard can it be?
My life has room for exactly two women: my daughter Rusty and my best friend Charlotte — known to everyone as Charlie.
One is a feisty, tomboyish firecracker. The other is my seven-year-old. I can’t imagine life without either.
So when my ex springs a custody hearing on me, I find myself telling the judge that I’m engaged to Charlie.
The only problem? I’m not.
Time to fake an engagement.
Pretending we’re a couple will be no big deal.
We’ve been friends for years. We used to sneak cigarettes behind the bleachers. We turned cans of hairspray into flamethrowers. We got drunk on stolen malt liquor.
She’s beautiful, vivacious, spontaneous, and she loves my daughter to death. It’s the perfect answer: we fake it for a few months, then go back to our lives.
Until we touch, and sparks fly. Until I can’t take my eyes off her. Until I can’t stop thinking about what she’s got on under her coveralls.
It takes one kiss.
One touch.
One shared secret and suddenly, I’m not pretending anymore. I want her, I need her in ways I didn’t know I could.
But there’s a lifetime of friendship between us, and falling in love with Charlie could risk everything.
420 pages, ebook
First published August 14, 2019
3090 people are currently reading
8596 people want to read
About the author
Roxie Noir
44 books3,520 followersRoxie is a romance author by day, and also a romance author by night. She lives in Los Angeles with one husband, two cats, far too many books, and a truly alarming pile of used notebooks that she refuses to throw away.
She's the author of the Loveless Brothers series, the upcoming Wildwood Society series, and a bunch of other books that are also delightful.
If you need updates or free stories, you can sign up for her newsletter: http://roxienoir.com/newsletter
She's the author of the Loveless Brothers series, the upcoming Wildwood Society series, and a bunch of other books that are also delightful.
If you need updates or free stories, you can sign up for her newsletter: http://roxienoir.com/newsletter
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 944 reviews
May 29, 2021
“You’re the sun and I’m the moon,” he says slowly, carefully. “You shine and I reflect, and that’s how we always were. Without you I’m a dark, cold, dusty rock hurtling through space.”
Best Fake Fiancée was a nice and enjoyable read but compared to the first book, it felt lacking. This isn’t to say that it was a bad book… just not as memorable as the first.
♡ Plot: ♡
Daniel Loveless (29) is a single father of an adorable seven-year-old named Rusty. When his irresponsible baby mamma comes back into his life, demanding full custody at a court hearing, he panics and blurts out that he’s engaged to his childhood best friend, Charlotte ‘Charlie’ McManus (29).
Thus Daniel and Charlie have to navigate a fake engagement but it's not so easy when their feelings aren’t so fake at all...
♡ Characters ♡
Daniel and Charlotte have an opposites attract dynamic that worked really well. Daniel was the responsible one (well, after he became a dad) and Charlotte was the ditzy one with a venturesome spirit. As far as these characters go, they’re definitely going to be the least memorable for me in this series. There was nothing terribly exciting or boring about them, just average characters is all!
Rusty’s really into wombats right now. Last week I told her that she couldn’t have one as a pet, and ever since then, she’s been casually mentioning various wombat features that would just happen to make them perfect pets. For example, their poop is square, so it’s stackable.
RUSTY WAS DEFINITELY THE STAR OF THE SHOW. I was so tempted to give this book 5 stars just for her because she was so cute! I loved her zest for life and her curiosity made her such a ball of sunshine! The way her uncles dotted on her was so heartwarming too.
Of course, the Loveless brothers brought a lot of fun and banter to the story. I’m super curious about Levi’s book. I already know I’m going to love him. It’s always the quiet ones that sneak up on you, ya know?
♡ The Romance ♡
For me, the childhood friends to lovers is a difficult trope to get right and I can totally understand why many readers dislike it. Because Daniel and Charlie already had a ‘moment’ years back, their relationship was also kind of a second chance romance, so the mutual feelings were already established and I think that was my problem with the romance here. Everything about Daniel and Charlie's relationship was way too smooth sailing for me. This also meant the romance sort of fizzled out in the middle and the author had to rely on some drama to spice things up.
I thought perhaps adding some moments of mutual pining or feelings of yearning leading up to the fake relationship in the beginning would’ve made the romance more interesting.
♡ Other thoughts / Criticisms ♡
What really let this book down for me were the decisions the characters made, namely Charlie. With Rusty’s custody battle on the line, you’d think these characters would be err on the side of caution… but NOPE. Custody Battle? Don’t know her. Charlie acted more like an irresponsible fun Aunt half the time. Don’t get me wrong, I like Charlie, I just found it frustrating that she chose to be so irresponsible when there was a custody battle looming over their heads. There was also no real establishment about Charlie being a mother figure to Rusty which was rather odd. Sure, she baby sat but that’s completely different to being a mom.
Lastly, I’m not quite sure how I feel about Rusty’s mother. I have no doubt that cold vindictive bitches like her exist in real life, but I felt like her character had no real motivations other than being a plot device to push the main characters together thus making her seem very one-dimensional.
I feel like I’m a bit harsh with this review considering I gave the first book 5 stars. OH WELLS. Best Fake Fiancee was still an enjoyable read but it ultimately fizzled out towards the end due to its heavy reliance on plot devices. Anyways, the next book is Levi’s which I already know I'm going to love.
Rating: 3/5
***********************************************
How do I adopt Rusty?? SHE'S THE CUTEST KID EVEERRRRR 😭😭😭
short rtc... when work isn't killing me
August 14, 2019
I'm such a sucker for a single parent romance and Rusty was just so cute. She's seven going on seventeen and I just loved the way her mind worked. She's one of those kids that needs a village to watch over her and she has that in Daniel's family.
The author did a great job of balancing Rusty with the budding romance of Daniel and Charlie. She wasn't in every scene but you also didn't forget about her when she wasn't. This little girl has so many people in her life that love her to death and you felt that in this book.
Charlie and Daniel are an opposites attract couple. Daniel is a single dad who worries constantly over Rusty's safety. He's kind of forgotten what it was like when he was a kid. Charlie is the fun but flighty woman who keeps Daniel from becoming too stuffy.
Their differences cause a bit of friction and I like the way the author handled that. It made me love this story more. The next book in the series has a lot to live up to after this one and I'm looking forward to it!
The author did a great job of balancing Rusty with the budding romance of Daniel and Charlie. She wasn't in every scene but you also didn't forget about her when she wasn't. This little girl has so many people in her life that love her to death and you felt that in this book.
Charlie and Daniel are an opposites attract couple. Daniel is a single dad who worries constantly over Rusty's safety. He's kind of forgotten what it was like when he was a kid. Charlie is the fun but flighty woman who keeps Daniel from becoming too stuffy.
Their differences cause a bit of friction and I like the way the author handled that. It made me love this story more. The next book in the series has a lot to live up to after this one and I'm looking forward to it!
August 27, 2019
Definitely my new top favorite read!!! I absolutely loved everything about Daniel and Charlie!
When Daniel is in danger of losing custody of his daughter, he does something completely out of character. He lies to the judge. Suddenly he’s engaged to his best friend Charlotte. Small town gossip being what it is, their plans to keep their fake engagement just between them goes up in flames before the afternoon is over. Now he’s juggling not only the lies, but his feelings for Charlie.
Charlie can’t lie to save her life. Everyone is going to know the truth. But interestingly enough, no one, with the exception of nosy siblings, has a clue that her engagement to Daniel isn’t the real thing. It seems everyone in Spruceville has had an eye on this couple and are thrilled that they’ve finally taken this step. When the engagement is fake but the relationship is real, Charlie finds herself doubting her abilities to be what Daniel and his daughter Rusty need.
Daniel, while being pretty straight laced and living life in the “no gray” zone as well as losing his cool at times, was completely believable. I felt like I knew him personally. There were times I wanted to hug him, times he made me blush, and times I wanted to smack him upside the head. His love, pride and care for his daughter was swoon worthy and when he messed up, he more than made up for his mistakes. He was pretty much the perfect single dad hero.
“I love this about her. I love that it’s always been the two of us, through everything, and now it’s the two of us here as close as two people can get. I love that she’s never backed down from me and I’ve never backed down from her.”
Charlie was a bit of a wild child. She rarely stopped to think before acting and it often got her into trouble. She was messy and always running late, forgetful over the simple things and often the last person to be trusted with responsibility of any real import. But her heart was tender and full of love when it came to Daniel and Rusty. Her ability to learn from her mistakes as well as to let go of hurt and anger made me love her all the more.
I loved both these characters so much! They were written in such a way that they felt real to me. Their wit and banter kept me engaged throughout the book. The steam level between them was off the charts sizzling, and again, it was all very believable. I’m a huge fan of the friends-to-lovers trope, but it doesn’t always work for me. In this case, it not only worked, it superseded my every hope and expectation!
With all the amazing sibling side characters, as well as a few townies, this was a perfect well rounded read that I found myself both laughing and later, tearing up at. Daniel’s brothers and friends added so much more to the story without every distracting me from the main characters. This is a rich, full, fun, family and friends, friends-to-lovers story that will absolutely be a reread in the future as well as a new top favorite!
Dual POV
Safe
Triggers
When Daniel is in danger of losing custody of his daughter, he does something completely out of character. He lies to the judge. Suddenly he’s engaged to his best friend Charlotte. Small town gossip being what it is, their plans to keep their fake engagement just between them goes up in flames before the afternoon is over. Now he’s juggling not only the lies, but his feelings for Charlie.
Charlie can’t lie to save her life. Everyone is going to know the truth. But interestingly enough, no one, with the exception of nosy siblings, has a clue that her engagement to Daniel isn’t the real thing. It seems everyone in Spruceville has had an eye on this couple and are thrilled that they’ve finally taken this step. When the engagement is fake but the relationship is real, Charlie finds herself doubting her abilities to be what Daniel and his daughter Rusty need.
Daniel, while being pretty straight laced and living life in the “no gray” zone as well as losing his cool at times, was completely believable. I felt like I knew him personally. There were times I wanted to hug him, times he made me blush, and times I wanted to smack him upside the head. His love, pride and care for his daughter was swoon worthy and when he messed up, he more than made up for his mistakes. He was pretty much the perfect single dad hero.
“I love this about her. I love that it’s always been the two of us, through everything, and now it’s the two of us here as close as two people can get. I love that she’s never backed down from me and I’ve never backed down from her.”
Charlie was a bit of a wild child. She rarely stopped to think before acting and it often got her into trouble. She was messy and always running late, forgetful over the simple things and often the last person to be trusted with responsibility of any real import. But her heart was tender and full of love when it came to Daniel and Rusty. Her ability to learn from her mistakes as well as to let go of hurt and anger made me love her all the more.
I loved both these characters so much! They were written in such a way that they felt real to me. Their wit and banter kept me engaged throughout the book. The steam level between them was off the charts sizzling, and again, it was all very believable. I’m a huge fan of the friends-to-lovers trope, but it doesn’t always work for me. In this case, it not only worked, it superseded my every hope and expectation!
With all the amazing sibling side characters, as well as a few townies, this was a perfect well rounded read that I found myself both laughing and later, tearing up at. Daniel’s brothers and friends added so much more to the story without every distracting me from the main characters. This is a rich, full, fun, family and friends, friends-to-lovers story that will absolutely be a reread in the future as well as a new top favorite!
Dual POV
Safe
Triggers
August 20, 2019
This is second in a series. I have no idea if that's significant in any way because I was unable to get past the first chapter.
I talk about granting books their premise. I think I'm going to have to amend that somehow. Because the premise for this book is just too stupid for words. Daniel gets into a visitation hearing for his daughter and is blind sided by his ex having a new rich husband, is expecting a baby, and hired a new shark lawyer. And they're seeking full custody with a recently-assigned judge who is friends with the new lawyer and "conservative" (by which is meant prejudiced against Daniel's black lawyer and single dads and working moms). So we have three caricatures all in one scene (judge, ex, and ex's lawyer) all so that we can get to the incredibly contrived "fake fiancée" sub-genre. Because naturally Daniel panics and says he's newly engaged (because that's going to make a difference to a caricature of a "conservative" judge).
It's too much and I just can't. Look, I live in Utah which believe me has its share of conservative family law prejudices. And my best friend went through a bitter divorce with an ex who is evil enough you couldn't actually include her in fiction because people wouldn't buy her extreme manipulation and how much she has gotten away with. We became friends after he'd suffered through the worst of his legal issues brought about by his ex, but he sometimes says that as long as he paid attention to the rules, documented things well, and met the requirements laid out by the various decrees he was able to curb the worst excesses brought on by the vindictive ex and the courts would see reason. What I'm saying is that this "conservative" judge wouldn't fly in Utah. So I doubt he'd exist anywhere else.
And that's before we get to Daniel's evil ex. Sounds to me like the best defense Daniel could come up with is a decent private eye who would tear his ex's life apart. There's no way she has changed that much in that short a time. But then we wouldn't get a fake fiancée story, would we?
I talk about granting books their premise. I think I'm going to have to amend that somehow. Because the premise for this book is just too stupid for words. Daniel gets into a visitation hearing for his daughter and is blind sided by his ex having a new rich husband, is expecting a baby, and hired a new shark lawyer. And they're seeking full custody with a recently-assigned judge who is friends with the new lawyer and "conservative" (by which is meant prejudiced against Daniel's black lawyer and single dads and working moms). So we have three caricatures all in one scene (judge, ex, and ex's lawyer) all so that we can get to the incredibly contrived "fake fiancée" sub-genre. Because naturally Daniel panics and says he's newly engaged (because that's going to make a difference to a caricature of a "conservative" judge).
It's too much and I just can't. Look, I live in Utah which believe me has its share of conservative family law prejudices. And my best friend went through a bitter divorce with an ex who is evil enough you couldn't actually include her in fiction because people wouldn't buy her extreme manipulation and how much she has gotten away with. We became friends after he'd suffered through the worst of his legal issues brought about by his ex, but he sometimes says that as long as he paid attention to the rules, documented things well, and met the requirements laid out by the various decrees he was able to curb the worst excesses brought on by the vindictive ex and the courts would see reason. What I'm saying is that this "conservative" judge wouldn't fly in Utah. So I doubt he'd exist anywhere else.
And that's before we get to Daniel's evil ex. Sounds to me like the best defense Daniel could come up with is a decent private eye who would tear his ex's life apart. There's no way she has changed that much in that short a time. But then we wouldn't get a fake fiancée story, would we?
August 10, 2019
One white lie blows up into a whole other story.
Daniel desperately wants to impress the judge who is deciding the fate of his daughter. In a moment of madness he told the world he was engaged to his best friend.
Charlie and Daniel have always been close but when their engagement is announced nobody is surprised except them. One kiss can hurt right? Now they are faking it but the feelings are becoming very real.
This book followed the natural path from friends to lovers. 4 stars out of 5. *ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Daniel desperately wants to impress the judge who is deciding the fate of his daughter. In a moment of madness he told the world he was engaged to his best friend.
Charlie and Daniel have always been close but when their engagement is announced nobody is surprised except them. One kiss can hurt right? Now they are faking it but the feelings are becoming very real.
This book followed the natural path from friends to lovers. 4 stars out of 5. *ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 10, 2019
Super cute read and the best book siblings ever!! I would love to read about all the siblings. They were my favorite part of the book. The MC’s were not very well developed. They had some character traits that defined their whole person. To the extreme. She was extremely unorganized and forgetful. He was extremely neat and over protective. They kept saying opposites attract but his personally was so aggressive and mean and kept putting down all her quirks. I honestly don’t see how they work. The sex was great but if that was taken away you end up with two people that hate each other most of the time. How did they make it to 18 years of friendship? I kept asking myself this question and realized I didn’t believe it. Which made me feel bleh about the story. I also loved the beginning and and all the sexual tension but once they actually get together it got boring. All they wanted was sex. I get it but they used to hang out all the time and have fun together. Now he was mad when she forgot it was Thursday because he was outside her apartment horny. Then he makes her feel bad because she forgot the day and he forgot to text her a reminder. She needs a million reminders. He’s always adding alarms to her phone to “help” her. Honestly his personality probably made her super anxious and forgetful because of all the stress he adds to her life with all those phone alarms. I don't think she loses her phones. She runs away from all the alarms. Ugh. So maybe I was hate reading the story towards the end. Bleh.
It was still worth the read. Daniel and Charlie were cute. Rusty was the cutest!! The siblings were just the right amount of annoying and super supportive. They were also funny and charming.
It was still worth the read. Daniel and Charlie were cute. Rusty was the cutest!! The siblings were just the right amount of annoying and super supportive. They were also funny and charming.
August 30, 2022
⋆˙⟡♡ you know im a sucker for fake fiancé between best friends and roxie noir delivered in spades.
look, i havent read any other of the loveless brothers series books, but let me tell you that i'm totally going to have to get all the others because this one was fantastic. i love a good small-town romance series where a family gets to be the main character and each of the siblings has a standalone book where they find their own happily ever after. best fake fiancé is daniel and charlie's story and they have been best friend since toddlers. but now, daniel needs help when the mother of his child wants to take her away and get full custody, so he says charlie's his fiancé. and this is where the story starts.
i love the quickness of the story because you get right into it. daniel needs a faken fiancé and so he asks charlie to pretend to be his fiancé in order to keep his daughter. they once upon a time kissed under the stars and though it would lead to something more, but circumstances made them try to forget that night... until now. when they have to kiss to make everyone believe they're in love, when they have to hold hands and go cake tasting to let everyone know this is real. but pretending leads to real feelings resurfacing and the sexual attraction between them is wild and intense, so they decide to take this relationship into the next step.
look i loved this story, it was hilarious- the perfect rom-com. i love all the characters, not only the main two, all of the other ones too! the loveless family is so heartwarming and cute and i just want them to be happy forever. im excited to see what's next for each of them. but look,,,. i needed more grovelling. there are some things said in the midst of pain and fright, so i wanted more grovel!!!! angst!!!! i wanted to see them work for it. i think the resolve at the end was too quick and easy, but that doesn't change the fact that i had such a good time reading this book. i'm now forever obsessed with noir's writing, thank you.
♡ single dad hero
♡ best friends to lovers
♡ pretend to date
♡ small-town romance
♡ this is so smutty
look, i havent read any other of the loveless brothers series books, but let me tell you that i'm totally going to have to get all the others because this one was fantastic. i love a good small-town romance series where a family gets to be the main character and each of the siblings has a standalone book where they find their own happily ever after. best fake fiancé is daniel and charlie's story and they have been best friend since toddlers. but now, daniel needs help when the mother of his child wants to take her away and get full custody, so he says charlie's his fiancé. and this is where the story starts.
i love the quickness of the story because you get right into it. daniel needs a faken fiancé and so he asks charlie to pretend to be his fiancé in order to keep his daughter. they once upon a time kissed under the stars and though it would lead to something more, but circumstances made them try to forget that night... until now. when they have to kiss to make everyone believe they're in love, when they have to hold hands and go cake tasting to let everyone know this is real. but pretending leads to real feelings resurfacing and the sexual attraction between them is wild and intense, so they decide to take this relationship into the next step.
look i loved this story, it was hilarious- the perfect rom-com. i love all the characters, not only the main two, all of the other ones too! the loveless family is so heartwarming and cute and i just want them to be happy forever. im excited to see what's next for each of them. but look,,,. i needed more grovelling. there are some things said in the midst of pain and fright, so i wanted more grovel!!!! angst!!!! i wanted to see them work for it. i think the resolve at the end was too quick and easy, but that doesn't change the fact that i had such a good time reading this book. i'm now forever obsessed with noir's writing, thank you.
♡ single dad hero
♡ best friends to lovers
♡ pretend to date
♡ small-town romance
♡ this is so smutty
October 22, 2019
Another hit by Roxie Noir, and another author to add to my list of must-reads. 😁
Single father Daniel has been best friends with Charlotte since they were 11 years old. When Daniel panics at a custody hearing they end up engaged, but Charlie is nervous to change anything about their almost perfect friendship and feelings resurface that she hasn't had to face in years.
I loved how Daniel and Charlie were totally opposite personalities, Daniel was very organised and responsible, whilst Charlie was... very much not.
Another thing that endears me to this series is the whole family dynamic between the brothers and their close friends, and not forgetting the matriarch and head of the family their mother (kinda hoping she gets a book).
Overall, whilst it didn't top book 1, which had that added element of suspense, it was still a fab read. Can't wait for Levi's book next!
Single father Daniel has been best friends with Charlotte since they were 11 years old. When Daniel panics at a custody hearing they end up engaged, but Charlie is nervous to change anything about their almost perfect friendship and feelings resurface that she hasn't had to face in years.
I loved how Daniel and Charlie were totally opposite personalities, Daniel was very organised and responsible, whilst Charlie was... very much not.
Another thing that endears me to this series is the whole family dynamic between the brothers and their close friends, and not forgetting the matriarch and head of the family their mother (kinda hoping she gets a book).
Overall, whilst it didn't top book 1, which had that added element of suspense, it was still a fab read. Can't wait for Levi's book next!
October 27, 2024
1.75 ⭐
I love Roxie Noir (I know I keep saying that but I almost feel bad for this rating) but this might be the worst friends to lovers book I've ever read.
Both MCs were insufferable. FMC for being randomly immature and MMC for being an uptight hypocrite.
I also don't buy the love story here. They kissed the day before he got Rusty and they never talked about it or something? That's so dumb.
Then they have to act like they are engaged, still no sign of their feelings, they have to kiss and BAM feelings? Nope, I'm not buying it.
What's with the sex appointments anyway? Unromantic as fuck, it was pure lust.
I knew I wouldn't like this book and I kinda forced myself. I shouldn't have. I'll now continue to avoid Seth's book because I enjoy it as a side character and I know I won't enjoy it.
I love Roxie Noir (I know I keep saying that but I almost feel bad for this rating) but this might be the worst friends to lovers book I've ever read.
Both MCs were insufferable. FMC for being randomly immature and MMC for being an uptight hypocrite.
I also don't buy the love story here. They kissed the day before he got Rusty and they never talked about it or something? That's so dumb.
Then they have to act like they are engaged, still no sign of their feelings, they have to kiss and BAM feelings? Nope, I'm not buying it.
What's with the sex appointments anyway? Unromantic as fuck, it was pure lust.
I knew I wouldn't like this book and I kinda forced myself. I shouldn't have. I'll now continue to avoid Seth's book because I enjoy it as a side character and I know I won't enjoy it.
October 3, 2023
I’m DNFing this book at 78%. The writing is good, the plot isn’t bad but I can’t continue reading. This is about a single dad that starts dating his best friend. Except that the best friend gives his daughter a knife and she cuts herself, almost gets him arrested for trespassing a week before a custody hearing, then takes her to the “sliding rocks” after he specifically said no, and the daughter breaks her arm. The whole time the guy is stupidly falling in love with her. Maybe it’s my childhood, divorced parents trauma showing but I just can’t continue.
October 27, 2021
Maybe it was just me, but I was bored most of the time... Wasted potential ☹️
June 15, 2024
Ugh this book bothered me. Charlie was so irresponsible and everyone was acting like Daniel was wrong for being angry that she took her to those rocks when he specifically told her not to. He’s the parent and he’s in the middle of a custody battle with a biased judge ffs. There were some instances where Daniel went along with Charlie’s silly ideas then blamed her afterwards but Rusty breaking her arm bothered me most. Like Charlie went against Daniel’s parenting decision then his child broke her arm but somehow Charlie’s crying and Charlie’s sister is calling him a jerk for being angry ???
She’s super selfish. She couldn’t even show up to court on time. But oh that’s Charlie 🤷♀️
It didn’t even make sense why there was a custody battle in the first place. The mother got her child taken away for neglect and drug abuse and as the non custodial parent with a small amount of visitation she can randomly decide to move and take the daughter? I should’ve stopped reading when I realised that was the premise.
She’s super selfish. She couldn’t even show up to court on time. But oh that’s Charlie 🤷♀️
It didn’t even make sense why there was a custody battle in the first place. The mother got her child taken away for neglect and drug abuse and as the non custodial parent with a small amount of visitation she can randomly decide to move and take the daughter? I should’ve stopped reading when I realised that was the premise.
January 2, 2020
3.5
Si me gustó!!! O sea, no fue wow tampoco pero me gustó.
La Niña es un encanto y ella fue muy buena prota.
El fue el que sentí medio flojo y si me hubiera enamorado le hubiera dado más calificación.
De todas formas si es buen libro.
Si me gustó!!! O sea, no fue wow tampoco pero me gustó.
La Niña es un encanto y ella fue muy buena prota.
El fue el que sentí medio flojo y si me hubiera enamorado le hubiera dado más calificación.
De todas formas si es buen libro.
October 1, 2022
Buona anche la seconda! Mi piace come scrive questa autrice e questo era un friends to lovers, uno dei miei trope preferiti. Peccato che ha un po' abusato della parte erotica e spesso per inquadrare le storie successive dei fratelli divaga con dialoghi poco costruttivi.
November 7, 2022
Avevo più aspettative da questa lettura. Piacevole ma a tratti noiosa, per fortuna la presenza della piccola Rusty ha dato un po' di brio...⭐⭐⭐,5
Want to read
January 19, 2025Do I want to read this even though it’s single dad, which is one of the worst tropes ever?
September 14, 2019
This is the second book featuring the Loveless brothers, and I have to say the main appeal of this story is the family relationships.
Charlie and Daniel have been best friends forever (ok, since they were kids) and they came close once upon a time to getting together,but a surprise baby for Daniel put the brakes on it right quick. His baby girl Rusty was taken from her loser of a mother and suddenly Daniel found himself a full-time parent. Years later though, Daniel's babymama makes a serious play to get full custody of Rusty, and in a moment of panic, Daniel says that he's engaged...to Charlie. Their engagement is fake but the feelings are very real and yep, you guessed it, romance happens.
Smutnip tropes like best friends to lovers, combined with a fake engagement? Check. Good chemistry between Charlie and Daniel? Check. The elements are here and there are definitely plenty of enjoyable moments. Where the story falters some is in the dependence on the predictable. Between the horrible antagonist babymama and the inherent differences between Daniel (overprotective and controlling) and Charlie (flaky and irresponsible at the worst times), there's no real tension because you know exactly how it's going to shake out and neither character stands out to me. They fit their roles fine, but they don't make an impression, if that makes sense.
I did enjoy it enough, but it was missing a bit of something to take it to the next level emotionally. However, I am super intrigued with the potential romances for remaining brothers (yes Levi, I'm looking at you) so I'm willing to stay on this ride and see what happens next for the Loveless brothers. If you like the above mentioned tropes set in a small town USA, you may enjoy this.
**Borrowed through Kindle Unlimited**
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September 1, 2023
4.25 stars
Even though I rarely pick up a friends-to-lovers romance, I’ve enjoyed every other book I’ve read by Roxie Noir and this was no different.
I think this story worked for me because I felt very invested in the characters and although the story kicks off with a few tropes (accidental fake engagement they need to continue so the MMC doesn’t lose custody of his daughter), it didn’t feel too forced. There was a good reason why Daniel (the MMC) and Charlie (the FMC) weren’t already together at the beginning of the book, and the way their relationship progressed after they became fake engaged felt quite natural (cue in lots of steamy scenes here 😂🥵). Daniel was serious by necessity and Charlie was more reckless, which made their dynamic fun but also was central to some of the conflicts they had.
I also loved the shenanigans with all the Loveless brothers (I was *dying* at the kiss-tervention), and I am so looking forward to reading Levi and June’s book!
Even though I rarely pick up a friends-to-lovers romance, I’ve enjoyed every other book I’ve read by Roxie Noir and this was no different.
I think this story worked for me because I felt very invested in the characters and although the story kicks off with a few tropes (accidental fake engagement they need to continue so the MMC doesn’t lose custody of his daughter), it didn’t feel too forced. There was a good reason why Daniel (the MMC) and Charlie (the FMC) weren’t already together at the beginning of the book, and the way their relationship progressed after they became fake engaged felt quite natural (cue in lots of steamy scenes here 😂🥵). Daniel was serious by necessity and Charlie was more reckless, which made their dynamic fun but also was central to some of the conflicts they had.
I also loved the shenanigans with all the Loveless brothers (I was *dying* at the kiss-tervention), and I am so looking forward to reading Levi and June’s book!
August 26, 2019
2.5 stars.
I didn't like this one as much as the first installment of this series but to be honest, it's probably more due to the fact that I'm (most of the time) not that big on friends-to-lovers romance. However, in this one I for sure appreciated that there wasn't much "will they won't they" drama when it came to them getting together and becoming more than friends. It just happened seamlessly in a way, Daniel and Charlie just morphed from one type of relationship into another, with only difference being that now they saw each other naked, as they both accurately summed it up.
Anyway, I'm super curious about Levi and June's story now! And also Seth's and (most probably) his ex girlfriend Delilah, I know there MUST be story there;)
I didn't like this one as much as the first installment of this series but to be honest, it's probably more due to the fact that I'm (most of the time) not that big on friends-to-lovers romance. However, in this one I for sure appreciated that there wasn't much "will they won't they" drama when it came to them getting together and becoming more than friends. It just happened seamlessly in a way, Daniel and Charlie just morphed from one type of relationship into another, with only difference being that now they saw each other naked, as they both accurately summed it up.
Anyway, I'm super curious about Levi and June's story now! And also Seth's and (most probably) his ex girlfriend Delilah, I know there MUST be story there;)
October 12, 2022
recensione di Laura sul blog https://www.leggereromanticamente.com...
Friends to lovers, small town, second chance
La scrittura di Roxie Noir è scorrevole e divertente, sto amando ogni libro di questa serie e non vedo l'ora di scoprire chi sarà il prossimo.
Friends to lovers, small town, second chance
La scrittura di Roxie Noir è scorrevole e divertente, sto amando ogni libro di questa serie e non vedo l'ora di scoprire chi sarà il prossimo.
August 18, 2019
Daniel, Charlie and Rusty’s story is fun, entertaining and heart wrenching. Daniel wants custody of his daughter Rusty and he tells the judge that he is engaged to Charlie. This BFF story will take your breath away, their connection is electric and this fake fiance situation is bound to change everything or not? I honestly volunteered to review this book.
October 9, 2022
Il primo libro mi era piaciuto di più forse, qui predomina un po’ troppo il lato fisico in certi momenti e non era assolutamente necessario. Però è una lettura molto piacevole e resto curiosa di conoscere le storie di tutti gli altri fratelli!
October 6, 2023
Ope, read this one in less than 24 hours. Rosie Noir is breaking down all my contemporary romance stereotypes that I 'thought' I wouldn't be into and is making me eat my words that "comptemorary romance is the worst". Sometimes I love being wrong 🤷♀️
August 19, 2019
Roxie Noir is one of my unicorn authors. I will one-click anything she writes, because I know any book written by her will be full of steam, humor, page-turning sexual tension, and relatable, multi-dimensional characters that make you feel like you know them in real life.
Best Fake Fiance is no exception. This is the second book in the Loveless Brothers series, but you definitely don't need to have read Book 1 to enjoy this one. Daniel and Charlie's friends-to-lovers story was so achingly sweet, and gave me a serious book hangover. I just love them together, and their HEA was amazing. Plus, it was great fun to see all the Loveless brothers and their family again. Can't wait for the next book in this series from Roxie.
Best Fake Fiance is no exception. This is the second book in the Loveless Brothers series, but you definitely don't need to have read Book 1 to enjoy this one. Daniel and Charlie's friends-to-lovers story was so achingly sweet, and gave me a serious book hangover. I just love them together, and their HEA was amazing. Plus, it was great fun to see all the Loveless brothers and their family again. Can't wait for the next book in this series from Roxie.
November 26, 2023
As with the first in this series, there are some clunky moments (a little more editing would have taken care of them) but as always with Roxie the dialogue is so fresh and charming and natural it is all forgiven. I love this family and so far all of Roxie's books.
Briefly, this is a friends to lovers romance between Charlie and her longtime BFF Daniel. Daniel is a single father of a precocious 7-year old. He is embroiled in a custody proceeding with a terrible baby mama. Daniel and Charlie have been friends since they were 11 and there were moments it looked like it would turn to romance, and then in his very early 20's Daniel found himself moving back into is mom's house with an infant daughter who, it is hinted at, was neglected and needed all of him so he gave up is hot 20's guy life to be a stick-up-his-butt dad. Now 29 he co-owns a brewery and focuses on his family and Charlie. Charlie was an impulsive wild child but entered an apprenticeship and is now a carpenter working hard to build her own business while working full time for another business. She is still impulsive, clearly she has ADHD but also she is fun. When his ex marries and affluent man and gets knocked up (not in that order) and petitions for sole custody to take the daughter (named Rustalina for some reason which. seriously, is a terrible name) from their Virginia home to Colrado. Terrified he will lose his daughter he ends up fake engaged to Charlie so the court will see she will be in a two-parent home. The rest goes as you might expect, but all the characters are so delightful, and the conversations between them (the Loveless family and Charlie and her sister Elizabeth) are just a joy. It is a blast getting to the HEA. So fun.
Briefly, this is a friends to lovers romance between Charlie and her longtime BFF Daniel. Daniel is a single father of a precocious 7-year old. He is embroiled in a custody proceeding with a terrible baby mama. Daniel and Charlie have been friends since they were 11 and there were moments it looked like it would turn to romance, and then in his very early 20's Daniel found himself moving back into is mom's house with an infant daughter who, it is hinted at, was neglected and needed all of him so he gave up is hot 20's guy life to be a stick-up-his-butt dad. Now 29 he co-owns a brewery and focuses on his family and Charlie. Charlie was an impulsive wild child but entered an apprenticeship and is now a carpenter working hard to build her own business while working full time for another business. She is still impulsive, clearly she has ADHD but also she is fun. When his ex marries and affluent man and gets knocked up (not in that order) and petitions for sole custody to take the daughter (named Rustalina for some reason which. seriously, is a terrible name) from their Virginia home to Colrado. Terrified he will lose his daughter he ends up fake engaged to Charlie so the court will see she will be in a two-parent home. The rest goes as you might expect, but all the characters are so delightful, and the conversations between them (the Loveless family and Charlie and her sister Elizabeth) are just a joy. It is a blast getting to the HEA. So fun.
August 14, 2019
As always Roxie Noir slays one of my favourite tropes: Single Dad.
She weaved magic and gave us Best Fake Fiance.
This book is about Daniel, a single father of a seven-year-old who has had custody of his daughter Rusty since she was a year old, her mother wasn't a mother in my opinion... By the end of chapter one, I wanted to punch her in the face. After so many years away from his ex, she is taking him to court to try and get Rusty back in her custody. She seems to think she has her life on track and now is pregnant with another child. The thing is Daniel is extremely protective of his daughter and will go to any length to make sure she is safe, happy and looked after *Swoooooon*
So in a panic, he turns to his best friend of 18 years Charlie and asks if she will be his fake fiance...
These three characters were everything. Charlie was like the mom Rusty never truly had and Daniel was such an amazing father. He loved his daughter and will do anything to make sure she has the best life she possibly can. Charlie and Daniel have been best friends for years, but when they start to become close after Daniel asks her to be his fake fiance. Sparks start to fly, feelings they never knew they had started to surface and the chemistry between the two only heightens. It was electric and so addictive. I loved it!
Will Charlie agree? And if she does, will this end good or will it crumble to pieces?
This book had it all. It had heat, passion, lust, friends-to-lovers, and humor, there were moments where I couldn't stop laughing, and then there were moments where I wanted to slap each character apart from the daughter of course!
All in all, this was an enjoyable read. I was addicted from the start and as the plot progressed the more I cheered these two on. As always, Roxie went and gave me an epic story that I'll enjoy re-reading again very soon!
5 Stars
She weaved magic and gave us Best Fake Fiance.
This book is about Daniel, a single father of a seven-year-old who has had custody of his daughter Rusty since she was a year old, her mother wasn't a mother in my opinion... By the end of chapter one, I wanted to punch her in the face. After so many years away from his ex, she is taking him to court to try and get Rusty back in her custody. She seems to think she has her life on track and now is pregnant with another child. The thing is Daniel is extremely protective of his daughter and will go to any length to make sure she is safe, happy and looked after *Swoooooon*
So in a panic, he turns to his best friend of 18 years Charlie and asks if she will be his fake fiance...
These three characters were everything. Charlie was like the mom Rusty never truly had and Daniel was such an amazing father. He loved his daughter and will do anything to make sure she has the best life she possibly can. Charlie and Daniel have been best friends for years, but when they start to become close after Daniel asks her to be his fake fiance. Sparks start to fly, feelings they never knew they had started to surface and the chemistry between the two only heightens. It was electric and so addictive. I loved it!
Will Charlie agree? And if she does, will this end good or will it crumble to pieces?
This book had it all. It had heat, passion, lust, friends-to-lovers, and humor, there were moments where I couldn't stop laughing, and then there were moments where I wanted to slap each character apart from the daughter of course!
All in all, this was an enjoyable read. I was addicted from the start and as the plot progressed the more I cheered these two on. As always, Roxie went and gave me an epic story that I'll enjoy re-reading again very soon!
5 Stars
February 14, 2024
É… uma gracinha! Mas friends to lovers é sempre complicado para mim, porque eu normalmente fico irritada com o discurso “vai acabar a amizade!!” e tal, normalmente pesam a mão. Nesse caso, foi meio que o contrário. Os dois se adaptaram a ideia de estarem romanticamente juntos super rápido e ficou parecendo que eles só eram tontos (de um jeito ruim) que ainda não tinham ficado juntos. O incidente catalizador foi meio fraco também, não pareceu high stakes de verdade e também me deixou pensando que eles nunca ficariam juntos por atitude própria. Tem que ser uma mistura dos dois, né? Enfim. Eu também fiquei intrigada com esse livro na série porque gosto de pais solteiros, e no geral foi uma coisa positiva, mas não senti a adrenalina de verdade.
Enfim, ainda assim gosto desse elenco de personagens no geral e tá valendo a diversão!
Enfim, ainda assim gosto desse elenco de personagens no geral e tá valendo a diversão!
December 28, 2023
What can I say except I had a great time - being sick during my only holidays means I had plenty of time to actually enjoy reading so I’m very happy about that 🤣
This was cute, definitely more spice than I thought was going to be here but then also not???
I liked the premise though, that was a bit funny to read.
Would only recommend if you want an easy story.
This was cute, definitely more spice than I thought was going to be here but then also not???
I liked the premise though, that was a bit funny to read.
Would only recommend if you want an easy story.
August 15, 2019
I fell in love with Charlie, Daniel and Rusty!! Daniel will do anything to make sure he doesn’t lose his daughter Rusty enter in his bff Charlie who unknowingly to her has just become his fake fiancé in a bid to ensure he keeps his daughter. This story was so sweet and I loved Daniels undying devotion to his daughter and the bond these three have.
I voluntarily reviewed a advanced readers copy of this book
I voluntarily reviewed a advanced readers copy of this book
August 12, 2019
5 Star Review of Best Fake Fiance (Loveless Brothers #2) by Roxie Noir
Roxie Noir is a new author to me and I have no idea why that is. Based on this book I will certainly be reading more from Ms. Noir as soon as I can. Although book 2 in the series, I had no trouble reading this as a stand alone.
A friends to lovers story full of heart, love, friendship, emotion and Rusty, the cutest little seven year old girl I have read about in a long time.
Charlotte (Charlie) and Daniel have been friends for years and when Daniel needs her help she comes through for him in a big way. Daniel is pushed into telling a judge that he has a fiancee when his ex takes him to court over custody of his daughter Rusty, he has no choice but to find one in a hurry and that is where Charlie comes in. What will happen when the feelings between fake fiances become real?
Rusty just about melted my heart, such a precious child surrounded and loved by so many. The friendship between Charlie and Daniel was heartwarming, I loved how they balanced one another with Charlie ensuring that Daniel didn’t take life too seriously all the time. These two together are a great couple and this book was full of emotions.
I love single parent stories and over the last 12 months has become one of my favourite tropes to read. Best Fake Fiance had me captivated from start to finish, it had me smiling throughout and hoping Charlie, Daniel and Rusty could get the happily ever after that they all deserved.
One click this little gem, I don’t think you will be disappointed.
Roxie Noir is a new author to me and I have no idea why that is. Based on this book I will certainly be reading more from Ms. Noir as soon as I can. Although book 2 in the series, I had no trouble reading this as a stand alone.
A friends to lovers story full of heart, love, friendship, emotion and Rusty, the cutest little seven year old girl I have read about in a long time.
Charlotte (Charlie) and Daniel have been friends for years and when Daniel needs her help she comes through for him in a big way. Daniel is pushed into telling a judge that he has a fiancee when his ex takes him to court over custody of his daughter Rusty, he has no choice but to find one in a hurry and that is where Charlie comes in. What will happen when the feelings between fake fiances become real?
Rusty just about melted my heart, such a precious child surrounded and loved by so many. The friendship between Charlie and Daniel was heartwarming, I loved how they balanced one another with Charlie ensuring that Daniel didn’t take life too seriously all the time. These two together are a great couple and this book was full of emotions.
I love single parent stories and over the last 12 months has become one of my favourite tropes to read. Best Fake Fiance had me captivated from start to finish, it had me smiling throughout and hoping Charlie, Daniel and Rusty could get the happily ever after that they all deserved.
One click this little gem, I don’t think you will be disappointed.
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