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Man for Hire: A Steamy Fake Dating Romantic Comedy
When a gorgeous lawyer hires you to be her fake boyfriend, the only professional thing to do is... keep your hands to yourself.
Ali needs a date for her ex-fiancé's wedding. Not just any wedding—her sister is marrying the guy who was supposed to propose to her. With the same damn ring.
She needs someone who can play the part of her perfect boyfriend for the weekend. The catch? I'm definitely not the wealthy neurosurgeon she's pretending I am. I'm just a barista with a side hustle as a "man for hire" (the professional kind, thank you), trying to scrape together enough cash to buy the coffee shop I've been dreaming about.
But I show up anyway, because the money gets me one step closer to Java Zen. And maybe because Ali—with her strawberry blond hair, freckles, and those gray eyes that see right through me—is the cutest thing I've ever seen on my favorite park bench.
Simple play the boyfriend. Keep it professional. Don't break my number one never fall for a client.
Except Ali keeps pulling me into public displays of affection that make forgetting that rule dangerously easy.
At the rehearsal dinner. During the ceremony. In front of her entire suspicious family. (And yes, in a coat closet—which is where things got… heated. Don't ask.)
Here's what I keep telling
This is just business. The way she bites her lip isn’t driving me wild. The chemistry is purely for show. Her family totally believes I’m a neurosurgeon. I’m absolutely not thinking about what happens when this weekend ends.
But then something goes wrong—spectacularly wrong—and every suspicious eye turns to me. Suddenly I’m getting interrogated by relatives who could double as detectives, juggling a fake relationship, a fake résumé, and very real feelings I shouldn’t be having.
The real problem? I’m starting to wish this whole thing was real.
And that damn park bench might’ve just thrown my entire life off course.
A steamy, laugh-out-loud romance packed with fake dating, forced proximity, and falling for the one person you were never supposed to have.
Ali needs a date for her ex-fiancé's wedding. Not just any wedding—her sister is marrying the guy who was supposed to propose to her. With the same damn ring.
She needs someone who can play the part of her perfect boyfriend for the weekend. The catch? I'm definitely not the wealthy neurosurgeon she's pretending I am. I'm just a barista with a side hustle as a "man for hire" (the professional kind, thank you), trying to scrape together enough cash to buy the coffee shop I've been dreaming about.
But I show up anyway, because the money gets me one step closer to Java Zen. And maybe because Ali—with her strawberry blond hair, freckles, and those gray eyes that see right through me—is the cutest thing I've ever seen on my favorite park bench.
Simple play the boyfriend. Keep it professional. Don't break my number one never fall for a client.
Except Ali keeps pulling me into public displays of affection that make forgetting that rule dangerously easy.
At the rehearsal dinner. During the ceremony. In front of her entire suspicious family. (And yes, in a coat closet—which is where things got… heated. Don't ask.)
Here's what I keep telling
This is just business. The way she bites her lip isn’t driving me wild. The chemistry is purely for show. Her family totally believes I’m a neurosurgeon. I’m absolutely not thinking about what happens when this weekend ends.
But then something goes wrong—spectacularly wrong—and every suspicious eye turns to me. Suddenly I’m getting interrogated by relatives who could double as detectives, juggling a fake relationship, a fake résumé, and very real feelings I shouldn’t be having.
The real problem? I’m starting to wish this whole thing was real.
And that damn park bench might’ve just thrown my entire life off course.
A steamy, laugh-out-loud romance packed with fake dating, forced proximity, and falling for the one person you were never supposed to have.
450 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 19, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 19, 2026
I received a copy of this book from the author and wanted to post my honest, voluntary impression of it though a review wasn’t required.
Java Zen has been the setting for two previous books in this series- the first dealing with the owner of the establishment and the second book a barista who works there.
This time it deals with another barista but this one wants to buy the shop he’s worked at for four years but is cash short to do so. He decides to start a second job as a escort for rich people who need a plus one for functions with no sexual contact in the contracts drawn up.
However, things get complicated when he meets a woman on a park bench he claims as his own. He hears her story and agrees to be her plus one but he feels an attraction he’s never had before and the feelings become more than fake that weekend they spend together.
This story deals with people’s perception of how they see themselves as opposed to how others see them and how they want to appear to others. It shows that as the old saying goes, honesty is the best policy even when what is suppose to be fake becomes more than what was agreed on. Throw in a missing priceless heirloom and these two joining together to solve it because the missing item was in the girl’s room when it was stolen.
They have suspects to shift through which they consider and start to narrow when one leaves suddenly but it doesn’t add up to them as the one who did it but if not who did! Then their chemistry finally gives in and they are discovered in compromising positions by others.
Still they inform her mother what they discovered but other issues develop because the girl is going to leave shortly and the boy doesn’t want her to go
but wants her to do what she desires.
At the same time he decides to buy the shop from the owner and the whole situation leaves him and the girl he likes devastated as time draws nearer for her to leave.
This romcom is one most people will understand from the onset though the details within probably not so much. For two people who try to hide their feelings from each other and themselves the upcoming separation is unbearable.
Madison weaves a tale you’re going to enjoy as these stories deal with real issues with spicy scenes thrown in to complicate matters. The thing both come to realize is you can’t hide how you feel about the other if you really want the happiness you seek- even if waiting is on the table.
I enjoyed reading this and the previous stories of how interpersonal relationships become more complicated when real feelings are not expressed because of how others including yourself perceive the relationship. Again honesty is the best policy but sometimes it takes a while for people to realize it but in the meantime we the readers are treated to a lively and enjoyable story as we watch perceptions change leading up to expressing honest feelings between these two.
I heartily recommend this book and this series as ones I think you’ll enjoy because the overall dramatics are familiar to us all and easily relatable!
Java Zen has been the setting for two previous books in this series- the first dealing with the owner of the establishment and the second book a barista who works there.
This time it deals with another barista but this one wants to buy the shop he’s worked at for four years but is cash short to do so. He decides to start a second job as a escort for rich people who need a plus one for functions with no sexual contact in the contracts drawn up.
However, things get complicated when he meets a woman on a park bench he claims as his own. He hears her story and agrees to be her plus one but he feels an attraction he’s never had before and the feelings become more than fake that weekend they spend together.
This story deals with people’s perception of how they see themselves as opposed to how others see them and how they want to appear to others. It shows that as the old saying goes, honesty is the best policy even when what is suppose to be fake becomes more than what was agreed on. Throw in a missing priceless heirloom and these two joining together to solve it because the missing item was in the girl’s room when it was stolen.
They have suspects to shift through which they consider and start to narrow when one leaves suddenly but it doesn’t add up to them as the one who did it but if not who did! Then their chemistry finally gives in and they are discovered in compromising positions by others.
Still they inform her mother what they discovered but other issues develop because the girl is going to leave shortly and the boy doesn’t want her to go
but wants her to do what she desires.
At the same time he decides to buy the shop from the owner and the whole situation leaves him and the girl he likes devastated as time draws nearer for her to leave.
This romcom is one most people will understand from the onset though the details within probably not so much. For two people who try to hide their feelings from each other and themselves the upcoming separation is unbearable.
Madison weaves a tale you’re going to enjoy as these stories deal with real issues with spicy scenes thrown in to complicate matters. The thing both come to realize is you can’t hide how you feel about the other if you really want the happiness you seek- even if waiting is on the table.
I enjoyed reading this and the previous stories of how interpersonal relationships become more complicated when real feelings are not expressed because of how others including yourself perceive the relationship. Again honesty is the best policy but sometimes it takes a while for people to realize it but in the meantime we the readers are treated to a lively and enjoyable story as we watch perceptions change leading up to expressing honest feelings between these two.
I heartily recommend this book and this series as ones I think you’ll enjoy because the overall dramatics are familiar to us all and easily relatable!
June 27, 2026
Man for Hire by Madison Joy delivers another charming and funny fake-dating rom-com that blends sizzling chemistry, laugh-out-loud moments, and genuine emotional depth. Set against the cozy backdrop of the Java Zen coffee shop, we are introduced to the FMC Ali, a successful lawyer who desperately needs the perfect fake boyfriend and the MMC Gabe, a barista who dreams of owning the coffee shop where he works. One of the things that I enjoyed about this novel was the witty banter between the main characters. This caused the romance to feel authentic so that their personal goals and insecurities add emotional weight to the story. Overall, Man for Hire is a delightful romantic comedy full of irresistible chemistry, plenty of laughs, emotional payoff, and a satisfying ending.
I received an ARC copy from StoryOrigin. Thank you so much for giving me a chance to read and voluntarily review this novel!
I received an ARC copy from StoryOrigin. Thank you so much for giving me a chance to read and voluntarily review this novel!
May 15, 2026
when business plans, faux-mance, romance and friendships collide - this delightful and very caffeinated chaos follows.
love the craziness, the closet, the fears, and the leaps of faith.
The unique community of Java Zen makes it so much more than just a franchise slopping drinks and gentrification around.
Challenging and quirky fun relationships and fun reading, that makes you root for the maybe couples, friends and family as they work through the bumps and successes of their lives.
love the craziness, the closet, the fears, and the leaps of faith.
The unique community of Java Zen makes it so much more than just a franchise slopping drinks and gentrification around.
Challenging and quirky fun relationships and fun reading, that makes you root for the maybe couples, friends and family as they work through the bumps and successes of their lives.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews