Title/Series: Fake Out/Fake Boyfriend Book 1

Author: Eden Finley

Publisher: Indie Publisher, Eden Finley

ASIN: B07BHP2LZ9

ISBN: 978-1980355694

Goodreads Rating: 3.97, Amazon Rating: 4.4

Personal Rating: “You might be from a small town if…”

3/5 ⭐⭐⭐

Maddox

The reason I rarely go home is three simple words: I’m a liar.

When the pressure to marry my childhood sweetheart became too much, I told her I was gay and then fled to New York like my ass was on fire.

Now, five years later and after a drunken encounter, I find myself invited to her wedding. And I have to bring my boyfriend—the boyfriend who doesn’t exist because I’m straight.

At least, I think I am. Meeting the guy I’m bribing to be my boyfriend for the weekend makes me question everything about myself.

Damon

When my sister asks me to pretend to be some straight guy’s boyfriend, my automatic response is to say no. It’s because of guys like him people don’t believe me when I tell them I’m gay.

But Maddox has something I need.

After an injury that cost me my baseball career, I’m trying to leave my playing days behind and focus on being the best sports agent I can be. Forty-eight hours with my sister’s best friend in exchange for a meeting with a possible client. I can do this.

I just wish he wasn’t so hot. Or that he didn’t kiss like he means it.

Wait … why is the straight guy kissing me?

Ok so, Eden Finley and Saxon James write a lot of book on their own but it took me far to long to realize that they rarely ever write a story that isn’t connected to something else they have written. What I mean by this is whhile they have released many books as solo writers that doesn’t mean the universe stays under that writers domain. Their books are connected in the most minute ways and by the gods does it drive me up a wall. So I have taken it upon myself to attempt to read everything they have to offer between them. That means I am going to go down the Sadenverse rabbit hole.

May the Gods look ever in my favor.

That being said, we begin at the beginning—sort of. Other books seem to have been published before, but we are by the timeline and not the published date. This feels like it should be obvious, but it isn’t, because finding a somewhat accurate guide to follow is hell. As a result, I am starting with Fake Boyfriends while I desperately search for clues about what book I am supposed to read next.

Maddox is an interesting look, an overly confident man who is secretly insecure. He loves loudly and doesn’t seem to have many flaws as far as MCs go. I say this because despite the fact that he lied to his high school sweetheart about being gay in order to break up with her and lived a life of your average himbo, he is pretty sweet. His naive ways are endearing as he comes to terms with the fact that his lie may not have been as misplaced as he first assumed.

This is a low-stakes romance despite the nature of the story. Maddox is easy-going, and Damon is even more so. I would say that this story could have been finished far quicker if someone had gotten any form of therapy before their meeting. Sure, nothing major happens, but the ‘will they/won’t they’ was extremely unnecessary when you factor in how quickly they seemed to fall in love from the get-go. Seriously, these two met and sparks flew, but not in an insta-love way. It was more so that they met; one could tell they would be best friends. It was only a day or so later that the ‘Oh, Ok’ realization started to kick in, and readers got a glimpse into how they would be as a couple. And I mean that quite literally, since the line between friend and boyfriend changed absolutely nothing about their dynamic. It’s cute, but it does make the angst scenes less believable, I guess. Or maybe it made them easier to gloss over because they seemed there to give the guys something to get upset over for about two pages.

I will say that this book has a really good scene explaining the realities of sex. It can be messy and gross, and no matter how much prep, it can be painful the first time. It isn’t a guarantee, but let’s be realistic. If you get two people with little experience with the act, things are bound to go badly. And yes, I believe Damon lacks experience, even though he has only been with men. In his own words, he talked about how painful bottoming has been for him every time he tried it. Anal sex isn’t supposed to hurt, sex of any kind isn’t supposed to hurt, but it can be uncomfortable. So, for him to not know this and due to the reaction to Maddox, I can only assume that he never looked into why it is painful for him, and thus, would not understand how it could be painful for others. He honestly seemed a bit confused by Maddox’s enthusiasm, as if he expected it to take longer for him to begin to enjoy it.

So, okay, maybe it wasn’t the best scene, but his confusion is valid, and I appreciate that it was included instead of making them pros from the get-go.