Sarah Smith (8)

A light and fairly predictable romance with some enjoyable moments but an aggravating ending and romantic relationship dynamic. As much as I wanted to like this story in general, Callum's behavior towards Nikki's wishes and experiences with love was frustrating by the end of the book. In a key moment at the climax of the story, when she clearly (and reasonably) states why she doesn't want a public confrontation with Callum, he pushes her into one anyway (dismissing her concerns by show more man-splaining that she's simply afraid of letting herself love, and himself as being caught up in his own feelings) with predictable consequences (which she was understandably trying to avoid). His aggravating and insulting attitude and behavior towards Nikki in that moment, and her eventual acceptance of it DESPITE HER OWN FEELINGS made the end of the book and the resolution of their relationship journey a big disappointment. Honestly, if these were real people I'd worry for their uneven dynamic, in which she clearly expresses her reasonable concerns and he ignores them in favor of his (obviously more important) own wants and perceived needs. Argh! show less

Fake as Puck by Sara Smith is just a fun listen, start to finish. It has everything: good girl, naughty boy, hot hockey star, disapproving parent, suspicious friends, nasty ex, “Does he? Does she” vibes throughout and a couple of always terrific narrators – Tim Paige and Shiloh James. Paige can effortlessly take you from cocky hockey player to boy next story and everything in between. James has a throaty, whispery little voice that can be worried, unsure, hurt and then shift right into show more strong, proud, and certain. The emotions, the tone, the pace – all perfect and make this duet performance (always the best) a great listening experience.

Xander Williams is 25, a little too full of himself, but maybe he’s earned it: he’s an outstanding hockey player, popular with his teammates and so what if he overplays the Panty Dropper thing a little too much. He’s young, single, a typical young sports star, no filter or control, just enjoying life, even if his friends on the team think it might be time for him to grow up a little. He says he’ll think about it – but not too hard.

Sophie Porter is an actual genius. A medical doctor at 24, the Bashers hockey team doctor in fact, single, living in her father’s guest house. Her very, very overprotective, sometimes suffocating father, Coach Porter of the Bashers team. She doesn’t need to grow up, but she does need to get out of this protective, restrictive shell. She’s not socially awkward as much as uncomfortable.

Xander and Sophie’s first meeting is most definitely not a meet-cute. He goes to the team doctor’s office during a game to have a minor injury looked at and mistakes Sophie for the StripperGram his teammates said they were sending him for his birthday. Not promising for future encounters. Except the next encounter is outside the bar where Sophie went with her friend Dakota and Xander went with his teammates to celebrate. Sophie is approached by her Evil Ex Ethan outside and without really thinking it through asks Xander to pretend to be her fake boyfriend. He still feels bad about his earlier embarrassing mistake and agrees. They both surprisingly enjoy their little playacting session. Don’t expect to repeat it, though.

But a fan or the press snapped a picture of them kissing, and when Coach Porter sees it he’s livid. Sophie sees her chance – what if she and Xander pretend to be dating for a while, just long enough to get her father off her back? It would help Xander’s image to look more like a responsible grown up and Sophie could use a break from her dad. And she’s starting to think Xander might not be the jerk she initially thought he was.

Now just sit back and listen to the rest of the story. It is wonderful. They each start to fall for the other at once – those kisses are pretty sweet – but doubt the other feels the same. Misunderstandings and uncomfortable situations are skillfully mixed in with romantic, tender (and then spicy) moments. A good helping of bad behavior on the part of the evil ex and a knight-in-shining-armor response add to the fun and the building emotion.

Fake as Puck is fast moving, well plotted with interesting characters and a nice hint at the end of what might be coming next in the next book. Listening to talented narrators is always the best way to enjoy a fun book and Paige and James are the best. I received an advance listening copy of Fake as Puck from Home Cooked Books. I thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait to see who’s front and center next in the series. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own. show less

This book was, simply put, amazing. I fell In love with Theo and Maya from the moment I first met them. The tension between them was so well written and banter was not only filled with laugh out loud moments, but more importantly, with storytelling! Each interaction moved the story forward and kept building tension that drew me in and had me rooting for them. I love books that enable me to see, hear, and watch the characters live as I read, and this book had that with all the characters even show more the secondary ones! I didn't know this was book two in a series until the end, and I was able to read this without a problem and fall into the Grant Family Dynamics. I will be reading more by this author soon! If you are looking for a wonderfully written story to warm you up on a chilly night, then you have a great choice here! show less

New food truck owner, Callum, has parked in the same spot Nikki has been parking for months, against the unwritten code of conduct that all Maui food truck owners follow. But not Callum... when Nikki tries to clue him in, he gives her the brush off and stays put, starting the biggest island food truck rivalry the foodies have ever experienced! And now that their rivalry is being broadcast all over social media, both businesses are booming. But who will win the Maui Food Festival and the show more right to stay at the beach parking spot? And can they protect their hearts in the process?

I loved this enemies-to-lovers turned friends with benefits romcom! Nikki's character development was nicely done... her grief, which bled over into ALL of her relationships, was both a trigger and comforting. Some of the things that Callum said to Nikki were things that I was glad to hear, having dealt with a very similar loss. Callum's character arc did feel a little less developed, but it was forgivable since it was a first person POV of Nikki's account.

I give this one 4.5 stars, with a round up to 5 because I absolutely couldn't put it down. I finished in just 2 days, and read over 80% of book on the second. It's definitely worth a read for any romcom lover looking for a Happily Ever After. show less