One of my favorite romance tropes is the "fake romance-turned-real" trope.
It is
often called the "fake engagement" trope, but with contemporary romances it
is
more common to find characters who are in need of a fake boyfriend or
girlfriend. A story with this classic trope can often incorporate other
favorite
tropes, such as "friends to lovers", "enemies to lovers", "marriage of
convenience", and others. I adore the farcical elements in romances that
have a
fake relationship that turns real.
"Only the best
for
my fake boyfriend. Unless you're fake breaking up with me, in which case
I'll be
taking my gourmet takeout elsewhere." - ONE OF THESE NIGHTS by
Kendra Leigh Castle
With traditional fake relationship stories, I put them into three basic
categories: The first category typically involves a friends-to-lovers theme,
or
stories in which the two people involved are friendly and work together in a
way
that is peaceful and that they enjoy. Another category involves strangers
who
meet and decide to have a fake relationship out of convenience. Finally, you
also have a situation in which two people have a somewhat contentious
relationship but for whatever reason decide to put on a ruse of romance. In
"Mistletoe Me, Baby" by Katie Reus and MEANT TO BE by Denise
A.
Agnew, friendships turn amorous when two men jump at the chance to finally
show
the women they love that they deserve to get out of the friend-zone. In THE REAL DEAL, Lauren
Blakely has the heroine hire the hero to be her fake boyfriend at a family
reunion in her quaint hometown. April and Theo like each other almost
immediately, with a wonderful witty banter, but Theo's status as a paid fake
boyfriend stands between them having anything real. In #Moonstruck by Sariah
Wilson and ONE OF THESE
NIGHTS by Kendra Leigh Castle each author takes a wildly different path
in
taking two people who have a rocky beginning and having friction turn to
falling
in love.
"…it was no
hardship
to act the part of Miranda's fiancé. Because he hoped to make that a reality
soon enough. It was just a matter of showing her they belonged together."
–
"Mistletoe Me, Baby"
by
Katie Reus
My favorite variation on the fake relationship theme involves two people who
have known each other a long time when fate finally gives them a nudge
toward
romance. I especially love it when a guy holds a torch for his female BFF
like
in the novella "Mistletoe
Me, Baby" in the O'CONNOR FAMILY SERIES
COLLECTION by Katie Reus. Nolan O'Connor has lusted after and loved his
best
friend Miranda Flores for what seems like forever. Fate seems to grant him
a boon when Miranda winds up asking him to play the part of her fake fiancé.
From that moment on, Nolan turns up the heat as well as showing Miranda why
he
is everything she needs. WRONG MAN, RIGHT KISS
by
Red Garnier is a deeply erotic tale of longing about a man and a woman
forced
into a quasi-family relationship while their natural attraction was
unnaturally
suppressed. This is a fake relationship that rings true from the very
beginning
and brings honest, yet long-hidden, emotions to the surface. MEANT TO BE by Denise
A.
Agnew is so much fun and a brilliant bit of brain candy involving two
longtime
friends who wind up pretending to be newlyweds. Denise A. Agnew does a great
job
of creating goofy misunderstandings without cluttering the romance. I love
this
story even more because the hero has always carried a torch for the heroine
and
finally gets his moment to woo her. Two other books that epitomize the best
aspects of fake relationship stories are FOOLPROOF LOVE by Katee
Robert and HOT COWBOY
NIGHTS by Carolyn Brown. Both stories feature a hero and heroine who are
not
strangers to each other, but who also don't have strong feelings for each
other
until after they've been pretending to. I love the humor and teamwork the
couples in both books have. The friendly atmosphere makes the flirting more
believable and enjoyable. Katee Robert and Carolyn Brown also make the small
town in each story another character – either helping or trying to block the
success of the fake romance.
"I don't feel phony
anymore, because my feelings aren't fake. Maybe this started as a ruse, but
it's
turning into something else." – THE REAL DEAL by Lauren
Blakely
For me, THE REAL
DEAL by
Lauren Blakely is the ultimate "pretend romance-turned-real" story. Theo
Banks
advertises his services as a fake date, fiancé, etc. on Craigslist and is
very
straightforward about what he does. The chemistry between April and Theo is
amazeballs and their courtship over the course of a zany family reunion is a
total treat for readers. Lauren Blakely expertly draws out the sexual
tension as
April and Theo unconsciously seduce each other. When two strangers meet and
decide to pretend to be romantically involved, I think the author has to
work
overtime in order to create a reason the strangers would participate in
something so outlandish while being somewhat believable. In THE WEDDING DATE by
Kelly
Eadon, Kate and James meet and experience a zing of attraction at their
local
gym, and it's not until later that they realize they have a connection from
the
past. For me, Kate and James might as well as be strangers because the story
focuses on the present and the past never really comes into play. ACCIDENTALLY IN LOVE WITH
THE
BIKER by Teri Anne Stanley and THE PERFECT BARGAIN by
Jessa McAdams both have heroines who are visiting another town or country
and
have a wacky fake boyfriend scheme turn into the real deal. The Kelly Eadon
story is more of a sweet and sexy blend with a few tears along the way. The
Teri
Anne Stanley story features a good-natured Las Vegas mechanic helping out a
damsel in distress and the Jessa McAdams story features a hard-working
Scottish
hottie – both books made me laugh and swoon.
"What is your hurry?
Why
not stay and dance with me? And then marry me and live happily ever after
with
me?" - Duncan Pennethorne, AT LAST COMES LOVE by
Mary
Balogh
I think that a romance that starts out fake and evolves into a marriage of
convenience is more likely to occur in historical romances – just because of
the
restrictions in the past. If a relationship didn't work out in the 1800s it
wasn't as easy to just cut ties and walk away unscathed as it would be
nowadays.
The exception, and circumstances that are a close enough parallel, are when
the
hero or heroine in a contemporary are extremely wealthy or have some
elevated
status in the public eye. There is a merging of tropes when a story starts
out
as a fake romantic relationship and then, due to any number of convoluted
scenarios winds up in a marriage of convenience. In ROMANCING THE COUNTESS
by
Ashley March, Sebastian Madinger, the Earl of Wriothesly and Leah George are
two
recent widowers done wrong by their cheating late spouses. For very tangled
yet
somewhat noble reasons, Sebastian entices Leah to put on the pretense of an
affair. The battle of wills and unconventional seduction lead to Sebastian's
obsession with Leah, and his eventual begging Leah to enter into a marriage
of
convenience. The secrets and doubt both characters are plagued with elevate
this
story from farce to erotic entrapment. That both characters are seduced by
each
other as the story progresses is a favorite element of mine in fake
relationship
stories. AT LAST COMES
LOVE by the always fabulous Mary Balogh is the first Mary Balogh book I
read
and it made me an instant fan. With one of the most stellar "meet cute"
scenes
ever, Duncan Pennethorne steamrolls into Margaret Huxtable's life at the
exactly
perfect moment to offer himself as her pretend fiancé. In the limited time
Duncan courts Margaret, while giving the impression he is besotted and has
been
for quite some time, it becomes more difficult for Margaret to say no to
marriage even if she really wants to say no. Mary Balogh gives one or two
villains for Margaret and Duncan to unite against and help the fiction
become
reality. The pragmatism and wit of both characters make AT LAST COMES LOVE such
a
delicious fake engagement story.
"I don't
want
to pretend date you. I want to be with you. Because I think…I think I'm in
love
with you." - #Moonstruck by Sariah
Wilson
In contemporary romances, I think a marriage of convenience story veers into
fake relationship territory when, like in THE BILLIONAIRE
BACHELOR by
Jessica Lemmon, the marriage is planned to last only a short duration and
the
couple tries to fool a specific person or group into believing the
relationship
is something that it's not. As Reese and Merina put on increasing lavish
displays of affection for the benefit of others, the erotic game they play
leads
them on a path of seduction they can't come back from. In #Moonstruck by Sariah
Wilson, rock star Ryan De Luna and rock star hopeful Maisy Harrison don't
enter
into a fake marriage, but fake date and put on a show for publicity for
their
own reasons. Rather than any mercenary reasons, Maisy needs the money Ryan
offers for her ill mother and to keep a home for her family. Although their
initial meeting was a little prickly, they eventually see the good in each
other
and give in to their attraction. The lines between what's real and what's
fake
are quickly blurred.
"You could drive me mad quite easily – mad about you, mad for you, mad
without you, and mad that I hadn't met you sooner." - Adam Griffin, THE REINVENTED MISS
BLUEBEARD by Minda Webber
Because of how restrictive society was in the past, some
authors
of historical romance have gotten truly inventive with delightful results.
ONE KISS FROM YOU by
Christina Dodd contains more deception and misdirection than just a fake
courtship. Shrewd tactician and devilishly sexy antihero Remington Knight
thinks
he's captured a duchess, but he's actually captured her often overlooked
cousin.
So not only is Remington part of a fake courtship, but the woman he's
courting
is pretending to be somebody else. Christina Dodd creates some crazy
chemistry
and sexual tension as Remington and Eleanor circle each other slowly
discover
that their romance has turned real. STRANGER IN MY ARMS by
Lisa
Kleypas and A MATTER OF
TEMPTATION by Lorraine Heath both involve fake relationships, but that
has
more to do with assumed identities and doppelgangers. My favorite take on
the
fake relationship trope is when a man or woman invents, for whatever reason,
a
fake spouse only to have the object of their imaginings surprise them one
day as
a flesh and blood person. The best examples of this type of story are THE REINVENTED MISS
BLUEBEARD by Minda Webber, SOMETHING ABOUT EMMALINE
by
Elizabeth Boyle, and SCOUNDREL by Debra
Dier. In
THE REINVENTED MISS
BLUEBEARD and SCOUNDREL, both
heroines
are surprised by men claiming to be their long lost husband, something they
know
to be untrue because no such person exists. Both heroes are very different
but
they are both equally unforgettable and delightful. Adam Griffin in THE REINVENTED MISS
BLUEBEARD is a pirate and an incredible charmer and all-around nice guy,
while Major Sheridan Blake in SCOUNDREL may be just
as
charming but is a military man rather than a pirate. The puns and intriguing
paranormal elements, as well as the overall yumminess of the hero make THE REINVENTED MISS
BLUEBEARD a favorite of mine. With SCOUNDREL, Debra Dier
perfectly captures fabulous chemistry between the hero and heroine and the
exquisite longing of both of them for their fake relationship to become
real. In
a desire to avoid marriage-minded misses, Baron Sedgwick in SOMETHING ABOUT EMMALINE
creates a fictional wife who is supposedly safely tucked away somewhere
neither
seen nor heard. Discovering an actual woman playing the part is a huge
shock,
but it turns out to be the best thing that ever happened to him. I enjoyed
Emmaline's teasing and managing Alex's life and the hilarity that ensues.
Fake romances-turned-real stories:
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