Fake: West Hollywood, Book 1

I’m always excited to get a new Kylie Scott novel, so there *might* have been some fangirl squeeing when this hit my kindle after I should already have been asleep. Add in that fake girlfriend/fiancée is a favorite trope, and, instead of going to bed like a reasonable (i.e., a non book obsessed) person, I, of course, immediately dove right in, lol. Note that while this book is set in the Stage Dive/Dive Bar universe, it’s not a part of either of those series (it’s subtitled “A West Hollywood novel”, which makes it the start of a new series) and there’s only what I consider very minimal crossover, with none of the main characters from the previous series making an appearance.To start off with, there are the wonderful characters I expect to get from this author: curvy, sarcastic Norah working two jobs in order to take care of her grandmother, and broody, Hollywood heartthrob Patrick, who needs PR help, stat. Told from Norah’s POV, there’s plenty of humor as Patrick’s reticence often leaves it up to Norah to take the lead in selling their fake relationship to the world, including both Norah’s Gran (who I adored), and Patrick’s parents. There are several other great secondary characters I hope we’ll get to see more of, including Norah’s best friend, Zena, Patrick’s friends, actor Cole and guitarist Jack, as well as Patrick’s manager, Angie, and PA, Mei.As for the plot, of course, you know Norah and Patrick are going to fall for each other, but there’s a surprise twist here and there waiting (it’s a bit of a slow burn) for them to both admit it. There’s also the boss/employee relationship that has to be carefully navigated (and I thought the author did a superb job there), and a lot of reminders about the difficulties of reaching a hea both for average people like Norah’s family, and for Patrick’s rich and famous friends. So trying to figure out how the two of them are going to overcome all the obstacles to a long term relationship helps keep the pages turning.An engaging story filled with humor, heart, and heat, as well as some suspense, I can already tell Norah and Patrick’s story is going to be another favorite I’ll be revisiting. Here’s to hoping we also get a chance to revisit them when some of those secondary characters (I’m looking at you, Jack) get their own stories. 5 stars

Actor Patrick Walsh needs to repair his reputation after a scandal with a married woman.He hates the idea and women his PR present so he counters with waitress Norah Peers. He has seen her on and off for a while when he hides out at the restaurant she works at. She is normal, average, available, dependable, and has never made him feel like a celebrity. She is the perfect match for his no-strings fake romance.Norah works hard, she makes ends meet and that's basically it. She wants more for herself. She knows who Patrick is, of course she does,, she also knows he wants to be left alone when he comes in. When he asks her to be her fake girlfriend and tells her she the amount of money she knows she can't say no. She needs that money. She can pretend and not fall in love, can't she? The banter and steam between these two is undeniable.Author Kylie Scott is a master at writing male characters you can't help but fall for and female characters you identity with. Another enjoyable read by av favorite author!

I want to be Norah when I grow up. She's a thirty year old woman that has not wasted the years she spend making bad decisions when it comes to men. What?? I mean that she's decided she doesn't need a man in her life to define her. She can do just fine on her own. Maybe it takes two jobs to live life on her own terms, and take care of her grandmother, but she's making it work.Then there's Patrick, a fine specimen of taciturn manhood. A famous actor, adored by women around the world. He's been coming into the hole in the wall restaurant, where Norah works, for years. He slips in after hours and Nora respects his need for anonymity. Takes his order, no chit-chat, no fawning. That all changes when Patrick suddenly needs an image makeover. His solution is to pick Norah to be his live-in girlfriend.Watching their cautious slide into love is a delicious treat for the senses. I loved this story and recommend it to everyone.

Title: FakeAuthor: Kylie ScottHero/Heroine: Patrick & NorahTrope: Fake RelationshipTHE GOOD 😁I swear, Kylie Scott could write a leaflet and I’d be excited to read it. She is definitely one of my go to authors and has created some of my favourite heroes (Hi David Ferris 😍).Fake is based around Patrick, our sullen (yet hot) hero who, after being caught with his friends wife, is persona non grata in Hollywood. Deciding he needs something to improve his reputation, his agent comes up with the idea of a fake relationship. Enter our wonderful heroine Norah, who works at the little Italian restaurant our hero frequents.These two together were just amazing; with Patrick’s moodiness and Norah’s sass, they worked so well together. Norah wasn’t afraid to pull Patrick up when he was being a moody arse, which in turn enabled him to be more comfortable and himself around her.As well as the hero and heroine, I loved Patrick’s assistant Mei, who was so supportive toward Norah, knowing that this situation was completely foreign to her.A quick yet utterly delightful read, Fake was a perfect example of a fake relationship romance done well.THE BAD ☹️Too short, I could have easily read another 100 pages of this book.OVERALL THOUGHTS: A wonderful fake chance romance with the perfect blend of humour and heatSTEAM LEVEL: 🔥🔥🔥STAR RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

When waitress Norah is asked to pretend to be film star Patrick Walsh’s fake girlfriend, she jumps at the chance – mostly for the money. It’s an opportunity she can’t resist as it gives her the means to pay for a much better care home for her beloved grandma, the only relative she has left. Spending time with the moody movie star isn’t exactly a hardship either, at least not when it comes to looking at him. Talking and interacting, not so much, but somehow they start to develop a friendship of sorts, which has the potential to develop into something more. Dare she risk her heart on a man who’s known to be a player, never dating anyone more than twice? And who has recently cause a huge scandal in Hollywood? You’ll have to read this for yourself to find out.Kylie Scott is fast becoming one of my favourite authors – I absolutely loved this!

i love Kylie's writing, have read and re read most of her works. i was really looking forwars to this one. Its a good read, full of fun, great charaters and felt very real. For me though it lacked that drama, that bit whwre everything fall apart and you're wondering if hey can find a way through. and ok, its Romancelandia so you know they will, but it needs to feel real for me, that maybe they can't. Theres a couple of moments like this, and i liked them but they were so soon over I just felt I needed a little more.its more than three star but not a four for me. Still, I'm loomking forward to he next book, remember Lief from a past one, one ive read more than once ;-)

Kylie Scott does it again - this book was a slice of perfection. Patrick Walsh has been caught in a Hollywood scandal and become persona non grata around town. Sitting in his favourite restaurant with his publicist, it's decided that Patrick needs to be in a relationship. Norah Peers is his usual waitress when he visits and she's the one he wants! What happens when they start to have feelings? Can Norah survive the lifestyle? Will Patrick open up and tell all? This book was addictive and funny and at times has some angst. The characters were smart and funny and not perfect which is why I fell in love with them! This just cements why Kylie is one of my favourite authors!

Yet again Kylie has knocked it out of the park. I'm a huge fan of the stage dive series, and will go back to reread it frequently so I wasn't sure anything could come close. I was SO wrong. Patrick is firmly up in my top 10 book boyfriends. This book has everything you could want. Romance, brooding men, strong women, hilarity, smut and steaminess. I could go on but I know if I do I'll end up posting spoilers! Thank you Kylie for another fab book.