I greatly enjoyed this one!
Yes, it’s a little predictable, but for a story that helps you enter a different world, I enjoyed it. Even with the few oddities of the story.

Briar and Dorian met a year ago and it was fate. They both believed the other to be their soulmate. Too bad they were only together for three days. AND they agreed to not be in contact for two years, but would wait for each other to be together in two years.
Sooooo this is where my rating changes from 5 to 4. These two were idiots! If you believe you’ve found your soulmate, wouldn’t you at least want to be friends during this time?!?! I mean I would!
Then I continued reading… Briar is now fake engaged to someone. For eight weeks she has to pretend to be engaged to a guy named Burke while they spend this entire time with his family at their vacation home.
Okay, not too bad right?!?! It’s not real.
Too bad his brother… YES HIS BROTHER… is Dorian!
And she can’t tell him since she sighed a NDA.
Sigh…..
I loved the drama though if I’m being honest and you will as well. Give this one a chance!!!

So this was more of a 3.5 star read for me and it pains me to rate a Winter Renshaw book that low, but I expected better. The spice and the characters were just bland and stale.

4.25 stars

I can always count on Winter Renshaw when I need a good cry. I initially thought this book would give grumpy/sunshine vibes, but it was definitely more fake engagement/second-chance romance. For the first half of the book, I had a lot of trouble connecting with the characters. I got glimpses of Briar and Dorian from the past, but they were really 'flat' in the present. [After I finished reading the book, I realized that this was probably intentional, because Renshaw started revealing more and more about the characters as the book went on. So, if you're thinking about DNFing, please don't.]

When I read a romance, my favorite scene usually ends up being the moment H and h overcome the hurdles and finally get together...which, in my opinion, happened way too late this time around. In this book, the scene that hit me the hardest was a conversation between Dorian and his father, where his father says he worries about him because "sometimes you're too independent for your own good. You need someone to soften you. To make you smile." A couple of years ago, I probably wouldn't have appreciated parent/adult children moments like these.

I think the overall conflict resolution was a bit too convenient/fast for my taste. I rarely say this, but I wish the book were 50-100 pages longer so we'd get to enjoy more H+h moments. At one point, I thought we would get happily ever afters for the secondary characters as well, but they ultimately got what they deserved.

(ARC generously provided by NetGalley)

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 3 Stars

This book left me feeling emotionally whiplashed. What on earth? I'm not even sure if I liked it at this point.

The premise was initially quite enjoyable, but the drawn-out NDA situation became tiresome. Briar's passivity in the face of mistreatment really bothered me, as I would have stood my ground with that family. Moreover, if Nicola hadn't overheard the conversation between her and Burke, she might not have said anything to Dorian. That's messed up! If he truly is the love of your life, why not just be honest with him? Who cares about the NDA?

I also had mixed feelings about the relationships between the brothers and sisters. They were likable at times, but downright awful at others. They gave me emotional whiplash too.

I believe this book suffered from being both too short and too long simultaneously. It was too short to fully delve into and develop the family dynamics, so everything remained somewhat surface-level. On the other hand, the book felt too long because the conflict dragged on for far too long. This left me unsatisfied with the love story. I was hoping for more tender moments, and I didn't get them. (crying emoji)

I would like to express my gratitude to both Netgalley and the author for the early copy of the book. Please note that my review is completely unbiased.

Honestly- I just love Winter Renshaw’s writing so much. Her stories keep getting better and she writes her characters in such a way that you can’t not connect with them. Loved Briar and Dorian and watching them get back together. Cute story!

I absolutely loved this book! Love this author and she's always a one click for me! Thabjs Netgalley for the ARC

“A month ago, he loved me. If only he knew . . . I never stopped loving him.” ~ Briar

Love the connection between Briar and Dorian and how their plans go up in smokes. Love all the twist and turns and how they got back together. Love their ending.

Oh loooooord. These authors just be hittin different lately. This book was amazing! The details the conversation and character building. It was so easy to get into and read. This book single handedly helped pull me out of a readinf slump. This author knows how to write dialog very well. This book had me giggling, laughing, and everything other emotion. This is definitely a must read!

I am fan of Mrs. Renshaw's work; however i was not a fan of this book. I did not like the back and forth between past and present time. I enjoyed the characters but the story seem a little rushed at the end.

Thank you to Net Galley for this Arc!

When I tell you that this book will get you in your feels, I mean it. Briar and Dorian were made for each other. I read this book in one setting and was addicted to the fast, paced storyline.

Whilst there was minimal spice in the book, the angst and happy ending made it so worth it. The whole storyline of the engagement to Dorian's brother was so frustrating, but it's what made you keep reading. I wanted to see Briar and Dorian together. Also, how stuck-up and annoying were the brother and sister?

The forced proximity situation was crafted well and I liked how we all knew Dorian and Briar were end game. Even throughout the engagement with Burke, the way he treated her and his intentions made me root so hard for Dorian and Briar.

The only criticism I have is that I wish we saw more of them together. A lot of the book was centered around the engagement and the tension this created between Dorian and Briar. I wanted to see more of them together, getting along, talking and falling in love.

Overall, I did really enjoy this book. I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for a feel-good, happy ending romance

I enjoyed the overall story and it moved fast. I wish there was a little more time with the main characters getting together or more emotion when there was forced proximity, since it didn’t justify the love at the end. It is still a great book to pick up and give it a try, as I will with more of the authors.

Fake-ish by Winter Renshaw is a right person wrong time romance and the story of Briar and Dorian.
 
Briar and Dorian meet one day at a bachelorette-bachelor-party, and they immediately have a great connection, but it just wasn’t the right time.
 
Dorian is the manager of a famous rock band and therefore is a lot on the road, which makes it difficult to have long lasting connections. And after his heart was broken once, he is very wary of new relationships.
 
Briar never forgot Dorian, but she had to move on with her life. She takes a new job, and she gets the opportunity to earn even more by pretending to be the boss’s new fiancée. This situation was so unique, and it gets even more complicated when they stay with his family on their private island, and it turns out that Dorian is actually the brother of her fake fiancé.
 
The construction of this story was just phenomenal, and it created the perfect close proximity situation. The Rothwells are beyond wealthy and that always brings interesting characters and relations with it. Briar and her fake fiancé Burke don’t really fit together, but they must make it believable and that creates a lot of entertainment while also providing some tension. The actual romance in this book was very captivating and I totally rooted for Briar and Dorian. I only wish we would have seen a bit more of them actually being together.
 
Overall, Fake-ish is another successful romance by Winter Renshaw. 4,5 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

So I'm a huge winter Renshaw fan. This isn't my first nor my last. This is the story of Briar n Dorian. They meet during a joint bachelor and bachelorette party. They promise to meet again in 2 years. Through circumstances meet again before 2 yrs is up, hiding their previous meeting from others around. She agreed to fake date her boss for money, not realizing he is Dorians brother.
This book is a bit more rom com than im used to with winters books but still a solid read. Some tropes of this book are:
fake dating instalove/ relationship family drama/dynamics fast paced dual timeline
v dual pov
All in all a solid book from winter Renshaw and thank you to NetGalley for the advance cop for an honest review.

Rating: 4 ⭐️

Summary:
Briar embraces the single life but falls for Dorian during a bachelorette party. Due to bad timing, they agree to meet again in two years. Now, she’s hired for a well paid job: pretend to be engaged to her boss and spending eight weeks with his family. Unexpectedly, her boss is Dorian's brother, making matters complicated.

What stood out to me:
The take on fake dating, the main characters, the island (I would love to own a private island) and the 80% problem wasn’t dragged on.

My thoughts:
This book was really cute! I loved that it was short and sweet, and the take on fake engagement:) Normally, fake dating is between the two main protagonists in this case it was between the fmc and the brother of the mmc. Although the love was insta love, I still loved the plot and the characters. I loved that they were against marriage from end to finish and didn’t change to please society. I didn’t rate this five stars because I felt that there was no character development. All in all a great rom com that I highly recommend.

Fake-ish by Winter Renegade is the story of Briar and Dorian. They meet in the Dominican Republic on a joint bachelor/bachelorette and have three days together that ends with them promising to wait for each other for two years before they can be together.

Life happens and through an offer from her boss, (no spoilers) they end up meeting again before the two years, much to each other’s surprise. Not being able to disclose their previous relationship is hard, as is hiding their feelings for each other.

It was very hard for me to suspend disbelief to get into this book. Usually I can find something to grasp onto to think it could happen. I couldn’t here, and while the characters were mostly likable, I wasn’t able to grasp the soulmate part of the story and the live with no roots part at the end. Maybe it’s the Midwestern, married forever part of me. I don't know.

This book was just okay-ish for me.

I was given this ARC by NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I received a copy of this for my honest review.

I will start by stating, I don't know why or how - but I feel as though I had read this story years ago, not sure how it would be possible, but I do.

This book offers a story about instant connection, to a fake engagement of your crushes brother, all for an ailing father.

Briar is anti-marriage, but not anti-love. And after meeting Dorian at her cousin’s wedding, they share an undeniable connection. But the timing isn’t right, and they make a promise to meet up again in two years.

But the following year, Briar finds herself agreeing to be her boss’ fake fiancé. When he takes her to his family’s island for an 8 week stay, Briar finds herself face-to-face with Dorian much sooner than expected. In a twist of fate, Burke and Dorian are brothers.

This book was filled with drama, multiple love triangles, and deception. And I was here for every second of it. The “love” triangle between Briar, Burke, and Dorian wasn’t the typical love triangle, and I enjoyed the uniqueness of it.

I had very strong “hate-ish” feelings for Dorian and Burke’s family, and it was refreshing to know that Dorian was the complete opposite of his siblings. His connection with Briar was so natural, and despite his previous experiences with love, he didn’t let that hold him back from expressing himself.

My one and only complaint is I wish Dorian came off slightly grumpier when he first met Briar. I love me a good grump, and I feel like Briar broke down his walls a little too quickly.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I devoured it within a few hours of first opening the book, which I think says it all.

Thank you to Winter and NetGalley for this ARC!

Briar has a connection with Dorian during a bachelorette getaway and plans to meet again in 2 yrs. She pretends to be her boss' fiancee for 8 weeks to advance at work and for money. But it turns out that her boss is Dorian's brother. Lots of family drama and twists. Terrific characters. A fun read.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

I loved the way this story deviated from the usual fake-dating trope, with Briar longing for her fake fiancé's brother instead. The connection between Briar and Dorian was sweet and wonderful, and the tension throughout kept me turning pages long into the night. I couldn't put it down.

Clearly I have been sleeping on Winter Renshaw, because the woman knows how to bring the characters and the world to life. This was so delicious, I don't even have the words