This book was a quick and fun read, and I really enjoyed the chapters from Briar and Dorian from when they first met. I read this in one sitting and enjoyed myself, I just wished that we would have seen more of the main couple together and that it would have gone a bit faster to this point in the story. I really liked Briar as a FMC, because she stood her ground and kept the deal she made with Burke which really spoke of her values. All in all a good read which I would recommend, there was just something missing for me.

“FAKE-ISH” is my first book by Winter Renshaw. What an amazing book I finished two days ago. I loved everything in this book, it was so easy to read and each chapter captured my heart and soul from the beginning.
I love the chemistry between Dorian and Briar. The way they love each other and how their souls connected to each other melted my heart. I love contemporary romances so much and this one is perfect.

Dorian and Briar met each other in a wedding. Briar is cousin of the bride and Dorian is a friend of the groom. When they start talking to one another they realise they have a lot of things in common and one of them is what marriage represents to them.

This book was amazing. I can’t wait to read more work written from this author.

Fake-ish is a fun take on the right person at the wrong time trope. Briar meets Dorian at a bachelor/bachelorette weekend for her cousin. The two immediately hit it off and find they have all the right things in common. Neither want to marry but aren’t afraid to commit or love someone. Their chemistry is palpable. But Dorian’s job keeps him traveling for the next two years so they agree not to contact each other until then. It’s true commitment and faith in each other.

A year later Briar agrees to pose as her boss’s fiancé for a summer trip with his entire family, including his sick father. She signs a strict NDA. Once at the family vacation home, Briar discovers her boss’s brother is none other than Dorian. Dorian is still madly in love with her and she him but she can’t tell him anything. And he becomes bitter and resentful as he detests liars. The once hot chemistry between them is now strife with tension. It’s a tension you can feel as the story unfolds. Oh the angst with these two!

As the summer proceeds, Briar realizes her boss hasn’t been completely forthright and she questions whether posing as his fiancé and the money she will earn was worth the price of losing Dorian. The family dynamics read like a reality tv show. There’s plenty of drama outside of Briar and Dorian.

This story was told in dual POV which I love. I easily finished this in one night. It was also told in alternating past and present timelines which isn’t my preference as it breaks up the flow of the story. I loved all the fun references to -ish throughout the book. It was a fun way to tie the theme together. The story ends perfectly and stays true to Dorian and Briar’s sweet love story and dedication to each other.

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC opportunity.

Fake-ish by Winter Renshaw was a very enjoyable contemporary romance.
This is my first time reading something by this author but it definitely won't be my last.
The story is well written, with the characters greatly developed and the story develops in unexpected ways.
I really enjoyed the characters here.
Both were compelling characters and it was easy for me to become invested in their story. The author did a wonderful job of creating a cast of characters who I rooted for and felt connected to.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Montlake for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

This story follows Briar and Dorian who meet at a joint bachelor/bachelorette party for their friends. The two hit it off and have chemistry but the timing for these two just wasn't right. Can they find what they once had later on down the road at a different time? Will things be the same when they do meet up again? Enjoyable and entertaining.

I voluntarily reviewed a ARC

You can never go wrong with Winter Renshaw! My gateway drug to her was Absinthe and I haven’t looked back. Swoon worthy men, a few spicy scenes here and there but nothing crazy and always a HEA. This book did end on a different kind of HEA but it totally makes sense.

Dorian, a band manager, and Briar, office personnel for large financial company, have a chance meeting while out of the country for a bachelor/bachelorette party. After spending 3 days together, they make a pact to wait 2 years to contact each other. Well little does either one know that the reunion will happen sooner rather than later. If you love second chances, brothers, forced proximity, HEA, then this book is for you!

Thank you to Monlake, NetGalley and Winter Renshaw for allowing me to read Fake-ish! ❤️

I liked it a lot but I felt that it lacked development in MANY THINGS.

When I read the synopsis it caught me instantly because the truth is that I had not read any book like this and I wanted to know where the author was going to go. I liked that it went from the present to the past, to be able to know the entire story better, that made it more dynamic and one wanted to read as much as possible to know how it continued.

I liked the idea, I liked the characters, and how it was developed, but I felt that it was missing pages. That there was much more that could have been told, spread out without being weighed, and was not taken advantage of. I admit that I am a person who likes to see more development in the characters and in how things happen, it is something quite personal I think.

I highly recommend it to read something light and clear your head.

Thanks Montlake for the ARC I read on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This love story swept me off my feet and left me craving more!

Fake-ish follows the story of Dorian and Briar. Briar might be anti-marriage but hasn't given up on the idea of love. When she meets Dorian, their connection is instant, but the timing couldn't be more wrong. So, they make a pact to reconnect in two years. But, fate had other things in mind for these two. Briar starts a new job that pays well, and all she has to do is pretend to be her boss's fiance. Sounds easy enough. That is until Briar discovers that Dorian is her boss's brother...

Fake-ish pulled me in from the first page. I loved the connection between Dorian and Briar. You could tell they would be each other's game changer if only timing had been on their side. I loved the curveballs that life threw at them and enjoyed the glimpses of their past and seeing just how deep their connection went. The road to happily ever after for these two certainly wasn't an easy one, but I loved watching them fight for what they wanted.

Overall, I found this book to be an enjoyable read. I easily devoured it in just a few short hours and loved getting swept up in Dorian and Briar's story.

I love every single page of this book. Superb story line and awesome book characters. Ms. Winter outdone herself again with this story.

I read this as an ARC provided by Netgalley and Montlake publishing. This novel by Winter Renshaw is a fast past, right person wrong time story. It was a great quick read and was very entertaining! I definitely loved the fake dating element to it as well.

Briar and Dorian met at a bachelor/bachelorette party, and sparks went flying. But they had to go their separate ways and made a pact to reconnect two years later. Now one year later, Briar shows up to a holiday as the fake fiancée to Burke, her boss, who needs her help. But when they show up there, so does Burke's brother, Dorian...
This is a second chance, fake fiancée romance with very little spice, told in dual POVs and timelines. I mostly liked the read, but a bunch of little things annoyed me. The fact thay they promised they would wait for each other for TWO YEARS after spending meere days together was a bit intense. And even though I do understand that the situation with his brother and Briar probably hurt him really bad, the way Dorian treated her when she could not explain what was happening because of an NDA he did not know she signed was a bit harsh and unfair. I also feel like this was a misunderstanding trope disguised, and it bugged me. My favorite parts were the Then timeline, where the connection between the two MCs was more present (I didn't really feel of believe it in the Now timeline). Sadly, while this timeline is there a lot in the beginning, it completely disappeared after the halfway mark, and I was craving more of it. Some of the characters were very unlikable - I'm looking at you, Nicola and Burke (even if Burke had some moments, I'm questioning their authenticity now), and in the Now timeline, Dorian was mostly a jerk. The Rothwell family is a very disfunctional one. I did like Redmond as much as he broke my heart. I know I've been complaining a lot, but the fact that I still gave this 4 stars speaks volumes on how much I liked it despite all of it's flaws.
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Everyone's 'happily ever after' doesn't look the same, but love is love and it is worth the wait.
Briar and Dorian made a promise to each other, but a misunderstood opportunity almost ended everything. It seemed that they had more in common than shared feelings, how about sharing a couple months together with his family. Together-ish. The two were forced to deny their true feelings for one another, but not even an engagement to a family member could end the connection that was meant to be.
This tale kept me intrigued to see that a promise was kept. I actually looked forward to seeing what took place in the past to make waiting so worth the present obstacles. I also found that I loved "getting to know" about Dorian's father. He just wanted to be sure his children were happy and had someone to share their lives with. Having Briar connect with this in common was a joy, regardless of its ending.
Fake-ish was an enjoyable read from the beginning to the end. A definite re-read for me. Thank you, Winter and NetGalley for allowing me this ARC, so worth the wait!

This was short but I liked it. I would have preferred if it was a bit longer so we could actually see them together though. I liked that the connection they had was so strong that it was still there a year later.

I received an arc through netgalley.

This was surprisingly a quick read for me and also yet another satisfying romance under the pen of Winter Renshaw.

Fake-ish is a story of Briar and Dorian. They meet in the Dominican Republic on a joint bachelor/bachelorette and spend three days together. They promise to wait for each other for two years before they can be together.

Two years later, Briar finds herself in a fake-relationship with her boss, who happens to be Dorian's brother.

I'm a sucker for fake engagement romances so I already knew this would be right up my alley. Right along with a signed NDA, broken family with secrets, and a guy she promised to wait for 2 years earlier.

Looking forward to what’s coming next!

“They say one woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure, but calling Burke a treasure would be giving him too much credit.” – Briar, commenting on her fake fiancé.

Well, that’s one clue that something is amiss in the brand-new engagement between Briar and Burke. In fact, it’s a bit puzzling to learn about this engagement, complete with a sparkling 5 carat diamond engagement ring, since the story begins with Briar verbally sparring (and physically sparking) with grumpy Dorian at an OTT joint bachelor/bachelorette party down in the Dominican Republic.

Complex family histories, crossed wires and worst of all – binding nondisclosure agreements – make this a thoroughly engaging, angsty and ultimately so satisfying book that will knock your socks off. Brilliant!

Three stars!

Fake-ish follows Briar and Dorian after they meet at an engagement party for mutual friends in the tropics. When the two next meet, neither of them expect to see each other while Briar is playing the role of fake-fiance to Dorian's brother Burke. The whole 'old money' private island gave me wedding crasher vibes (without any of the funny antics).

While the initial meet-cute was sweet, and the two main characters had bucket loads of chemistry, the insta-love and promise-to-wait-two-years-for-me-trope were a little much for only having known each other a grand total of 3 days (of which we see one night). The exploration of the family dynamics was interesting but unfortunately there was just no angst (or forced proximity) while Briar and Dorian and forced to navigate each other's presence in hopeless circumstances.

Nevertheless, a super fast and fun read that's perfect for an afternoon in the holidays. I just wanted more. More pining, more angst, more I'm-going-to-fight-my-brother-to-win-you-back energy! Oh and spice. I do prefer spice in my books. This was very tame - almost fade to black.

I wouldn’t say this was a light-hearted read, but I didn’t get those strong angsty feelings some stories give me. I certainly felt bad for the male and female leads in their situations though. Appreciated the dual POVs too. There was a good storyline that moved pretty smoothly. I never stopped rooting for them the end up together in the end.

Fake-ish was an interesting read that proves just because something looks one way, doesn't mean it is that way. Cryptic? :-) This book will flip flop between the present and past. I've never been a big fan of that unless it's key to a surprise twist; Not so in this case but I get why it was done that way. Briar is offered a unique opportunity. What harm could happen agreeing to be someone's fake fiancee?

I discovered Winter Renshaw when I read “The Dirty Truth” and she has not let me down yet!
She has a way with words and storytelling!
Everyone should read this book!

Oh my wow! Freaking loved Dorian and Briar. Two people with the same values and want the same things come around once in a lifetime. On a bachelor/bachelorette party weekend they get left behind at a bar and spend time together and find they have a lot in common and lead to a few amazing days together, but reality is it’s time to go home. Promises made and a year later Briar finds herself agreeing to something she truly has no idea what she’s getting into and when she steps through the door to meet her fiancés family she comes face to face with Dorian, the love of her life. Secrets and lies, feelings between them are still on the surface, but she can’t explain what’s really going on and she may lose the one person, the only person who really got her and she got him and now he thinks she’s a liar and a good digger. How can she make him see it’s ever only and ever will be him? Loved the book!