Loved the first book, so I was excited to read the second in the series!

SO so good! I love a grumpy man and this reminded me of the cutting edge!

I also like hearing the guys feelings, so the dual POV was awesome!

Thank you NetGalley & the publishers for the ARC read!

I really enjoyed this sweet and clean new adult sports romance from an author new to me! The plot is very well written, realistic and emotional, and has second chance at love, enemies to lovers, close/forced proximity, roommates, grumpy-sunshine and fake dating tropes. I loved the main characters and their circle of friends. Although there is only mild kissing, the chemistry between them sizzles with lots of tension, banter, bickering and longing. I really liked how they found their way back to each other and stood by each other through obstacles, insecurities and expectations.

Leo "The Ego" Anderson is a pro hockey player for the Carolina Crushers and is known for his grumpy nature and quick-temper. When he gets into another fight with a player from the opposing team, he is given a penalty of ten weeks on probation, which he has to spend in community service. Leo is assigned to assist Victoria Jenkins, the daughter of his coach, as a training partner in figure skating. Not only does he hate figure skating, Victoria is also his ex-girlfriend from his college days, who dumped him without explanation and broke his heart.
All her life, Victoria has dreamed and trained hard to become a successful figure skater, but she has failed time and time again, disappointing her helicopter mum. The upcoming Nationals are her last chance to make a career and find sponsors, but then her partner drops out due to an injury and she can't find anyone to take his place.
When her father sends her Leo, of all people, as her new partner, Victoria is shocked. She has never been able to forget Leo and successfully avoided him for years after she had to let him go. Victoria knows that Leo hates her and figure skating, but that he will jump at the chance to get off the bench...

I recommend this book to anyone who likes sweet sports romances with great characters, humor and emotion and I am looking forward to the next book in the series!

I received a free ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and left voluntarily.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.

I was conducted with this once because I think it started off rough but ended on a high note.

In this novel we follow exes Leo and Victoria. Victoria broke up with Leo years ago because her mother threatened to ruin his career if she didn’t. Now, Leo is her skating partner while his is on probation from hockey and her usual partner is out with an injury. While the two agree this is just a business arrangement, it is clear there are still feelings there. Several brownies, swearing Parrots, and a short stint as roommates later, will these two find love again?

In the beginning, I found both Leo and Victoria to be a bit annoying. Victoria had a bit of a complex and didn’t want help from anyone. She was also rude to Leo at times for no reason. Leo on the other hand acted like he was a gift from God. When he made Vic get on her knees to beg him to be her partner I immediately disliked him. Who does that?

These two did grow on me as the novel progressed. Leo’s character develops as we see him with his friends and teammates. And he becomes very protective of Victoria, even when they are still disgruntled about working together.

I was peeved by some of the back and forth breakups. For example, Victoria wants to stay for Leo but he breaks up with her and tells her to go to Seattle…but then he is super sad when he finds out she actually left. Dude, you told her to go. He then starts to repeatedly text her in the hopes of her coming back. She ignores them but does come back. Just made me mad, like dude make up your mind. She did what you asked.

Otherwise, I did enjoy the story. It was a nice read for. Sunday afternoon.

*An ARC was received in exchange for an honest review.

Grace Worthington delivers a charming and heartfelt fake-dating romance in Perfectly Faked, a story brimming with chemistry, humor, and swoon-worthy moments.

When hopeless romantic Everly’s matchmaking business takes a hit due to a scandalous social media post, she needs a quick fix to salvage her reputation. Enter Aiden, a grumpy billionaire with a PR nightmare of his own. His solution? A perfectly faked relationship that benefits them both—Everly gains credibility, and Aiden sheds his bad-boy image. It’s a foolproof plan… until real feelings start complicating their arrangement.

Worthington masterfully blends witty banter, undeniable chemistry, and emotional depth, making Everly and Aiden’s journey feel both playful and heartfelt. Everly’s optimism is a perfect contrast to Aiden’s brooding nature, creating a dynamic that keeps the pages turning. The tension between them crackles, and as their fake romance turns into something real, readers will find themselves rooting for this perfectly mismatched pair.

With its endearing characters, sparkling romance, and just the right amount of slow-burn tension, Perfectly Faked is a must-read for fans of The Ex Hex and The Spanish Love Deception. Grace Worthington delivers another unputdownable rom-com that proves sometimes, the best love stories start with a little pretending.

Leo and Victoria had a long journey to find their HEA.
Leo is a hockey player on the Crushers. When he finds himself suspended and having to do community service for 10 weeks, he is upset, and then he finds it is with his ex-girlfriend Victoria.
Victoria broke Leo's heart in college, and he has avoided her for years. Victoria is a figure skater and is in need of a partner, cue Leo's community service.
These two love to bicker, and there is the underlined attraction.
When Victoria has a pipe burst in her apartment, she moves in with a friend Sloan. Oops, she doesn't know Leo also rents a room there.
Just when Leo and Victoria are doing well with being partners, She gets a new partner and decides to follow her dream and moves to Seattle. Heartbroken Leo knows it's best for Victoria but is just lost without her.
When Victoria returns to get some costumes, she finds Leo living in her apartment. He professes how lost he is without her.
These two are so cute and the love they have held in for so many years!

Wow, Grace has done it again! Another 5-star read for me! Yes, it’s called Perfectly Faked, and while you might think it’s just about fake dating, trust me, it’s so much more than that. Leo and Victoria have a complicated past, and it’s anything but pretty. They used to be deeply in love and each other’s everything, until the day Victoria broke up with Leo without a word of explanation. The fallout was tough, especially for Leo, who had a history of abandonment... his mother did the same thing to him. That pain turned him into the grumpy hockey player he is today, and his temper has reached a boiling point. So much so, that his coach (Vic's Dad) benches him, and his punishment? Community service.

What does that entail? Working as Victoria’s skating partner while hers is recovering. It’s the last thing either of them wants, but they both need to make it work. She needs to keep training for a shot at the finals, and he needs to finish his community service. So, they train together, and even end up living together, with a set of rules to keep things professional. But no matter how many rules they set, old feelings resurface, and it becomes harder to deny their chemistry. But with Victoria still hiding the truth about why she left in the first place and Leo guarding his heart against getting hurt again, maybe it’s better to just stick to the rules and move on, right?

This book is absolutely amazing! So many heartfelt moments that will make you swoon, laugh-out-loud banter, and a whole lot of fun. The teammates, the roommates, the tension... I loved it all! You do not want to miss this second-chance love story.

A few of my favorite moments:
- The rules
- Big Bertha
- Skating lessons
- Moments in the rain
- The commercial
- Bonus epilogue
- Sneak peek at Lauren and Tate...

I received a complimentary copy of this book, this review reflects my honest opinion.

Victoria is a figure skater, and when her partner gets injured, she struggles to find a replacement. Leo, a hockey player with anger issues, is assigned to community service by his coach, partnering Leo with his daughter. This frustrates him. Victoria and Leo used to date in college for six months before she broke up with him via text message. Despite claiming he doesn't like her, Leo is always there to support and help Victoria. He even agrees to fake date her to help her secure a new sponsorship.

The characters are complex and develop further throughout the story. Heartwarming, with incredible chemistry and comedic banter between the main characters, this story pulled me right in and kept my interest throughout. This is such a great book, and I just loved it!

This book covers all the best tropes: grumpy/sunshine, second chances, hockey romance, enemies to lovers... It has them all, and it's fantastic. Leo and Victoria's journey is rocky, and we get to see them try to smooth things out throughout the story. I'm a fan of Grace Worthington, and this book is exactly what I would expect from her.

I completely devoured this book in just a few hours. I love a hockey romance! Leo's "probation" from the hockey team has his teaming up with Victoria, the coach's daughter and the one that got away, to help het train for figure skating.
As much as they try to hide it, the sparks are still flying, even though they are pretending to be in a relationship.

Can Leo and Victoria work through their differences (and the family drama) and let the sparks skate on and off the ice?

Victoria is a figure skating and when her partner is injured she cann't find someone to replace him , Leo is a hockey player with anger issues and when his coach put him into community service to partner with his daughter he loses it . He and Victoria used to be a couple back at college for 6 months before she brroke up with him over a text message . Even though he tells everyone that he doesn't like her he is always there for her supporting and helping her . He even agree to fake date her so she can have a new sponship . When Victoria has to choose between her heart or her career what will she will pick ?
I received this book from netgalley , the author and the publicer as an ARC . Thank you . All thoughts and opinions are my own .

This was the first of Grace's books that I've read. And I nearly didn't becuase it was the second in the series, even when they are a standalone I feel like you sometimes miss out on things. However, I'm so glad I decided against my norm and read this as I fell in love with Victoria and Leo and their story from the very first page to the last. Grace has cemented herself on my favourite author list. I devoured this book while travelling and actually didn't want my journey to end becuase I couldn't put the book down!

I enjoyed the first half of this book. The enemies-to-lovers trope was done fabulously , and I loved seeing how Leo and Victoria’s shared passion for their sports helped bring them together. You could really feel their dedication, and it added a lot of depth to their relationship.

That being said, the second half of the book didn’t quite have the same feeling for me. The shift to the fake dating trope, which I usually love, felt far too rushed. It was like everything important was crammed into one chapter, and the pacing really threw me off. Victoria’s reaction to Leo’s birth mother also felt a little weird for her character. Based on how she’d been portrayed earlier, her overstepping boundaries didn’t seem true to her.

However the final few chapters redeemed the books. I loved the way Leo and Victoria’s story ended. But honestly, I wish the middle of the book had been stretched out a bit more.

Overall, while the pacing in the middle wasn’t perfect, it was still a really enjoyable read, and I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who loves the enemies-to-lovers or fake dating tropes.

Tropes:
Fake dating
Enemies to lovers
Second chance
Coaches daughter
Forced proximity
No smut

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. The opinions written are completely honest and my own.

I think this may be the 3rd book I've had the pleasure of reading from the Sweet Hockey series and although,not my favorite, it was a good read. The characters, the writing and the story were all sweet and interesting. This one just didn't pull my interest like the others.

I'm pretty sure that this booked covered all the best tropes that exist. Grumpy/sunshine, second chances, hockey romance, enemies to lovers..... It has them all and it's pretty fantastic. Leo and Victorias journey had been rocky, and we get to see them try to smooth it out through the story. I am a fan of Grace Worthington, and this book is exactly what I would expect from her.

Thank you netgalley for an arc of Perfectly Faked by Grace Worthington

I have enjoyed other books by this author. This one was just okay for me. It was slow moving and I felt disconnected to the characters. I liked the figure skating/hockey storylines. The characters were flat for me though.

Perfectly Faked Honest ARC review

⭐️second chance romance
⭐️hockey romance
⭐️figure skating romance
⭐️enemies to lovers
⭐️forced proximity
⭐️fake dating
⭐️grumpy sunshine

Victoria broke his heart when they dated in college. With his traumatic past and heartbreak from his one true love, Leo knows loss. Victoria has experienced many failures with her skating career that have left her lacking confidence.

The characters are complex and developed further throughout the story.
Heartwarming, the main characters have incredible chemistry and comedic banter. This story pulled me right in and kept my interest throughout.
This is such a great book and I just loved it!

Definitely 💯 add to your TBR!

Thank you for sharing this ARC with me.

I love a good hockey sports romance and this one was really enjoyable. I loved it wasn’t too over the top spicy. Sometimes you’re just looking for a sweet romance instead. I loved the figure skating aspect and how it turned out to be a past love that our MC was dealing with. It was very enjoyable and I finished it in one sitting. Highly recommend if you’re looking for a nice sports romance without being too over the top.