Thursday, November 30, 2023

Faking a Fairy Tale - Teri Wilson (HSE #3002 - Sept 2023)

Series: Love Unveiled (Book 2)
 
She always dreamed of being Cinderella…
Just not with him
 
Bridal editor Daphne Ballantyne despises her handsome yet infuriating colleague Jack King. In fact, their workplace feud is legendary. But when a juicy magazine assignment requires going undercover as a blissfully engaged couple, both Daphne and Jack say I do. Fake affection soon leads to very real kisses, authentic emotions…and undeniable attraction. But will their high-profile marriage charade lead to a new romantic beginning for Veil's most combative employees?
 
Fun enemies to lovers story. Daphne and Jack have been at loggerheads since he started his job as the magazine's fact-checker. It seems that he annihilates every article she writes with his red pen. She gets even by messing up the items on his desk - he's a little OCD about their arrangement. Everyone on staff has noticed the tension between them, and they are all holding their breath for when their boss catches wind of it.
 
Daphne is afraid that the day has come when she is called to Colette's office and finds Jack there, too. It's a great relief that she seems unaware of their feud until she assigns them to work together on an undercover story by pretending to be an engaged couple. They are horrified by the idea, and Jack refuses by claiming he has other commitments. But when his mother tries to rope him into her society galas, suddenly working with Daphne doesn't seem so bad.
 
Watching the relationship develop between these two totally different people was so much fun. Jack is a planner, always in control of his life and emotions, and a by-the-book guy. Daphne is spontaneous, bubbly, and over-the-top in fashion. Neither expects the sparks of attraction that flare between them as they pretend to be in love. For two people who seem to dislike each other intensely, it was intriguing to note that they knew each other very well. I loved seeing them realize there was more to each other than they previously suspected. I enjoyed seeing how their differing approaches to writing the required articles blended to make something stronger than either could do individually.
 
Matters become more complicated when Jack and Daphne encounter his former fiancée in their undercover class. The next thing they know, Jack's parents know about their "engagement" and pull out all the stops to celebrate. I loved Jack's growing protectiveness toward Daphne as he began to understand her insecurities. There is also a sweet scene where Daphne comes to Jack's rescue when he has a family emergency. At this point, each realizes that their relationship no longer feels fake, and neither knows what to do with those feelings.
 
I loved the ending and seeing how each one found a similar way to let the other know how they felt. It was fun to see the boss lady, Colette, show a more human side than before. 
 
I loved the secondary characters. Daphne's besties, Everly and Addison, do a terrific job supporting her, whether listening to her, advising her, or calling her out when she's lying to herself. The whole "fashion closet" routine is a riot. I also adored little Olivia and her effect on Jack's life. 


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