FAKING IT

by Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde

A writing duo that are absolute dynamite, Carly Phillips and Erika Wilde prove that while this may be called Faking It, there is absolutely nothing fake about the quality or characters, both were exceptional.

From the get-go the primary characters had me totally at their will, I was addicted to the story that I could feel evolving and whilst I will admit that the story was a bit of a slow burner at some points, I think that was a ploy that the authors used to make sure that, the pace was allowed enough time for all the pieces to slot comfortable into place.

But as the pace and passion built, so did my feelings for Max, I was devoted and that doesn’t normally happen quite so early in a book. From the time I got my head around what made him tick… I wanted him for myself.

I loved his honour, in as much as he was willing to keep a respectful distance, while he was mistakenly convinced that Hailey was engaged to someone else, he wasn’t willing to put his desires to the fore, no matter how much it was crippling him to not have her, he was a darn sight more patient that I could ever be, he was committed to her and he makes no bones about that.

He was playing a waiting game, and that spoke volumes about the man he was, his honesty and openness.

I was a little reticent that Hailey wasn’t quite so forthcoming with her feelings initially and that she took a lot longer to open up to Max with the details of her past but when she does it only increases the intensity between the two of them.

They may have taken their time getting to where they needed to be but that doesn’t mean that when they got their it wasn’t worth every single second because rest assured it was exquisite.

On a side note, I would like to commend the authors for allowing Hailey to have a little meat on her bones, for her to be a normal woman, a woman that has a life and that has shape, a shape that Max quite simply adores!

While the path of the story was as I expected, the pace was perfect, it suited the characters, they authors didn’t force the hand of either Hailey or Max, they seemed to give them the opportunity to express everything the not only wanted to but needed to say and that gave the story and the situation realism that lifted the whole book.