kb33's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
amandaj6's review
5.0
I am so in love with Millie and her love of life and just general awesomeness.
This book gave me the biggest book hangover. I couldn’t even finish my review. I only got that first sentence down and then just had to let it all soak in even more.
I just loved Duke and Millie’s story. I’ll have to come back to do a better review. But right now, still… all I can think is heart eyes, and heart swirls, and happy faces, and kissy faces.
~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~
This book gave me the biggest book hangover. I couldn’t even finish my review. I only got that first sentence down and then just had to let it all soak in even more.
I just loved Duke and Millie’s story. I’ll have to come back to do a better review. But right now, still… all I can think is heart eyes, and heart swirls, and happy faces, and kissy faces.
~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise~
ingamama1033's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
jennyreads_2022's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was an entertaining romcom. It had a lot of pop culture references and British lingo. There were a lot of different tropes represented, grumpy/sunshine, sports, fake dating, single dad, and they complimented each other well.
Callum “Duke” Duquette and Millie Darden meet in a bookshop and are photographed by the paparazzi when Millie literally falls into Duke’s arms. They seem like an unlikely pair and don’t seem to like each other much, but they’re both surprised with the perks their fake relationship could give them. Duke wants to please his daughter, who loves Millie and gets a social boost from her dad dating her, and Millie wants to be seen as more than the child starlet she’s trying to leave behind. They both also need dates to family weddings and come up with a plan that suits both of them well. What they didn’t anticipate was actually falling for each other, or the repercussions of their fake relationship being revealed after they’d put the fake behind them.
There were things I loved about this book and things I felt were missing. There were a lot of gaps and tell not show scenarios. I would have loved to have seen the movie night with Chloe and maybe a little more of their relationship in Boston before Millie returned to London. I did love the glimpse into Duke’s mind while on-field as the kicker for the Boston Tomcats. I loved the banter between Millie and Duke. I loved the way they fought and didn’t try to hide behind miscommunication.
Duke and Millie made for an interesting story and I thought the change in the dynamic of their relationship was well done and not rushed. They fell at their own pace and I was glad they were honest about the change in their feelings with each other. Duke was a delightful grump with a soft side he didn’t know how to show and Millie was a normal Brit who got lucky as a child but never bought into the fame.
romanceandraindrops's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I was so excited to read this one after loving book 2 (Dash: Rushing The Play) and it did not disappoint. Authors Kayley Loring & Connor Crais have such a great mix of banter, character development and sexy times that the whole story just comes together beautifully.
I loved Duke as a single dad. I loved his sighs and grunts. I liked Millie & how British she was, and a genuinely happy person, but also was able to show sadness and disappointment at the right times.
If you choose to read this book, please listen to the audio. All the narrators do an excellent job but Connor Crais's voice is just like butter and warm syrup on your pancakes on Saturday morning, with powdered sugar. 🫠🫠🫠
I loved Duke as a single dad. I loved his sighs and grunts. I liked Millie & how British she was, and a genuinely happy person, but also was able to show sadness and disappointment at the right times.
If you choose to read this book, please listen to the audio. All the narrators do an excellent job but Connor Crais's voice is just like butter and warm syrup on your pancakes on Saturday morning, with powdered sugar. 🫠🫠🫠
andireadsromance's review
5.0
Duke: Faking the Play is the third book in the Boston Tomcats series and can be read as a stand-alone.
Millie is an English actress filming a movie based on a Shakespeare play in Boston. She’s mostly known for being in movies based on books, as a child. Callum Duquette (Duke) is the placekicker for the Boston Tomcats. They don’t really get along, at first. He plays the “wrong” kind of football. He also hates film adaptations of books.
Both have friends and family pushing them to date, so when the paparazzi catch them in a compromising position at a chance encounter in a bookstore, it creates an opportunity. Millie proposes they fake a relationship. Although Duke hates being in the spot light, he also doesn’t want to disappoint his daughter, Chloe, who is a fan of Millie’s, so he decides to go along with it.
Grumpy/sunshine books are my catnip and this one did not disappoint. Millie is the sunshiny one, but she’s sassy, sarcastic, and loves to rile Duke up and it’s so fun. I loved the banter!
Duke is very loyal. He just wants to do right by everyone and not let anyone down. You gotta love a man who puts his family first, but I also love that Chloe held her own.
I love when Kayley and Connor write together. I think they both bring out the best in each other and I love me a sports romance that’s funny, sexy, and swoony. I thought this was a fitting end to the series with how the football aspect was handled. Also, as a Tottenham Hotspur supporter, it was fun to see the stadium mention. I appreciated that little touch.
Thank you to Kayley Loring and Connor Crais. I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.
4.5 Stars
Millie is an English actress filming a movie based on a Shakespeare play in Boston. She’s mostly known for being in movies based on books, as a child. Callum Duquette (Duke) is the placekicker for the Boston Tomcats. They don’t really get along, at first. He plays the “wrong” kind of football. He also hates film adaptations of books.
Both have friends and family pushing them to date, so when the paparazzi catch them in a compromising position at a chance encounter in a bookstore, it creates an opportunity. Millie proposes they fake a relationship. Although Duke hates being in the spot light, he also doesn’t want to disappoint his daughter, Chloe, who is a fan of Millie’s, so he decides to go along with it.
Grumpy/sunshine books are my catnip and this one did not disappoint. Millie is the sunshiny one, but she’s sassy, sarcastic, and loves to rile Duke up and it’s so fun. I loved the banter!
Duke is very loyal. He just wants to do right by everyone and not let anyone down. You gotta love a man who puts his family first, but I also love that Chloe held her own.
I love when Kayley and Connor write together. I think they both bring out the best in each other and I love me a sports romance that’s funny, sexy, and swoony. I thought this was a fitting end to the series with how the football aspect was handled. Also, as a Tottenham Hotspur supporter, it was fun to see the stadium mention. I appreciated that little touch.
Thank you to Kayley Loring and Connor Crais. I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.
4.5 Stars
lauriereadsrom1's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
For years, divorced single dad Callum "Duke" Duquette has been content to focus on two things: his daughter, 11-year-old Chloe, and his career as a placekicker for the NFL's Boston Tomcats. Dating is nowhere on his to-do list, so as his teammate Dash's wedding approaches, his friends' efforts to set him up are starting to drive him crazy. He's hiding out at his favorite local bookstore one day when he quite literally runs into British actress Millie Darden, who's in Boston to film a movie. The resulting paparazzi photo goes viral, and suddenly, the whole world thinks they're in a relationship. Witnessing the reaction to their viral photo, Millie and Duke realize that it would be mutually beneficial to keep up the ruse. After all, they'll only have to fake it for a few months. The hard part will be pretending not to fall in love for real...
This was such a fun story! I adored Millie and Duke's steamy chemistry and witty banter, as well as how playful they were when they were together. Duke was normally so grumpy, but Millie brought out an unexpectedly lighthearted side of his personality that I enjoyed exploring. I also loved that Millie had a completely separate relationship with his daughter Chloe, who was an important part of the story but didn't monopolize it like kids sometimes do in single parent books. Finally, the various text threads had me laughing so hard I cried at various points in the book. I especially loved the one with Millie's family - her mom's text fails were hysterical!
I highly recommend "Duke: Faking the Play" for all contemporary romance and romantic comedy fans. I can't wait to get my hands on whatever the authors come up with next!
*Review copy provided by the authors. All opinions expressed are my own.
This was such a fun story! I adored Millie and Duke's steamy chemistry and witty banter, as well as how playful they were when they were together. Duke was normally so grumpy, but Millie brought out an unexpectedly lighthearted side of his personality that I enjoyed exploring. I also loved that Millie had a completely separate relationship with his daughter Chloe, who was an important part of the story but didn't monopolize it like kids sometimes do in single parent books. Finally, the various text threads had me laughing so hard I cried at various points in the book. I especially loved the one with Millie's family - her mom's text fails were hysterical!
I highly recommend "Duke: Faking the Play" for all contemporary romance and romantic comedy fans. I can't wait to get my hands on whatever the authors come up with next!
*Review copy provided by the authors. All opinions expressed are my own.
randi_reads's review
4.0
This is book three in the Boston Tomcat series and is about the team's placekicker, Callum "Duke" Duquette, and British actress, Millie Darden. Duke is a single father to eleven-year-old Chloe and is all about doing what is best for the team and his daughter. He has a meet cute with Millie in a Boston bookstore that gets caught by the paparazzi. Instead of putting a stop to it, they agree to a fake relationship. It will keep his teammates and their wives/girlfriends from constantly trying to set him up and she will have a date to her brother's wedding.
Millie is a breath of fresh air to Duke's grumpy and broody attitude. I loved that he always sighed around her, though. She seemed to like it, too. They start to spend time together and with his daughter while she is in Boston. Soon, their feelings venture into the real territory. But, what happens if their secret gets out?
I enjoyed this book and had a few good laughs. Chloe was super sweet and adorable. I can't wait to listen to the audiobook.
Thank you to the authors for an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Millie is a breath of fresh air to Duke's grumpy and broody attitude. I loved that he always sighed around her, though. She seemed to like it, too. They start to spend time together and with his daughter while she is in Boston. Soon, their feelings venture into the real territory. But, what happens if their secret gets out?
I enjoyed this book and had a few good laughs. Chloe was super sweet and adorable. I can't wait to listen to the audiobook.
Thank you to the authors for an advanced readers copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
staceysippireads's review
funny
5.0
So happy to be back in Boston cheering on the Tomcats. This series continues with the kicker, single dad, Callum “Duke” Duquette. He is gloriously grumpy, and satisfied with the way his life is. It works. Enter Millie Darden, the actress he didn’t see coming. One trip, fall, and paparazzi photo later, their lives have intertwined.
The moment two characters realize they could both benefit from a fake relationship, ah, I live for that moment. These two both have reasons to fake things, so a deal is quickly made. What Duke didn’t know is the levels Millie will go to push his buttons. It is so good.
Both lead characters had a great internal monologue, but Millie cracked me up! Even better when I imagined the British accent. She was silly and a bit off the wall, and so stinking endearing she was easy to fall for. I love a grumpy male lead, but Duke may be on another level. He’s not rude, rather stoic. Every crack in his armor, smile, sweet word, small confession feels like a reward.
These two were grumpy meets sunshine RomCom goodness. It hit exactly the way a Kayley Loring and Connor Crais novel should, and I loved it!