A review by jennyreads_2022
Duke: Faking the Play by Connor Crais, Kayley Loring

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.