Trope
Clean Fake Dating Romance Books
Fake dating works because everyone in the book knows it's pretend except the people doing it. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is one of my favorite movies, and fake dating books scratch that same itch. What I love about the trope is the situations it puts characters in. They're going on dates that aren't supposed to mean anything. They're around other people who think they're real. They have to act like a couple in public.
It's all no spice, closed door if even that. The setup runs the same way most of the time. There's a reason for the arrangement, a set of rules they make up over coffee, and then the rules start failing. The pleasure is watching the cover story get too easy to tell, the hand holding that lingers a beat too long, and the moment when one of them realizes they don't actually want the deal to end.
The picks here include the wedding date who's also her sister's ex, the rival professor she invented a boyfriend to outdo, and the small town setup where the whole town has bought it before the couple has.
Mistletoe Face Off
The Love Gimmick
A Summer of Stars
Madeleine's Mistletoe Meet Cute
#4 in Christmas Kisses & Cookie Crumbs
His Stand-In Holiday Girlfriend
#1 in Christmas in the City
The Lucky One
#4 in Enchanted Hollow
But He's My Fake Fiancé
#3 in But He's a Carter Brother
Nothing Fake About Us, Onome
#2 in Soul Sisters
Faking Christmas
#3 in Christmas Escape
Perfect Pairing
#6 in It Happened Up North
The Friend Face Off
#3 in Love on Thin Ice
Skating and Fake Dating
#4 in Love in Maple Falls
Paris, Pumpkins and Puns (Season of Love Version)
#3 in Cinnamon Rolls and Pumpkin Spice
Betting on You
Terms and Traditions
#1 in The Reluctant Romantics
The Kiss Class
#3 in Nebraska Knights
The Temporary Roomie
#2 in It Happened in Nashville
The Tulip Proposal
#0 in Peace Valley Farm
Single All the Way
Mr Fake Husband Grump
#1 in Mr Grumps
Revenge in Rome
#2 in Flying in Love
The Player and the Pop Star
#1 in The Vista City Kings
Only a Game
#1 in Starlight Springs
Fake Dating for the Summer
#4 in Midlife Meet Cute Beach Reads
Easy As Pie
#3 in All's Fair
Meet Me At Midnight
#2 in Enchanted Hollow
Little Miss Hard to Handle
#2 in Little Miss
Faking the Fall
#4 in Sweater Weather
I Think He Knows
#2 in Donovan Family
Just Don't Fall
#1 in Appies Hockey Romance
My Phony Valentine
#1 in Holidays With Hart
Seas the Dating Coach
#1 in Wilks Beach
The Holiday Assist
#5 in The Peppermint Playbook
Marriage is a Shore Thing
#2 in Wilks Beach
Fake-Off with Fate
#1 in Love in Maple Falls
St. Nick and Me Are Mint to Be
#3 in Christmas Kisses & Cookie Crumbs
Movers and Fakers
#3 in RomCom University
Hating the Cinnamon Roll CEO
#1 in Cinnamon Rolls and Pumpkin Spice
Fake Skating
Cowboy, Take Me Away
#2 in Willow Creek
A Courtside Romance
Road to Gingerbread Grove
#2 in Holiday Rivals
Just Until the Wedding
Rent Yourself an Elf
#1 in Have Yourself a Merry Little Romance
Dolly All the Time
Call My Bluff
#2 in Cypress Valley Sweethearts
Romancing the Grump
#4 in Appies Hockey Romance
Maple Sugar Crush
#2 in Autumnboro Sweet Romance
His Jersey
#1 in Love in Hockey Town
The Shift Between Us
#2 in The Covewood Series
Almost By Design
Love Between Innings
#1 in Waves Baseball
Our Marry Little Christmas
In Love in Hockey Town
Love, Unscripted
You might also like
Get more clean reads
Curated picks like these, straight to your inbox.