BOOK REVIEW: Faker by Sarah Smith @AuthorSarahS @BerkleyPub @berkleyromance #faker #fakerbook #bookreview

You know how in most genre people use the phrase “predictable” as a criticism? To me the best part about contemporary romance is that it is predictable in the best way possible. Sometimes a girl just needs a happily ever after!!! Sarah Smith’s debut novel Faker is an enemies-to-lovers co-worker romance novel that just hit the sweet spot of steamy, funny, and heart-melting. Wonderful!

About the Book

Emmie Echavarre is a professional faker. She has to be to survive as one of the few female employees at Nuts & Bolts, a power tool company staffed predominantly by gruff, burly men. From nine to five, Monday through Friday, she’s tough as nails–the complete opposite of her easy-going real self.

One thing she doesn’t have to fake? Her disdain for coworker Tate Rasmussen. Tate has been hostile to her since the day they met. Emmie’s friendly greetings and repeated attempts to get to know him failed to garner anything more than scowls and terse one-word answers. Too bad she can’t stop staring at his Thor-like biceps…

When Emmie and Tate are forced to work together on a charity construction project, things get…heated. Emmie’s beginning to see that beneath Tate’s chiseled exterior lies a soft heart, but it will take more than a few kind words to erase the past and convince her that what they have is real.

Reflection

I think enemies-to-lovers is probably my favorite romance trope, and I also love a steamy romance between co-workers, so Faker was a hit in my opinion. The setting was really fun and not one that I have seen much of.

Emmie works for a power tool company called Nuts & Bolts located in Omaha, NE, and is one of only a handful of females and minorities to work for the company. As a result, she has developed a tougher persona than she feels, to help her stand up to what (let’s be frank about this), is sexual harassment at work. Cat calls, whistles, unwanted attention—these are the norm. But Emmie has a way of shutting it down and executing her job as a copywriter without too much trouble.

Until the new social media manager Tate starts across the hall from her. From day one, Tate is dismissive and cold towards Emmie, and she quickly marks him as her adversary. But when they are forced to work on a long-term project together, they can’t deny their attraction. And let’s just say, things steam up!

I found the enemies-to-lovers trope in this book to be one of the more realistic in terms of feelings and evolution. Their initial disconnect made sense, and their attraction and feelings developed organically. Personally, I did want a bit more of the enemies part than we got. It felt like once the wall broke down, we didn’t really get the tension of that fine line between love and hate that I wanted.

I can’t be upset, though, because I really enjoyed them as a couple and how they learned more about one another. The sequence of events that leads them to develop feelings was so sweet, and I liked that for once the feelings developed before (or at least in tandem with) the heat between them.

I enjoyed how they dealt with some real issues–feeling like you don’t fit in, racism, sexism, and not feeling totally comfortable in your skin (among others). It made the story grounded in a wonderful way.

I also really loved the setting in Omaha, as someone who used to live there! I instantly recognized Three Happiness and eCreamery, as well as a number of other locations in the book. That was a fun surprise!

Fans of contemporary romance will truly adore this book—it is such a great blend of love, fun, and steam. Wonderful work by Sarah Smith!! I’m excited to read more from her.

Thank you to Berkley for my copy. Opinions are my own.