Fake-Off with Fate by Whitney Dineen: Book Review

 **ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own. 

The Book

She’s a closet designer for the rich and famous and he’s a broken-hearted captain of a pro-hockey team. Neither of them is looking for love.

Ashlyn

An unexpected trip home to Maple Falls gets even more surprising when I inadvertently become acting mayor.

Add a huge crisis and a smoking hot hockey player, and I’m in over my head before I know it.

I’m only here for a short time, so I will not fall for Mr. Tall, dark, and adorable. I don’t care how helpful and kind he is. Long-distance never works, so the answer is no.

Jamie

I’m sick of the press hounding me about my last relationship, so when the opportunity arose to captain a new hockey team in smalltown Washington, I jumped at it.

Too bad I didn't ask more questions before moving here, like, "Are there bears, and will they be living in my backyard?"

Then there's Ashlyn. The last thing I expected was to meet a funny, sassy, and good-hearted woman like her. I swore off love after my last heartbreak, but my heart is acting like it missed the memo.

There’s no way I’m going to pursue her. Unless of course, fate has intervened, and we were meant to be...

***

Fake-Off with Fate is a slow-burn, friends to love, fake-dating small town hockey romcom in the Love in Maple Falls series. Add a town conflict, missing mayor, and bear infestation and you will be laughing and cheering your way to a happy ending!

Welcome back to Maple Falls—the small town where hockey players fall in love! This is a multi-author series of seven full-length books that could be read as standalones, but we think you'll enjoy them best in order.

The Author

USA Today Bestselling author Whitney Dineen is a rock star in her own head. While delusional about her singing abilities, there’s been a plethora of validation that she’s a fairly decent author (AMAZING!!!). After winning many writing awards and selling nearly a kabillion books (math may not be her forte, either), she’s decided to let the voices in her head say whatever they want (sorry, Mom). She also won a fourth-place ribbon in a fifth-grade swim meet in backstroke. So, there’s that.

Whitney loves to play with her kids (a.k.a. dazzle them with her amazing flossing abilities), bake stuff, eat stuff, and write books for people who "get" her. She thinks french fries are the perfect food and Mrs. Roper is her spirit animal.

***Super fans, please check out my reading group Eat, Laugh, Love on Facebook for early announcements and other good stuff: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1145541502567944

***If you're the average run of the mill fan, go here--where you will still have plenty of fun: https://www.facebook.com/Whitney-Dineen-Author-11687019412

First Place at the Top Shelf Book Awards, 2020

Gold Medal winner at the International Readers' Favorite Awards, 2017.

Silver medal winner at the International Readers' Favorite Awards, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020

Finalist RONE Awards, 2016, 2018, 2019.

Finalist at the IRFA 2016, 2017.

Finalist at the Book Excellence Awards, 2017

Finalist Top Shelf Indie Book Awards, 2017

Book Review

What a fun way to start a second fall season with The Ice Breakers! The team may have been upgraded to NHL status, and we may be meeting a different group of players this time around, but one thing that hasn't changed is that perfect combination of fall vibes, small town shenanigans and all the hockey romance goodness! We kicked it off with this sweet fake dating romance between Ashlyn and Jamie, and I have to say that these two certainly kept me smiling! Ashlyn grew up in Maple Falls, but was working as a closet organizer in LA, but when her mom calls threatening to leave her father (mayor of Maple Falls), she rushes to her hometown to try to keep that from happening and meets Jamie, new captain of the new local NHL team. There's was a bit of a slower burn romance, but I enjoyed seeing them go from strangers to friends to more throughout the story. Between town chaos, unexpected natural disasters and oh yes, let's not forget all the bears-- there was a whole lot to keep things interesting throughout this story! I couldn't help but enjoy these two and find myself looking forward to seeing what will come next for this team and town! 

Fake-Off with Fate is a closed-door romance with kisses only and no language. It is the first book in the new Love in Maple Falls multi-author series, a spin-off of the Love on Thin Ice series-- centering around The Ice Breakers hockey team. You do not have to have read the first series to be able to enjoy this one. 


You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/47dIq4P