Review: Everything I Love in a Romance!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 4, 2013
If you want a story full of smoking hot chemistry, fun flirty banter, and strong but likable characters, look no further.  This is my fourth read by Diane Alberts, and I've found you just can't go wrong with her stories.  Faking It is no exception.Stephanie wants to make her own way without her brothers or any man stepping in and taking over.  Something she feels has happened far too many times in her life.  This time the stakes are high because Stephanie is down to her last dollars and if she doesn't turn her temporary job in to permanent, she'll be back to living at her parent's home.  So when a misunderstanding by a big investor is taken a step further by her boss, and they assume her brother's friend, Derek is her fiancé, Stephanie feels she has no choice but to go along with the charade.Derek finally meets the little sister of his best friend from college, and he's immediately taken in by this full-of-life, and klutzy creature.  Every one of her emotions is on display, and strongly felt.  Stephanie's like a breath of fresh air to his controlled and cold life. For this reason when this awkward misunderstanding is thrust on him he plays along.  Oh, he definitely could get used to playing the doting fiancé if it includes "faking" kisses and touches in the name of saving Stephanie's job.Stephanie is such a sweet and generous soul, never stingy with her feelings.  But she wants to guard her heart when it comes to Derek, because he's just the kind of man she could fall hard for with his dark and sensual looks, and she doesn't want to be hurt.  When Derek starts showering her with gifts she resists, thinking that it's only pity motivating him.Derek was a sweetheart as well even though he was so reserved at first.  His normally closed heart opened big for Stephanie, so he feels hurt when she keeps rejecting his help.  Watching these two go from "faking it" to the real deal was a pleasure.This is not a very long story (154 pages) but Diane Alberts is the queen at capturing your attention and heart with a short amount of pages.  She has a talent for writing spicy scenes with cracking sexual tension but in a tasteful way.  I'll give you just a small taste:"Cold," she murmured."Give it a moment." The flex and pull of her lithe body under his fingertips was hypnotic. Slowly, he began to stroke the sunscreen into her skin, kneading her as if she were clay beneath his sculpting fingers, shaping her to his touch. She let out a sighing sound of pleasure and rolled her shoulders.Stephanie's brother, Aaron, was caring and overly protective, and we have hints about his sad story.  I was happy to hear from Diane that his story will be told in the future.A copy was provided by Entangled Publishing in exchange for an honest review.