Fake Dating the Prince

La, la, la, la, la, la!! I am in such a good mood right now, y’all. I’ve got all the warm fuzzies, and my cheeks hurt from grinning. Why, you ask? Because I just finished Fake Dating the Prince by Ashlyn Kane and I am in a euphoric cloud of readerly bliss.

I’m not even sure where to begin with this review because there was so much about this read that just floated my boat. It ticked sooo many of my boxes. First and foremost, I fell madly in love with the two MCs. Like, heart-achingly in love. Brayden had the most brilliant and hilarious and charming personality. I could just eat him with a spoon, I swear. I’m not sure I’ve laughed out loud at a book even half as much as I laughed at this one. I got a lot of grumps from the hubs because I kept waking him up in cackling hysterics. (Because, of course, I couldn’t put the dang thing down and read all night long. In bed. Next to my spouse, who was attempting to do the sleep thing. 🤷‍♀️) Brayden slayed me with his antics and his witty one liners. There was one scene I literally read three times, back to back, and got the hiccups because I was laughing so uproariously. When my husband woke up and questioned what the ever-loving-H-E-double-hockey-sticks was wrong with me, I read him the scene (making read number four) and even he busted a gut without knowing the characters or story. It’s that dang funny.

I won’t spoil the whole thing with a giant excerpt dump (especially since I most definitely don’t have the permission for that 😅 and you need to just go buy and read this whole book right now) but I’m going to share one little snippet that pretty much sums up the awesome, even without context:

“What kind of guys have you been dressing, if you have to put extra dick room in their pants?” He gestured down at his boxer briefs, which hid nothing—not that Brayden had anything to be ashamed of. “I mean, you can basically see it. It doesn’t need its own trouser leg.”

Then there was Flip. Oh, my heart. Flip is so very, very different than Brayden. Kane has some cray cray character building skills. There was never any question whose head I was in, and the dialogue could’ve stood on its own without tags of any sort and I would’ve still known who was speaking. And Flip was just… oh, Flip. He was a prince, all right. Compassionate, poised, and heart-meltingly lovable. And he makes this romantic gesture that’ll have your eyes turning into hearts, I promise. When I hit that part, I was a squeeing puddle of squish.

There are a hundred other things I could write in this review, because Kane has a phenomenal handle on the writing craft and just knocked this one outta the park. But I’m going to cut myself off here or I’ll write a novel. (Ask the poor author… I was that reader who hunted her down on Twitter and sent middle-of-the-night messages because I quite simply couldn’t not tell her how much I loved her words.)

I would recommend this book to everyone who loves romance and love and witty banter and killer chemistry. Full stop. Everyone.

I was looking for a sweet, fun romance to fit in between some suspenseful/ angst-ridden reads when I began Fake Dating the Prince and I got that and more. The fake relationship trope always seems to catch my eye because of the chance to see the chemistry build from seemingly nothing. I was especially pleased the connection between Brayden and Flip, though obvious from the start, was fostered and given time to grow into a palpable chemistry. It made this fairy tale of sorts that much sweeter and kept me fully engrossed in the couple’s story.

Beyond the romance, I really enjoyed the fictional setting of Lyngria. The descriptive scenes the author painted throughout the book, both in this fictional Baltic country and in nonfictional locales transported me and made for a great weekend read. This was my first book by Miss Kane and I really didn’t know what to expect but I so enjoyed her style, smooth dialogue, and the easy pace. If you’re looking for a light, sweet love story to get lost in with minimal angst, Fake Dating the Prince is definitely worth the read.

*Reviewed for Alpha Book Club*

Romantic Comedy at it's best. I love the light hearted and fun feel to the story. I read this to take a break from a heavier story and it was the perfect fit. I like how Brayden really comes into the story with his own set of strengths which can help you see how this can be a perfect long term match. Flip is his own man and together they seem to be a perfect pair.

Faking Date The Prince by Ashlyn Kane is a classic fake romance turns real read. In this easy-to-read and sweet novel, we meet Brayden, a Canadian flight attendant, and Crown Prince Antoine-Philippe (Flip) of Lyngria. After meeting, Flip asks Brayden to be his fake date (no strings attached) for a charity ball. Brayden is intrigued by the prince and agrees. After a successful first fake date, Flip convinces Brayden to keep up the charade and the two eventually share a bed and fall in love.

This is an easy read. The storyline is OK, sometimes the characters got in their own way and miscommunication was the source of friction in this story. The rouse was a bit flimsy from the start and I just never really bought why Brayden would agree to it.

Nevertheless, I'd read some pretty angsty novels, so this was a nice light read.

*** Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by Dreamspinner Press for my reading pleasure, a review wasn't a requirement. ***

Reviewed by Sammy for Diverse Reader

Brayden has served the cute first class passenger who is a frequent flyer for quite some time now and knows him so well he even slips him the contraband peanuts on the flights they share. Easygoing and cute to boot, Brayden is unattached and loving the life he gets to live despite not always loving his job as a flight attendant. When the man who goes by the name. Flip, looks a bit upset Brayden does his best to cajole him into a good mood with some light flirting and a listening ear. Then Flip springs a request on Brayden that far exceeds the extra odd bag of peanuts—accompany him to a charity ball and pretend to be his boyfriend. With little to do on his three week vacation Brayden agrees, thinking this will be a neat way to see the country Flip is from and somewhere Brayden has never been. Little does he know that Flip is actually the crown prince of that country and Brayden is about to step into a life he has never experienced before—one that will leave him enlightened and possibly, in love.

Ashlyn Kane offers up a romantic comedy complete with a magical prince in her latest release, Fake Dating the Prince. It’s a whirlwind insta-love novel that manages to be wholly believable despite the two main characters falling head over heels in just a few weeks’ time. I think the supporting cast of Flip’s parents and Clara, his cousin, have a lot to do with the story making me feel like these two guys have dated far longer than they actually have. They were so warm and inviting toward Brayden that it just felt so relaxed and easy. There’s no doubt about it Fake Dating the Prince was one of those light reads with little angst, amusing and captivating characters and just the right pacing to keep me happily enthralled with the simple plot line. While I say simple please don’t get the idea that this wasn’t very enjoyable to read—on the contrary, I not only flew through this book, I also was completely smitten with both Brayden and Flip.

Their short romance seemed so much longer primarily because the author wisely chose to not have them jump into bed right away. Instead, their physical attraction had a genuine slow burn feel to it and their chemistry was more than sufficiently brewing before it boiled over. I also enjoyed how Flip was often caught up in being the diplomat he was born to be even when trying to tell Brayden how much he cared for him. The way he often fell back into the stilted language of his position made him a very vulnerable character and increased the affection I felt for him. But it was Brayden who undoubtedly became the star of the novel—genuine and kind hearted, he stole every scene he was in. Honestly there was little not to like about this novel and I think those looking for a sweet romance that has little angst but is long on feeling will really enjoy Fake Dating the Prince.