Fake It 'Til You Make It: My Top Recommendations For Fake Dating Romance Books

Jack Stapleton has a stalker, something more annoying than alarming, according to him. But none of his people agree. Not wanting to scare his family with the information, he agrees to have a bodyguard on one condition: she has to pretend she’s his girlfriend.

Hannah Brooks is not your typical bodyguard. Unassuming and beautiful, she’s the perfect candidate for this special assignment. It’s the best kind of compromise, yet one neither side is happy with. But since they have to spend the time together anyway, they might as well make the most of it and get to know each other.

As professional and personal boundaries blur and a fake relationship starts to feel real, the potential threat to Jack’s life takes a backseat to the very real threat to his heart.

Daphne and Miles have always been friend-adjacent, brought together by Daphne’s fiancé, Paul, being best friends with Miles’ girlfriend, Petra. That is, until Paul and Petra decide that they were destined for each other, leaving Daphne and Miles stranded and alone.

Because misery loves company, and a roommate also suffering heartbreak feels better than being alone, Daphne moves into Miles' apartment while they both try to rebuild their lives. Frustrated by their exes’ happiness, they decide on the perfect revenge plan: make Paul and Petra think they’ve started dating, and see how they like a taste of their own medicine.

As Miles and Daphne actually get to know each other, however, camaraderie turns to affection and could very easily become something more. 

Shay Goldstein and Dominic Yun have never actually dated. They know that. Their bosses at the radio station know that. And yet, their bickering like bitter ex-lovers inspires a radio show idea: two exes working together to give relationship advice.

Reluctant rivals, the two accept the assignment in the hopes of progressing their careers. It’s not like they have anything to lose. After all, they never liked each other in the first place.

Denz and Braylon knew there was something between them from the moment they met in college. But after graduation, when Denz went back to Atlanta to work for his family, and Braylon chased a new opportunity in London, everything they’d built became nothing more than a painful memory.

Now, years later, Denz is still trying to prove to his family that he’s responsible and ready to take on a bigger role in their company, and Braylon has moved home, something Denz had been unaware of until a chance encounter in his favorite cafe.

Believing that being able to hold down a steady relationship will prove his growth to his family, Denz convinces Braylon to pretend they’re back together just long enough to win his promotion. But first love never really dies, and soon the line between real and pretend is no longer so easy to see.

Luc O’Donnell is, quite simply, a mess. According to his friends, he’s a lovable mess. According to the paparazzi, however, he’s just a disaster. Luc is inclined to agree with the latter. But instead of actually fixing what he deems broken about himself, he decides to cover it up with a shiny, new boyfriend.

Oliver Blackwell could not be more different from Luc—ambitious, successful, and notoriously proper. Why he agrees to fake date Luc is a mystery even to him. But even as Luc tries to clean up his act and Oliver tries to let loose, they find they’re not so dissimilar underneath it all, at least not in the ways that matter.

Dani Brown is a PhD student who’s hard up and looking for a friend-with-benefits to meet her physical needs while otherwise leaving her alone. Zaf is not that guy; he’s a romantic who believes in true love and sex being about more than the physical. 

He is, however, desperate for publicity for his children’s charity, and after he rescues Dani from a building that could well have been on fire, he convinces her to pretend to date him to keep social media drawing attention to the kids he’s trying to help.

While Dani tries to seduce Zaf, and he pretends she’s not already under his skin, real, impractical feelings start to form. While they were busy trying to keep their hands on (or off) each other, they forgot to watch out for their hearts.

Eve Mitchell has always been more than a little in love with Madden Donahue, and she’s no longer the only one. In fact, half the world is in love with the up-and-coming all-star baseball player. But she made a deal with her best friend ages ago that he was off limits, and she’s determined not to break it.

Until, of course, she ends up with custody of her niece and nephew, and his solution to their health insurance is simple: marry him and use his insurance. With no other option, Eve agrees, determined to keep her feelings out of the picture and her marriage a secret.

But while pretending not to love him has been hard, pretending not to be married to him is an even bigger challenge. And pretending she only married him for the insurance? Impossible.