Backstage

A Fake Marriage Romance

By: Abbey Foxx

Narrated by: Alana Thicke

Pretending doesn't mean it's not real!

Sophia

Pressed into the shadows, Ryan’s lips tight against mine, I have to convince myself that none of this is real.

When he holds me tightly, I have to hide my trembling hands.

When he kisses me along the tenderness of my neck, it takes all my strength not to moan.

And when he undresses in front of me, I have to pretend I'm looking away so he doesn't see my cheeks flush red.

I have to ignore the way my heart skips a thousand beats, the way my stomach turns around and around in somersaults, that tingly sensation all over my body when he dances his fingers over my sensitive skin.

No matter how much it makes me wonder if he really is pretending, I can’t afford to lose myself in that look of pure desire that flashes across his eyes like entire universes compacting. Even if he does the things to me I've never felt anyone do before, what if I'm wrong?

I can’t let myself believe this fake relationship is real, because if it isn't, I don’t think my heart could take it.

Ryan and I have an agreement, and I’ll do anything not to lose him. Even if it means I have to pretend I'm not falling in love.

Ryan

This is the kind of stuff that sells newspapers.

Onscreen couple marry in sham wedding romance. Only, everyone thinks this is real, and we’re so good at it, I'm beginning to wonder myself.

All those looks she gives me, the way her kisses make my entire body throb with desire, the way I can’t get her out of my head for a single minute.

A million dollars of inheritance money from a dead great aunt I didn't even know I had, and now, Sophia and I are married for real, and I can’t stop thinking about what it would be like if we’d done it for love and not just for money.

The best thing about this whole agreement? We need to do everything we can to convince people this relationship is real, otherwise we don’t get a single dollar of the money, which means treating each other like husband and wife whenever anyone might be looking.

The problem is, I'm beginning to want to do that more and more behind closed doors, and as much as I want to believe it’s true, I have no idea how Sophia feels. And then, she drops a bombshell I had no idea was coming, and our cleverly constructed lie slowly begins to come unravelling apart.

Neither of us can go back to make-believe now, even if we wanted to.

©2017 Abbey Foxx (P)2021 Abbey Foxx

Fun and romantic

I really enjoyed this story. I would recommend it. I ejoyed seeing boths sides of the characters. Loved watching their rrlationship!!! The narrator was also very good. I would listen to more from her!

Perfect Sexy Summer Listen

I wish this narrator had a podcast because I could listen to her for hours, and did. It was a real escape from this insane year. Better than 3 hours at the spa and a lot less hassle.

Fake it til you make it

I love me a good "this isn't a real relationship. oh no, it's a real relationship, now" story. And while I spent a significant amount of the book screaming, "just tell each other you love each other," it was worth the wait. I liked the mains and the supporting characters, or I at least liked to hate the ones I was meant to hate.

And while with a lot of romance, spoilers aren't an issue since the HEA is the point of the genre, there was one thing in the book that, while not outside the genre norms, was slightly unexpected. As soon as I realized it was happening, I went from "oh, no," but it shifted to an "oh, yay" by the end.

If you have intimate knowledge of how the US immigration system works, you'll need to turn off that part of your brain. But for narrative flow, it's required in a romance. Stacks of paperwork aren't particularly sexy to most of us. People might not stick around in a romance that went into the intricacies of applying for and receiving a K visa.

But this one was enjoyable, and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys "Fake" relationship stories.