Fake Shot

Boston Rebels, Book 2

By: Julia Connors

Narrated by: Connor Crais, Stella Bloom

After fifteen years of tending goal for the Boston Rebels, I’m known for two things: the highest save percentage in the league, and never spending more than one night with the same woman.

I’m definitely not the guy you should trust with your best friend’s little sister. Especially not when that sister, Jules, is eight years younger and my new roommate.

When I witness her on the verge of a panic attack while being intimidated by another man, I don’t think twice about calling her my fiancée and kissing her. Which brings me to the third thing I’m known for: reckless and impulsive decision-making.

After a video of that steamy kiss goes viral, the whole world is convinced we’re engaged. If we don’t play along, I risk losing my place as the starting goalie for the Rebels, and Jules’s reputation and career could tank.

Our engagement may be fake, but the memories of the way she tastes, and the feel of her body wrapped around mine, are all too real. And the more time we spend together, the less it feels like pretending.

None of the secrets from my past seem to matter as much when I’m with her. It turns out, Jules may have some secrets of her own–and uncovering them just might be what heals me…or what finally breaks me.

©2024 Julia Connors (P)2024 Julia Connors

Another GOAL made for the Boston Rebels

Guys, I absolutely LOVED Center Ice so I was rearing & ready to go when Fake Shot hit my box & Julia Connors delivers people!!!🙌🙌 She comes screaming through the door with another audio that I couldn't press pause for. I am absolutely MAD over Colt & Jules!

This is just such a fun listen. End of story! When authors say, "it's a slow burn," Julia freaking means it! This burned so slow but when it HIT, baby did it HIT! Colt & Jules have known each other forever. He's her brother's best friend so feelings she's had for him over the years have just been pushed down & thought of as impossible. The story revolves around two dynamic characters thrown together in a fake relationship that spirals into something unexpectedly genuine.

Colt, the hot & talented hockey goalie has been a player in the past. Cruising in the fast lane, he's a resident bad boy but time & age are catching up & he's realizing that he wants to take life a little slower. You wouldn't initially come to this conclusion, but Colt has some real depth to him. The longer the story played out, the more I fell hard for this guy! And the mouth on him? Whew! Julia can write the spice ya'll. I was full on blushing.🙌 Will Chapter 37 be saved & replayed, absolutely YES!

Something unexpected was how much I LOVED Jules character. In Center Ice, she seemed rather closed off & not fun but in this book, you learn where that comes from & quite honestly, she's nothing like that. I freaking LOVED this FMC. Jules is a boss babe to be worshipped! She's snarky, has a hilarious inner monologue & doesn't give a crap what people think. We'd most certainly be friends in real life. I just know it! Colt absolutely loves when she acts like a brat. It drives him mad & I was all here for it! She's a girl whose used to being in control, but with Colt she totally feels outta control & this scares her to death.

I loved the vulnerability she has with Colt. She suffers with anxiety & Julia does a wonderful job portraying & writing about this. This is why I loved her so much. You've got a gal who seems to have it all together but in reality, she's quietly scared & fearful. Julia weaves together trust, ambition & vulnerability into this story which makes their story feel personal & familiar.

🎧Let's talk narration...Stella & Connor were honestly perfectly cast in this. Stella brings all the snarkiness, strength & the unguarded aspect of Jules to life. I absolutely loved her in this role. Connor already knows how to play this fiddle. He completely captures Colt's protective nature & sensitive side. These two together give you all the delightful banter, humor & emotional depth you want in an amazing audio. This one just hits all the right notes guys! YOU need this in AUDIO! Highly recommend this one!

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite hockey series on audio. Julia writes dialogue that just sparkles & draws you right into Colt & Jules playful rivalry & heart tugging moments. You just can't help but root for them.

This one is a NEED

If you have not immersed yourself in a Julia Connors romance yet, you are MISSING OUT! And this is your sign to fix that!

Fake Shot is one of, if not THE best reformed playboy romances I’ve had the pleasure of listening to.

Connor Crais plays Colt, a golden-retriever, hockey God, reformed-playboy goodness trying so hard not to fall for his best friend’s little sister. He wants someone to see him as more than the playboy persona. The only problem? That person is his now-fake fiancée and her brother would kill him. Connor did suchhh a good job portraying those emotions! Colt wins your heart over and Connor’s voice seals the deal.

Stella Bloom brings Jules to life. Jules is guarded, resilient, and would do anything for her family. One dinner and sketchy guy later, she’s forced into close proximity with the guy responsible for her built up walls. When Colt starts leaning in when no one else is around, and saying things that make her melt, she has to decide what’s worth putting her trust in. I could not think of a better narrator for Jules than Stella! Her voice sucked me right in to Jules’s life.

If you like forced proximity, fake fiancée , reformed playboy, all the sass, and all the spice - RUN to this book. I cannot recommend it enough!

Colt & Jules

What could be worse than having to live with your brother’s best friend, the man you’ve always crushed on? Maybe having to be fake engaged to said man. Jules knows this all too well. At the start of the story I was actually worried about how I was ever going to like Colt but Julia certainly made me do a 180 on my opinion about him! Colt & Jules have to deal with past feelings and hurt while also having to live together and fake a relationship while in public. The more they pretend and share fake kisses, the more the lines blur and things start feeling real. I loved that it was very much a slow burn but you still get the tension and little pieces of them along the way. Their chemistry was strong whether it be in the bedroom or just their banter. They fit so perfectly.

Colt really went from playboy to the sweetest boyfriend and he claimed a spot on my book boyfriends list! I loved the things he did for Jules and the way he proved that he cared for her. Connor and Stella excelled at bringing these characters to life. Spectacular performances by them both. Such a fun audio to listen to.

Absolutely amazing

I absolutely LOVED IT!! The voice actors chosen added a whole new level to the characters, they were picked so perfectly. As for the story itself, I loved it. I always love brothers best friend troupes and the family dynamic with Jules and her big brother added a whole new level of protectiveness that I didn't know I needed. I loved them so much and the ending was beautiful.

This Audio Introduced Me To Julia Connors

Jules and Colt stole my attention from the start of this book and held it until the last page.

This best friend's sister, fake engagement, and unrequited love romance will have you loving them too!

Colt has been the typical hockey star, and I loved him for always just being who he is.
Jules is shy and standoffish. She loves hard but only those that are close to her. She keeps her guard up.

Stella Bloom and Connor Crais are two that I always enjoy listening to. I loved their narration of this book. The chemistry between the characters was read perfectly between these two. The tone of Connor and Stella is done so well that you will not be able to stop listening once you start. I could listen to these two all the time.

Brothers Beat Friend Goodness

Fake Shot by Julia Conner was such a fun read. It had all my favorite tropes rolled in to one, hockey romance, brothers best friend, fake dating, forced proximity and age gap! I absolutely loved how Jules was a bad a$$ contractor and ran a mentoring program to help women in the trades. I work in construction (office side) and I wish we had something like that for women in my area. Connor, oh Connor, he had a playboy reputation and he lived up to it. Jules always had a crush on Connor (how could you not) for years and always felt like it was one sided. The way they both ended up learning to trust and love together was my favorite part.
Narrators Connor Crais and Stella Bloom did an amazing job stepping in to the characters and bring them to live. Stella really was able to capture how strong yet vulnerable Jules was. I don’t what it is about Connor’s voice, but it’s like smooth whiskey, swoon.

Obsessed With This Series

Fake Shot is the second book in the Boston Rebels series. We were introduced to some intriguing side characters in book one. Jules Flynn was one of those characters, she is the snarky, take no shit youngest sibling in the Flynn family. She is also a boss babe that owns her own construction company and is in the process of getting her non-profit mentorship up and running so she can help more women get into the construction field and she’s only 25! Mathieu Colter is the 33 year old Boston Rebels goalie who has been in Jules’ life for over a decade now. He is best friends with Jules’ older brother, Jameson, and a well known playboy. Jules has had a crush on Colt since he entered her life, but he doesn’t see her as any more than Jameson’s little sister. When Jules finally realizes Colt will never return her feelings, she swears him off and then makes some very questionable decisions in Vegas. Fast forward six years and Jules has held true to swearing Colt off. The two have minimal interactions and when they do it’s a little hostile and clipped. But when Colt needs a place to stay his best friend immediately offers up the apartment on the third floor of their childhood home, the only problem is, Jules still lives in the brownstone and can’t stand Colt. One night in an effort to protect Jules from a sleazy businessman Colt declares Jules his fiance. So now not only are they roommates, they are fake engaged! As Colt starts to see Jules as more than just Jameson’s little sister, will Jules give in to her attraction to Colt once again?
The narration was so good! This is a dual narrated audiobook. Narrated by Connor Crais and Stella Bloom. Stella is a newer narrator to me and I have loved her work, Fake Shot was no exception. She did a great job bringing Jules’ sassy personality to life as well as her vulnerable side that had her heartbroken all those years ago. Connor was wonderful bringing Colt’s charming and flirtatious energy to life as well as his protective and nurturing side. There is a lot of banter in this one and it just hits differently in audio, so I definitely recommend checking this one out!

Great Dual Narration

A cute mix of roommates with a fake engagement contemporary hockey romance. Colt, a goalie for the Rebels is one big softie at heart, but yet fierce protector, when it comes to Jules, his best friend’s sister, which leads to being fake-engaged to her and lots of fun banter and moments. I appreciated the sub-plot of empowering women in the trades too! I am so happy I got to experience this book on audio, as the dual narration was so well done and spot on with voicing emotions. I appreciated the opportunity from the author and Wordsmith to listen and enjoy.

Loved it! 5 stars

I love hockey romances and have newly discovered Julia Connors' books. Fake Shot is book 2 in the Boston Rebels series. I loved Center Ice, the first book and was excited for book 2. I listened to the audio, and I loved how the narrators brought the characters to life.
Connor Crais and Stella Bloom told Colt and Jules' story to perfection. I felt the emotions of the characters and they told the story, that kept me glued to every word. The characters connection was felt with every word and action.
Colt is a professional hockey player, and the best friend of Jules' brother. Jameson has told Colt many times that Jules is off limits. He has tried to stay away but would do anything to protect her. Colt has been burned by a relationship in the past.
Jules works with her sister Audrey and the two have made a great business and run an all women one. They help to also give women a new start with their non-profit. Jules has trust issues. A mistake marriage at nineteen, a crush on Colt for much of her life, Jules wants Colt, but will he give in.
After a night of Colt trying to protect Jules, a fake relationship starts. While their relationship starts as friends and fake fiancées, it turns into a lot of electric embraces, and the two must learn how to trust, how to open their hearts and give in to real love.
I just loved Jules and her character's growth. And Colt, he was the best you could ask for. Together these two were everything and more!
If you are a fan of hockey romances, Julia Connors is a must!

unrequited

Jules has been crushing on Colt since forever and Colt only see her as his best friend little sister and when one night change everything for Jules. when she was going to stop crushing on Colt and move on from her crush, but that night will stay with her forever and never trust another man again. Colt doesnt believe in love because od the betrayal of his brother and girlfriend. So he becomes a player and he doesnt know a he playbin part to what happen to jules that Vegas night and he blames himself because his friend trusted him but he didnt know Jules sneak out after he dropped her off in her hotel room. Years later Colt need a place to stay. They are roomates and after Jules goes out to eat with a potential invester who try to make a pass on her Colt save her and announces they are engage which is reported everywhere now they have to fake it so it doesnt ruin their career. Thwy spend time together and she meets his family and find out why he hasnt seen his brother and all that drama and reunited slowly but he sees how happy they are.