The Fake Boyfriend Fiasco (Just for Him #3) by Talia Hibbert

I’m at a complete loss as to why I hadn’t already read this book. A Talia Hibbert from 2018 unread? The only thing I can think is that I was coming to the end of her backlist and decided to keep this one so I wouldn’t run out and then forgot about it. This happens to me way more than you’d think! 😀

Whatever the reason, what a very pleasant surprise!

Talia Hibbert is the queen of grumpy heroine and sunshine hero and this was no exception. It’s been a long time since I read Bad for the Boss, the book where we first meet Aria after her current boyfriend goes batshit crazy, but from what little I do remember, I totally get Aria swearing off men, and being a little standoffish with straight men.

Something else Talia Hibbert is good at is ‘he falls first’, honestly one of my favourite tropes, especially if he is a bit of a player (lol) before he falls. Nik is a PLAYER and I loved having his POV when he first sees Aria. He fell and he fell hard.

This is a very quick read but I felt like the story was still well developed. It was of course all very insta but it didn’t feel ridiculous, and that was quite a feat given that this book is super duper smutty!

Goodness gracious me, Nik came out with the most outrageous things and it was glorious! I can’t believe it took Maya almost a week to fold! 😀 It managed to be a speedy read with a sturdy enough storyline while having buckets of sexual tension AND lots of smut. That’s impressive writing!

The only thing that wasn’t my favourite was the conflict. I completely understand why Maya freaked out, I mean her history would mean she would rightfully be upset if she perceived she was being played in any way, but wow, she overreacted. She does actually admit that she overreacted, but it just didn’t feel like this is how she would react. Curse Nik out and get drunk with the girls in the villa? Yes. Run away? No. But you know, trauma! And it does seem like everything that she’d been working on in therapy just bubbled up to the surface as she fell for Nik, and as a result she didn’t know how to deal with her emotions. Still, booking return flights a day early while being emotionally overwhelmed seems too hard! 😀

All in all a fun read, makes me want to reread some Talia Hibbert, Ravenswood and The Brown Sisters are two of my favourite series of hers. She is great for a comfort read!

Synopsis:

He’s in love. She’s faking it.

Footballing legend Nik Christou leads a charmed life. Rich, successful, and internationally adored, no woman (or man) has ever rejected him—until a tattooed goddess blows his mind and captures his heart with just one kiss. 

Distrustful of men and disdainful of love, Aria Granger’s tongue is as sharp as her winged eyeliner. She knows from experience that Nik, like any smoking-hot himbo with bags of cash, is too good to be true—so she’s determined to send this walking temptation packing. 

Fortunately, Nik’s devised the perfect strategy to win his woman… 

Step 1: Offer her an obscene amount of money to be his fake girlfriend. 

Step 2: Whisk her away to a lavish Spanish villa—under the watchful eye of his entire team. 

Step 3: Figure out, between all the fake flirtation and phoney PDA, how to make her love him back. 

What could possibly go wrong?