Reviewed by Becca

TITLE: Deke

SERIES: Fake Boyfriend #3

AUTHOR: Eden Finley

PUBLISHER: self-published

LENGTH: 308 pages

RELEASE DATE: January 5, 2019

BLURB:

Ollie

Word of advice: don’t come out to random guys in public restrooms. Even if they’re charming and adorably nerdy and offer to help.
My family believes I can’t be happy if I’m not out to the world. I have a bitter ex-boyfriend and an unstable NHL career to show for it. A fake boyfriend seems like an easy and quick solution to get my family off my back, and this guy is volunteering. I take him up on it without asking his name.
I really should’ve asked for his name.

Lennon

Word of advice: learn how to introduce yourself properly.
In my defense, I don’t recognize Ollie Strömberg right away. I cover football, not hockey.
I’m not supposed to see him again, and he’s never supposed to find out I’m a reporter.
That all changes when my editor reassigns me.
It’s a lesson I should’ve learned by now. Nothing’s changed since high school. Jocks still hate nerds. But even worse, athletes hate journalists. Especially ones who know their secret.

REVIEW:

I was wondering how it was going to play out with Lennon when we first meet him in book 2? I think? Being the dreaded sports journalist everyone wants to hate, although he seems really good at his job. This turned into a good story and I really enjoyed it. The tables kept getting turned with these two and I thought I was going to have to go shove them together lol.

Lennon wasn’t quite sure who the sexy man in the bathroom, but he couldn’t pass up the chance to play his boyfriend.  The sad part is he didn’t even know his name. When a comment is made at his family’s table, he now realizes this hunk of man is NHL player Ollie Stromberg. They get through the most of the evening, until Lennon has to run because of his job. But not without a blazing kiss from Ollie first. Thinking they’d never really see each other again, it wasn’t a big deal. Ollie wasn’t out to the public and Lennon would never tell. But an event shoves them back together months later, and Ollie finally learns who he really is. Before Lennon can tell him. It doesn’t go well. Miscommunication is huge and it takes a while before hackles die down. Just about the time things seem to be going well, Ollie is almost forced out and Lennon is faced with a tough decision. Now both have to decide what is more important.

One thing I absolutely love about Lennon, is that even though he’s a journalist, he doesn’t compromise that certain line. He won’t cross it. Like outing Ollie. He could have racked up some major points for that one, but he refused to. No one should be forced out against their will. I also love that even when Ollie decided it was time, he made damn sure Ollie was doing it for the right reason. Himself. He has such integrity and I love it. I love how good he is for Ollie too. He gets it. He gets Ollie and why he feels the way he does. He understands a lot about him that Ollie never had before.

The hard part about this relationship is it seems like Lennon does more for Ollie than Ollie does for Lennon. From the get go, it’s always been about Ollie and his career. It’s never really been about Lennon. And that’s a hard pill to swallow. I can see how much Ollie cares about him. But sometimes it seems like there needs to be a bit of a shift. Lennon needs to be cared for as much. And he is. Don’t get me wrong. It comes out more in the end.

Coming out is never easy. Even if your family is perfectly fine with it, you have the outside world to contend with. Friends and peers. No one should ever be forced to do something they aren’t ready to do. I love the compassion and empathy in this book. It made the story that much sweeter.

RATING:  

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