Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Kicking It with my Fake Fiance
SERIES: Out and Kickin’ #6
AUTHOR: Riley Long
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 154 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 2, 2024
BLURB:
It’s going to take drastic measures to make my musical dreams come true and see my name in lights. As luck would have it, the opportunity of a lifetime just popped up. The trashy reality TV show Destination Love is holding auditions for queer couples.
I can’t think of a better partner for this adventure than my best friend, Matty. He wants to earn his US citizenship and further his career as a travel writer. I want fame and notoriety. Together we could be unstoppable.
Matty and I agree to fake a relationship and play up a passionate love affair for the cameras. Yet somewhere in the middle of the producer’s manufactured drama, we realize neither of us are pretending.
As things begin heating up behind the scenes, Matty and I find the happiness we’ve both been seeking in each other’s arms. Can our pretend love turn into something real? Or will our opposing dreams tear us apart?
REVIEW:
Note: This is the sixth in the series and does have some spoilers for the previous books. It can be read as a standalone.
In this story, Matty and Jared have been best friends – although long distance for most of the time – since they were in high school when Matty was an exchange student from Norway and lived with Jared’s family. Now 15 year later, Jared’s music career isn’t taking off and he needs a boost. When he gets on his weekly video call with Matty, turns out Matty is having some of the same issues. His travel writer work in Scandinavia is getting stale. He’s broken up with his latest girlfriend. He needs to do something new. He’d like to come to America.
Jared hears about a reality show Destination Love casting for a new season looking for relationships that involved a foreign fiance and their path to marrying an American. This show is focusing on LGBTQ+ couples and so Jared thinks this might be the thing to jump start both of their careers. All he has to do is convince Matty to play along.
What Jared doesn’t count on is their first kiss igniting something unexpected inside him when he goes to Norway to see Matty. What he also doesn’t count in is Matty confessing that he’s always been bisexual. Matty’s family s a bit shocked since he hasn’t ever told them about being bi before. He hadn’t been dating any guys so he didn’t think it was really relevant. His mother is happy for him. His brother not so much – but he’s a bit of a stick in the mud anyway, so not a surprise.
The being on camera part of this deal is a bit daunting. At first they are nervous and they have to figure out what they want to show and not show when it becomes clear that they are in this for real. Once Matty arrives in America though, things get a bit tense because Jared has to go off on tour for a few weeks as support for a big band. Matty is left to his own devices. Luckily Jared’s friends help a lot. The keep Matty busy and help him acclimate when he’s not working on his writing. Neither of them expects how much they miss each other though. They’ve just truly gotten together and now they are separated. There are at least some sexy times over video chat 😉
Just when they are back together, an unexpected and manipulative announcement nearly ends them before their wedding. Jared has to do some fast footwork to keep both Matty and the show going. But he’s not about to let anything hurt Matty and make him unhappy 🙂 He’s just got Matty and he’s not about to lose him because of some stupid TV show.
This story fits perfectly in this series of relationships that may start out as fake or less than honest and end up with both men falling in love. I liked both Matty and Jared. It was pretty quick going from friends to lovers, but it felt like they were heading this direction for a while. They were the constant in each other’s live and they have known each other so long. It didn’t take much for them to act on their very real attraction. In the spirit of full disclosure, I personally loathe reality TV. Not much of a fan of much TV in general, TBH. But this kind of manufactured drama in particular makes me crazy. This story does not romanticize what can be an exploitative situation though and calls out the manipulation of both participants and the audience in the genre. (Three month marriage of The Golden Bachelor anyone???)
Anyway, I enjoyed revisiting the kickball team and their respective partners. I liked the way this relationship seemed to organically change for these two and they end up in a great place. I’m hoping we see Jake in a future story (hint, hint) along with the rest of these guys having fun and supporting each other. If you’re a fan of the series, this is fine addition. Recommended.
RATING: 
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