Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: Fake it for Christmas
SERIES: Fixer Brothers Construction Co
AUTHOR: Raleigh Ruebins
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 137 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 3, 2024
BLURB:
I’m a jock-next-door from Tennessee, and he’s a city boy running from his past.
But I need a fake boyfriend this Christmas… and now he’s in my bed.
I’m only good at two sports and holiday spirit. But this Christmas feels different, even though I should have everything I want. My family’s bugging me again about why I’m still single, and I’m getting desperate.
Rowen’s nothing like me. He’s smart, accomplished, and back in Tennessee from the city—not by choice. Even though he’s straight, he agrees to be my fake boyfriend for my family’s Christmas party.
He says I’m hot and could have any guy I want, but I don’t get it. I’m just muscle with a reindeer sweater on top.
…But he wants me to teach him.
About being with a man.
Who could resist a gift like that?
***
Fake It for Christmas is a novella, about half the length of my usual books (appx 36,000 words), and packed with all of the good stuff. It’s full of wintertime magic, twinkly lights, and two guys who are absolute fire when they’re together.
REVIEW:
This novella is super cute. I was kind of worried at the beginning that there would be some bad drama/third act breakup type stuff, but I was pleasantly surprised at how Rowen handled his messy past. He tried to put on such a happy and pulled together facade for Shane. Shane, however, saw through Rowen’s attempts to put up walls. He just didn’t think he deservved somebody like Rowen.
Shane misses his grandmother and she seemed to be his biggest cheerleader. Rowen has been thrown the curveball of a lifetime having his dram life completely torched by his awful parents. Money certainly wasn’t buy this guy happiness (even if it did give him a soft place to land and a lack of stress about having to support himself). Shane is doing OK working at the local lodging establishment, but it doesn’t give him any extra money to update his grandma’s house. The answer to his prayers is to get on Fixer Brothers home improvement show and get his house reno taken care of. It’s his favorite show and it’s the thing he wants most in life. But it’s a couples edition and when he meets Rowen at the local watering hole, he’s surprised that Rowen approaches him.
Rowen is an actor from NYC staying with his grandparents in small town Tennessee. He’s also running from his life in NYC, now that he’s being blamed for his parents bad and illegal acts that have landed them in prison. His acting career is on life-support at best. He needs to lay low and hope changing his professional name will help him get some work. When he finds out what Shane is trying to do to get his house fixed up, he’s game and offers immediately to help Shane. He tells Shane he likes kissing guys and as actor he has played gay characters before, so no problem to act as Shane’s boyfriend. However, the more time they spend together, the less this feels like an acting job.
Rowen is tight-lipped about his life in NYC for quite a while and Shane doesn’t really blame him. Because it’s not like they are REALLY boyfriends. And Rowen will eventually go back to New York. Or will he??
I love the Fixer Brother series and although we don’t get much of those characters here, we do get to see things from the potential client side. This holiday story has lots of decorations and holiday food and parties and family and small town fun that make it a fun read. Rowen turns out to be a very different guy underneath the image he projects to the world. He’s a good guy and he wants to do the right though – particularly by Shane. He’s never been interested in a guy before, but Shane is the most real honest good person he’s ever known. He can’t help but want to spend more time with him and finds himself falling pretty quickly. Shane is gobsmacked that Rowen volunteers to be his fake boyfriend. He knows Rowen could have whoever he wanted. The closer they get though, the more Shane wishes that this was real and not just a ruse to get on a TV show. It’s shocking to him when Rowen confesses his feelings 🙂 They were absolutely adorable together. I wonder if we will get to see their project getting done in an upcoming book?? 😉 Hint, hint. If you’re in the mood for a sweet romance with some characters who get what they deserve, then I think you’ll enjoy this one. Recommended.
RATING: 
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