Fake the Game

Vancouver Tridents, Book 2

De: Julia Jarrett

Narrado por: Heather Firth, Dane Anderson

I’m the bad boy of baseball. And she’s the good girl who’s meant to repair my image. Falling in love with my pretend girlfriend is not part of the plan…

My life is a mess. My career is in serious jeopardy because of one stupid decision that had disastrous results. I’m stuck on the injured list, for who knows how long, and losing endorsements because of my reckless behaviour.

It’s only a matter of time before my team decides I’m too much trouble to keep around.

The last thing I should be doing is swooping in to rescue a perfect stranger from some jerk at a bar—because of course a photo gets taken of her in my arms.

Now the last shot I have at holding onto everything that matters, is a curvy redhead who has no idea who I am and isn’t all that impressed by the mess I’ve thrown her into.

For some reason Sadie agrees to help me, and now I’m forced to spend time with a woman who might be the only person to see the real me. A lot of time. Even more so when she moves into my apartment.

With every fake date we go on, her warmth and smiles start to chip away at the ice around my heart. But what can I offer a woman like her? I’m nothing but a reckless asshole and a cocky baseball player with a past I’d rather no one knew about. I don’t let people get close to me, I don’t do relationships.

But when our arrangement comes to an end, I can’t bring myself to walk away.

How can I convince my fake girlfriend to give me a real chance when the secrets from my past won’t stay hidden?

©2024 Julia Jarrett (P)2025 Julia Jarrett

Sweet Fake Dating Love Story!

Fake the Game is book two in Julia Jarrett’s Vancouver Tridents series. Maverick’s story intrigued me when he was introduced in Break the Rules. A misunderstood bad boy with a turbulent past and a lot of heart? Yes, please! Sadie is a compassionate, sweetheart FMC. Sparks fly when Mav rescues Specs from a run-in with her toxic ex. I loved how Sadie helped him heal past wounds and Mav helped her regain her confidence. A mutually beneficial fake relationship, a grumpy & guilt-ridden ball player, and a beguiling & brilliant beauty make for a charming romance.

Heather Firth and Dane Anderson were terrific as Sadie and Maverick. Heather gave a passionate and delightful performance to bring Sadie to life. Dane’s growly & gruff timbre was perfect for the broken, crunchy cinnamon roll Maverick. I enjoyed the balance of Heather and Dane’s styles and energy. These two make a wonderful duo, and I hope to hear more titles with this narration team soon!

i got swept away with Maverick & Specs!

Julia Jarrett is a new-to-me author; Fake The Game is the second book I've listened to of hers, and I enjoyed it just as much as the first in this series, Break The Rules.

Maverick and Sadie start out as a fake relationship for a publicity stunt to clean up his image, but there is so much more to this bad boy of baseball than what the public thinks of him! Little by little, we get to see the real Maverick underneath the facade, and the guy runs deep. I loved the vulnerability he showed with Sadie. The guy is carrying around some major trauma as a result of his childhood — and while his past ultimately impacts their relationship moving forward, it doesn't take him long to realize how good of a thing he has with Sadie and put in the work to make sure he can right the wrong he made.

Sadie gets something out of their fake relationship as well: getting her ex off her back. She grows so much during her time with Maverick, and it was wonderful to see her stand up to her slimy ex. (And I think when Maverick went all alpha on him, it was one of my favorite scenes!)

Narrators Heather Firth and Dane Anderson are not ones that I am very familiar with, but I completely got swept away listening to them. Dane's deep, growly voice was mesmerizing; I loved listening to him capture Maverick's angst, insecurities, and trust issues. Likewise, Heather did a great job in voicing Sadie's genuine care for Maverick as she got to know the man underneath the bad boy,

I am really enjoying this series! I can't wait for the next one. I received an advanced listening copy and voluntarily left a review.

I love this one

OVERALL: 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5/5
•Storyline: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
•Narration: 🎧🎧🎧🎧/5
•Spice Level: 🌶🌶/ 5
•Swoon level: 🫠🫠🫠🫠/5
•Emotional:🥺/5
•Re-Listen/Re-Read: Yes
•Platform: Audiobook and Ebook
•Trope: Baseball romance, Fake Dating, bad boy/good girl. Close proximity, Opposites attract.


• Thoughts:
Maverick and Sadie were absolutely adorable. I loved this couple so much! They complemented one another. I loved the Opposites attract type vibes. Him the bad boy and her the good girl! He brought out a side in Sadie that dared her to be who she was, and let her see she was worthy and perfect. Sadie grounded Maverick. She was so good for him! She understood him better than anyone. Taking him by surprise, with her unconditional love. Watching both of them transform and turn into this swoony couple was epic!! They really were a great couple!

NARRATOR THOUGHTS: Dane Anderson and Heather Firth
•Dual Narration
•Listening at a 1.5 speed.
Heather Firth is a new to me narrator and I liked her. She did such a great job! Dane Anderson also did a very good job. Honestly this book and the narration where just amazing. I enjoyed this one so much! I recommend!

•Recommend note:
I will always encourage people to read what makes them happy. If it sounds good, read it! My reviews are just that, my opinion. Happy reading, friends.

Steamy, heartfelt and swoony

I love when the tattooed, grumpy bad boy finds his sunshine. “Fake the Game” is a steamy, heartfelt and swoony fake dating baseball romance that I couldn’t stop listening to once I started.

Maverick King is the bad boy of the Tridents and is on the IR after an accident that not everyone knows the truth about. Now he’s on the hot seat with the team and needs to prove that he’s serious about playing. When out one night, he steps in to save a woman who was getting harassed by a man. Sadie is done with her ex and is happy when Maverick steps in to help her. And the last thing she was expecting the next day was the press getting a picture and saying that they were together. Maverick’s agent thinks this is what will help with his image so the two agree to start fake dating.

I absolutely loved Maverick and Sadie. Grumpy/Sunshine will always be one of my favorite troupes. Maverick is closed off and has a wall built around him but he had a tough childhood in foster care so he kept people out for that reason. He doesn’t let many people in except his foster brothers who he was still close with. Under that is a guy who is a born protector and I loved how he was that way instantly with Sadie. Sadie has a big heart and I loved her from the beginning. She is genuine and someone I could be friends with in real life. When they first started fake dating, it was awkward and that made me happy because it made it more realistic. But once they got to know each other, the chemistry started building and I couldn't wait for them to give into their feelings. Sadie was the safe spot Maverick needed and he was the confidence she needed. They balanced each other out perfectly and I loved them together so much.

Dane Anderson and Heather Firth narrated as Maverick and Sadie and I loved listening to them so much. Dane’s narration was growly and protective just like Maverick. Heather was amazing as Sadie, she brought her genuine and caring personality to life perfectly. These two were great together and the perfect choices to bring this audiobook to life.
L

Picture to Relationship

Heather Firth and Dane Anderson were great choices to narrate Maverick and Sadie in this audiobook. This was an intriguing listen as I got ready for my day. The emotional aspects of this book were brought to life by these performances. It gave me goose bumps at certain parts of this audiobook, and I absolutely loved it!

I received an ALC of this book and voluntarily leave this review.

Good story, bad male narrator

Find a new male narrator for your next book. This one just made parts of the store awkward and not interesting. But loved the story.

This series just keeps getting better.

“The night my tattooed bad boy changed my life and made me fall in love.”

I didn’t think I would enjoy anything as much as I did book one of this series. However, I was proven wrong. I couldn’t get enough of Maverick and Sadie’s story. Their first meeting is tense to say the least and later he saves her from an uncomfortable encounter with her ex in a bar. They are photographed together and decide if they play along, the mistake could benefit them both. Let the fake dating begin!

This is so much more than a fake-dating, grumpy / sunshine romance. Sadie is the quiet, conservative beauty, and the perfect foil to baseball’s misunderstood bad boy, Maverick. He needs her help to improve his image after an accident off the field leaving him injured and his contract in jeopardy with the team. This is a slow burn, and I enjoyed that it wasn’t an instalove situation once they start fake dating. These are two people with real trust issues and walls built up and complicated pasts to work through. The more I learned about these two and their pasts, the more I was rooting for them and their HEA. He helped her stand up for herself and blossom. She helped with his trust issues, that led to more camaraderie with his teammates.
This can absolutely be read as a standalone but there are appearances of characters from the previous book that I always appreciate. Plus, it’s a real hoot when he ‘handles’ her ex.

Narrated by Dane Anderson and Heather Firth. Both are new to me, and I really liked their performances. I’ll be sure to look for more from these two.

Overall, this was more emotional than I expected, and I loved it. This is a redemption story with a lot of heart, humor and sense of found family. I can’t wait for the next installment.

I LOVE this series! Highly Recommended!

I fell in love with Break the Rules and knew I had to listen to this whole series! Julia Jarrett had me hooked so fast and I didn't want it to end. The narrators Dane Anderson and Heather Firth did an amazing job telling this story. They held my attention and kept me entertained throughout the entire book and left me wanting more. Their voices were perfect for these characters.

Maverick is the bad boy of baseball and he needs to rebuild his image. While at a bar one night he helps Sadie when her ex-boyfriend won't leave her alone by pretending to be her fake boyfriend. These two get into a deal helping each other out by faking a relationship.

Sadie and Maverick are as of this moment one of my favorite fake relationship characters. I just loved everything about how they came together and how Mav was so protective and caring toward Sadie. These two will make you smile so much you won't be able to move your cheeks because they hurt so much. I found myself swooning like crazy over Mav. He was just the sweetest man. I loved how she opened Mav up and helped him heal his past. It's such a beautiful story that will have your heart melting. You will also have plenty of laugh out loud moments and some spice.

I highly recommend this book and series! I can't wait to listen to the next book in this series. Julia Jarrett will now be a must read or listen to author for me!

It's a home run!

And Julia Jarrett is off again with her second home run for her Vancouver Trident series. This one features Maverick, a loner for the most part. He is the grumpy on, but the one who rescues his brother in his time of need. It's just that he is the one that gets in trouble when he does, and now he is on thin ice with the team. Helping Sadie out when she is in trouble in a bar just adds to the craziness since a picture of him carrying her out is posted. Now she is going to play his fake girlfriend to try and get him out this mess. But what happens next to this broody man is the miracle.Julia is warm and she pulls out the best in Maverick. But will she win his heart? Jarrett masterfully weaves their love story as the bad boy falls for the good girl. It's a push pull relationship as they begin, and a slow burn. The question is will the fire ignite? Loved this one, it's about seeing the person for who they really are, family, whether blood or not and a true heart.

Dane Anderson and Heather Firth are the story tellers for this one and they are amazing together. Perfectly cast, the characters come alive with their voices. Anderson plays the broody Mav and he brings out all of his grumpiness and turns it to the teddy bear he is. Firth is Sadie, and her heart shows from the start. She finds the essence of Sadie and brings her kindness and love through. Loved this performance.

Misunderstood Protector Hero with a Heart of Gold.

Book 2 of the series. It stands alone well and you can totally start here.

Maverick keeps getting himself into questionable situations, but he's genuinely a really great guy with a heart of gold. No one sees all of him and that makes the image a problem for his team when he's getting into fights or crashing cars in street races. All he's doing is protecting people who can't protect themselves in those moments.

He helps out Sadie while she's trying to get away from her slimy ex and thanks to his celebrity status, he now needs her to help him with his public image by being his fake girlfriend. But as they spend time together, they make each other better. She sees the truth under his image and he builds her confidence and sense of self-worth. Soon enough there's nothing fake about this dating arrangement. However, there are still some secrets that need to be aired, some lessons to be learned and an HEA to earn.

The audio for this one was performed by Heather Firth (new to me narrator) and Dane Anderson. Heather was a delight to listen to. Her range for Sadie was fully present from confusion and anger, to shyness and feeling out of her element, to feeling sexy and confident with Mav. Dane was vulnerable at times and growly in others, he gave some great emotional contrast for Mav.

I requested and was provided with an advanced copy of the audiobook. These are my honest opinions.