Faking Ms. Right

A Hot Romantic Comedy

By: Claire Kingsley

Narrated by: Jason Clarke, Emma Wilder

Length: 8 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

“When I kissed you last night, I wasn’t pretending.”

Everly Dalton is a walking, talking, martini-drinking dating disaster. Forget kissing frogs. She can’t even get past the first date. But at work, she’s a badass - the longest-running assistant billionaire Shepherd Calloway has ever had. Her coworkers wonder how she handles the big bad wolf and never gets bit. 

Shepherd Calloway isn’t interested in being anyone’s sugar daddy. Tired of women who only want him for his money, he swears off dating, determined to focus on running his empire. Until his gold-digging ex hits him where it hurts, putting him in a difficult position.

His solution to have Everly pose as his live-in girlfriend is obviously crazy, but the timing is uncanny. It just so happens Everly needs a favor from her boss - a big and awkward one - and this could ensure everyone gets what they want.

Besides, Everly can totally survive a few months of faux romance. Except there’s a problem. Shepherd is supposed to be a single-minded, unemotional robot boss. Not an actual human with a heart and morning wood. Between the awkward bed-sharing and tingly fake dates, lines are blurring. And as Everly gets to know the real Shepherd, she discovers there’s more to the man behind the bank account.

And faking it gets all too real...

Faking Ms. Right is a hot, stand-alone romantic comedy.

©2019 Claire Kingsley (P)2019 Claire Kingsley

WARM, LIGHT & NICELY PACED FAKERY

When it comes to ‘fake’ relationships you pretty much know going in that the agreed upon ‘bargain’ is going to spectacularly backfire on them both, you know that there will be a wrench tossed in to muddy the waters for a while and that it’ll end on a sweet HEA. But it’s the hero and heroine’s characters that make all the difference, it’s the narration that brings all the likeable characters to life and brings the feels.. and it’s the well-written humor, wit, passion, sex, secondary characters and character growth that make all the difference.. and this book deliciously ticked ALL the boxes.

A cold, moody, sexy, alpha Billionaire, his sweet, efficient, warm-hearted, loving PA and a heartwarming lineup of family, friends and other secondary characters. A scheming ex, good intentions blur lines, a favor asked and a favor granted, lust, passion, sex and secrets shared and a knee-jerk reaction causes waves.. yet true love shines through in this very entertaining dual POV romance. Because, scratch the surface of this cold aloof Billionaire and you’ll find his warmth, his passion and his heart.. it just took the right woman to do it.

Worth a credit? Yes it’s definitely a wysiwyg book (what you see is what you get).. great narration (still love you Jason), humor, heart, heat, a hiccup and happy ever afters in a slow-build office/fake romance that deliciously unfurls it’s dreamy delights, teases you with possibilities and leaves your senses satisfied.

Holy. F$#&!@%. S#*@. That man and all his deliciousness!!

I had already read this book before it was ever in audio, in fact, it was my first Claire Kingsley book and it kept my ass up allll night! I was hooked on the characters and their interactions and their dilemmas. Everly and her friends cracked me up! (I can't wait for Hazel's story coming to Kindle January 23rd, Love According to Science!!) Shepherd was intriguing and delightful as always. But let me tell you...having it in audio was aMAzing! (Triple hotness running the audio through my surround system, let me tell ya! Yessss!) At first I wasn't sure how I felt about Emma Wilder, especially her inner dialogue voice, but she grew on me or maybe she changed a bit throughout, I'm not sure. But Jason Clarke as Shepherd...SPAloosh!! Holy hell, his voice was perfect for Shep, all deep and gravely and hot. Him reading those smoking hot moments will cause a river...or disintegrate panties...or make a menopausal hot flash seem like a small fever. That man...he is at the top of my list now with this other voice-hottie (my Fire changed that to "double-digit" and now I'm back reliving some hot scenes in the story...*sigh*) of mine and I will be seeking out future romance novels with him as the reader. Yes please!! I have sooooo many books on my TBR to get through but I'd been kind of dying to re-read this one so I figured audio was an excellent way to do that and I am definitely pleased that I did!!!

Great start to a series!

Claire Kingsley is a new-to-me author and I am thrilled to have found her. Although this is a stand-alone it is also the start to a related series in the Dirty Martini Running Club. This first book is the story of Everly and Shepherd. This story is a little office romance (boss and assistant), a little fake relationship, a little forced proximity, and a lot of flirty and dirty and falling in love. The characters are all well developed, interesting, sympathetic, and compelling with a romance and love story with just the right amount of conflict and angst (which for me is not much!). You can’t go wrong with the sexy and sultry voices of Jason Clarke and Emma Wilder in your ears and tugging at your heart. I will now be finishing this series (Falling for My Enemy and Marrying Mr. Wrong) before doing a deep dive into Claire’s entire backlist. Happy to have discovered a new author who really does it for me.

Just okay....

As usual....Jason Clark did a great job narrating. Emma Wilder did and ok job but a bit flat. The story itself was ok. I felt like most of the contact between the two main characters was mostly inner dialogue, so it didn't make since they would have a real connection.

Love love love!

I liked this book from the start. I thought it would be a solid read nothing more. Give me Jason and fun. I did not anticipate loving this book. I am pleasantly surprised.

This was everything I wanted in a rom/com book and so much more. Everley is just the perfect girl to me. Yes maybe she could have a touch more of Nora’s sass. But there is something about a genuinely good person. Someone who always sees the best in people. Who uses logic before being rash. Who breaks things down. She is just a good person.

Shepherd is like this straightedge uptight guy with this hidden dirty talking man hidden underneath. Thank you world for creating Jason Clarke to utter the words “Good Girl.” There are few things in this world that can give me the shivers, but that does. The narration was great.

The girl friend group is exceptional. I can’t wait for their books. There is other more important than having girls that you know will always have your back.

Loved this can’t wait to do the rest of the series.

A Hot Romantic Comedy Indeed!

Overall 4.5 stars
Performance 5 stars
Story 4 stars

The tagline "A Hot Romantic Comedy" was no lie! Faking Ms. Right was a hilariously sexy romcom and had so many of my favorite tropes. There's fake relationship, forced proximity, taboo office romance, and some enemies to lovers thrown in for good measure. I loved the prequel novella, Everly Dalton's Dating Disasters, which introduced readers/listeners to Everly and her less than stellar string of first dates. Though not necessary to enjoy this story, it will provide greater insight into Everly and also sets the stage perfectly for this book.

I loved the contrast between optimistic and sunshiney Everly and aloof and grumpy Shepherd. They had amazing banter and chemistry. Watching them go from strangers to more was so delicious (though it did take Shepherd a long time to see the writing on the wall ;)) Yes, there's some OW drama involving an ex, but from the start it's clear that it's a non-issue. Our characters may bicker and go toe to toe, but they are all in once things get going. As much as I love all the romance, I really appreciated that both families and Everly's BFF's, Nora and Hazel, were just as important to the story. They provided wonderful support and comic relief and I'm excited that Nora and Hazel will each get their own stories in the future.

Jason Clarke was scorching hot as Shepherd Calloway and had me fanning myself many times while listening to this one. His growly voice was absolutely perfect (swoon). Emma Wilder was equally amazing as Everly and their narration really enhanced the story. I enjoyed both their male and female voices and these two were such a fantastic narrating duo. A great listen from start to finish!

*I voluntarily listened to a review copy of this book*

One of my Favorites

The Dirty Martini series is one of my favorite Claire Kingsley series. Shepherd and Everly and their story is the perfect beginning. Jason and Emma's narration fit the characters in what you imagine they sounded like. They made you feel you were right there watching their story unfold. Everly has been Shepherds AA for the past 3 years, and he never really noticed her other than her efficiency in her job until one night he needed a fake date to get a gold digging ex off his back only to find out the ex attached herself to his sweet Father in an attempt to win him back. He asks Everly to play his fake date, and the moment she steps out of the car, does he realize what a beautiful woman she is, and as they spend more time together and the ruse gets more complicated, he discovers that her beauty is not just skin deep its much more and she brings out feelings that he never had. He wasn't called a feeling less robot for nothing, he had secrets that he was never willing to share even to his family. The story escalates, tears and laughter with all of the characters in this story no matter how many times I replay this one, I still laughed and cried and will reread this one over and over.

Funny and sexy office romance.

Love this story. It’s funny, entertaining, the characters are so much, it’s hard not to fall in love with them. This book entertain me from page one, this book will definitely be reread and listen to the audiobook again.

Loved it

I absolutely loved this book!! The Audible really brings this story to life!! I would recommend this book to everyone!

Loved it!

Listened to this book in almost one day it was great! 10/10 recommend, looking for more by this author and maybe same narrators

Fun, Sweet and Absorbing...

This book hooked me in from the first chapter. A simple yet absorbing storyline that maintained its captivation from start to finish!

An out of this world situation that bough two perfect people together…
I read the review before listening to this book, those saying that “the story/premise this book hinged on was just ridiculous….” I do believe reviewers like this took a wrong turn from nonfiction to fiction… We read romance for the escape and that is exactly what this book helped me do... I blocked out the rest of the world, good and proper!
This is a very well written, low angst story that will hold you captive until the end…. Teamed up with a spectacular performance by Jason Clarke (swoon) and Emma Wilder (does male voices better than a lot of men!) and this is a win, win… Go on… Pleasure your ears… Get this book in your library!

Awesome 🤩

Lovely! Really enjoyed the great narration, cute history and the kink! Credit well spent! Recommended :)

Absolutely Loved This!

Sweet, cute romance, but with some spice too 🌶, especially when delivered in Jason Clarke's trademark 'sexy gravel' tones. He and Emma Wilder are two of my favourite narrators, so they drew me to this, by a - new to me - Author.
I loved it! Can't wait to listen to the rest of this series, and then I'll check out some of Claire's other titles too ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A very PC but cute story!

Wow! if you can get passed the PC BS, then this is a great romcom! Not only have you got one gay couple but two! Mix in a bit of sperm donation, cancer and nut allergy and you have the perfect recipe!

The chemistry between Avery and Shepherd is great and all the side characters are well drawn, but all this happening in one family, what are the odds??

The narration was perfect!

Lots of good bits

There were lots of good bits to this story, but the basic premise that the book hinged on (sister’s request and dad/ex situation) was just ridiculous. Just, what?! But other than that, I’ll get more from the author because I liked it in general.

Fabulous Story & Narration🎧 A Heartfelt Delight!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, Claire Kingsley is a talented author, she creates stories and characters that are realistic and easy to relate to. I first met Everly Dalton in “Everly Dalton's Dating Disasters” a fun RomCom and prequel to this book. She is such a likable character, she is a grounded person with a great disposition and personality. She is the executive assistant to Shepherd Calloway and is great at her job. Shepherd Calloway, a billionaire and brilliant businessman, is not very personable and comes off as an unemotional robot but Everly is used to him. When he asks to pose as his girlfriend and then to move in with him she agrees. Then the unexpected happens, she sees that he is a human being and he sees how great Everly is. I loved these two together, she was just what Shepherd needed and they were perfect for each other. I loved how everything played out, there is never a dull moment with plenty of drama, a bit of angst, some great humor and fun moments, as well as heartfelt ones and a great romance. Loved the smoking hot bonus epilogue! Claire Kingsley thank you for another great story!

I listened to the Audible edition, Jason Clarke and Emma Wilder are terrific narrators and voice artists. They bring the characters to life giving each their own voice and personality as well as heart and attitude. I adore Emma’s portrayal of Everly, she sounds just as you picture her to and Jason’s Shepherd was spot on too. They set the perfect tone for the story, capturing the drama and the humor. They are entertaining storytellers and a pleasure to listen to. Thank you for another great listen🎧

Loved this

I loved this book so much, seeing the main characters trying to ignore what was happening between them was so enjoyable. It was really well written and thought out and the narration just gave it that extra little push. Definitely one to relisten to.

funny and sweet with great narration

A fun, sweet romantic comedy with a heartwarming edge. I love Everly Dalton. She is sweet, happy, sunshine. She is a perfect foil to Shepherd, who is initially described as robot like but we find out throughout the book that we can’t judge a book by its cover. They were wonderful together and the way their relationship grows was a treat to read, and pretty realistic given she has worked with him for 3 years prior to pretending to be his girlfriend. It may have started as fake to throw off his father’s gold digging girlfriend but it quickly turns real. Add to it the awesome supporting cast- her best friends and sister plus partner. His father and brother plus partner. It was a well rounded ensemble romantic comedy. I hope others in this book get their happy endings in future books!

I also listened to the audiobook. Look, it's Jason Clarke. He's fantastic and he has the most perfect voice for Shepherd, not to mention great pacing and timing. Emma Wilder was also really great. I felt like Everly had the most hilarious lines and Emma did a great job playing them off. Their narration added to the story, increasing my pleasure with this book.

I requested and received this audiobook and read the ebook through kindle unlimited.

Fun, amusing and steamy...I loved it

Faking Ms. Right is my first Claire Kingsley novel and I loved it. This standalone romance was fun, amusing and steamy and I was hooked from beginning to end. It had both office romance and fake relationship trope included in one fantastic tale.
I loved the characters. Everly and Shepherd made a great couple. I loved how well they interacted together and I enjoyed watching their relationship move from fake to something more.
The supporting characters greatly added to the story and provided balance and support to the main characters. I especially loved Shepherd's father and Everly's friends. This novel was a fantastic read and I would highly recommend it to all lovers of Romantic comedies.
I listened to the audible version which was narrated by Jason Clarke and Emma Wilder. Their voices were perfectly suited to this story. Their pace and timing was excellent. I loved how they gave the characters their own personalities. It was a pleasure listening to them narrate this novel.