Not Actually Yours

De: Sophie L. Henderson

Narrado por: Katie Beudert, Davis Brooks

Two weeks and two fake dates with Brock Holt—the infuriating firefighter with a savior complex, tough-guy attitude and a body as hot as his temper. And the last person single-by-choice schoolteacher Nix would ever fall for.

Nix’s heart is on permanent lockdown after her mom walked out on her, but she needs a date to her cousin’s engagement party. Anything to put an end to the relentless single-shaming. Can she find someone—preferably smokin’—willing to spend Thanksgiving weekend with her meddling family in a tiny seaside town in the middle of nowhere?

Brock got burned falling for the wrong girl. But his potential promotion to captain hinges on him having a date for the annual firefighters’ gala. Can he convince the entire community that his short fuse is a thing of the past, that he’s ready for a serious new role as a fire hall leader?

They’ve agreed: falling in love is not an option. And soon, they’re fooling everyone. Even themselves. When Brock utterly charms Nix’s hard-to-impress aunt over a cozy breakfast of pancakes and maple syrup, and sparks fly at the fire department dance, the alarm bells start to ring…

A swoony, sweet and steamy fake-dating romance that is the perfect comfort read. If you love Laurie Gilmore, Amy Daws and Stephanie Archer, you’ll be charmed by Not Actually Yours.

©2026 Bookouture, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd. (P)2026 Sophie L. Henderson

So Good!

I really enjoyed listening to the 1st book of this series and was so excited when book Brock & Nix’s story was released! Usually the story is that the guy has commitment issues, but this one is the opposite!

Nix tries to do everything in her power to ‘save’ Brock from her, and it was a struggle for her to stay away! Helloooooo hot fireman 👨‍🚒 😅. Especially when there’s some forced proximity involved! 😅

The best part was seeing how Brock didn’t want to give up! Their emotions are so relatable, and they had to both learn how to be more vulnerable to really understand and start to heal…So I definitely recommend you go listen to this now!

𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸…
❤️Second Chance
❤️Close Proximity
❤️Commitment Issues
❤️Family Drama
❤️Dual POV
❤️Open Door

I received a code for this listening copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Hot and steamy fake dating firefighter romance

What do you do when the firefighter you ghosted after a two week hook up barges into your bathroom because your candles set off the fire alarm and you’re naked in the bathtub? Panic, right? And really hope you don’t have to see him every week for the next month with your class of elementary school students…

Not Actually Yours was a really fun hook up to ghosting to fake dating firefighter romance. There are so many fun great moments, but also a lot of deep emotional healing going on. Both Brock and Nix have parental and relationship trauma to work through and I’m glad they made it through to their happy ending.

I absolutely loved the firefighter part of this, with Nix bringing her class to the fire station every week and having to work together with Brock. It was great to see him with the students and I loved all his speeches about candles.

This is the second standalone book in a series about three brothers and it's not really necessary to read the first, but more enjoyable if you do. Especially since one of my favorite side characters is Brock’s dad, who in the two books has been working through his own toxic masculinity and becoming a much better dad.

Audiobook Review -
Katie Beudert and Davis Brooks both did good jobs bringing the characters to life. Audio is dual narration. It's a good, fun, and easy listen.

Fake Dating with lots of sparks

4.25⭐️ There was some good banter and chemistry between Nix and Brock. Nix is a spit fire that will never commit, and Brock just might be the firefighter to put out that flame. Maybe cause some positive sparks too. This is fake dating at its finest. Nix needs to get her family off her single back. Brock needs to prove he is ready to take on a bigger role at work. I love his dad and brother so much. You through in some meddling characters, and I am always a happy camper. 4.5⭐️ narration from Katie Beudert and Davis Brooks. They truly brought those deep moments to life and hit me right in the feels.