Rumor Has It
By: Jessica Lemmon

📚💕⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💕📚

Jessica Lemmon has made my heat swoon yet again by pairing the most unlikely pair in Barrett and Catarina. He’s a former pro football player and she’s a no nonsense journalist. What I loved about this book is both are likable but is such different ways.

Authors Blurb: Barrett: As a former pro football star, I’m used to playing the field. After injuries cut my NFL career short, my second act as a broadcaster ended on live television when a hot mic picked up a little verbal . . . indiscretion. But this latest publicity stunt might just land me back on top—much to the chagrin of Catarina Everhart, the prissy, beautiful journalist who’s been assigned to date a bad boy (i.e., me) and write about it. Catarina swears I’ll never touch her, let alone kiss those full lips of hers. Based on our chemistry, I’m not buying it. . . .

Catarina: Barrett Fox seems to be doing everything in his power to make me hate him. The cocky egomaniac is infamous for his bad behavior, and now, thanks to my boss’s harebrained schemes, he’s apparently my problem. As one fake date leads to another, I start to see a different side of Barrett. He’s close with his family. He does volunteer work. And, okay, he kisses like a dream. Am I really dating Barrett Fox? Or is he playing me? Because suddenly I’m risking my reputation—and my heart.


I really enjoyed this book and it kept me engrossed throughout. I really loved the characters and the way they interacted with each other. This is a fun, hot, romantic must read book and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone.

This book has everything I love in a book. Then you add that it's beautifully written and believable. It is easily a five star read. Written in dual POV my personal favorite this story flows so incredibly well that the next thing you know your 80% into the book and loving every second of it. The believable way the characters interact is perfect. Run, Hop, Jump or use your (1 click) finger to do whatever you have to do and get this amazing book. It'll break your heart, you'll want to scream with frustration and it'll let you discover that love just might conquer all. The chemistry is steamy and sweet and oh so romantic.

Thanks Netgally for letting me read and review.📚💕

This was a very enjoyable book from the very first page! The story was well written, the plot flowed effortlessly throughout the entire book and the characters were so well defined that I was hooked until the turn of the very last page!

I totally loved this story, it was a great rom com. Barrett Fox had played college & pro football & stopped due to an injury. After that he was a reporter at college games but lost it at a ref at a game, when her call lost his team the win.

Catarina Everheart is a writer for Chat and has to write a series called Dating a Bad Boy. She is a type A when it comes to work & behaves and always does what she should. Barrett is the bad boy but we get to see his layers. It was so much fun to see these 2 characters interact with each other while pretending to date. Barrett is used to women falling all over him & Catarina barely smiles at him.

A new romantic comedy from Jessica Lemmon that features an uncouth, bad boy hero and the proper working girl who can't stand him upon first sight. Forced together for a work assignment to boost Catarina's column at work, her and Barrett are enemies first, kinda friends, lovers and so on. Their banter is realistic and fun and Barrett's ability to thaw Catarina's ice was my favorite part of the journey they take together. Written from alternating points of view the story gave us Lemmon's writing from both perspectives in interesting ways.

It lacked for me in certain places where I felt like it was dragging and Barrett was really over the top selling his bad boy image. I didn't buy into it exactly and kept thinking he was acting like too much of a fraud. And some of their dates that I thought would be the highlight of their story weren't very passionate or exposing in any way. The vulnerability didn't come until towards the end.

Both the characters and the writing make for an enjoyable comedic romance though. It has it's tender moments along with the passionate ones full of charm. It's not too long and made for a nice afternoon read

I voluntarily read an advanced review copy of this book and I loved it!

This book was great because it's so easy to see Stars that live their lives in the public eye and fans expect them to be perfect..to have no flaws. This book showed how beautiful it can be to be perfectly imperfect.

Jessica Lemmon did a great job with this book, when you read it... you will def laugh you will fall in love with both characters and be prepared because you just may shed a tear or two.

Very good job Jessica Lemmon, please don't make us wait to long for book #5!

I'm always up for a good enemies to lovers romantic comedy, and having enjoyed this author's work before, I was excited to read Rumor Has It. The story does have all the elements for a potentially hilarious and romantic read, but it missed the mark for me. The wonderful thing about a bad boy in romance is that he meets that special someone who makes him want to be better, to be redeemed. Barrett comes across as so over the top sexist in his interactions with Catarina that I found myself asking why she would even bother to try. Then we have Catarina who is so reserved and stuffy, she seems unapproachable. They are enemies right from the start, and they're most certainly opposites. So much so that I couldn't believe a romance would blossom from this arrangement. Granted, Barrett and Catarina are forced together for the sake of an article, so it is a fake relationship from the start. The problem is it never felt like anything more to me. I assume that the over the top personalities were done that way for the comedic element, and while parts were amusing, neither character was particularly funny. In the end, it's just hard to root for and connect with unlikable characters, making this one a disappointment.

Bad boy Barrett Fox is so much fun. There isn't a woman around who he won't flirt with and knows he can do anything. Catarina Everheart is straitlaced, good girl by the book. They are both stubborn and both trying to prove the other wrong. The fake dating for a newspaper series is funny. Everyone is reading the series. Till the editor changes her side of the date. Everything goes wrong. They are both afraid of putting themselves out there to sink or swim. Yet the one person that Bare trusts, gives him a piece of her mind. You are going to love the ending!

What can be better than an enemies to lovers/bad boy story? NOTHING!

Catarina is a journalist who writes a lifestyle column for her newspaper, and is pretty damn good at it too. But then her boss has decides to throw a curveball her way and make Cat “fake” date an ex NFL player who is the media’s favorite bad boy, Barrett Fox. Oh, did I mention Cat has a boyfriend as well??

Barrett lost his cool on national TV over a bad call and needs to be seen in a different light and writing a column about dating is the way to go. However, he just can’t seem to stop getting on Cat’s last nerve. But when their “fake” dates start to become something to look forward to and Cat and Barrett both see a different side of each other, their relationship is about to be as real as it can get. Until secrets and a misunderstanding threaten to tear it all apart.

The dialogue between Cat and Barrett was perfect. The two of them together set off sparks like I’ve never read before. I loved Barrett and his innuendos and Cat’s snarky comebacks, but then I also enjoyed the softer side of them both and how hard these two fell for each other.

And can I just add...that cover is AMAZING. Simple but absolutely perfect and one I need on my shelves!

Laugh out loud fun, sweetly sexy, emotionally engaging romantic journey filled with lots of irresistible passion and witty banter.

Barrett is a sexy, sweet talking former NFL player looking to clean up his reputation after a argument captured on video went viral. Catarina is a sassy, sexy and talented writer that loves her job working as a reporter for an online news blog. They are complete opposites but the attraction between them is stronger than magnets... Loved this highly entertaining and thrilling adventure.

This is my first book by this author and it was a decent story. I didn’t realize it was #4 in a series, but I had no trouble following along. Barrette took a minute to grow on me because he’s kinda a douche in the beginning. But once you get over his cockiness, he’s really a sweet guy. I liked that Catarina did not like Barrett. She was not giving in and held her own again him. I liked watching their relationship grow throughout the book. Overall, not too shabby of an enemies to lovers story.

Isn’t that cover eye-catching? You can tell right from it that it’s got the enemies-to-lovers trope, and that the heroine is rather straitlaced while the hero is, well, not! This is the fourth in a series, but I read it as a standalone without any issues.

“It’s astounding you have any chicks willing to cheer you up given your inability to speak to a woman with a modicum of respect. Is it that difficult for you to choose your words, Mr. Fox?” I add coolly. “If so, this is the wrong business for you.”


Barrett is an unrepentant bad boy – the sort of person who, when Catarina calls him out for staring at her chest at their first meeting, responds that she has really nice rack. He’s an ex-football player who got kicked out of his commentator job for seriously inappropriate comments to a female ref. Catarina is speechless when she finds out her boss wants her to fake date Barrett for a series of articles, but as a consummate professional, she resolves to grin and bear it. Barrett’s pretty much immediately attracted to Catarina, but Catarina already has a boyfriend, though their relationship is, well, passionless. But after a few fake dates, both Catarina and Barrett find that the other isn’t exactly how they first appear, but can anything happen between two such different people?

“This is going to be fantastic. Both of you will be in the other’s element but out of your own. It’s brilliant. Is there any way I can talk you into some platonic PDA? Hold hands. Walk close. Lay your head on his shoulder?”
Since she’s directing that to me, I answer with, “Platonic would imply we were friends.” I slice Barrett with a look. “I bet Fox can’t even spell the word platonic.”
He flinches—just the slightest pull of his mouth and narrowing of his eyes—before recovering. What a wilting lily. So he had a few typos. Who cares? It happened to me when I first started, and still does on occasion.”


Both characters had their annoying bits. Catarina initially acted like a complete jerk to Barrett due to his sexually charged and misogynistic comments, seemingly without realizing that her catty put-downs of him were not much different than his angry comments to the ref. Barrett’s a bit like an overgrown mischievous teen, mocking how to taste wine at a fancy restaurant, starting a fake argument about an affair with a dentist at lunch, teasing her about having sex in an unoccupied office at work. Barrett’s behavior straddled the line of complete asshole, and some of his antics had me wincing in response. It seems, however, that it’s exactly what Catarina needed to shock her out of her acceptance of her lackluster dating life. I never really liked Barrett, though I understood why he acted that way and certainly had sympathy for his background and current struggles. This isn’t really a redemption story for him, either, as I’m pretty sure at the end of the book that Barrett would do the same thing that got him kicked out of broadcasting again. It’s more like learning to look beneath the surface – of Barrett’s clownishness and Catarina’s uptightness.

“You’re kind,” I tell him.
“Kind.” He says it like it’s an insult. “Sounds sexy.”
“Kindness is very sexy. You don’t find that quality in every man. Hell, I haven’t found it any man.” I think of North. He wasn’t kind. He was . . . what’s the word? Tolerant. Tolerance isn’t the same as kindness. Kindness is an action. It’s for the brave souls of the world. It’s for the Barrett Foxes of the world.”

I thought the sexual tension was good, though the sex scenes left me pretty meh. Their banter was excellent, though, again a lot of Barrett’s comments were in pretty poor taste. I’m not usually a fan of grand gestures, but the resolution of the big conflict was perfect for this couple. As for the rest of the big conflict, I was unbelievably angry at the cause of it. Mia, the editor, edits Catarina’s article to expose Barrett’s disability – without his permission. I thought forcing Catarina into the whole fake dating thing for the sake of ad revenue was a dick move to begin with, but this really took the cake. I could not understand why Catarina continued to work with her after that happened, and was very disappointed by it. It pretty much ruined the end of the book for me.

Overall, while I enjoyed most of the book, the resolution spoiled it for me. I think I’d rate this more of a 3.5 because of it, but I’ll round up to 4. I’d still recommend this, especially for readers who like lots of sexually charged banter.

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Real Love is the fourth book in Jessica Lemmon’s Real Love series and it’s another enjoyable contemporary romance that I ate right up. You’ll remember Barrett Fox from book 3, Man Candy as Dax Vaughn’s best friend who was crashing on his couch while Dax went off for some alone time. Barrett Fox is an ex-NFL player who is trying to get his job as a sports broadcaster back after the “incident” that pissed everyone off. His new job as a reporter puts him in the world of fake dating and his fake girlfriend is Catarina Everhart and she makes sure he knows exactly what she thinks of him.

Barrett is trying to clean up his image so that he can return to the world of broadcasting. Catarina is a writer and her boss wants to sell papers so fake dating Barrett is her assignment. She’s not all that happy about having a fake boyfriend when she already has a real one, especially when the fake boyfriend brings out a side of her that her real boyfriend has never done before. The more time they spend fake dating, the harder it gets to keep acting…especially when the fake dating is starting to feel so real.

Jessica Lemmon writes great contemporary romances and this was one of them. I had a good ol’ time getting to know Barrett and Catarina. Their banter, their chemistry was a lot of fun and I ate their story right up. One of the things that did bum me out is that Barrett has a friend that he knew from his football days named Jackson Burke and man, I thought he was the same Jackson Burke from Lauren Layne’s book I Wish You Were Mine but sigh, it’s not the same guy. From what I remember, Layne’s Jackson Burke was from Texas and this one is from Columbus, OH. Gah. Still, it would have been nice.

Barrett wasn’t the easiest hero to like because he did a lot of stupid shit in the beginning but the payoff is great if you stick it out with him. Catarina was stubborn and she was strong and I enjoyed her character very much. She was a great match for Barrett and while this isn’t my favorite book in this series, it’s still a good one. A totally solid romance that I definitely recommend.

True love is not a rumor!

Columnist Catarina Everhart writes the relationship column for Columbus Community Chat when she’s forced by her boss to fake date former NFL lineman Barrett Fox so they can write opposing columns for the Chat on the results of the dates from each side plus it will polish up his career because it went off the rails when he cussed out a referee on national television during a Ohio State football game where he played. Catarina feels that Barrett is lazy since he’s never in the office and is slow writing his columns. Barrett feels that Catarina is kind of stuck up since she was raised on the nice side of town and he started out in the ugly side of town.

This is definitely an opposites attract story because Catarina was on the tail end of a relationship when the story started and Catarina and Barrett slowly became friends before their relationship went further.

Rumor Has It is related to her Real Love series but can definitely standalone without reading the other books in the series.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Opposites attract in this fun and flirty gem! Jessica Lemmon has out done herself with this one. Barrett talks a good game, but he's got a funny, down-to-earth side that takes a readers breath away even faster than his sexy persona. The banter between these two characters is laugh-out-loud funny, the sex is steamy and the overall book is just a super fun read!

Former NFL bad boy Barrett Fox has gotten himself into a bit of a pickle thanks to his temper and a hot mic during his broadcasting job, but he's hoping his upcoming publicity stunt with an on-line gossip column will be just what he needs to get his job back and be welcomed back into the limelight and prestige!

Reporter Catarina Everhart can't stand Barrett's type just on the principal of him thinking he's God's gift, so when her boss informs her she's doing a little side-job of pretending to date him for a summer assignment, she's appalled! When one fake date leads to another and she actually starts to see the guy beneath all of the pomp, she starts to wonder if they're still faking this relationship ... because it's starting to feel oh so real!

Enemies to lovers. Fun story. So Good. Great chemistry. Standalone.
Cute, wonderful story of ex football player Barrett trying to improve his self image. Caterina is a journalist whose assignment much to her dismay is to fake date a bad boy - Barrett.

OMG I am in love with Barrett Fox! He was so cocky, funny and sexy all at the same time! Barrett was a football player but after a career ending injury, he decides to go into broadcasting. Well, when his cocky mouth gets him in trouble, he ends up being assigned a job at The Columbus Dispatch in Columbus, OH by the boss Mia Blakely. Mia decides she wants her prim and proper journalist, Catarina Everhart to fake date bad-boy Barrett and the two of them will each write a column from their own point of view for the on-line Columbus Community Chat.

These two couldn't be more perfect together. Fox loves to fly by the seat of his pants. Cat loves order to her life and only does things pre-planned. She even picked out her perfect boyfriend based on certain criteria. What starts out as hate relationship quickly turns into something more. Cat starts to realize that there is more to Fox than the cocky jock. The fake dating these two do is so perfect. They keep trying to one up each other and that just adds to fun.

Overall I just LOVED this book. I loved both of the characters and loved the journey they went on to get to their happy ending. If you love fun, sexy, laugh out loud stories, read this one...you will not be sorry!

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Lee’Anne – ☆☆☆☆☆
I loved this book! It’s refreshingly original, laugh-out-loud funny, and left me wanting more.

After an injury ends Barrett’s career as a professional football player, he takes up a career as a broadcaster until his mouth winds up getting him fired. Now, he’s determined to earn a second chance in broadcasting by garnering some good press by doing a few journalist columns for a local newspaper. Catarina isn’t sure what she did to deserve such a punishment, but her boss has informed her that her new assignment is ‘fake’ dating Barrett and writing five articles detailing what it’s like dating such a bad boy. Though the sparks are there, Barrett pushes every one of Catarina’s buttons and she doesn’t think she’s going to be able to finish this job – then once she gets to know Barrett better, an unlikely friendship emerges and becomes something more.

Barrett’s character is freaking hilarious, though he is also an ass about 80% of the time, I still absolutely loved him. Catarina is the perfect balance for Barrett, where he follows none of the rules and lives a very unstructured life, Catarina is the total opposite. The two butt heads at every turn, making this a very enjoyable and fast-paced read. This is the first book I’ve read by Jessica Lemmon but I’m definitely going to be looking for future releases after reading this one!


Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
A refreshing story of dating and romance – or should I say "non-dating." Barrett and Catarina are set up by her editor to pretend date for the summer as the subject of a series of columns to be written by both of the them. Only the newspaper employees would know that their dating wasn't real, everyone else would think that they were actually dating.

Over the course of the pretend dates, Catarina actually begins to like Barrett even though he gets on her last nerve at times. Barrett respects Cat's work ethic but likes to push her outside the box every once in a while.

The characters are well written and easy to relate to. I couldn't put it down once I started reading it.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the fourth book in the series, and although they are linked, you can definitely read this as a standalone.

In the interests of the online magazine she runs, Mia decides that Catarina should expand the reach of her column and write about dates. She has even chosen the man – Barrett, a retired NFL star who has just destroyed his second career as a sports commentator by berating a female referee.

They are the most unlikely mix, but as Catarina gets to know a little more about the real Barrett, the inevitable attraction develops. How they decide to deal with it is a lot more complicated. And Barrett's sluggishness at producing copy is also an issue, but once he reveals why, they become even closer. It is great fun watching them go on dates and listening in to their conversations... and the inventive places they find to get up close and personal!

With some good twists, and a couple of "what would I do?" moments, this is a fun, romantic, and entertaining story. Thank you, Ms. Lemmon.

I am really enjoying this series by Jessica Lemmon. The characters are all fun and feisty, the storylines she writes are always different, fresh and fun. Rumor Has It was no different.

Barrett knew that woman flaunted all over him. He was just fine and dandy with that. What woman wouldn't want to fake date him. Well, Catarina, apparently. Yes, she has a boyfriend. Yes, he sounds like a real stuffed shirt. But, he may be just what prissy, uptight Kitty Cat thinks she needs. Until that first kiss … then all bets are off. But, for the life of him, he can't understand why he is so attracted to her and can't help but open up to her … well, after she figures him out for herself.

Caterina wants nothing to do with the cocky pro football star who can't handle himself in social situations under any circumstances. Case-in-point, his first live broadcast, which made him more famous than his arm. But, damn, his cockiness is really turning her on and changing her outlook on love and life. Oh, yea, she dumped the stuffed shirt. And, it was the best thing she ever did. But, she knows Barrett is hiding something and the reporter in her is dying to find out. Her heart isn't ready for the real Barrett – the one his fans and admirers don't see. The serious side, the fun side, his singing voice … you know, the not cocky side of the man. She's falling for the bad-boy and has no idea of how to stop it.

Well, Barrett does a good job at stopping it. And, Caterina has a hard time forgiving him for not asking before assuming. Then, doing it in front of all her co-workers? It may take an act of God for her to forgive him. Or, maybe his next live broadcast.

Jessica Lemmon had me laughing out loud in places and cringing in others. Then, she handled a subject matter that is very prevalent today. I loved how she handled it, how she explained it. Very classy. And, bringing back some other characters really made me smile. This story was the whole package … a RomCom with a little bit of seriousness and a whole lot of love.

I ❤❤❤ Cat & Barrett!!!

This story had the perfect setup for a rom-com movie!?!

Boy thinks girl is hot.
Girl can't stand Boy.
Girl discovers their is more to Boy.
Drama ensues.
They fall in love.
Perfect ending!! 😍

It may be simple, but it works! This is just what I needed to make me fall "in love" with love again!!! If you're looking for something light & sexy??? Give this book a read! 😊

Relationship columnist Catarina Everhart gets assigned to pretend date a bad boy and write about it so readers can live vicariously through her. Unfortunately the bad boy in question is none other than the criminally handsome but rude Barrett. NFL bad boy Barrett Fox needs some really good press to get his field reporter job back and the beautiful but haughty Catarina is good for his rep. Caterina tells Barrett he won't ever touch her, let alone kiss her but Barrett is already planning their kiss. Pretty soon the pretend dates start feeling real but when a misconception comes between them will it be the end for Catarina and Barrett?

Jessica Lemmon delivers a funny, sweet and steamy enemies to lovers story that's a fun read

I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy of this book