Rumor Has It by Jessica Lemmon is the fourth installment of her Real Love Series but it can be read as a complete standalone.

From the very beginning, I enjoyed the wit and banter that was written into the story. Not only between Barrett and Caterina but just their own individual inner dialogue as well.

"Who knew my boss had a sexual bone in her boyd? I thought she was made of steel beams and asbestos."

I don't know why but that line cracked me up so hard. I couldn't stop laughing and even when I went back to look at my highlights, it stuck out and had me laughing again.

As mentioned before, I just love the banter. Barrett and Caterina could battle out with the best of them and it only built on their sexual tension. One minute they wanted to claw each others eyes out and the next they wanted their hands all over the other. It made for a great build up with they finally do realize that they belong together.

Rumor Has It delivers just the right amount of sass, sexuality and conflict that will keep you engaged from start to finish. If you are looking for sweet, fun and swagger, then this is the book for you!

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.

Rumor Has It, by Jessica Lemmon, is a fun, flirty novel that will charm anyone looking for a lighthearted read. Set in the newsroom of the Columbus Dispatch, there are bound to be newsworthy fireworks, and Lemmon does not disappoint on that score. Her hero and heroine are likable with off the charts chemistry. Fans of Lemmon will recognize her distinctive voice. New readers will find a go-to author who reminds them of Lauren Layne.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this novel.

I liked this book, I wouldn't say I absolutely loved it. I disliked Barrett for almost the first 50% of the book. He was kind of an ass. He was use to women fawning all over him. h\He really was kind of disrespectful not only to women but most people in general. I like how Catarina gave him sass and didn't put up with his BS. Once Cat got to know about how he has a soft side for his deadbeat brother and his nephew I started to like him a bit more. I just didn't really feel any chemistry between these two like Ms Lemmon has in some of her previous books. I mean kittycat and fox have some hot and steamy sex between them just lacking relationship chemistry to me. But it has a cute ending and a surprise visit from Dax and Becca that I loved. All in all still a cute addition to the Real Love book series. I would still recommend reading it.

A witty, intelligent opposites-attract rom-com!

Caterina is a very professional journalist, who is assigned to “date” Barrett, a notorious bad boy ex-football player. They each are tasked with writing opposing-viewpoint commentaries on the development of their relationship, but neither expects their chemistry to be so intense and life-changing.

This book had me laughing out loud many times, with a wicked sense of humor and a willingness to poke fun at life’s absurdities. Underneath it all is a solid emotional foundation, a love story with a huge heart and surprising depth. I read this book in one evening while ignoring everything else in the real world because I just couldn’t put it down until I was cheering at the triumphant ending. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

Why resist the bad boy when he is so good. Fox will take kitty Cat so far out of her comfort zone to the point she wont want to go back, which is good considering she needs to live a little. Let go and enjoy and take that stick out of her... Good thing about Fox is that he is honest to a fault. Simple guy with a lot of potential and pride and willing to give. It's just that nobody sees those details since he doesn't show his vulnerable side just to anyone. But Cat will learn a lot from him, from the guy she least expected and most detested. I guess there is a very thin line between love and hate.

Journalist Catarina is assigned to write dating column with Barrett, Bad Boy of the NFL. They learn that first impressions are not always what they seem. This hate to love romance was adorable. I loved Barrett and all his antics. I would recommend this this to my bookish friends. I will read more from this author. Thanks to Random House Publishing-Loveswept for the ARC of this title via NetGalley.

Fast paced, fun, sweet, and sexy! A story full of witty banter, sexual tension, and likable main characters. Great read! 3.5/5

Oh man this one was so good! This was my first Jessica Lemmon read, and will not be my last.
It is an enemies to lovers romantic comedy. This did remind me a bit of the movie “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.” Catarina works for a newspaper writing the relationship section and was assigned a column with the “Bad Boy of the NFL,” Barrett Fox. They were supposed to be pretend dating. She was required to write about being in a relationship with a bad boy, and he was supposed to write about what it’s like to be a bad boy committed to dating.

The book did start a little slow. Honestly, Barrett was such a jerk and I really hated his character, to the point, that I almost stopped reading the book, but I’m so happy I continued with it. Catarina was also pretty uptight in the beginning. You learn throughout the book more about Barrett, and I found myself liking his character a lot in the end. Catarina also had a lot of great growth throughout the book. They were total opposites, but they both came a little closer together in the end.

The only other thing I was missing was any girl friendships with Catarina. She did have a couple exchanges with wives of Barrett’s buddies, but she really didn’t have any good friendships on her own.

Also, while it is the 4th book in the series, I believe it is a standalone. I think some characters from previous books were mentioned, but the author explained who they were pretty clearly.

I was so impressed with this book. I stayed up way too late to finish it. I can now say I will be digging into Jessica Lemmon’s previous books.

Highly recommend.

* ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

4.5 Stars

Catarina Everhart takes pride in her career in journalism and her relationship column in the local newspaper. With a new, drastically different assignment handed to her, Catarina is hesitant to accept... even more so when she meets her new writing partner. But, she is a consummate professional, and if she has to fake date some ex-football playing jerk for a story, then this will be the most dedicated fake relationship, ever. 

Barrett Fox is a former professional football player, who is in need of some media attention. He is cocky, and all around insufferable, but once he and Catarina start out on their scheduled fake dates, they both realize they actually... enjoy spending time together. 

Opposites attract, and then some. But, when their hot and heavy attraction starts getting serious, do Catarina and Barrett have enough in common for something... real?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Catarina is the dedicated workaholic who could do with a dose of someone like Barrett who is easygoing and fun to be around. With their planned dates designed to push each other out of their comfort zones, the more time they spend together, the harder it is to keep their hands off of each other. 

With first impressions that start their assignment on a rocky path, they have a tough time navigating the beginning of their "dating" life. Although they couldn't be more opposite, the more they learn about each other, the more they open themselves to the possibility of something real together. 

This was such a good read! The characters were well written, likable and their conversations consisted of a highly entertaining back and forth banter. Barrett and Catarina's relationship was off the charts sexy and is not to be missed!!

I received a complimentary copy of this book for my honest and unbiased review.

This book was so much fun

This is the first book I've read by Jessica Lemmon but not the last. Her characters were smart realistic and sexy. Barrett and Catarina's banter was witty and made me smile. Despite some bumps on the way, their chemistry just kept burning hotter as the plot made it's way to the very satisfying HEA.
I received an advance reader copy via Netgalley.

Rumor Has It by Jessica Lemmon is a sexy as hell kind of read. The romance is hot. I could feel their sexual tensions radiating from each other. When they're not around each other the intensity of their attraction grows. The banters were funny. I could not stop laughing. Both protagonists gave just as much as they took from each other.

Catarina aka Kitty Kat is a strong female protagonist. She's OCD in the professional way. Always meeting the deadlines and following every rule. Her dress code also speaks of perfection. Long legs, pretty eyes, and gorgeous looks plus, brains and a fun personality make her wanted by all men. Apparently, her ex does not want her anymore. That is where her assignment and a man sexy as sin takes over her life. Oozes of sex, heat, and humor.

Barrett aka Fox to Kitty Kat or Bare to others, is a former NFL player. He's super hot, rich, and cocky as hell. His personality is strong but inside he's a good man. Fox hides what really bothers him. When he does, he puts on this fake persona aka playboy with snide comments. But this facade won't be lasting much longer...the nosy yet clever Kitty Kat is going to figure it out and change him forever.

Jessica Lemmon created a book that I got lost within...it's pages brought on entertainment. Two individuals whose lives were different but not easy made it to the top. I loved the whole opposites attract theme. Both characters had some similarities but both were diffinitely opposites. Rule breaker versus rule obeying citizen. I laughed a lot through out the novel. But it also contained a sweetness that pulled at my heart. Heart melting, hilarious, and action packed is exactly what Rumor Has It contained. Overall, I recommend it to readers.

4.5 Stars - This book was a LOT of fun. It definitely takes the love-to-hate trope to the max. Barrett Fox is absolutely horrid in the beginning of this book. He's just cringe worthy... he does all of the things I abhor... and yet, you definitely love to hate him. Then all of a sudden he's super charming. His bad boy contrast with Catarina's rule-following nature was absolutely top notch and makes for very good chemistry. I found this book to be super funny, very entertaining, and quick to read. (I read it in just a day.) I love the fake dating to real dating trope, so that didn't hurt... and as far as the tons of football player romances in existence go, this one was my favorite so far. I appreciated how smart Catarina's character was, she was witty, intelligent, a hard-worker, and I loved her nerdy LOTR and Hobbit references too. There was a little bit of lady on lady hate... which I could have done without, but some of it was acknowledged as too quick a judgement. I'd just like to see it removed from all fiction in general! As a head's up this book is verrrrry sexy. Pick up at your own risk.

Fun, sweet and sassy. Rumor Has It is a fun opposites attract romance that will leave you with a smile. Barrett Fox is a former NFL star from the wrong side of the tracks who is too good looking for his own good and whose smack talk gets him in trouble. In an attempt to clean up his reputation and get him back on television he is set up to fake date relationship columnist Catarina Everhart. They are like oil and water until they try to see life from the others point of view and when they meet in the middle…WOW. This is a light sweet romance that deals with some very real issues. This story is sure to leave you with a happy heart. Though this is part of a series it can be read standalone.

Could not read, as I did not realize it was part of a series and was sort of lost. Will definitely update review, after reading the prior books. Wish they would tell you that they're part of series every single time. As I want to read in order and will not request, if I've not read prior books.

I love this series and Author! This is a very well written, sassy, witty, fun, sexy as all get out and romantic story all rolled up into a neat little package. Barrett Fox is an ex NFL football player whose career ended because of a blown out shoulder, then gets kicked out of sports commentating because he insulted a female ref. Catarina Everhart is a journalist for the local paper and writes a romance column, the two end up being thrown together to write a pretend date column to get sales up for the paper and to try and win Barrett’s job back on the network. I loved the chemistry between these two, the great banter, the hot sex once Catarina let’s Barrett into her life, and the mushy romantic ending that just ends this story on a very high note for me. Loved every bit of it, can’t wait for the next book!

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC copy of this book.

I adore Jessica Lemmon, but I had a hard time staying in the story while reading Rumor Has It. It's a personal pet peeve of mine, so I doubt it will bother 99% of other readers, but it throws me off when a hero uses a lot nicknames or endearments. Barrett kept calling Catarina "Kitty Cat" and "honey," and it threw me off. Again, this is one small thing, so I hesitate to even mention it, but I need to explain why Rumor Has It didn't quite work for me.

I really enjoyed this author’s writing style, this was the first book I have read from this author and it will not be the last. I adore the cover I think it fits the book perfectly. I love the idea of fake dating in order to help someone fix their social standings. The characters had such strong personalities and they were so easy to connect with. I loved how this was a struggle for both of them life can sometimes surprise you with love when you least expect it and that is what this book is about. The banter was hilarious I found myself laughing several times throughout this book. I love when a romance has humor thrown in for me it gives you the entire experience and make the story feel real. Relationships are not perfect and it should reflect that in books. This author did a great job and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

**3.5 stars**
Rumor Has It is the 4th book in Jessica Lemmon’s Real Love series, but can be read as a standalone.

What happens when a newspaper journalist is paired up with a “bad boy” ex-football player/broadcaster to “date” for an online column? Sparks fly!

Barrett Fox is trying to get his job back as a sports broadcaster after royally messing up on the field with some not so nice words to a female referee and Catarina’s boss is trying the boost sales for the declining newspaper. Catarina is not happy with this arrangement but doesn’t want to lose her job. Barrett is hoping to redeem himself after what he did. The two are to go on a series of dates and then write about their experiences. What neither of them expected from this was to actually fall for each other.

As Catarina starts to see that there’s more to Barrett than what he puts out to the public, her feelings for him grow stronger. Barrett has never met someone like Catarina. He’s falling for her too and opening up to her in ways he’s never opened up to anyone else about his life and his past.

Barrett and Catarina had great chemistry together. Barrett took me a little longer to warm up to due to his “bad boy” moments in the beginning of the book, but we do get to see another side of him throughout the book.

Rumor Has It was a fun, sexy read with great banter and chemistry between the characters!

I always enjoy Jessica’s writing and she’s on my must-read list of authors.

**I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

This was a really fun book. Catarina and Barrett are thrown together by her boss, to "date" each other and write a joint online column detailing their dates. Full of sweetness, hot moments, and lots of banter. Great book to read on vacation.