This romantic comedy blends enemies to lovers in a small town world and I found myself smiling through most of the book! Daphne and Calvin have some great chemistry and I loved them together. It was a quick, lower spice read that just made me so happy reading!

3.5 stars rounded up.

I liked this one, but I didn’t love it. The first half was great with the banter between Daphne and Calvin, but the second half was a little repetitive with Daphne’s inner monologue. It seemed like every few pages we were having to read about her convincing herself how boring she is just because she’s an accountant. The grandma and her friends kept the story light hearted and funny at times, and to be honest this kind of reads like a cozy mystery but with a little spice!

I have to say I really enjoyed this book and actually shed a few tears going through it. There’s a lot of unresolved trauma between the two main characters and you can feel that hate/love going on as the story builds.

Both characters have past issues with their families and a lot to overcome. I think that added so much to the depth of writing and storytelling the author delivers. She touches on a lot of sensitive topics especially surrounding self-esteem and she also includes characters that help balance out the main characters.

Some of the secondary characters are a riot and bring the levity that we need to balance everything else. The plot is a little complex and makes for an exciting story that I really couldn’t stop reading. It was touching and emotional in many places and I love the fact that the male main character has been holding a torch for her since high school.

Monroe brings an epilogue that is a wonderful addition to round out the story. She pours in the emotion and passion we need for a memorable read. I really loved Four Steps to the Perfect Fake Date and can’t wait to read this author again.

PS: Three cheers for a cover that shows real people and not graphic art!!

"Four Steps to the Perfect Fake Date" by Lilian Monroe is packed with humor, misadventures, and the irresistible charm of two wonderfully mismatched protagonists. Daphne Davis is the quintessential good girl—until life throws her a series of curveballs that turn her world upside down. Recently dumped, jobless, and back in her hometown, Daphne finds herself questioning her rule-following ways, especially after an unexpected run-in with her high school nemesis. Calvin Flint, the town's acting sheriff, is no longer the scrawny high school troublemaker Daphne remembers. Now rugged, confident, and unfortunately her new boss, Calvin is as infuriating as he is appealing. And when a family obligation forces Calvin to concoct a fake dating scheme, Daphne reluctantly agrees to help.

Real talk: beyond the romance, the book explores themes of self-worth, family dynamics, and personal growth. Both Daphne and Calvin carry emotional scars that influence their decisions, and the way they ultimately learn to believe in themselves—and in each other—is genuinely moving. However, some readers may find Daphne’s self-doubt repetitive at times, and the subplot involving a stolen heirloom verges on the outlandish. That said, these minor quibbles don't really detract from the overall charm of the story.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Four Steps to the Perfect Date is a cute, funny, and steamy enimies to lovers book. Daphne has just moved back to the island that she grew up on. She has been dumped by her fiancee and has lost her job. Daphne has always the one in her family that has a level head and follows the rules. When Daphne leaves her sister's engaement party her day could not get any worse or could it. Daphne is pulled over by the police and she comes face to face with the last person she thought she would never see again Calvin Flint and the new sheriff that she will be working for in the next few days. Calvin and Daphne have hated each other since high school. Calvin was jelous of her relationship with her family and Daphne hated him when he almost cost her scholarship to college. When Calvin asks her to be his date for his mother's vow renewal, Daphne can't say no. This is her one chance to show her family she is like them once and for all. This is a slow burn book that will have you laughing as you read it. Daphne's grandmother and her friends will keep you in sticthes. I loved the chemistary between Calvin and Daphne and wanted more of them after I finished the book. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Montlake Publishing for an advanced copy of this book.

In this follow-up to Four Steps to the Perfect Revenge (which I haven’t read).

*fake dating
*enemies to lovers
*small town
*mystery


Cute, but repetitive and I didn’t really get the chemistry between the MC’s, but I enjoyed this enough to read the author again. Low spice factor.




Thank you to Montlake for the DRC

"Four Steps to the Perfect Fake Date" by Lilian Monroe is a delightful romantic comedy with a charming small-town setting. Daphne and Calvin have fantastic banter and their fake relationship quickly turns into something real. The story is lighthearted and fun, perfect for a cozy read. I especially enjoyed the heartwarming moments and the supporting characters.

✨fake dating
✨small town romance
✨enemies to lovers
✨he falls first

Such a fun quick read! Loved the storyline and the characters.

"He was officially fake dating the woman he was already half in love with. And she was right about one thing. It was a terrible idea."

I enjoyed reading the initial parts of the book. Calvin & Daphne had good chemistry and the banter between the them was amazing. But after a while, the miscommunication between them got too much. And Daphne was too frustrating. <spoiler> Her constantly thinking of how she's a misfit and boring and doesn't belong with her family members was annoying (especially all of the insecurities were instilled in her by her ex of two years and she should've been over it long ago). Calvin was good as compared to her and I felt bad for him at so many occasions. I agree that, he was kind of a bully to her in the past but he apologised and it was obvious how gone he was for Daphne since the very beginning. </spoiler> I think he deserved better and Daphne should've grovelled a bit but still, I liked the way things ended and the epilogue was amazing. So overall, this was an enjoyable read but some parts were repeatitive and I feel like the plot could've been executed better tbh.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review

The 4 groomsmen of the apocalypse series were a guilty pleasure read for me, so I was excited to start this new book by Lillian Monroe. While not as charming as that series, this is definitely a fun, cozy romance. It has small town charm which I love. Also the two main characters had nice depth to their stories. I particularly was drawn to Calvin's story of parental neglect and him misunderstanding his mom's overtures. Both Calvin's and Daphne had reasons their self esteem was shattered and it was nice to see them begin to believe that they were loveable and worthwhile people. I didn't love the subplot of the heist, it was a bit too silly and unrealistic. Even so, this book is worth a read. 3.5 stars. Thanks to Net Galley and Montlake for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Such a great romance. I read through this so fast, I loved the characters and I loved the storyline!!

4 stars for Daphne and Calvin!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A nice small town romance. It was a good read and it had my favorite tropes, enemies to lovers and fake dating. I liked Daphne and Calvin and found their story filled with mystery and that drew me in. The cover is also very pretty. It was a nice read that broke up the usual dark romance that I read. I would definitely recommend Four Steps to the Perfect Fake Date.

Thank you to Netgalley and Montlake for my ARC of Four Steps to the Perfect Fake Date!

Easy read. Enemies to lovers. Good girl bad boy vibes. Loved the supporting characters. The mystery was interesting. The romance was sweet. Overall it was a great story. I really enjoyed it. If you like small town romance, pick this one up.
Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the ARC.

✨fake dating
✨small town romance
✨enemies to lovers
✨he falls first

Daphne Davis was always the 'good girl' and she seemed to have a perfect life. But now her whole life is falling apart; her fiance broke up with her, she had to move out of her dream house and she was laid off at work. Now she is jobless, homeless and near broke. So she decides to move back home.

She finds a new job, as an accountant, at the police department. But she quickly finds out that her new boss is her high school nemesis, Calvin Flint.
Together they are trying to figure out where all the money from the police department went. But while working together they grow closer and get to know the people they have become. Soon sparks start to fly between them but they will never admit that to each other.

So when Calvin’s mother set Calvin up with a date to her vow renewal, Calvin told her that he already had a date. He now only had to convince Daphne to go with him. He asked Daphne to be his date but she declined every time, until she learned about a stolen heirloom that his family now had. She would fake date Calvin and be his date to vow renewal so she could find the stolen heirloom back.
But can they keep it to just fake dating? Or will they admit their feelings for each other and finally be happy together?

This is the first time I have read something by Lilian Monroe and I’m impressed. The story was fast paced and there were so many things happening. There really wasn’t a dull moment throughout the book. There is a main plot and a few side plots which makes it very interesting. I really liked all of the characters.
I definitely will be picking up more of her books in the future.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The perfect example of a contemporary romans everyone wants with just a hint of mystery, suspense, and the classic happily ever after.

Four Steps to the Perfect Fake Date jumps right into the fun and the meet-cute (or not so meet-cute?).

Daphne’s always been the responsible, successful good girl, but where has that gotten her? Her fiancé called her boring and dumped her, she lost her job due to her company’s problems, and she’s landed back in her suffocating small town. She’s been hired as a consultant for the police department to trace financial accounts and figure out what happened to county funds.

And the new sheriff in town? None other than Daphne’s teenage nemesis, Calvin. He can’t believe it when he sees her, and old feelings come rushing back (a mixture of lust and hate). He had it rough growing up, and he always envied Daphne with her perfect family and life. Sparks fly instantly, and it’s game on for these enemies…

As it turns out, Calvin needs a fake date for his mom’s vow renewal to get her off his back. Daphne has her own reasons for going along with it, and an enemies-to-lovers, fake-dating scheme is born. Only it’s quickly not so fake.

This book was quirky, hilarious, fun, and hot with chemistry. The first half was everything I could want in a fun romance book. The second half was great too, but did drag just a bit with the characters (especially Daphne) doubting themselves, holding themselves back from admitting their true feelings, and keeping secrets. I LOVED Calvin—he had to overcome so much to get where he is, and he’s such a deep-feeling and loving person, but has a little bit of an edge at the same time.

If you’re looking for quirky and hilarious side characters, this book is definitely for you! Daphne’s grandmother and her friends sometimes steal the show, Calvin’s little sister is adorable, and the book is filled with personality. Overall, a fun and lighthearted romcom that’s sure to make you smile.

This was a cute story, but I found my attention wandering at times, to the point that I forgot I had read a whole page and had to go back and reread it because I missed important parts of a conversation. Overall I liked Daphne and her zany family, and the pot plot cracked me up, but I didn't feel like there was a great flow between the different "steps" that linked the book together. Perhaps if I had read the first book in the series it would have made more sense and I would have been more anxious to get to the next chapter, but I hadn't read it yet, and I found the many parts of the book to be a bit slow. I can't quite put my finger on what wasn't my favorite about this book, the story was cute, none of the characters annoyed me, there was a happily ever after, but nothing jumped out at me to push me to read faster or get excited for the next chapter. The book has a lot of potential, but it just didn't click with me.

I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to Montlake and Netgalley for an opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

My rating:
⭐⭐⭐ I mostly liked and connected with it.

Review:
I wish I had known this was the second in a series before I jumped in. I found myself a little lost with some of the early chapters/characters/references. While I really liked both the FMC and the MMC, I felt like there was a lot going on in this book (with other characters) that detracted from the actual romance part of it. I love a good second-chance and enemies-to-lovers story, and this one combines those tropes so nicely. This was my first read by Monroe but I would certainly read more of her backlist in the future.

The Cover: Strong, representative of the story, and eye-catching.

My Favorite Things:
The “cupcake” nickname gave me Joe Morelli (Stephanie Plum series) vibes. Loved it.

This romance is such a fun ride with easy banter, humor that never lets up, and the way Daphne and Calvin push and pull against each other, only to realize they might just be exactly what the other needs. Both characters are lovable, flawed, and a little bit awkward, which makes their slow-burn romance feel so authentic. The misadventures and misunderstandings are all part of the charm, making this a perfect feel-good read for anyone who loves a couple who couldn’t be more mismatched, until they’re not.

A notorious rule follower, the old Daphne Davis could do no wrong. But lately she can’t get anything right.

Jilted by her ex, ousted from her home, and laid off from her job, Daphne retreats to her little hometown, Fernley Island. But even there, she feels out of sync. So, bailing on her own sister’s engagement party, she suddenly embraces a brand-new no more goody-two-shoes.

Unfortunately, Daphne’s new mantra lands her squarely in the headlights—literally—of her high school nemesis, Calvin Flint. No longer a scrawny jerk, he’s Fernley’s acting sheriff, filling out his uniform waaay better than he ought to.

He’s also Daphne’s new boss.

As Daphne balances the books after a department scandal, a series of mishaps throws her and Calvin together. The sparks that fly take them both by surprise. But will a fake dating scheme and quest for a stolen heirloom ruin their chance at something real?

Loved it. Lilian Monroe always delivers. Will recommend to others