This book had so many of the elements I usually love. There was fake dating, cosplay, nerdy charm, emotional depth, and the always entertaining brother’s best friend trope. It started off strong with a fun premise and great setup for romantic tension. Phil was a standout character for me. He was a soft, emotionally repressed tailor who quietly stole the spotlight. Amy had her strengths too. She was sharp, guarded, and trying to protect herself the only way she knew how.

That said, I struggled a bit as the story went on. I felt like there were too many things happening at once. The cosplay and gaming storyline, Amy’s emotional baggage, the problems with grandma, the reappearance of an ex, the brotherly dynamic, the fake relationship plot, and the romantic development all competed for attention. It started to feel a bit overcrowded and unfocused. Because of that, the emotional and romantic arcs didn’t hit as hard as they could have.

There were still sweet moments that I enjoyed, and I can see why readers who love nerdy or emotionally charged romances might fall for this. I just wish the story had zoomed in on a few main threads rather than trying to do everything all at once. There was something really special in the chemistry between Amy and Phil, and I think it would have shined more if it had a little more room to breathe.

This was lovely! It was funny, romantic and breezy: just what I needed! Definitely a book I can recommend, especially during summer!

Having not read the first book in this series I wasn’t sure what to expect but I instantly warmed to the characters. So much so that I managed to spend the last few chapters with tears constantly streaming!

Amy has returned home after ending things with her cheating ex boyfriend and is trying to make a life for herself. Phil is a full time career for Ethel his grandmother who he feels he owes everything to for raising him after his parents died.

Amy and Phil who have secretly crushed on each other for years will they finally both admit it?

I am definitely excited to see what the next instalment will bring!

A charming story of love rediscovered—given a second chance and challenged by the realities of adult life. This isn’t just a romance; it’s a tender exploration of chosen family, emotional maturity, and the kind of support that doesn’t ask for anything in return.

The characters are refreshingly grown-up, making decisions shaped not by impulse, but by care, empathy, and quiet courage. There’s no place for ego here—just real people trying to find their way back to one another.

Written with a light touch, the story invites you to relax, escape for a while, and bask in a world full of friendship, second chances, and just enough butterflies-in-the-stomach to make your heart flutter.

Falling for your brother's best friend who rejected you while also fake dating him to go to your ex's wedding... and being in the same D&D group? This is a recipe for disaster... or is it? Phil Evans life revolves around taking care of his grandmother who has dementia and playing D&D with his friends... and absolutely trying to avoid falling for his best friend's sister, Amy Evans. Amy has returned home after having her heart broken ( finding her supposed best friend sleeping with her boyfriend) and now she's just trying to move on, she's trying to make friends and heal... and she joins Phil's d&d group. Yet when her ex and her ex best friend come back in town and want her to come to their wedding... she agrees and Phil pretends to be her boyfriend. Phil and Amy kissed five years ago and he promptly rejected her and she's still hurt from that but she's still crushing on him. He's kept a good handle on making her think he doesn't like her but pretending to be her boyfriend for months will make it more difficult. Then when his grandmother Ethel's condition gets worse... he pushes Amy away despite them getting closer... and he might lose her for good this time. As someone who's own grandmother and grandfather went through dementia and I was a caretaker for them, I could definitely relate to a lot of what Phil was going through... but I'm gonna be honest he was pissing me off so much by the end. Phil and Amy do not work as a couple, their romance does not work. They have zero chemistry and his "grand gesture" was absolutely not it. I just didn't feel their romance and honestly wanted them to be with other people. They NEVER COMMUNICATE. It was just a bit frustrating on the romance front for me honestly. This book really focuses on the seriousness of having a family member with dementia and I did love the relationship between Phil and Ethel, but that's all I can say about this.

Release Date: July 31, 2025

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter | One More Chapter for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

this book was okay. i thought they were cute and i enjoyed certain parts especially the dnd elements in the book. however i felt like their 'fake dating' reason wasn’t very convincing so it was hard for me to stay fully invested in their love story. because of that it took me some time to finish the entire book.

Synopsis: Amy has always had a thing for Phil, her older brother's best friend. So when he steps in as her knight in shining armour in an awkward situation with her ex, she's secretly thrilled to say he's her boyfriend. With the fake relationship helping Amy get a job in her family's business and Phil get his nan off his back about dating someone, they agree to stick it out for three months. But with real feelings and consequences coming into play, can they be true to themselves?

Review: I love a brother's-best-friend trope and this was a good slow burn romance with real life stakes and events to juggle. The DND inserts were fun too! However, the actual romance wasn't there for me, and the grand gesture felt flat.

With thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First I’d like to say thank you NetGalley for the opportunity at reading this arch book!
Now I’ll start with the fact that I love a book with fake dating and brothers best friend but this book just really fell short for me. I felt like there was a lot of immaturity and miscommunication in older characters which was a bummer because I’m in my 30s and always am excited to see characters closer to my age. I also just couldn’t wrap my head around Amy getting invited to her ex’s wedding after the way that ended! That was probably where my struggles with this book started!
While I wasn’t a fan of this book I did think Amy and Phil’s fake dating was cute and fun to start with. I loved the Lore notes they started to keep up with their fake dating story. That was fun!
I will say if you like roll play, renaissance fairs, Dungeons & Dragons, horoscopes, crystals, readings you may like this book because it is full of it! I’m not into any of that which is a large part of why this book just wasn’t for me.

This one hits all of the good feels. There is fake dating. There is a gamer romance. There is friends-to-lovers. There is adorable cuteness abound! Those who are fans of Dungeons and Dragons and ye olde renaissance faires will love this one. The two have such great chemistry as well!

Date Knight is a light, easy-to-read romance with a fun premise: fake dating, D&D interludes, and a small-town setting. Told in dual first-person POV (switching between Phil and Amy) with occasional third-person snippets from their D&D game, the book has a playful structure that keeps things moving.

Phil is a caring and layered hero, devoted to his grandmother, who is dealing with dementia. His struggles with her declining health and his future feel genuine and add emotional weight to the story. Amy, freshly heartbroken after her boyfriend cheated on her with her best friend, is a relatable but sometimes frustrating protagonist—especially when she insists on attending her ex’s wedding (a choice that strained believability for me).

While the fake-dating trope is enjoyable, I didn’t fully feel the chemistry between Phil and Amy. Their connection often took a backseat to external conflicts and miscommunications, and I found myself wishing for more moments that showcased their bond—whether through caring for Phil’s grandmother, collaborating in their D&D game, or simply having deeper conversations.

One aspect that gave me pause was the portrayal of Amy’s ex-best friend and Jack’s ex-girlfriend, both of whom came across as one-dimensionally “crazy.” A bit more nuance there would have helped. On the plus side, I appreciated that the story avoided the tired trope of vilifying city life—a small but refreshing choice in a small-town romance.

Overall, Date Knight was a fine read—entertaining but not particularly memorable. If you’re looking for a low-stakes romance with some sweet moments (especially between Phil and his grandmother) and a playful D&D twist, it might be worth picking up. 3/5 stars– decent, but I wanted more depth from the central relationship.

This book gave me all the feelings. I really liked Amy and Phil, together they had such great energy. Their connection felt real, with the slow burn and tension that made everything more intense in the best way. The emotional parts were also very strong, especially around the more serious topics, and they were handled with a lot of care. I smiled, I got teary, I was fully into it. The fantasy festival and the group dynamics gave something extra to the whole story, and I loved that cozy, small community feeling. Honestly, I didn’t want it to end. 5 full stars. Thank you so much to the author, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read the book in advance, I received this for free and I'm leaving an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.75-4/5 🌶️ 1/5

Tropes:
🗡️ Brothers best friend
🗡️ Fake dating
🗡️ Age gap (5 years)

Did this book feel like a D&D campaign come to life? Absolutely 100% and I loved every moment. Amy and Phil had such great chemistry and banter which had me rooting for them from the very beginning right up to the end.

Phil is Amy’s knight in shining armour, and you could really tell despite his reservations about their fake dating situation, he would do anything to help her (even sewing her a beautiful ball gown). I enjoyed the banter between Amy and Phil and loved how they balanced each other out in the way that both were more inclined to help others than ask for help and they pushed each other to reevaluate their lives and the issues they currently faced.

Also side note, I really loved that Phil was the tailor of the group and we got to follow the progress of his creations (as well as the inclusion of the trip to the ren faire).

As a former D&D player, I really loved that their campaign was included as separate chapters, it complimented the overall story wonderfully. This book is the perfect mix of romance and nerdy, I really enjoyed it and hope we get more books in this world.

A big thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK & One More Chapter for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for this arc.

Unfortunately this wasn't a favourite for me. I enjoyed the first half but then it started to feel quite repetitive with the same conversations/disagreements again and again. They also got together very quickly which I think also hindered my enjoyment.

Including snippets of the D&D game was fun and interesting but unfortunately also added to the repetition as their issues followed them into the game.

Saying that some things which I did like are the friend group who felt very supportive and I loved how the MMC was so into sewing and making everyones costumes.

This really didn't hit for me.

I think that maybe it had too much going on and because of that, it fell quite flat.

This has fake dating, older brother's friend, and friends to lovers. I don't think you need to emphasize that many parts of the story. It just felt jumbled.

There were definitely some cute moments and I did appreciate the D & D aspect of this story. And I did like the friend group, they had a fun dynamic.

I also cannot get behind the male love interest in a romance novel being named Phil. I just kept getting jump-scared by my own brain picturing Phil Dunphy from Modern Family (don't get me wrong, I love Phil from Modern Family, but that is not the vibe for this book).

I also didn't really love the FMC. She felt rather childish and strange at times. Her reactions to certain situations made her feel so weird and childish and inappropriate. Made me cringe (and not in a cringe is freeing way, but in a second-hand embarrassment kind of way).

I just couldn't get invested in this story because I just couldn't get behind the characters or their motivations. I'm sure some people won't mind those things I mentioned, but this just wasn't for me. And I do wish it was, the premise sounds so fun.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC.
I enjoyed this quick and cute read.
It revolves around Amy who needs a fake date when an ex returns.
She has always been part of her big brother's group of friends and always in love with Phil.
Phil has his own commitments but steps in to help.
Is this the usual romance trope? Yes! but it is a very enjoyable fun read.

Happy Release Day!!!!
Date Knight
@samparksbooks

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’ll be honest and admit going to a ren faire somewhere was always something I wanted to do but never did! It always looked like so much fun! As a history and costume obsessed woman, it seemed like a no brainer but when you’re working with a lack of gold coins… 🤷🏻‍♀️😂

I loved the whole friend group of this book! I definitely want more and will be reading the first book asap! I read this as a standalone and it works completely. Yes I ruined the HEA for myself on the first book but I also go into romances expecting love at the end, so I’m ok with it!

I loved that our FMC Amy goes out of her way for people, showing her heart on her sleeves. To me her portion of the book was her learning to tell who she should bend over backwards for VS people that just use and abuse her.

Our MMC Phil, he’s had it fucking rough. He lost both parents at a young age. He was raised by his grandmother, a powerhouse of a woman, but now deep in the throes of dementia. His world is crumbling for a second time, this time, there’s no one else. All he has is his friends and he can’t let this burden be theirs too.
His portion of the book is a hard lesson in duty, duty to others, duty to yourself.

As someone who took care of elderly family members in various ways, past and present, this hit close to home. We lost my grandfather to dementia a little while ago, I can fully understand Phil’s feelings of guilt, anger and worry. My sister and her family moved in with him in the past few years to care for him. Every thought Phil had in the book is something carers know by heart.

I’m really excited for the third book!!!

Thanks Sam, @onemorechapterhc and @netgalley

#dateknight #samparks #samanthaparks #rollforromance #youvegotchainmail #dandd #DnD #dungeonsanddragons #boardgames #renfaire #cosplay #romance #fantasy #arc #arcreader #arcreview #netgalley #happyreleaseday #selkiereader

***Thank you to Harper Collins UK and One More Chapter for sending me an unsolicited e-arc through Netgalley of Date Knight by Sam Parks! All thoughts are my own!***

This is the second book in Sam Parks' Roll for Romance series. Each book can be read as a standalone, but I recommend all of them highly.

Following up from Sam's previous novel, You've Got Chain Mail, this book follows Phil, Jack's best friend, who is a full time caregiver to his grandmother with dementia. He's trying to balance being a caregiver, doing data entry jobs, being the costume designer for his friends, But when Amy Evans, Jack's sister, who is now in their D&D group, finds out that her ex boyfriend and best friend are engaged, Phil swoops in to be her hero and fake date for three months while she secures a job with her father's construction company.

One thing I really love about this book is that Phil and Amy are friends that have been pining for each other for years. They have been friends since they were kids because of Phil and Jack being best friends.

I related so much to Phil throughout the book. As a caregiver myself, it's very hard to remember that people are willing to help and that you aren't alone. Jack's family was so kind to Phil and his grandmother. And it really gave a great insight to what caregivers go through, between the doctors appointments to home modifications for accessibility.

I really loved that the characters went to fantasy festival as well as a fantasy ball. And Phil making everyone's costumes for the festival, like he did in the previous book for the Renaissance Faire. And the fact that he made a dress for Amy, despite everything he had going on with his grandmother, he is a green flag of a man.

I loved getting to see more of their D&D campaign, especially getting Phil's character's perspective. AND THE EPILOGUE!!! I'm so excited to see more of the campaign.

What to expect:
Cosplay
Brother’s best friend
Fake dating
Nerdy hotness
Real life knight in shining armour
Emotional depth
Spicy

Date Knight by Sam Parks is on sale now! Thank you so much to Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter, and Netgalley for this arc!

I fell in love with this cover and needed to read this immediately.

I really loved this! It’s so cute & reading this brightened my day. It’s the right amount of fluffy romcom & heartfelt. The writing style flows easily which made this a quick read.

Amy & Phil were adorable & simply too cute! I loved that they had a crush on each other throughout the years & the fake dating situation just brought them together.

Phil was a stand up guy & a cinnamon roll. Amy is super relatable, especially if you’ve ever been told you’re too much or too sensitive. I could relate to her a lot. These two had so many swoony moments, my heart just melted.

I also enjoyed Phil’s D&D character having their own chapters. That was a fun & unique addition. I also thought his storyline as a caregiver to his ailing grandmother was very well done.

The setting is great & I loved the group of friends. Plus there’s a fantasy festival and cosplays.

Would recommend if you like fake dating, friends to lovers, brother’s best friend, & small town romances. Can be read as a standalone.

Rating: 4/5

This book gave me the perfect blend of best friends little sister/friends to lovers and nerd business that I could have ordered. The MMC Phil and FMC Amy have known each other since they were kids, Phil is friends with Amy's older brother Jack and they're all in a Dungeons and Dragons group. The chapters swap perspectives from Phil and Amy and every so often it cuts to their D&D campaign and you get a chapter telling you what is happening in the fantasy game.

I loved the banter between the two main characters but it did get very frustrating at around the two thirds mark when conflict that had been bubbling along the entire book and was not going to be solved by the MMC's actions but hey lets have a third act breakup!

That said though I did enjoy the book overall and I'm happy to spend more time around this group of characters in the other books in the series, and especially to go back and read book one with Jack and his girlfriend getting together (and playing more D&D no doubt!)

One fake quest and two nerdy hearts, what could potentially go wrong?

Phil is great at pretending, at least when he’s playing a knight in his weekly D&D role play. In real life? Not that much. Especially when Amy, his best friend’s newly heartbroken sister, joins the game and starts turning his carefully planned world upside down.

He thought inviting her to the game was a nice thing to do. He definitely did not expect the fake dating agreement that follows, nor how real it all starts to feel with a little bit of nerdy glamour and the chance to be her real prince in shining armor.

Think cosplay, think fantasy balls, and most of all… think nerdy chemistry when Phil and Amy’s fake relationship quickly turns into the most confusing quest of their lives.

I enjoyed this book so much, I almost finished it in a single sitting. It’s perfect for fans of nerdy cinnamon roll heroes (yeah, that’s a thing for me now), fake dating tropes, and a good old slow burn romance that might kick-off way sooner than you think. Even though I rolled in for the feelings and the fact I never read a ‘nerdy’ romance like this before, this might also be your pick on the menu if you’re ready to fall hard.

As always, a special thanks to the author, Sam Parks, One More Chapter, Harper Collins UK, and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read and review ‘Date Knight’ before it’s official publication on July 31, today! All opinions expressed in this post are my own.