An audio duo of spicy, gay, fluffy romance reads, sure to leave readers of Timothy Janovsky wanting more!

THE FAKE DATING GAME:
Thanks to the author, their publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ALC of this novel.

3/5 ⭐️
3/5 🌶️

This was my first Timothy Janovsky book and it won’t be my last. While I didn’t love the story necessarily, I loved the characters and the spice that was thrown in. Give me a good MM romance any day. This def was spice with a side of heart and emotion.

ONCE UPON YOU & ME:
Thanks to the author, their publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ALC of this novel.

3.25/5 ⭐️
1.5/5 🌶️

This was my second Timothy Janovsky book and it won’t be my last. I lived the characters and giving the bi-rep for an older male. Also giving plus-size man rep too! I love a good age gap romance, especially when it’s MM… add in the forced proximity and the employee/employer (kinda) relationship.

I read a lot of books and I am always happy when a new Timothy Janovsky book comes out. He always read lovely love stories of two men who just are perfect for each other and have a good adventure falling in love. I think the world needs more Timothy Jankovsky books. I am already greatly anticipating his next novel that comes out in September!

The (Fake) Dating Game
This is unapologetically GAY & I am so here for it. I loved the unique game show element in this. I felt like Timothy dealt with grief very well in this while still keeping the quirk & charm!
Short & sweet! Perfectly paced.
Also, this was unexpectedly STEAMY.

Once Upon You & Me
It took me awhile to get into this, but I’m happy I trekked on! Age Gap romance hasn’t always been for me, but this was a delight.
Timothy writes spicy heartfelt rom coms with such ease. I loved the way Taylor & Ethan’s relationship developed. I was rooting for them as soon as they hit it off.
I loved the setting of this story too.
Lots of introspection into ADHD & loneliness. I felt like Timothy wrote with care for his characters & readers.

Thank you to Harlequin Audio for the duo ALC for this & Timothy’s next book!

4 🌟
Spice: open door

This was super cute! I loved the game show aspect, and their meet cute was adorably unique. I was surprised by how spicy this was. It's my first from this author, and it won't be my last. The 3rd act breakup was a little nerve wracking, but I loved how they came together in the end.


3.75 🌟
Spice: open door

While I found this one cute, it didn't blow me away. I think a big part of it is with the audio. It's 3rd person dual POV, and having the one narrator made me confused on who's POV we were in. I love the characters and the setting. I just wanted more I guess. It felt like they fell into bed with each other so quickly and suddenly were obsessed. My favorite is towards the end when they are reading each other fairytales, so cute.

I am in love!

With the writing, With the characters. With the cheekiness and tension and the beautifully realistic take on scenarios so unlikely they might just be true. And with the amazingly honest mental health and neurodivergency rep, no sugar coating or flashy quirkiness to make it attractive.
Before I started The (Fake) Dating Game I had never heard to Timothy Janovsky. Now I know for sure, I'll return for more.


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The (Fake) Dating Game
4 stars

I'll be honest. I didn't want to start the book when I got it and I'm pretty sure that was my own neurodivergence blocking me. Because I had no reason for it and straight of the bat, the writing proved to be exactly what I value in a well written book. Eloquent, yet matching the context, filled with conversations that felt so real, made me laugh and tear up and feel the Holden's pain as if it were my own.

I don't know when exactly I fell in love with the story. Just that upon finishing, it felt like, as with every good book that burrows itself deep inside me, I have found a new home. A new reality to snuggle into and remember fondly.

The character dynamics carried this book and they were incredibly well executed - not only between the two MMCs but also with the many layers of past and present on and off page personal relationships and how they impacted the interactions between Leo and Holden.

And, without any spoilers, I just want to acknowledge how much I love this ending. Because it didn't feel forced into a framework of what a HEA 'should be' in a fairytale world. Instead, true to the tone of the entire book, it combined dreamy romantic notions with a realistic take.

One extra thought: I would love to know how Timothy Janovsky comes up with some of his metaphors because I enjoyed them immensely!

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Once Upon You and Me
4 stars

Since this was my second book by the author, I was excited to dive in!
I loved the premise and how some of the outcome was super predictable but all the more special for it. Matching the theme of the setting, this book had a more fairytale-y vibe than The (Fake) Dating game while still tapping into that shade of realism, the unpolished and sometimes unflattering.
I very much enjoyed how the fairytale theme is strung through the entire plot, serving as an ideal without requiring the story to match it.

The way Taylor and Ethan pretty much crashed into each other's worlds, each with their own baggage and unresolved issues, and - instead of the fairytale rose-colored love - SAW each other, fully and complimented each other's needs and capacities was beautiful!
Again, Timothy Janovsky manages to capture dynamics so realistically by perfectly orchestrating the characters without over explaining or dipping in proverbial glitter.
I can totally see this one being a movie, not least because of the imagery these books provide and the intricately carved characters.

The ADHD prep in this book was top notch and I felt very seen not only in what being neurodivergent means but also in what it demands. From the person who is neurodivergent, sure, but even more so from the surrounding, the social systems and responses, the care and love given.
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These books are well suited for fans of Alexis Hall and those who just generally love blunt romance with good amount of tension, a dose of realism, 'non-quirky' mental health rep and beautifully intricate relationship dynamics.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Audio and Timothy Janovsky for providing an ALC for both these books.

These were my first two Timothy Janovsky reads and I was not disappointed! I cannot wait to read through Janovsky’s backlog. I absolutely flew through both The (Fake) Dating Game and Once Upon You and Me. Both were quick easy listens that I could not put down. Holden and Leo!!! Ethan and Taylor!!! I cannot get enough of either couple and I cannot pick a favorite. If you are looking for a quick, sweet read with spice, representation, and topics such as grief and divorce I highly recommend picking up both of these!

I adore Timothy Janovsky’s books and this was a re-reading, really. And I like both novels more that the first time. E narrators were perfect, the emboyed the character perfectly.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

~Fake Dating Game:
The setup to this book was very cute. However, I feel the story was poorly executed.
I was not a fan of the sex scenes. Which was the majority of the reasons I did not enjoy this book. They were jumpy and with no build-up. Also very strange and not to my preference. They seemed to take away from the drama of the plot in my opinion and I ended up just skipping these.
Was also disappointed the game show came so late in the story and was very short.
Tropes: fake dating, friends with benefits, love at first sight.
While I felt like this was a rom-com going in this turned out to be more of a drama.

~Once Upon You and Me
I love the premise and setup of this story, makes for a cute cosy romance story. However, the characters were both bland to me. We got a plus-size single dad and his ex-wife's assistant. Neither of them have any discernable personality besides having ADHD and being understanding.
My largest complaint was the smut in this one. I think this is a me thing as I don't seem to like the way that Janovsky writes his smut scenes. I am sorry but watching p*** together and... will never do it for me. Ended up skipping all the smutty scenes in this story as they were all just strange to me.
Tropes: Age gap, Single dad, fairytale camp, Smutty, 3rd act break up, forbidden romance, forced proximity
The archery lessons were done so well. That was the redeeming quality of this book for me.

This was a really cute story and I wouldn't have guess going into a fake dating Supermarket Sweep inspired romance that there'd be heartfelt explorations of grief. I thought Leo was such a sweet character and really enjoyed all the elements about his half-Korean heritage. The story is a little insta-lovey, but was still a cute fun read.

Every book I read by Timothy Janovsky cements himself as an auto buy author for me! He has nailed the science of crafting the perfect rom-com with mental health rep behind it. I loved Ethan and Taylor and thought they were such a well matched pair. Taylor is so emotionally intelligent with the role he played with his siblings growing up and I love how he was able to be there for Samara and how that lead to such a dynamic of trust and respect to form between him and Ethan (on top of the lust and chemistry!!)

I always love seeing ADHD representation in books and I thought it was portrayed really well in this story. Ethan has been able to identify the things he struggles most with and which tips/routines work best for him, but he still feels a sense of shame having to admit that. I loved the way that Taylor was so easily able to show him "hey its perfectly okay that you're like this"

Thank you Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for an ALC of The (Fake) Dating Game & Once Upon You and Me