Faking It With My Ex's Brother

by A.L. DeRose

Rule #1: Don’t forget anything at your ex’s place.

Rule #2: Don’t pick up your ex’s key from his insanely hot brother’s house.

Rule #3: Don’t DO his brother!

I’ve done the I slept with my ex’s filthy, rich, arrogant brother.

I need to stay away.

But his hand wrapped in my hair as I looked back at him lingers in my thoughts.

He didn’t make it easy when he showed up at my door with a wild plan

to keep his ex away,

And a fat check!

Ok, it’s just a simple business deal, nothing more!

Wrong!

Now, we’re both caught in the middle of drama;

And must face the chaos together.

My ex is going to blow his top when he finds out his brother, and I have been going at it like jackrabbits from dusk to dawn.

Genres: Humor, Drama, Forbidden Love, Enemies To Lovers

247 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 11, 2024

About the author

Hi, I’m A.L. DeRose, a contemporary romance author.

My books are full of swoon-worthy billionaires, alpha males who know exactly what they want, and smart, sassy heroines.

Expect age-gap sparks, enemies-to-lovers tension, off-limits temptation, One night stands, steamy Mafia drama and all the tropes that keep you up way past your bedtime turning pages.

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katherine Martin, aka Katie girl, is a smart woman, a therapist, who just broke up with her boyfriend of nine months. Andrew didn't really bring or give her that zesty passion. It was a bland sort of relationship. And Katherine left something behind, an important notebook at Andrew's apartment. Andrew is out of town but someone else has an extra key. Oh. Oh.🔑 His older, mischievous brother, Aiden, likes to pick on Katherine, to push her buttons, to see how she will react to him. He wants her full attention! On him. He's arrogant, way too confident, and too darn sure of himself. I wanted to see more buildup of that back and forth before... boom goes the dynamite!!😆😆 But okay. Bring on the heat and steam.🔥🔥🔥 Normally I don't read taboo-ish type of books, but the author didn't really dwell or make me too weirded out by that entire situation. Which speaks volumes.🙌🏻

Billionaire Aiden Barlow use to be married, he has a cute 8yr old daughter named Maisie, and has an ex-girlfriend Ariana, who watches his every move. She's totally obsessed with him. Now she's aware of Katherine being around and with Aiden.😧 Yeppers! And Aiden decides to fake a relationship with Kate to hopefully send Ariana packing. Will it work? Or backfire? Plus, Aiden, for all of his outrageous banter, naughty flirting, cute smiles, possessive nature, turns out he's actually a sweetheart. He's a girl Dad. He's a big softie. I saw him as a cowboy for some reason. I could see why Kate couldn't tell him no. I mean, look at the book cover!! Dangg.🥵🥵 Can you say no to him?? Aiden said I love you first. Aww dude.

Kate has previous hurts. Especially with her Attila the Hun mother Janice. Oof. Kate's Dad, Robert is awesome! At one point, I couldn't believe Kate thought Aiden had taken security detail, her moving in with him as 'too far' over the stalking situation. Girrrll you're a therapist, you know how serious stalking can get. And what do you think she does?? Yeah, she wanders away by herself and... 🙈🙊 No spoilers. Shout out to Gladys who cracked me up, a front desk secretary at Kate's job with a sharp sense of humor. I really enjoyed this story. I was invested. I liked it!! This is my first book by this author. Will Kate and Aiden get their HEA? Or will Ariana get her revenge? What will Andrew do when he learns about this relationship? Recommend. Happy reading!♥️♥️♥️

✨🧘🏻‍♀️Thank you for an early book via Booksprout. This is my honest critique on the story.🧘🏻‍♀️✨

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice twist on fake dating

This is an opposites attract, Ex boyfriends brother, fake dating, crazy stalker Romance.
Standalone with no Cliffhangers.
Loved the way this book played out. It had the perfect amount of drama to keep you reading, but just enough heat to make you happy you stayed reading.

[Curvy Girl Book Nerd (Jen S) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faking it With My Ex's Brother is a steamy, OTT, enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, girl gets her ex's brother romance. Katherine (Katie) is an independent, disciplined therapist who had a difficult childhood. Aiden is a charming, cocky billionaire, single dad and brother of her ex, Andrew. When she and Andrew amicably break up, she realizes she left her important journal at his place. He happens to be out of town, so she had to go to his brother, Aiden, for the key. These two are like oil and water, fire and ice... but the chemistry and sexual tension are off the charts!!! Throw in a psycho stalker ex, a crazy mom, a fake relationship, and the adorable Maisie, and you have quite the story. The twists and turns kept me guessing right up to the, thank goodness, happy ending! I loved it!!.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend reading it!!

I love the relationship between Katharine and Aiden!! This book is so good and I would buy this in paperback book! I would reread this book!

[Vedece Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katherine has broken up with her boyfriend but she left something very important to her at his apartment. To get it back, she has to go to his brother's house to get a key because he's out of town. His brother is arrogant and infuriating and they do not get along. The ONLY thing she likes about him is his daughter.
Aiden, while always thinking Katie was gorgeous,had always thought of her as the wrong match for his brother. They were both too uptight to be with each other. She needs someone to help her loosen her inhibitions.
Neither meant for the passion to boil over between them, neither did they want it to stop!
But, oh the regrets of the morning after! Hers!
Alden has a stalker and her reactions to witnessing Katie's WOS cause him to come up with an idea. It's mutually beneficial to both of them as it would give her the ability to follow her own dream. With the added promise from him that there won't be anything physical between them. Yeah right!
His brother, her manipulative mother (she's a real nightmare) and don't forget, a crazy stalker makes this a great afternoon read!
There was only one thing I didn't like about this one. A few times when the point of view changed from him to her, it just repeated the same thing that was said before. The first time it happened, I thought it was an error. Besides that, I enjoyed it.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[J.p · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very entertaining and well written book that kept my interest till the last page. Katherine has ended her relationship with Andrew, she needs to retrieve a very important object from his house but only Aiden can help her get it back. They are as different as chalk and cheese but their chemistry is evident. He thinks she’s uptight and she thinks he’s a jerk but thats about to change when Aidens overzealous ex is out to cause trouble so Aidens idea is to fake a relationship, soon the dynamics change and fake turns to reality. There’s danger, lovely Maisie, drama, love and plenty of heat. Likeable MCs, Aiden really is the whole package, if he looks like the cover model then he’s mighty fine 🥵

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

He is off limits to her as he is a single dad and her ex brother. She should not even get near him let alone fall into his bed but she will. How will it all go? What will his brother do? Can it even work? See just how it will all go.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Bookeando_ando · Rating 3 out of 5]

Puntuación: 3.4/5

Faking it with my ex´s brother es autoconclusivo, que trata sobre como la psicóloga Katherine Martin hace un pequeño trato con el hermano mayor de su ex novio: Aiden Barlow un padre divorciado, multimillonario, muy guapo, pero que siempre demostró que no la aguantaba, hasta que un día Aiden le propone darle una cantidad generosa de dinero a cambio de que finjan ser pareja con tal de alejar a una ex novia bastante obsesiva con él, así incapaz de negarse comienza la relación, pero ¿hasta dónde es real y ficticio?

Bueno el libro es entretenido, ligero y rápido de leer, con un toque divertido en los diálogos que hacen muy amena la lectura sobre todo con la interacción que tienen los protagonistas y porque ambos narran su parte de la historia haciéndola también más completa y dinámica, no tiene muchos personajes, pero esta vez la hija complementa varias escenas importantes.

Al principio es difícil entender que de la noche a un acostón “accidental” ya no se odien como antes, pero con el paso de los capítulos vas entendiendo porque cuando era novia de su hermano no congeniaban tanto como ahora, así que pasamos por el cliché de atracción instantánea al principio y después al de relación fingida que es la que más goce porque se me hizo más real, picante y divertida.

Y aunque no es una trama original y más bien es predecible se agradece que la autora le quiera dar un plus con ese mini suspenso, drama y misterio que agrega durante la historia y aunque al final no es sorpresivo sale un poco del guion establecido por los clichés y el conflicto base en la relación.

¿Lo recomiendo? Pues sí, digo no es una lectura que me haya impactado o encantado, pero cumplió con su objetivo de darme un romance picante, divertido, con personajes que le agregan la cantidad justa de drama y sin exagerar, y con clichés que van muy bien con la trama, pero siento que pudo haber desarrollado y profundizado mucho más varias partes interesantes e importantes sobre la vida de los protagonistas y también de su relación, porque se siente al final un poco incompleta.

[Michelle Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know more people then one would think grow up just like she did but my goodness that would be rough. They were drawn to each other and just didn't know it. It was wonderful that he cared so much for everyone in his life. She wasn't used to depending on anyone but herself so it made things difficult for him. I loved her security gal at her work she was great and fit in with them even better. I would love to see what the future brings them.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Landy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the beginning, but as I read I felt like everything was going very fast. Although they are the only thing that kept me hooked.

I would have loved to read more moments with Maisie.

I really liked the main characters.

——————————

Me gusto mucho el inicio, pero a medida que iba leyendo sentí que todo iba muy rápido. Aunque son lo quita que me tuvo enganchada.

Me hubiera encantado leer más momentos con Maisie.

Me gustaron mucho los personajes principales.

[Melisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lo califico con 3☆ siendo generosa.
Hubiese sido un sólido 4 estrellas, (incluso hasta cinco estrellas) si la historia hubiese terminado antes.
Los últimos capítulos los sentí totalmente innecesarios y precipitados.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/⭐
3/🌶️

[Catalina Danae · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐

El principio estaba interesante pero después se vuelve demasiado meloso🫢

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learning to Love and Trust

For Katherine Evans, the only child of a college professors of psychiatry and psychology, her transition from a childhood to adulthood, under the care and governance of her parents, was not always easy or ideal. For beautiful Katherine with big brown eyes and long dark hair, often restrained in a chignon, parental love was never questioned, but as she aged, Katherine questioned whether the choices her parents—particularly her mom—were made for Katherine’s best interest or mom’s determination of what was best. And, since a teenage romantic indiscretion led to a coincidental family crisis, Katherine has struggled to exert her own will against her mother’s indomitable vision of how her daughter’s life should evolve.

So, when smart, beautiful, professionally engaged Katherine chooses to direct her own professional pathway, disregarding mom’s plans, she must confront the fact that while Katherine is in her mid-30’s, she still struggles to break free of her mother’s control. And, similarly, mom isn’t happy to learn that Katherine’s mom-approved engagement to Andrew Barlow, a lawyer for his family’s financially successful business, Barlow Sports and Outdoors, has ended.

But, when a lost petal-pink notebook with Katherine’s engraved initials goes missing after her breakup with Andrew, Katherine must seek the assistance of her ex’s older brother, Aiden, the CEO of the family business and father of a precious daughter, Maisie, a well-loved child who is happily shared between her divorced mom, Helen, and dad. But, what Katherine had not expected and never imagined were sparks--that she never felt with ex-fiancé Andy—fly between her and Andy’s older brother, Aiden.

And while the personal and public awkwardness of moving from one brother to another is to be expected, what Katherine and Aiden had not expected were threats from Aiden’s recent ex-girlfriend, Ariana, a woman whom he had come to reject for her excessive appreciation of his wealth. And over the next few days, he came to see Ariana as a threat to any female who might pass through his life—ex-wife, daughter, and now, Katherine.

This is the second romance of author A. L. Derose I have read and reviewed. Both romances weave love, mystery and danger to create an engaging tale that ends with a happily-ever-after ending. The one negative is that I wish that the author had engaged in one more close reading for a consistency of name spelling and details needed for consistency. But, without a doubt, I would enjoy reading another romance by this author. I received a free copy of this romance from BookSprout, and am voluntarily leaving a review. I also purchased a copy for my “read-again” collection.

[Char (1RadReader59) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say this was not what I was expecting when I got into this book at all. These characters had dimensions and were true characters of their own. They individually stood out and took charge of their place. Bravo to this author. Was it believable? To me, not so much. But, the storyline kept me up way too late, and until the end.

So, we have, Dr. Katherine Martin who had amicably broken up with her, ex-Andrew Barlow. She was feeling miffed by, that because she wondered why they didn't have a problem ending it after, the months they were together. Plus, her mother who is not a positive in her life, called and was upset she broke up with him. You’ll find her mother is a living nightmare throughout the book.

However, her day had been so bad, that she needed her journal but, searched everywhere. Thinking back to the last time she saw it, then it hit, Andrew’s place. So, she called. But, he was out of town and she would have to get from his douchebag billionaire brother, Aiden Barlow.

Kathrine rather walk over hot coals than go there, but it's what’s in the journal that, she needed most. The only real thing, Kathrine could see that Aiden had going for him was his little girl, Maisie. When she gets to the gate he’s his old pompous self. When he lets her in, he calls, Andrew as if he doesn’t believe her. To which, Andrew clears it. But then, he starts playing keep away and word games.

Aiden is the true trust fund baby, spoiled. Or so he appears to be. He likes to push and challenge, Kathrine at every word and turn. Because when it’s them one on one, their heads together there is this spark, a fighter. Something you never see in the daily, Kathrine. Hence, Kate/Katie. Then, they are like magnets while sparring, and start kissing which leads to, way more. When she does the walk of shame pics are taken by, Aiden’s not-so-stable ex.

She’s been stalking him but now she sees he has a girl and decided to back off. So, they think, until more disturbing pics arrive. And he looks to Katie for help. See the Trust fund baby fold when it comes to protecting those he loves. It's cute.

[Wendy Livingstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katherine / Katie had broken up with her boyfriend, but she had left something important behind in his apartment, and as he is away he tells her his brother will give it to her. Aiden is an arrogant single dad to his little girl, and when Katie arrives, the sparks fly. Aiden has a stalker and needs Katie’s help, so they enter into a fake relationship.
This is a well written story which is action packed, with drama, undeniable chemistry, family, chaos, enemies / lover’s, tension, romance, humor, witty banter, and love, which leads to an entertaining, unpredictable, haunting, and steamy page turner.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Merry Jelks-Emmanuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

When she lost her little book, she was devastated and realized that it could only be at her ex's. To get it back she had to go through her ex's brother Aiden and boy does things get steamy between them. She wants to forget the incident but when a former girlfriend decides This that she wants them to stay together chaos ensues. Aiden comes up with a plan that involves Katheirne which places her in the middle of his dilemma. Will Aiden be able to keep her safe.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Raecharmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katherine wants to get something she left at her ex's house back, but he is out of town. So, she goes to his brother Aiden for a key to get in and get her item back. Sparks fly between them as the bicker back and forth. Its not long before things heat up between them and get very complicated. Will this turn into more than she bargained for?

This is a great story that will hook you in the first chapter. This is a well written and very entertaining story. Its a book that any book lover would enjoy.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.

[Rodney Wiedrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read. Aiden and Katherine were like cats and dogs they traded barbs with each other until they caved to lust. Throw in a fatal attraction situation that makes Aiden totally freak out and become super protective and hire security to shadow everyone near him. Katerine thought that she understood where Ariana was coming from, but in reality, she had no clue to just how far she would go to have Aiden for herself. She didn't even want his daughter taking any attention away from her. If you want to know how it ends, then read the book.

[Taty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Katherine y Aiden llevan una enemistad desde que se conocen, es decir desde que el hermano de él la presentó como su novia. Después de separarse pierde algo muy valiosa para ella, su ex no está en la ciudad para que le de la llave del departamento donde convivían y ella está segura de que lo que busca está ahí, la única solución es ir a pedirle al hermano de él la llave, pero pasan cosas en una noche

Me gustó pero quizás me hubiera gustado más desarrollo en su relación.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fake relationship turned real romance between two engaging and likable MCs. The MCs are defined, have chemistry, and have a reason to fake a relationship to begin with. I enjoyed this well-crafted and entertaining book.

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Tahnia Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katherine loves what she does but doesn't love where she works. They are just too rigid, only Katherine is scared to go off on her own. Until she isn't. Aiden, the big brother of Katherine's ex, grates on her last nerve. Until he doesn't. This story has a stalker with mental problems, and includes plenty of romance, and steam, ending in a HEA. Very highly recommended.

[Susan Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good plot

I did enjoy the plot, however all the punctuation errors made me read the same sentence twice.....quite often.
It really took away from what could've been an entirely better read.
When commas are not put in the right places, it gives an entirely different meaning to those sentences.

[YAZ3885 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing. The love between Aiden and Katherine’s relationship was incredible. I really enjoyed reading this book don’t forget about the stalker, the manipulative mother and the brother.

I received a free copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not only way better than any other book, but it also will keep you turning the pages to find out how everything works out in the long run. So, sit back relax and enjoy reading this really good book A.L. has for us.

[Nate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed Aiden and Katie’s story. It was an intriguing read. And am voluntarily leaving this review.

[Lisbeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bastante olvidable.

[Karen Armes · Rating 5 out of 5]

love grows from the adversities in life

I loved this story. Reaching above your comfort zone. Finding love where you least expect it. All these things are in this story