Marrying My Brother's Best Friend

Fake Married to the Grumps #1

by Leah Blair

I vowed to stay away from my brother’s grumpy best friend… Now he wants to marry me.
Billionaire basketball star Trevor Kranes is my former childhood crush-turned-boss. He always got me with his deep ocean-blue eyes, chiseled jawline, and that breathtaking smug grin. I thought his smile was real until he coldly rejected me a few years ago. But now he needs a wife to clean up his playboy image. If I marry him, he’ll help advance my career. I’ll only do it under one No feelings allowed.

And yeah… don’t tell my brother.

Ignoring my feelings for this bossy jerk should be easy, But his protective arms feel too warm, and his tender touches feel too soft.
Until his lips on mine send shivers down my spine, Now I’m not sure if he’s still pretending…
Marrying My Brother’s Best Friend is a sweet, closed-door romance, brimming with sizzling chemistry without the spice.

Genres: Romance, Sports Romance, Clean Romance, Contemporary, Ebooks

174 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 10, 2024

About the author

Leah Blair is a sweet romcom author whose books deliver big swoons, bigger laughs, and absolutely zero spice. Her goal? To make you fall in love a thousand times, brighten your day, and leave you smiling just a little more.

When she’s not busy writing, you’ll find her curled up with a good book, playing piano, or getting lost in music. She has a soft spot for small-town charm and loves wandering with her husband through the coziest corners of New York, probably daydreaming about her next fictional couple.

Find her on Instagram (@leahblair.author), Facebook (@leahblair.author), TikTok (@leahblair.author), and check out her website leahblairauthor.com for news about upcoming releases!

Reviews

[Rose | Adventurous Bookworm · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 72%
This book is a mess. There are repeating chapters (literally, word for word), and Trevor is an @#$%&. That is about as nice as I can be.

1 Star

Content: nothing bad so far

[Victoria L · Rating 1 out of 5]

Skip this one

The whole book felt like it was the same statements in different formats. It was so repetitive I it made me want to throw my kindle. For such a short story it took what felt like a lifetime to drudge through.

[Vartiainen Joanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Made me mad

Trevor is disillusioned with love. Trevor doesn't want to experience love but Trevor needs to show a solid relationship because of his image and career. So lets by all means use the girl who got her heart broken by him already years before and break her some more. Because Trevor needs to. I found this book all about one selfish man unable to understand that everything is not about him.

[Kristy Vargo · Rating 1 out of 5]

...yikes. I hope this was this author's debut novel...

[Sandrina Rodrigues]

Muito bom

Adorei a história
Muito bom
Adorei ler esta história, gostei do drama e das amizades
gostei muito das personagens
Muito bom recomendo

[Giovanna Fernandes · Rating 1 out of 5]

1/5 ★
***SPOILERS***







































































































I always feel terrible to say that a book was bad, but this was... It was poorly written, the plot was weak and the characters didn’t have any depth or chemestry, the story unrolled too fast.
Trevor was selfish. The book starts with him buy the bookstore/coffee shop where Grace works, but he doesn’t show any interest in the place for the rest of the book, the plot wasn’t continued.
She then goes to help him to everyone believe that they are married, and within one week of their faking it, she wants out because she doens’t think she will be able to not fall for him, and he tells the secret to a guy that he considers a good friend on the team, and the next day the news are out. Don’t you think that if he new the guy enough to consider him a good friend, wouldn’t he know that the guy has a tendency to tell things he shouldn’t when he is drunk? Plot hole.
The brother wasn’t really present in the book, and he didn’t mind that they had feelings for each other, he just didn’t want his sister to get hurt again, they didn’t keep it a secret to him...
It felt rushed and a bit cringy.

[Janine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boy is girls' brother's best friend, who becomes a famous basketball player with a bad reputation. Girl is from a small town and after being spurned by the boy in their teenage years, is trying to move on, but has kept up with the boys career.

Now the boy, Trevor, needs help to improve his bad reputation and he turns to the girl, Gracie.

This was a cute second-chance, fake marriage story. I really liked Gracie's character, and Trevor was OK. But the plot ran so fast, it felt like I was watching a movie on double-speed or more. I would have appreciated a bit more flesh to the timeline and more interaction between the characters to build/improve their rapport and also let us get to know the characters and their motivations a bit better.

I did overall enjoy the story though, and I will be looking out for future books by the author.

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

[Dee Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gracie is content, life isn’t everything she dreamed of but it was good, the only thing she really missed was love.
Trevor needed a save, his career on the line, he needed a way to make his past transgressions disappear. What better way to dispel playboy rumours than to be married. And he knew just the right girl - she’d be perfect because he already knew she had feelings for him.
This had my chest tight with want almost the entire time. I wanted Gracie to get the love she deserved. I wanted Trevor to stop playing with her feelings. I wanted Gracie to realise she deserved better. I wanted Trevor to realise his true feelings. I am so happy to say that after a very tension filled 3/4 way through, things did start going the way I wanted. This is emotional and heartfelt, the chemistry between them is palatable, and when they actually (finally) kissed … 🥰.
This is a story just waiting for the screen to find it and make it a Hallmark movie.

[CatMomReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, entertaining, sweet romantic read with a second-chance trope this was a cute book that had some pacing issues (at times everything was moving very quickly, at other times it dragged a bit) but was overall a light HEA romance.

Trevor and Gracie were both good characters and I did believe in their chemistry. Neither had ever stopped loving the other, but both had their reasons for not wanting to jump into the relationship. I will say there was a part about 60% into the book where I just wanted to reach in, shake them both and have them admit their feelings already but that passed and the rather grand ending did make up for it.

If you are looking for a sweet, not too serious, not overly plot heavy romance this would be a good choice. I received an ARC and chose to share my thoughts.

[Sunny.Honey_Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I read the description of the book and the length, I figured this would be a cute quick read. I understand what the author was doing by making Trevor afraid of love but honestly I did not like Trevor at all. I felt bad for Gracie the whole time, everything was happening so fast which I understand due to the length of the book but more character development was needed. Jace, who is Gracie’s brother, is kinda thrown in randomly and I waited for that voice of reason but he’s kinda meh. The romance felt flat but that might be because I didn’t like Trevor. It rubbed me the wrong way how he treated Gracie from the beginning, there was no apologies or trying to clear misunderstanding. It was okay, if you’re looking for something quick I’d say give it a try but be warned if you want cute romance this isn’t it.

[Stephanies.books_ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heavy Sigh

It's rare for me to rate a book below 3 stars.

This one just didn't reach it. It had potential. Premise was nice but execution was just not there.

There was no chemistry between the two characters. The whole book was about what Trevor wanted and what he was willing to do and who he could sacrifice doing it.

I also did not believe the friendships between characters. There weren't true feelings and emotions. There were tears and blushing but even then it was weak.

It would have been great with more added details and indepth sentences. The over usage on the characters names was a tad annoying at times. (Could just be a me issue)

🏀 Brothers Best Friend
🏀 Fake Relationship
🏀 Novella
🏀 Clean Romance
🏀 Small Town
🏀 She works in a bookstore and writes books

[ASHLEY TOTH · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a cute book to a 3 set by Leah Blair. I definitely thought it was repetitive, but I still read through. I think Trevor and his concept of never wanting to love Gracie was validated. He had his reasons, and I'm glad he finally came to his senses and found his love for her... as she said, "It took you long enough."

I think the story was drawn out in a way that the repeating made it a little boring. To me, there was something missing in it for me. I can't put my finger on it...

Gracie's character reminds me a lot of myself... being in love with that Fairy Tale romance and, of course, loving books! ❤️ I feel that she also had every right to hold on to believing that her and Trevor should be together. I'm glad she got what she wanted in the end.

[Jo|Ruth Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! I always love books where it goes back and forth between the characters and their thoughts and feelings. This is one of my favorite themes... long lost loves, enemies to lovers, pretend relationships that start to feel like more.

She's always loved him, but he's told her before he can never she her like that. After he turned her down so many years ago, she's guarding her heart from him. UNTIL he shows up at her job asking her to pose as his wife? One of the many rules? Don't fall in love. But will they be able to keep that rule?

Its a short read, but my goodness it is SO sweet! I loved this, I can't wait to read Leah's other book!

[Jane litherland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trevor was once Gracie’s childhood crush, her brother’s best friend . Told in each person’s point of view, he turned her down when she was younger , he had his reasons but he crushed just as much as she did . He’s got a bad reputation and wants to cleanup his image , what better than a fake wedding? Oh and no feelings , oh and another thing the brother can’t find out…in return he can rocket her career …. Behind closed doors romance but I’m thinking it’s the rocket in his pocket she’s wanting for reals. Will they won’t they already! Entertaining romance , sweet. Well written with some good narratives.

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

[Jackie · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF - quit at 12%
Ok, the MMC, Trevor, is a total creep. I can’t get into a main character like that. Then I read some reviews, & he’s that manipulative jerk that does everything for himself, which was the gist I got in the first 10%! I cannot read about a horrid person like that. I never even got a feel of the FMC in that 12%. Deleting this from my Kindle library, just thankful it had been for on Amazon.

At my age (62), life is way too short & my time is too important to force myself to read a book I'm not enjoying, especially when there are so many other books out there waiting to be read.

[Cuban Ana Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good marriage of convenience love story. Throw in childhood crush, sports, grumpy sunshine and I’m overly hooked. This one did not disappoint. These two were similar in that they both had flaws. Gracie being selfless and always willing to help, while putting her feelings aside. Trevor struggling to let people in. I loved the chemistry and how they worked through their flaws. In the end love always wins. And bonus, there is an epilogue! #GracieandTrevor.

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

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun, entertaining, read. Trevor and Gracie are complex, relatable, entertaining, intriguing characters. I enjoyed these characters and getting to go along for the ride with them. Their romance is fitting for these characters. The various secondary characters added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment. I especially loved Jace – Gracie’s brother. The story is easy to read and get into.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Shauna Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet second chance story
Who knew asking for a favor could have these consequences. Trevor was best friends with Gracie’s big brother, so he knew Gracie very well. Now that he is grown and a basketball star with a bad reputation and needs help, Gracie is the obvious choice. He’s been told he needs a wife, certainly Gracie can step in marry him, play that role, and step out when things are good again. So easy until you mix in Gracie’s long-standing crush on Trevor and Trevor’s attraction that he can’t admit. A light, fun read. I received an early copy and this is my honest review.

[Cindy Zavodny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book about Gracie who has always loved Trevor but he indicates over and over he doesn’t love her.

Trevor grew up in a small town where Gracie also lives and he left to become a basketball star.

Years later Trevor needs Gracie’s help. Will she help him get over his bad reputation. You will have to read the book to find out!

The only negative comment is the book comes to an end too quickly - but thank goodness there is another book as the series continues! I really enjoyed this book.

[MacKenzie Emery · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is dual pov, clean romance. I loved the dynamic between these two and couldn’t read fast enough. Gracie’s long time crush on Trevor made this story feel realistic. Between her distaste for him when she first saw him to her sticking by his side through everything, I truly felt her crush. Trevor’s stance on the situation was a little frustrating because of how he handled everything but ultimately you could feel his friendship with Gracie develop.

[Mary Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot of this novel involves a woman who has loved Trevor, a basketball star, for years. While he has feelings for her too, because of his family background, he doesn't feel that he would be a good partner for her so he is constantly pushing her away. Gracie, however, doesn't give up on Trevor and continues to support him despite the way he behaves. I liked the book and will look to see if the author has written other books for me to check out.

[Anne Ruckman · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book has some plot holes. Like they are fake married (they didn’t get married for real I don’t know why) but marriage certificate are public records sooooo the press could have easily realized it was fake. Also this and the other 2 books in the series are literally the SAMMMME like the same phrases are constantly being used.

[ABurch74 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very entertaining book about long-term love. The author created a world with wonderful friendships and humor. I really enjoyed the book. It was a rewarding read that was hard to put down.

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

[Bonny Rambarran · Rating 5 out of 5]

He was her best friend too - and now he wants a fake engagement
He is a basketball player and there is a lot of gossip going on. So he asks her to pretend to be engaged. She loves him and always has and so she agrees. What could go wrong? WELL - read this and find out!!!

[Thandeka · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly, trevor made me mad throughout the book, he felt more like the villain than the person we are supposed to be rooting for. I felt bad for Gracie the whole book and was secretly hoping that she would find someone else.

[Lee Freeman · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a hard read

I have read other books my this author and liked them but this one was just weird. It had huge gaps in scenes and scenes would repeat in other chapters. Maybe it was a publishing issue but while the story line could have been good, It was hard to enjoy.

[Delwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating 3.5

I love the brother's best friend trope but at times the focus felt like it was more on Trevor who couldn't let himself love.
Overall a cute quick read, but sometimes a little annoying with the repeat of he can't let himself have love/her.

[Mulberry]

DNF

[Veronica Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story about a small town girl who's been in love with her brothers NBA best friend.
Story moves pretty quickly, so their relationship seems rushed. Even if it did start out fake.

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mmc is selfish to the point of cruelty. Fmc can't/won't see how toxic he is to her.