Surprisingly Us

Unexpectedly in Love #4

by Erin Hawkins

A fake relationship between childhood friends has a reformed playboy and determined dancer wondering if opposites really do attract.

Colette
I’ve spent the last eighteen years of my life living and breathing dancing, there’s been no time for anything else. Now, as a seasoned member of The City Ballet, my goal of becoming a principal dancer is within reach. But in order to land a pivotal lead role, the choreographer wants more passion and emotion in my dancing. The problem? My lack of experience with relationships and love. The solution? I need to start dating, if only as research for the coveted role.

I’m used to drilling footwork. Repetition. Muscle-memory. But how can I practice dating?

I never imagined Rhys Spencer, my childhood friend and notorious ladies’ man, would be the answer.

Rhys
I’ve only come back to NYC to claim my trust fund, but being faced with losing control of my parents’ legacy foundation to my cousin and rival has me rethinking my plans. Though my reputation as a ladies’ man paints me in an unfavorable light with the foundation board and has me desperate to change my ways, if only temporarily.

My childhood friend, Colette Davenport, is the perfect fake girlfriend. She’s talented, gracious, and stunning. With her on my arm, I’ll have no problem convincing the board I’m the right man for the position. Everyone is shocked by the pairing of the sweet, yet determined ballet dancer and a tattooed bad boy with a BIG reputation.

When the competition intensifies, and I blindside Colette with a new proposal, things start to heat up. Soon, I’m on my knees for a different reason and I’m breaking all our rules.

With every kiss, every touch, I’m even more desperate to have her. To keep her for myself. I never want our arrangement to end, and no one is more surprised than me.

Surprisingly Us is a full-length romance novel with a Happily Ever After that features explicit material and profanity. This book is intended for 18+

Genres: Romance, Fake Dating, Friends To Lovers, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Billionaire Romance, Sports Romance

505 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 11, 2024

Reviews

[Jen ♥]

Self note:

Reading the words "reformed playboy" is more than enough to put this on my "not for me" shelf. What's so romantic about this anyway? Having a 180 and suddenly becoming a one-woman after having a variety of women isn't something to swoon over. Why do authors think being a hoe is such a great quality for a character? It's honestly disgusting and gross. 🤢

I guess readers like what they like, so if they want something like this, then they should go have fun reading it. 🤷‍♀️

[KaylaJane · Rating 1 out of 5]

First of all, respect goes both ways. If all these "fans" of said author and this story liked it so much then go ahead and write your reviews and rave about it. But what you don't have the right to do is come to someone's else review as I have seen them do in many of the negative reviews and rage about a person's own opinion.

Whether someone DNF'd it or mentioned the reason this one didn't work for them, it is their right. What you don't have the right is to come and be a bully! So for any rapid fan thinking of coming into my review with that in mind, I highly recommend you don't.

With that said, I am NOT an ARC reader. I actually paid hard money to read this nonsense and it was a DNF for me for many reasons. Primarily because MMC is a tool and a manwhore which is one of my pet peeves and typically a DNF from the start.

I won't go into all the reasons why I loathed this so much because it was bad writing overall and I found nothing to like.

I swallow thickly as my mind recalls the past five years. It’s been an endless string of parties and wild adventures. My sex life could be likened to the montage from Wedding Crashers, falling into bed with a different woman every night. The woman who texted me her tits earlier is only one of many.

All my past exploits are flashing before my eyes and it’s not pretty. Not to say the women weren’t gorgeous, because they were fucking knockouts, but it’s the amount of them that’s an issue. And there were a lot.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haven't read it yet since it's not out yet. But I'm going to leave five stars for now to helpfully balance out the negative reviews who only read a brief showing of it. Let's not judge a book that hasn't even been released yet or from just a couple pages. Especially since I loved "accidentally ours." So I'm giving this the Benefit of the doubt. Also it's a jerk move to mess with someone's ratings when the book isn't even available yet.

[Jenn (The Book Refuge) · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Erin Hawkins was a success!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was sweet, a bit quirky, a little bittersweet in how it looks at childhood and how our characters have had to find their own way in the world. It made me nostalgic for some of those times in my life.

I loved that Rhys and Colette actually new each other as kids and so there is already a connection. It made their fake dating scenario more believable from the outside. Which I think is something we usually just skim over, for romance reasons, so I liked that it made sense that they could have reconnected and started dating. Who hasn't run into an old acquaintance at a friend's wedding in your 20-30s.

Once things got rolling, I really liked all their dates, both fake and real... but really they were all real, weren't they? I loved the cat companions and Rhys' boat. I loved that Colette was a ballerina and her dedication to it was fun to see. It was just a very fun book with a good heart to it and plenty of heat. Wowza! Did these two get a fire going.

But that might not bother everyone!

My only real detractor is that this was too long. It just was. Different parts were drawn out too long and there was repetition in some scenarios that we just didn't need. It dragged the book down multiple times and there were parts where I put the book down and wasn't eager to grab it again.

Loved listening to Erin Mallon and Christian Fox narrate this one. They were engaging and wonderful to listen to. I highly recommend the audio book!

4 stars
4 on the spice scale

*Thank you to Must Love Audio and the author for an ALC of this title.*

[Cecily Milligan · Rating 3 out of 5]

She wears tutus, he has a penis piercing

Tale as old as time

[Has · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read it because I didn’t want to be a hater for no reason. Now I’m a hater with a reason.


I know I’m going to hate it. I just know it. Rhys is an asshole. And I hate books where the mmc is a manwhore. It’s over done and annoying. I already know Lettie deserves better.

[ceci · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew i was going to like this book, i was waiting for his book since i first read about him, and he didn´t dissapoint.
This book was so funny and so hot.
Lettie needs to keep an eye on Rhys during her best friend´s wedding, and it happens thay he is going to need a fake girlfriend, so they decide to start fake dating.
She was a virgin, and after they decide to start fake dating, she starts learning how to date.
They both fell into each others arms and fell in love, and they are EVERYTHING together.

Tropes:
- reformed playboy
- childhood friends to lovers
- ballet dancer x billionaire
- fake dating

I received an Arc copy in exchange of an honest review.

[Georgia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet ending to this great series.
If you enjoy, reformed playboy, fake dating, millionaire romance books, this is one for you to try.
Collette is a ballet dancer who needs to try and find more passion in life for her dancing but is literally terrified of dating and Rhys is a millionaire playboy who needs to reform his image, so together they decide they will fake date each other.
Rhys goes from playboy to golden retriever pretty quick and I was here for it.
I really appreciated the epilogue containing the couples from all the books.

ARC received for review.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute and spicy just how I like my contemporary romances 💋💕 went on a tad long for it to be rated higher but I enjoyed it so much!!!!



****thank you mustloveaudio for the ALC

[Mellovesaudiobooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio review: listened on audible

Narrated in dual By Erin Mallon and Christian Fox

•Childhood friends to lovers
•Billionaire Romance
•Fake Dating
•Reformed playboy x ballet Dancer
•Virgin FMC
•Pierced MMC
•once the spice hits, it hits.
•No 3rd act break up
•Dual POV

Rhys and Colette
Pronounced Reese and her nickname is Lettie

I binged this adorable sexy fake dating romance by Erin Hawkins

Lettie and Rhys form a fake relationship.
Lettie to show her dance company that she can have real emotions & passion behind her dancing and Rhys to help get access to his families business but once things go a little too far and they are fake engaged Lettie and Rhys start realizing maybe these feelings aren’t fake after all.

I loved the connection these two had, I loved the reformed playboy finding his match in an old childhood friend. Also, Not only did these two have hot af sexual chemistry, but they had a truly genuine friendship, one where they knew that came before anything. Both being there for one another even during arguments or disagreements because their friendship was most important.

(Side note) Once the spice hit it hit and these two fell hard.

And the epilogue…. What a beautiful epilogue!!

Thank you MLA

[Kaity · Rating 5 out of 5]

these two <3

[Maddie Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5! I really loved the other books in this series, but this one just kind of fell flat for me. I normally love a childhood friends to lovers trope, but this one just wasn’t my fave. I would for sure recommend the first 3 books in this series though!! (Just maybe skip this one)

[Becky Pashouwer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up because of the epilogue!

[Frédérique · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 étoiles ⭐️

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

This was a cute little romcom about a ballet virgin & her childhood playboy friend turned fake fiance

The narrators were great! The story and its ups & downs. It was a good time but nothing life changing!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐
While I truly dislike reading about a man with many past exploits and a virgin FMC, I gotta say, Rhys was a total sweetheart. A trust fund guy without a job stole my heart. I didn't expect it to happen. However, Erin wrote Rhys to be thoughtful and considerate and that's what gets me. From little things like doing Lettie's grocery shopping for her when she was busy or making tutus after she fell asleep making them... Rhys proved himself to be a wonderful man.
Lettie and Rhys grew up together but after many years of doing their own thing they reconnect and concoct a fake dating scheme to help one another. Their feelings grew and I enjoyed the mix of hesitation, vulnerability, and honesty they had while their relationship grew. There was no third act breakup and while there were moments of miscommunication they were resolved rather quickly and authentically given the mix of fear and love growing between them.
I loved Lettie's philanthropic ways and her hard work and determination to achieve her goals. She wasn't afraid to stand up for herself with Rhys at times and she was a strong female character.

Lots of cute moments: the cats, the Taylor Swift friendship bracelets, the resolved relationship between Jerrod and Rhys, and all of the thoughtful moments between Rhys and Lettie.

[C · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite really enjoying the previous three books in the series.....this one wasn't for me. Just struggle with the 'bad boy, who has slept with 100s of women...reconnects with childhood friend who hasn't slept with anyone...he helps with her 'awakening'....she redeems him..." trope.

[Rachel Way · Rating 5 out of 5]

-When they’re fake dating but he says things like:
‘“You can take your hands off my girlfriend now…”
“…I didn’t like seeing his hands on you. No boyfriend would want to see that.”’
-And calls her “princess.”
-And they’ve been friends since childhood: ‘The next day I used my allowance to buy her a stuffed cat as a replacement. She named it whiskers and carried it around everywhere she went.’
But when they kiss… Her: ‘that kiss, it did something to me.’ Him: …but I’ve never felt that- whatever was happening the moment Lettie’s lips touched mine.’

I highly recommend this book if you love:
-no 3rd act breakup
-reformed playboy (in the best way possible)
-childhood friends to lovers
-fake dating
-virgin FMC
-spice
-character development
-ballet dancer X billionaire
-he’s a SWIFTIE

Wow. 🥺
I loved everything about these two from start to finish.
They both had wonderful character developments throughout the story.
Rhys starts off as a billionaire, bad boy player, living recklessly after a family tragedy.
Colette is a pro ballet dancer who spent her life obsessing over bettering her career.
But the two of them coming together changed everything 🥺
I love a good fake dating romcom and this was no exception.
It was so well written and I fell in love with Rhys and Colette. Their banter, their cats, the way they always wanted to spend time together, their spice and chemistry, the way he always looked out for her… ooft 😮‍💨
Also: just another shout out here to Rhys because wow. He went through some shit in his life and he really came out the other side. Um.. he’s also a SWIFTIE and makes bracelets for kids in the cancer ward... So 🫠

This book gave me everything I needed in concluding this series… yes, I definitely cried with happiness at that epilogue 🥲
It was perfect.
I’m going to miss this world of characters so much.
Maybe I’ll have to start them all over again 😏

[Kelsey Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Y'all....he is a Swifty!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔥🔥🔥

Tropes
*Childhood Friends
*Billionaire Romance
*Fake Relationship
*Reformed Playboy/Ballet Dancer
*Dual POV

Erin does it again! She really does know how to write spicy romcoms. I laughed so many times during this book! I think this is definitely a little different from Erin's previous books in this series but I really loved that.

I loved how Rhys was more on the feminine side and being into fashion and being 100% confident in his sexuality. This is something you do not see often at all in billionaire romances and especially with a reformed playboy. I loved the relationship between Rhys and Lettie (Colette) and watching the character growth between the two, more so Rhys. I laughed often throughout the book and some of the scenes that happened. I think I may have loved Mo and Maxine (he becomes a cat dad for her) just as much as I did the main characters, lol. 🫣

I am still loving this series and the family that the books are creating as the series continues. Im excited for the next!

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided to me by the Author and Literally Yours PR in exchange for an honest review.

[Henry The VIII · Rating 5 out of 5]

lets not judge a book before it outs yet x (helping to balance the rating)

[HappyKT · Rating 3 out of 5]

He is about to turn 30 and fully inherit more money than he will ever know what to do with. She is his childhood friend who is a professional ballerina. He needs a fake girlfriend to clean up his reputation and she needs dating experience.

Colette Davenport is a talented ballet dancer that rarely takes time off from her craft. Her career has reached a place when she is told she has stalled from conveying emotions through her dance. Colette has a strict way she lives her life and dance is the most predominant thing over all of that. In order to lock into her emotions she decides to face her hive inducing fear of dating. When she is told to babysit one of her childhood friends, Rhys, at a wedding she finds herself enjoying his company after all this time.

Rhys Spencer lost his parents at age 15. Since then he has had the privilege to do whatever he wants. Lead by his own hedonism, he has the reputation as a playboy. When Rhys returns as the prodigal son to his family's business, he is informed his grandfather is retiring. For the first time, Rhys is interested in his family's company. Rhys decides he wants to be president of the Board, he just has to beat his cousin for the position. One necessary step is to clean up his reputation with a very respectable girlfriend. When Rhys reconnects with a girl from his past, he realizes she could be the answer to his dilemma.

Colette agrees to fake date Rhys, much to the confusion of her friends. As the two work together for the farce, they begin a unique friendship. Both bring out the best in each other and spend a lot of time building their connection before indulging their shared physical attraction. Over time very real feelings develop between them as well as very real insecurities. Lies and manipulative choices threaten everything they have worked for but more importantly, could they make it as a real couple?

Dual POV, bad boy/good girl trope, open door love scenes.

Oh how the red flags are flying. These two have such a hard time communicating. Their slow burn feels like chewing on rubber. Getting nowhere and yet taking some much effort.
Once again, I would like to request that we end the concept of virginity as a trope please.
Colette is a confusing FMC. Some of her details make no sense and some of her storylines don't fully get answers. While I want to cheer for her, she is boring and lacks depth. Rhys is a stereotypical man-wh*re who has never worked a day in his life. Suddenly, he selfishly wants something he doesn't deserve and lies to everyone to get what he wants. While he does grow as a character, he never had to face any consequences of his selfish, impulsive choices. I did like how Rhys was soft for anything having to do with Colette. Overall both characters lacked emotional maturity. They felt like young adults, twenty somethings instead of close to thirty years old. Nice HEA and Epilogue. This is the last book of the series.

[Jodi - JodiReadsnListens · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨ Audio Review ✨
Yes, Princess! Surprisingly Us by Erin Hawkins was a sweet, swoony, and spicy childhood friends-to-lovers/ fake dating romance that had me blushing and happy sighing from start to finish. I have loved every couple in Hawkin’s Unexpectedly in Love series, but Colette and Rhys just may be my new favorites! Their journey from fake to forever is memorable in all the best ways.

Erin Mallon and Christian Fox perform this audiobook in dual narration, and this pairing is not to be missed. Erin’s vibrant, upbeat tone complimented Colette’s naive yet passionate and determined spirit as she went after her ballet dreams and navigated dating waters. Christian’s warm, confident voice encompassed Rhys’ bad-boy-striving-to-be-good persona as he cleaned up his act to gain favor with the foundation board and provide for Colette. The slow-burn simmering chemistry was portrayed perfectly by both narrators!

Overall, I LOVED this book. If you are a fan of a billionaire romance with a hot former playboy, a talented dedicated ballerina, opposites attract, fake relationship, pink flamingo shirts, motorcycle rides, custom-made trail mix, tutu making, he takes care of her, Taylor Swift references, adorable cats, special steamy first times, family drama, boat spice, making amends, and a HEA that will surprise your heart in all the best ways, then you will love Colette and Rhys’ story. I always look forward to more from Erin Hawkins.

[kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Virgin × f*ckboy almost never works for me. When he's been with hundreds of women and then one day just changes his mind and commits, kind of breaks my brain. I did appreciate that he didn't have a bunch of clingy exes coming around trying to wreck his relationship, as so often is done.

Rhys is a caretaker, and we love him for it. He didn't have any real personal growth. We're told he put a lot of effort into his business, but never shown it. Colette was cute and she made him grovel a bit. The main conflict of this book was the MC's unwillingness to communicate like grown ups.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️ Erin’s books are always to fun and easy to read! And the spice was fab!!

[cosette · Rating 4 out of 5]

very very cute. loved their relationship and the trail mix you have to be kidding me

[Kelsey Fiedor · Rating 3 out of 5]

this would have been way better if it wasn’t 500 pages

[Sadan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rhys & Colette

[Erica Howard]

DNF at 18%. It was already bad but I just read a sentence that was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

[Cristina]

DNF

I thought I could read about a manhoe H and a never-dated-before h but nope. Couldn’t do it.

[Marrissa Horton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this audiobook! It’s narrated by Erin Mallon and Christian Fox, and they are the perfect Lettie and Rhys. I absolutely loved listening to them bring these characters to life. This is part of the 𝘜𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 series but can definitely be read as a standalone.
After being asked to keep an eye on him at their friend’s wedding due to his questionable reputation, Lettie and Rhys decide to enter a mutually beneficial arrangement, involving a fake relationship. This story has the best good girl/bad boy vibes, and that they were childhood friends made it even better. I was laughing, swooning, and feeling all the feels the whole way through! And that epilogue!! 🥹

Listen if you love:
🩵Childhood Friends to Lovers
🌸Opposites Attract
🩵Billionaire MMC
🌸Good Girl Ballet Dancer
🩵Reformed Playboy
🌸He Falls First
🩵Fake Relationship
🌸Dual POV
🩵Spice