Faking It with My Ex-SEAL Protector

by Ruby Sharp

My daughter’s best friend is the woman I crave.
But there’s rules about this - don’t cross that line, and keep it in your pants.

Chloe is the town’s sweetheart, and I’m the grumpy ex-SEAL turned Billionaire.
New to town, I attend the local fair where we first meet and instantly become an item.

Her ex-boyfriend isn’t taking no for an answer, so I step in and claim her as mine.
Keeping up the facade is easy, but the town’s gossip and my daughter finding out, isn’t.

The line between fake and real is blurred after Chloe becomes my housekeeper,
but gets clearer after a blackout storm when she gives me her v-card,
then takes my heart.

Without warning, a threat from my past seeks revenge, secrets unravel,
then Chloe leaves me.

A few weeks later she says we need to talk, it’s important.
This is when I find out she’s pregnant and I’m the father.

***
Faking It with my Ex-SEAL Protector is a grumpy/sunshine, age gap romance, with lots of heat. It features scenes of an explicit nature, and other scenes of violence and trauma. It’s a standalone, contains no cheating or cliffhanger, and has a HEA we all deserve.

Genres: Military Fiction, Contemporary

264 pages, Paperback

Published April 21, 2024

About the author

Ruby Sharp is a contemporary romance author, and in her steamy world of storytelling, she weaves tales that could make even a billionaire bad boy blush.

When not immersed in the world of washboard abs and protective alpha males, Ruby embarks on a different escapade: gleefully uncorking the swirling adventures of wine. It’s a fitting pastime for someone who knows that a good vintage, like a well-written romance, gets better with time. It will sometimes spark the next great story idea…or so she claims.

In the realm of reality, Ruby also works in finance. She enjoys marital bliss (well, most of the time) and shares her kingdom, on beautiful Vancouver Island, British Columbia, with their two spirited daughters and a dog whose idea of a plot twist involves chasing its own tail.

Reviews

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! It started off a bit rushed for me but the more we got to know chloe and jake and see their love grow the more the story improved! By the end I was so hooked I didn’t want to put it down. This book shows the true definition of standing by what you love even when the world around you seems against it. There was also just the right amounts of spice, not too much not too little and not over the top. Overall, i was very pleased with this!

[Chrissie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find it hard to review this book. I kind of liked the, I kind of did not. First half of the book there were a lot of repeating sentences. Like it was to fill the pages and did not contribute to the story. It got better further into the book. The story on itself was a little to "fabricated". The things happening didn't feel real to me. I've not decided if I'll read the rest of the series.

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐
Love: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Spice quantity: 🌶️🌶️
Spice quality: 🥵🥵
Dark: 😈
Humor: 😂
Suspense: 🙈
Predictability: 🎱🎱🎱🎱🎱
Readability: 📖📖
Feels: 👩🏼‍❤️‍👨🏼👩🏼‍❤️‍👨🏼👩🏼‍❤️‍👨🏼
Emotional Depth: 🧠🧠
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Perspective: first person dpov
Cliffhanger: No
Epilogue: Not really, just fast forward in time
Format: E-book formn
Why I chose this book: received it on stuff your kindle day

[Susan McWhinney · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Age gap romance that has Chloe, Emily's best friend falling for her father, Jake. An ok story line where Jake and Chloe find themselves in a fake relationship to keep her abusive ex, Mark away. Real feelings develop and they find themselves falling for each other. Having to navigate small town gossip as their feeling develop, their mantra was they are in this together.
This book was hard for me to read as I found it flimsy at best with the plotline and the author was quite repetitive in saying the same thing all throughout the story, until it became monotonous. Some ppl may really enjoy this story, it just wasn't for me. There are a few unexpected twists and an eventual HEA for Jake and Chloe

[Vickie Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chloe and Jake start a pretend relationship to protect her from her ex-boyfriend. During the pretending they actually start to develop real feelings for each other. Chloe is beat friends with Jake's daughter Emily. She is out of town for work while this relationship is developing. When she returns she hears about it from the small town rumor mill. She is upset which is understandable. Her dad and Chloe are attacked in his house and they get even closer to each other. She finds out that she is pregnant and found out that Jake has lied to her about a major incident in his military career that changes the way she looks at him.

[Raecharmed · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Jake meets his daughter's best friend its to help her with dealing with her ex. However, he said they were in a relationship with each other, so it complicates things. Sparks fly between them and soon they give into temptation. They grow close during their time together, but it changes when his daughter comes back to town. Will they let her come between them? Will they admit to what they want?

This is a great story that will captivate you from beginning to end. 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.

[Nate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed Jake and Chloe’s story. Chloe is the town’s sweetheart, and Jake’s the grumpy ex-SEAL turned Billionaire. New to town, he attends the local fair where they first meet and instantly become an item. Her ex-boyfriend isn’t taking no for an answer, so I step in and claim her as mine.
Keeping up the facade is easy, but the town’s gossip and my daughter finding out, isn’t. The line between fake and real is blurred after Chloe becomes his housekeeper. An engaging read. And am voluntarily leaving this review.

[Kaley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️/ 5
Pages: 214

❣️Grumpy/sunshine
❣️Age gap
❣️ Billionaire
❣️Best friend’s dad
❣️Small town

I enjoyed every page of this book! It drew me in on page 1 and I just about finished it in 1 day (which would be a first for me). I really enjoyed the challenges these characters were faced with and how they worked through them. The spice is just enough if you aren’t in the morally grey mood that day. I highly recommend checking this one out!

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

This age gap daughters' best friend story was heartfelt and had me all caught up in Jake and Chloe's drama. It starts out as him pretending to be her boyfriend when her ex come around. There are twists and turns that will have you cheering for this couple to get their chance to make it to a happily ever after.

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

[Nikki Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! I was hooked from the start and could not put it down. I ended up reading it in a day! Jake and Chloe’s story may have started off as a fake relationship but blossomed into a real relationship. They had many hurdles and went through a lot together but they showed that no matter what came their way they were in it together. Their love conquered all.

[L KQ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Embracing Their Love

This was a good start to an age-gap/fake relationship story. With some refinement it would be even better. Overall, the plot was enjoyable and the characters very interesting. I really enjoyed the dynamic between Jake and Chloe which made this a beautiful story of their love.

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

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was only one woman he wanted and that was his daughter best friend which is a no no. She has an ex who is causing problems and he makes out she is his. She will become his housekeeper and things will get steamy. She will suddenly leave but he is about to find out he is to become a dad. What will he do? How will his daughter react? See how they get on

[Kelsey McCarty · Rating 3 out of 5]

No Words

I'm not even sure I have the words to describe how I am feeling. I honestly felt like there was no connection between the reader and the characters. I didn't like how most of the book was in the POV characters' heads and not having conversations with others. Things seemed rushed and not put together very well.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yummy book!

Jake and Chloe’s story was a delicious one and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it! The story had the requisite ups and downs, big and little dilemmas, and most of all the yummylicious parts! I really enjoyed reading it and it was very easy to follow. This was my first book by Ruby Sharp, but it definitely won’t be my last!!

[Jordan Fiest · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good age gap romance story. Daughters best friend and friends father trope. The chemistry was strong between these two. The steaminess from the two was read well off the pages. Definitely a good read.

[Janeen · Rating 3 out of 5]

New to me author. Overall it was okay.

Age gap
Best friends dad
Military hero
Fake relationship
Surprise pregnancy

There were a few times when I felt like the story jumped around a bit, but overall it was an enjoyable read.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a roller coaster of romance read. This book not only hit on so many emotions, but it was a page turner of a book. This was not an easy book to put down and the storyline and characters were FANTASTIC and very THRILLING.

[Kandiemarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fake dating, age gap romance, has great characters and lots of heat. It's well written and the storyline is excellent. Worth recommending it. Can't wait to read more from the author.

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

[Jennifer Painter Slotter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written romance about an ex-SEAL and his daughter's best friend. They have a lot of obstacles to overcome but true love wins. Definitely a good read!

[Cheyenne Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Draws you in

This was a good read. I am not one for military related reads since my husband is retired military but took a chance on this one and it was worth that chance.