Faking the Play

by Piper Parker

My ex trashed my reputation. My only shot at redemption?
Fake dating three football gods who used to be my best friends.

I may have a 4.0 GPA, but I’ve been failing at relationships.
My ex leaked private photos and accused me of sleeping with my professor.
Just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, CSU’s elite football stars show up—my ex-best friends turned heartbreakers—with a proposition I can’t refuse.

Ryan, with his rock-solid build as a defensive lineman, promises to clear my name.
Ethan, the playboy wide receiver, vows to remind everyone what I’m worth.
And Logan, with his strong arms and smoldering eyes, is ready to hold me close and protect me like he used to.

I help them pass their classes, and they help save my reputation. Easy, right?
But fake dating turns into real touches, and soon I’m falling for three dangerously hot athletes.
Looks like I’ve just fumbled my way into another scandal...

18+ Only. Faking the Play is a spicy college sports romance packed with sassy banter, fake dating drama, and kindle-melting RH scenes that will leave your heart racing. HEA guaranteed!

Genres: Romance, Sports, Why Choose, Sports Romance, College, Contemporary, Friends To Lovers

252 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 6, 2024

Reviews

[Jessie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It had a semi good thing going then the author had to have the FMC forgive her guys that easily and make excuses as to why she needs to do it. I wish the FMC was a little bit stronger and had more self worth but hey it was just a book.

[Dawn B · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why do authors write lazy stories? They were awful to her and she just forgives them because they said sorry? They love bombed her and it’s ok? They never believed her until someone told the truth. No. Enough. Awful authors need to learn how to do better.

[Gina_M_N · Rating 2 out of 5]

Predictable

Only thing that wasn't predictable (More like Nonsensical), was the fact that they thought that dating three men would be a way to fix her reputation🤔, the end was Cliche and over done.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

So there was a lot to like about this college reverse harem. Three best friends who like to share are reunited with the girl they were all into in their early teens when she's experiencing some of the worst days of her life thanks to her ex-boyfriend. Plenty of fodder for tension and growth.

That said, there were a few big issues for me, which I'll tack behind spoilers:

1. These guys ghosted our girl as teenagers because they didn't think she fit their new image as high school football players. They were more concerned about fitting in with the new crowd they were joining than about her feelings or wellbeing. And this was fine - it's believable, it left a mark on everyone, great. BUT, there are two different moments in the book when they refer to what they'd done right before they ghosted her - one was watching The Princess Bride the night before they ignored her existence, and one was practicing kissing in a treehouse (everyone experiencing their first kisses). I would have preferred a flashback scene showing us what actually happened, to stitch these two stories together.

2. The second thing that really brought this story down a star, maybe a star and a half was the third act break-up and resolution. It seemed completely out of character for the guys to suddenly buy-in to the assumption that Amelia was cheating on them with her ex, and that she'd done it maliciously all over their apartment. If more groundwork had been laid for Logan to not trust her or women or love generally, if there had been some planted evidence that she'd participated, if there'd been maybe a bit of friction that they were trying to resolve or something to trigger Logan feeling vulnerable and heightening his suspicious nature, I might have gone, okay, emotions were high, I can see how he'd leap to this assumption. But it just didn't flow for me. It felt forced in to fit a structure rather than in service of the story. The resolution, with Logan's career-ending injury, the gifts and then the public apology and expression of love, didn't really address how they had let Amelia down by assuming the worst of her. It didn't address that Ethan and Ryan both put their loyalty to Logan ahead of their love for Amelia. I was glad when Amelia realized that the boys only believed her when they had irrefutable proof of her innocence. But then it just... didn't matter? I don't know. It just wasn't satisfying.

3. The dorm room. I just couldn't buy that Amelia stayed in that dorm room with Megan after it was revealed Megan was with Amelia's ex. How would that have worked? I kept expecting her to come back to her room to find her stuff stolen or trashed or something that underlined how awkward and awful having to share a room with her. This definitely felt glossed over with lots of "Megan was hardly there." just to make it possible for Megan to make a copy of the apartment key.

I'll read whatever Parker writes next because I do think there were lots of good bits in this one, and I did enjoy Ride or Dies too. I stayed up past my bedtime to finish this book, so not a miss! Just some pieces that struck me as frustrating or off.

[Kimberlea Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finding Love, Safety & Home In Their Arms

This was such a quick sweet, heartwarming, spicy whychoose romance. I loved that it was a sports romance, and thought it was a nice background addition that enhanced the lives of the characters without being overpowering, which I’m always appreciative of. This was my 2nd romance by this author, and so far I’ve really enjoyed Piper’s books. The characters in this story had a good vibe & banter, as well as sizzling chemistry together, and I found myself drawn into Amelia’s story pretty quickly. Meeting Ryan, Ethan & Logan only solidified my need to see her get a HEA with the 3 guys who were most definitely meant for her (& had been even longer than they wanted to admit 😉). I liked how the guys jumped in to help her when her ex tried to tear her reputation to pieces, and the fake dating trope was just right for the storyline, although none of them ever stood a chance at not developing real feelings built off the friendship they already had. Even when the guys messed up, I had faith that they’d make things right (although Amelia may have let them off just a bit too lightly, but even with that, I feel like the storyline stayed true to her personality & character 🥰). Seeing karma come into play for her ex was also definitely a highlight at the end 😈 The epilogue gave just enough of a peek into their future also to satisfy my curiosity about their HEA 🥰❤️ If you love fake dating, unpredictable plot twists, whychoose, friends-to-lovers, and just the right balance of emotions, romance & spice, then give this story a chance. Perfect for people who love romances by Krista Wolf, Cassie Cole, or Rebel Bloom ❤️

I received an ARC of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Ana Andrade · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry, full of spoilers..

I found this book very weak overall. There was no real struggle, no emotional tension, and barely any believable development.

She forgives them immediately after seven years of hurt—all it takes is an “I’m sorry” with no real explanation, no accountability, nothing. Then suddenly the shy, awkward girl jumps into things with the first guy? It didn’t feel earned at all.

The whole porn-revenge theme is barely touched on, and the abusive parents storyline is also treated in such a shallow way that it loses any impact it could have had.

The breakup scene was especially disappointing. The dialogue was superficial and lacked the emotional weight needed to make the guy’s trauma—or the reason the other two believed him so easily—feel believable.

And the ending… they find out she was telling the truth, show up with some silly gifts, give a quick 3-minute speech, and suddenly everything is forgiven? After abandoning her twice?

It all felt rushed, superficial, and without any of the depth or tension that would make the romance or the conflicts truly work.

[NicoleReadsRomance · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but I didn't love it.

We start off with a big scandal for the FMC. It has her *literally* running into the arms of these three men, who also just happen to be her old best friends.

First off, I'm not the type to enjoy this specific scandal she goes through. It's honestly one of my least favorite things to happen in books. It's an ick, I guess you could say.

Secondly, the guys had a reason for ghosting her before, however, it felt weak. Yes, they were dumb teen boys. I get it. Still, there needed to be a heck of a lot of groveling in my opinion.

Lastly, I think the TAB was unrealistic. The FMC was betrayed by her ex so bad, how could they think she'd be with him again. And don't get me going on the friend/roommate chick.

Overall, I was entertained. I don't feel like I needed to DNF or anything like that. Just wished there'd been a bit *more* to it. Idk how to explain it.

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

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yeah this was honestly one of the worst books I have read this year. Usually, I’ll chalk it up to differences in my preferred reading style to the author’s writing style but that was not the case here. This was just poorly written, rushed, and sloppy. It had potential but really didn’t land. It felt like a middle schooler wrote the book. It lacked depth, was poorly constructed, and the ending was so abrupt. The third act breakup was just mind blowing - I had to re-read it twice to try and understand how the MMCs landed there. I definitely would not recommend this book, but I guess that’s what I get for taking a shot on a book I learned about from a Facebook ad.

[Akasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable rh story, though it did give me emotional whiplash

It’s always nice to read a spicy, best friends to lovers rh romance.

The third act break up was a harsh one, and the quick forgiveness to bedroom scene gave me emotional whiplash, I needed more grovelling, or to at least see from the boys’ POV their suffering, because what they put our fmc through was rough. Still, I enjoyed the story, even if I was still a bit miffed with the boys.

Romance? ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Spice? 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

[Chrys · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book I've read by this author and has become a fast favorite. I really enjoyed this story, and sports romances are one of my favorites. The story flowed nicely, keeping you engaged in the story, with twists thrown in throughout. Could have been more groveling from the MMCs. Overall, I really enjoyed the characters.

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

[Owam Pamala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Panda😜

Romance 💖💖💖💖💖
Storyline 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Spice 🌶️🌶️🌶️

The love between the characters in this book is illustrated so beautifully. The way I love how author Parker was able to integrate each characters emotions and romantic feelings with our heroine . This is the first white shoes romance that isn't omegaverse that I've read and actually enjoyed.

This for me is definitely not the last time I will be reading Piper Parker's books thank you author.

[Candace · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why create problems if you’re not going to solve them. They ghosted her for 7 years and she’s barely upset. No one with any feelings would gladly sweep that under the rug with no animosity. Then they pulled the same thing in the end by believing her ex over her and all it took was one apology and all was forgiven, then the book just ends. We read these books to be satisfied, and in the end I feel like I’m doormat for finishing this half-baked garbage

[Kimberley Spinney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m sorry, but there is just no way it is believable that this third act breakup would happen based on what they know of the villain of the story. There’s absolutely no way. It was so unbelievable that I literally skimmed to the end to see how long it took for them to get back together. And shock of all shocks they love bombed her Until they apparently won her back. It makes no sense. It had so much more potential before that third act drama.

[Christina · Rating 1 out of 5]

“I can’t be with someone who needs proof to believe that I’m not a cheater or a liar.” She said, like a liar

The third act break up made NO sense in context because they knew Jason was a schemer and they knew Lia wasn’t.

And the make up - ALSO SO BAD. They only forgave her when her roommate confessed. And not two seconds after saying she couldn’t be with someone who needs proof to believe her, she forgave them.

[Denise Temple · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good and I hope to see future books from this author. The sex scenes needed a bit more but this can be worked on. The story line was great. For me it was a believable idea. There is a lot of room for growth and as I have said with the last story I read from this author, I hope they read through the critical post to get an idea for improvement.

[carinne · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's just not for me. After trying to read this twice I'm calling it quits. Reads a little to wattpad for me. There some instances that don't make sense. The cover makes this looks like a spice RH Book that will have a lot of sports in it, but the world building and the character development just wasn't there for me.

[Autumn Marci · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. It irks me beyond belief when the MMC's are assholes to the FMC with no proof/reason, and then she quickly forgives them when they simply say "sorry". GROVEL MOFOS GROVEL! And girlllllll, grow a backbone and MAKE THEM GROVEL. Stop letting dudes walk all over you!

Otherwise, it was a decent story. (:

[CassInTheStacks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it.....

Fun second chance romance. I haven't read anything by this author I don't think. I'll definitely be checking out more of their work. Great little palette cleanser between dark reads!

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

2¾⭐
This was an alright read, in my opinion it had some flaws. It wasn't nearly as good as the 1st book (Ride or Dies) in this series. While it was as spicy as book 1 the spice wasn't as good. I'll still read this authors next book though.

[Tana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ultra realistic

Love it. Very sweet! Spice level is more like a 🌶🌶🌶. The scenes aren't very detailed. More use your imagination. But I really loved the story line.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

This book was an emotional roller-coaster, but definitely a good book. I love a happy ending, even though it was definitely hard faught.