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Staging Love: A Sapphic Christmas Romance
Camilla Parkes has a hire an actress, fool her family, secure her inheritance. Simple, right?
When Camilla Parkes hires actress Jade Thompson to be her fake fiancée, she gets more than she bargained for. Between family drama, hidden agendas, and the unexpected spark between them, their charade quickly becomes complicated.
Hired to play a part, Jade ends up stealing the show—and Camilla's heart. As the snow falls and hearts thaw, Camilla and Jade must decide if they're willing to risk it all for a love that started as a lie but might just be the truest thing they've ever known.
"Staging Love" is a delightful holiday romance about the best-laid plans, the surprises that derail them, and the joy of discovering that sometimes, the most precious gifts are the ones we never knew we wanted.
When Camilla Parkes hires actress Jade Thompson to be her fake fiancée, she gets more than she bargained for. Between family drama, hidden agendas, and the unexpected spark between them, their charade quickly becomes complicated.
Hired to play a part, Jade ends up stealing the show—and Camilla's heart. As the snow falls and hearts thaw, Camilla and Jade must decide if they're willing to risk it all for a love that started as a lie but might just be the truest thing they've ever known.
"Staging Love" is a delightful holiday romance about the best-laid plans, the surprises that derail them, and the joy of discovering that sometimes, the most precious gifts are the ones we never knew we wanted.
232 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 18, 2024
282 people are currently reading
1061 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
November 16, 2024
Cute but… tropey
Her father believes in true love and so that’s why when he died he held a gun to her head and said, ‘if you’re not married in 6 months then you won’t get the company that we love and instead it will go to your psycho cousin’
It just doesn’t make any sense.
Otherwise cute.
Her father believes in true love and so that’s why when he died he held a gun to her head and said, ‘if you’re not married in 6 months then you won’t get the company that we love and instead it will go to your psycho cousin’
It just doesn’t make any sense.
Otherwise cute.
November 3, 2024
A little too insta-love for me.
December 27, 2024
3.5⭐
It was cute, just too insta-love for my liking.
I was a little bored while reading it.
The ending was extremely sweet though and bumped up the rating from a 3 to a 3.5.
It was cute, just too insta-love for my liking.
I was a little bored while reading it.
The ending was extremely sweet though and bumped up the rating from a 3 to a 3.5.
November 12, 2024
Why is this book so adorable!!!! It has my heart smiling. If you want a book that you forget you’re actually reading until you’re done with it, then this book is for you! I was sos sad it was over but it was so beautifully written.
Camilla, never been in a serious relationship but is on the straight and narrow track to take over her father’s company after he passes suddenly. Until a clause in his will that states she has to be married within 6 months. Enter Jade, a broke actress taking any job that comes at her to make ends meet. When Camilla pays Jade to play her fiancee for the holidays, she didn’t really think she would fall for Jade so easily.. and she wasn’t even gay. Or at least that’s what she thought.
When push comes to shove, they both fall head over heels for each other. I loved how Jade stood by Camilla even when she wasn’t upfront about everything but they talked out their issues like adults. There was no third act break up and I think that’s what made me love this book even more!
Camilla, never been in a serious relationship but is on the straight and narrow track to take over her father’s company after he passes suddenly. Until a clause in his will that states she has to be married within 6 months. Enter Jade, a broke actress taking any job that comes at her to make ends meet. When Camilla pays Jade to play her fiancee for the holidays, she didn’t really think she would fall for Jade so easily.. and she wasn’t even gay. Or at least that’s what she thought.
When push comes to shove, they both fall head over heels for each other. I loved how Jade stood by Camilla even when she wasn’t upfront about everything but they talked out their issues like adults. There was no third act break up and I think that’s what made me love this book even more!
January 3, 2025
Lovely story: my first from this author: will look for more. Love the brokered / fake love gene. Recommended.
January 1, 2025
I wanted something to get me into the Christmas mood and this did do that to some degree, but I also found that I was bored by about 65% of the way through the story and my reading slowed right down bc I just wasn’t bothered enough. This is only around 230 pages and took me the best part of a week to read because I just couldn’t bring myself to sit and read more than a couple of chapters at a time without getting bored
December 21, 2024
This was extremely cute and the banter was perfect. My only issues stemmed from the requirement to suspend a lot of disbelief. I didn’t feel the entirety of the plot, but I loved Jade’s character so much.
December 3, 2024
They both were so cute together. Timing was off and fast paced but I didn’t mind as it was a quick festive read. The first spice scene was so beautifully done 🥹
December 8, 2024
to start off, i got this book through a book-ish advent calendar on etsy, and i’m not really sure whether or not the seller had actually read the book or not before sending. i am assuming she didn’t based on the content inside the book, and as a writer myself, this book felt like a first draft. there weren’t a lot of redeeming qualities about it.
the plot points were very weak in the sense that it just seems to be one really long, drawn out plot point. i don’t want to keep hearing the same things over and over again, and there’s a serious lack of conflict between… anything! and that’s what a book is supposed to be— conflict. there’s a lot of telling rather than showing.
the constant spelling and punctuation mistakes threw me off for a published book, and the inconsistency within the em dashes drove me CRAZY. misusing ellipses, using quotation marks in the wrong places, and misspelling the word ABS??? i didn’t know you could even misspell that word until reading this.
the characters ended up falling flat. they acted and spoke like children, despite the fact that they’re supposed to be in their late twenties/early thirties. i don’t know enough about either of the mcs to care about them much, but camilla felt like she was CONSTANTLY contradicting herself.
the dialogue was awkward, and everything was written very… straightforward? which would be fine in a textbook, but i’m not picking up a romance novel to have things read off to me.
overall, this book just didn’t meet my expectations. i wanted excitement and the glances between lovers as they figure out their feelings, but in four days? it’s just unrealistic for two people to fall in love that fast.
the plot points were very weak in the sense that it just seems to be one really long, drawn out plot point. i don’t want to keep hearing the same things over and over again, and there’s a serious lack of conflict between… anything! and that’s what a book is supposed to be— conflict. there’s a lot of telling rather than showing.
the constant spelling and punctuation mistakes threw me off for a published book, and the inconsistency within the em dashes drove me CRAZY. misusing ellipses, using quotation marks in the wrong places, and misspelling the word ABS??? i didn’t know you could even misspell that word until reading this.
the characters ended up falling flat. they acted and spoke like children, despite the fact that they’re supposed to be in their late twenties/early thirties. i don’t know enough about either of the mcs to care about them much, but camilla felt like she was CONSTANTLY contradicting herself.
the dialogue was awkward, and everything was written very… straightforward? which would be fine in a textbook, but i’m not picking up a romance novel to have things read off to me.
overall, this book just didn’t meet my expectations. i wanted excitement and the glances between lovers as they figure out their feelings, but in four days? it’s just unrealistic for two people to fall in love that fast.
December 30, 2024
The writing needed more editing but the story was fun!
February 20, 2025
Wow. I absolutely loved this book. The writing is almost perfect (to my liking). I've been searching for this book : a cute lesbian romance well written, and have finally found one.
The characters had a distinct personality and were likeable.
The descriptions were well chosen, the chemistry palpable, the dialogue flowing and realistic.
I don't like too much drama (I'd rather have no drama at all actually) so I liked that it was quickly resolved. I liked how they communicated immediately which almost never happens and always annoys me. The discussion was very believable and unfolded naturally. I loved it !
The end was also very cute. I would have been happy with other endings too but this one was well made.
I wasn't expecting to like this book so much at first because I started it thinking : "how stupid is her dad to only give her 6 months to get married !?''. 6 months to fall in love, okay. To marry ? No. But the book was well written so that just became a background annoyance.
Thanks to the author for this book.
I'm very grateful for it as I've read many books that disappointed me and this one made me finally believe I wasn't looking for something impossible. I finally have a cute sapphic read to turn to when in need.🥰❤️
The characters had a distinct personality and were likeable.
The descriptions were well chosen, the chemistry palpable, the dialogue flowing and realistic.
I don't like too much drama (I'd rather have no drama at all actually) so I liked that it was quickly resolved. I liked how they communicated immediately which almost never happens and always annoys me. The discussion was very believable and unfolded naturally. I loved it !
The end was also very cute. I would have been happy with other endings too but this one was well made.
I wasn't expecting to like this book so much at first because I started it thinking : "how stupid is her dad to only give her 6 months to get married !?''. 6 months to fall in love, okay. To marry ? No. But the book was well written so that just became a background annoyance.
Thanks to the author for this book.
I'm very grateful for it as I've read many books that disappointed me and this one made me finally believe I wasn't looking for something impossible. I finally have a cute sapphic read to turn to when in need.🥰❤️
December 18, 2024
Representation in literature is so important. Finding books that highlight the struggles of finding your true self in a way that is uplifting is difficult. Instant love is often criticized by so many, especially in the straight world. Instant love between women is a completely natural and beautiful thing. This book dealt with the overwhelming emotions that sapphic relationships often experience with class and beauty. I will be looking for more books from this author.
December 25, 2024
I really enjoyed this. Was it cheesy? Absolutely. Did I eat it up? Heck yeah.
Fake dating / Sexuality Exploration / Christmas Magic. Was a fun lil read
Fake dating / Sexuality Exploration / Christmas Magic. Was a fun lil read
January 11, 2025
So Endearing…
This is such a sweet whirlwind romance. It felt like I could feel Jade and Camillas love. My heart is so full right now.
This is such a sweet whirlwind romance. It felt like I could feel Jade and Camillas love. My heart is so full right now.
December 2, 2025
Cheesy, poorly written and I ate it up.
November 22, 2024
I loved this book, just the right amount of spice paired with a sweet love story.
November 16, 2024
Least expected
I didn't know what to expect since this was my first time reading this author but, I was pleasantly surprised. This story was so sweet and well written. I really enjoyed how the love story developing between Jade and Camille was the focus more than the details of the "fake relationship." The story was fun to read and easy to believe.
I didn't know what to expect since this was my first time reading this author but, I was pleasantly surprised. This story was so sweet and well written. I really enjoyed how the love story developing between Jade and Camille was the focus more than the details of the "fake relationship." The story was fun to read and easy to believe.
January 22, 2025
4.5!!! These girls were soooo cute, the smut was perfect, and the book moved along at a perfect pace. It was great in between length of a novel and novella. Short but long enough to add depth.
February 5, 2025
It's not okay to say you're queer to get out of a situation.
Don't change other people's drink orders.
7% was enough for me. This is a hateful book. DNF
Don't change other people's drink orders.
7% was enough for me. This is a hateful book. DNF
January 1, 2025
Yes, the book is extremely cheesy. But you know what? My heart just beats for cheesy books! And at Christmas I just need it, because it warms my heart. Besides the Christmas aspect, the book contains my favorite trope: fake dating! I love it!
The Ice Queen Camilla Parkers has a big problem. Because her father wrote in his will that she can only take over the company if she gets married within the next 6 months. Oh, her father was just very romantic, wasn't he? Camilla panics and hires the waitress at her favorite coffee shop, who also happens to be an actress: Jade Thompson. Honestly guys... we all need a Jade in our lives.
The two of them together are funny and just cute. Yeah sure, it's all predictable and I knew how the book was going to end after one chapter, but so what? It didn't stop me from enjoying this book. I liked the chemistry between Camilla and Jade and it was just romantic. A lovely Christmas book about two women in a damn romantic area. Clear recommendation if you like kitsch and fake dating.
The Ice Queen Camilla Parkers has a big problem. Because her father wrote in his will that she can only take over the company if she gets married within the next 6 months. Oh, her father was just very romantic, wasn't he? Camilla panics and hires the waitress at her favorite coffee shop, who also happens to be an actress: Jade Thompson. Honestly guys... we all need a Jade in our lives.
The two of them together are funny and just cute. Yeah sure, it's all predictable and I knew how the book was going to end after one chapter, but so what? It didn't stop me from enjoying this book. I liked the chemistry between Camilla and Jade and it was just romantic. A lovely Christmas book about two women in a damn romantic area. Clear recommendation if you like kitsch and fake dating.
December 5, 2024
This was a cute and easy read. I will say that I felt like the beginning progressed quite fast, but I guess that is partly expected with a short book like this one. I wish the beginning was dragged out a little longer and the middle a little less, but I loved the plot nonetheless!!
There were a few errors in the quotations when reading which made it confusing at times but I still enjoyed the writing style. Not too much detail but also not too little, a good amount!!
Cute story and a good one to ready for the holidays!!
There were a few errors in the quotations when reading which made it confusing at times but I still enjoyed the writing style. Not too much detail but also not too little, a good amount!!
Cute story and a good one to ready for the holidays!!
January 7, 2025
4.5 ⭐️ // 1.5 🌶️
Jade and Camilla were so freaking cute together. I loved this story and their romance so so much and we actually got some decent FF spice. I wouldn’t call this smutty but it was spicy and actually descriptive. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it 1000 more tones were need more FF romances with good spice!!!! So thank you to this author for that!!!
❄️Holiday FF romance
❄️fake engagement
❄️no third act break up
❄️no awakening
❄️mutual pining
❄️mile high club
❄️one bed
❄️ did I mention NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP?!?!
Great holiday read.
Jade and Camilla were so freaking cute together. I loved this story and their romance so so much and we actually got some decent FF spice. I wouldn’t call this smutty but it was spicy and actually descriptive. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it 1000 more tones were need more FF romances with good spice!!!! So thank you to this author for that!!!
❄️Holiday FF romance
❄️fake engagement
❄️no third act break up
❄️no awakening
❄️mutual pining
❄️mile high club
❄️one bed
❄️ did I mention NO THIRD ACT BREAKUP?!?!
Great holiday read.
December 2, 2024
As cute as it is cheesy, this was not very realistic at all, but delicious nonetheless. A pretty enjoyable and nicely written insta-love, fake dating, sapphic, holiday romance. Quite shallow and simple with about as much plot as the synopsis already gave, I enjoyed it but did find it getting a little slow and less interesting. No third act break up or drama, overall a nice easy read to kick off the Christmas season 🎄
December 10, 2024
3.75
I really enjoyed this book, the story was cute and it had a nice amount of spice. Though I feel like the pacing could have been a little better, the first 2/3 took place over only a few days and then the last third seemed to cram a lot of time into a short amount of pages. I wish the back third of the book was a little longer.
That being said, the ending was pretty much perfect in my opinion.
I really enjoyed this book, the story was cute and it had a nice amount of spice. Though I feel like the pacing could have been a little better, the first 2/3 took place over only a few days and then the last third seemed to cram a lot of time into a short amount of pages. I wish the back third of the book was a little longer.
That being said, the ending was pretty much perfect in my opinion.
December 11, 2024
OMG! I wasn't ready for it to end, totally fell in love with them.
The story is so well written, giving us insight to their inner turmoils, i felt like you were with them struggling.
Something funny is that when reading the final chapters during my buss ride, "Love Story" by Taylor Swift played on my playlist during the proposal and then "You belong with me" came along during the vows and weeding 🥰 it can't get more perfect than that imo.
New fav story for sure ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The story is so well written, giving us insight to their inner turmoils, i felt like you were with them struggling.
Something funny is that when reading the final chapters during my buss ride, "Love Story" by Taylor Swift played on my playlist during the proposal and then "You belong with me" came along during the vows and weeding 🥰 it can't get more perfect than that imo.
New fav story for sure ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
December 15, 2024
Too insta love. There was a lot of sweet moments between the fmcs BUT there wasn’t enough of those moments that made the relationship real for me.
There wasn’t enough moments of Camila figuring out her sexuality for me. It was so sudden it gave me whiplash and I would’ve liked the story to feel more real and for the characters to feel less flat and to have more personality.
Also where was the conflict?
There wasn’t enough moments of Camila figuring out her sexuality for me. It was so sudden it gave me whiplash and I would’ve liked the story to feel more real and for the characters to feel less flat and to have more personality.
Also where was the conflict?
December 24, 2024
Looking for a sapphic holiday romance with fake dating? Keep looking. Staging Love had potential, but instead of delivering tension and passion, it gave me lukewarm emotions and a conflict so weak I could barely feel it. The promising premise quickly fell apart, and the fallout was laughably underwhelming. Want the full rundown of my disappointment? Head to my blog for a complete scathing review.
https://themagicfarawaytreenet.wordpr...
https://themagicfarawaytreenet.wordpr...
December 26, 2024
I read 2 stories by this author one after the other, largely because they were both set as Christmas and because I really enjoyed the first, Staging Love. Having read both I came to the realisation that the writing style is very similar (understandable) and all four MC’s are barely indistinguishable from each other. Two ‘Ice Queen’ types get melted by two sweet and loving lesbians. I liked both stories but, unlike me, I’d suggest you read something else between to get the most out of them!
March 11, 2025
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
This was a really good book. The characters are lovable. The reason I gave it a four is because there was no epilogue. We never want a good story to end, so when it does we look forward to the epilogue so we know how things turned out. I was sad this story didn’t. I wanted to know they lasted and had babies. Oh well. It was still worth reading it and it had some nice heat to it. This is my first book by this author and it won’t be the last
This was a really good book. The characters are lovable. The reason I gave it a four is because there was no epilogue. We never want a good story to end, so when it does we look forward to the epilogue so we know how things turned out. I was sad this story didn’t. I wanted to know they lasted and had babies. Oh well. It was still worth reading it and it had some nice heat to it. This is my first book by this author and it won’t be the last
Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews