Fake Dates and Wedding Cakes

by Lia Duchaine

Savannah Hart has only two months to plan the perfect wedding. If she doesn’t, her dreams of becoming the lead wedding planner will be crushed. Her boss recently declared whoever plans the perfect wedding portfolio will get the promotion. In an attempt to match her rival coworker, she claimed she too has a real fiance. Time is ticking and she is losing hope on finding someone to go along with the facade, that is, until her childhood bestfriend and first love, Carter Weston, walks back into her life. Will he be her knight and shining armor and help her win the promotion or is the second chance encounter a distraction made for disaster?Carter Weston is a retired professional hockey player who is pissed off at the world over his career ending injury at just twenty-four years old. Seeking to escape the hockey world, he returns home to where he grew up. Finding a new purpose in becoming a fire fighter he slowly starts to find his way. Then one night, fate brings him face to face with his first love, his childhood bestfriend, Savannah Hart. Will he get the second chance he has been longing for since the day he moved thousands of miles away, leaving her without an explanation at just sixteen years old.

Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 3, 2026

Reviews

[Simplymetaramarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fake Dates and Wedding Cakes is book two in a interconnected, standalone four book series. I thoroughly enjoyed Carter and Savannah's second chance romance. Savannah finds herself in a pinchwhen she claims to have a fiancé while trying to earn a promotion at work. Problem is, she's not even dating. After reconnecting with, Carter, a childhood friend and the boy who broke her heart, during a blind date, Carter offers to be the fake fiancé. They are funny, entertaining, and have wonderful chemistry. This closed door romance is so worth the read.

[Alexandra Vlaming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fake Dates and Wedding Cakes is a total vibe, it gives all of the warm and fuzzies from early 2000’s rom coms and more! Picking back up with the best friend group ever, this is Savannah’s story. Savannah is competing for her dream job at work, and finds herself in need of a faux finance. Cue her childhood best friend and first love Carter!

Fake Dates and Wedding Cakes is a quick read, the pages flow, and I could not put it down. The story includes a sweet second chance romance, capably exploring Savannah’s feelings as she reconnects with Carter, as she opens herself back up to love. It also features a second parallel plot where we follow Carter as he navigates his career post professional hockey, and I think this is where Fake Dates is at its best, exploring how we navigate living a life that is not what we had planned.

Savannah and Carter are a perfect match, and I really loved this novel. Lia Duchaine really knows how to capture that rom com feeling, reading this was a real treat.

Thank you to the author for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review, I cannot wait to see what is in store for Mackenzie!

[Charese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hands down 5 stars. I was really looking forward to this book. Then you add the teaser from Kneading A Spark and I needed this one asap. This book has chemistry that jumps off the pages. I loved how much you fall in love for each character. Savannah is so mature and refreshingly drama-free (unlike her coworker she is in competition with). Her maturity shines when you see her not holding a grudge against Carter as they were young when everything went down. This second chance romance was so cute and then you thrown in the angst and fake dating(fiance). I was loving all the laugh out loud moments. I will always pick up these books from Lia Duchaine as they are cute books that have some spice but will fade to black when it comes to explicit scenes. So if you are holding out because you aren't one for spicy books this one is a good one to pick up. You get the giggles, laughter and romance that you crave from the early 2000s Rom Coms like the wedding planner and 13 going on 30...

You need to pick this cute romance up!

Thank you Lia Duchaine for the advanced copy.

[Noelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this story! It was the perfect sweet read that I needed. Right from the beginning you really feel the depth to the relationship and to the feelings that Savannah and Carter had previously… and although they were apart for 8 years their relationship picks up right where they left off and it felt so natural and seamless. The tension and chemistry between the two is there the first moment they interact! I loved being back among the girl squad - Lia has created the most fun, caring, and loyal group of characters who are so supportive and always have each others backs. The storyline was fast paced and I had hard time putting it down!

[Amanda Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute story! Lia does it again with her relatable characters, witty dialogue and a plot that pulls at your heartstrings for anyone that’s wondered where their first love is now. Also there’s just a touch of hockey for everyone that’s obsessed with sport romances at the moment 🤣 Highly recommend. Thank you for the ARC!

[Lisa M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an enjoyable, sweet, easy read! Can I get one Carter to go, please? I like reading romances, but I always need the story to have more than "just a typical romance." This one had it! I loved the storyline, the characters, the friendships, the romance. I loved it all. It is a closed door romance, so cringe-free for those that don't appreciate the smut. 😉

[katapolt13 · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🌶️🌶️/5

I have loved every single one of the MMCs in this series, but Carter is by far my favorite one. He was a green flag man all the way. I also found myself relating to Savannah a lot in this book and I love how non-dramatic she was.

Savannah has wanted to be a wedding planner her whole life. Now is her time to shine, she is up for a promotion to be the lead wedding planner at her company. The only snag is, in her desperation, she made up the fact that she has a fiancé. Whoopsie!

Carter’s dreams have come crashing down with the career ending injury that forced him to change career paths. He has decided to move back to his hometown and bring his parents with him. He has never been able to get past Savannah and is shocked when she shows up for his blind date.

✨ What to Expect ✨
👨🏻‍🚒Retired Hockey Player/Fire Fighter MMC
📓Event Planner FMC
🤝Fake Dating
💛Friends to Lovers
❤️‍🩹Second Chance
💘It’s Always Been You
🥰Nicknames
🚪Closed Door Spice

[Getlitwithashleyz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Lia Duchaine for the ARC of Fake Dates and Wedding Cakes!
I was really looking forward to this book ever since the teaser we got in Kneading A Spark. Savannah and Carter grew up together and were best friends. When they were sixteen, Savannah finally admitted she loved him. Carter returned her feelings, and they shared a magical kiss… only for him to disappear a few days later without a word.
Carter was drafted to the NHL and had to move to Montreal with less than 24 hours’ notice. Instead of facing Savannah and breaking her heart, he chose to leave without saying goodbye. Now he’s back in California, and all he wants is Savannah.
I absolutely loved the chemistry between these two. Savannah was so mature and refreshingly drama-free. She understood they were both young when everything happened and didn’t hold a grudge against Carter, which was such a win for me.

[Robin Blackburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this sweet romance about Savvy and Westy! They have such great chemistry, and you can't help but root for them as they work through their second chance at love.