How to Kidnap a Fake Date

Killer Kin #1

by Effie Campbell

Discover a new and deliciously spicy dark romantic comedy, perfect for fans of Brynne Weaver, Navessa Allen and Lauren Biel

It's going to be a killer of a good time…

Sweet Maggie Hamilton comes from a long line of people paid to professionally end lives.

Unfortunately, Maggie is a family failure.

Age? Twenty-nine. Kill count? A deeply embarrassing zero.

So when her father decides to marry her off to her psychotic ex at thirty to help her take over the family business, Maggie hatches a plan for the world's worst fake relationship to buy some time.

Which is where broad-shouldered, bad-tempered, offensively attractive Roman Ellis comes in. Maggie's neighbour, who is about as interested in her as he is in a slow, painful death.

But Maggie isn't offering him a choice. With Roman tied to the passenger seat, she's taking him as her plus one to her father's second wedding in the Highlands.

All Maggie has to do is survive the week without dying, murdering anyone or letting anyone in a house of professional killers know that her serious long-term boyfriend is actually her hostage.

Unfortunately for her, Roman isn't going to make it that easy.

Packed with murder, wicked humour and killer spice, this dark romcom is the first in the addictive Killer Kin series.

Genres: Dark Romance, Romance, Audiobook, Forced Proximity, Fake Dating, Rom Com, Contemporary Romance

236 pages, Paperback

Published July 30, 2026

Reviews

[Ayman · Rating 4 out of 5]

i am gobsmacked 😶

finally a dark romcom in which the female main character kidnaps the male main character!! love roles reversed. so refreshing!!

but honestly this was such a fun listening experience on audiobook. the accents plus the humor made this book so enjoyable. long story short, maggie comes from a line of professionals killers. the only problem, she hasn’t professionally killed anyone, hasn’t dabbled into the family business if you will. so her dads like ok you have to get married to your psychotic ex and she’s like ahahha wait i have a boyfriend tf??

surprise! she doesn’t so like any sane woman she kidnaps her hot 6 foot something broad shouldered neighbor who’s she’s been crushing on and masterbating over every night to be her date to her dads second wedding. totally normal.

the journey from london to the highlands of scotland is a long one especially when you’re tied to a car door against your will. however, roman quickly realized he’s into maggie’s crazy tendencies?? like it turns him on and being kidnapped turns kinky?? maggie and roman have to survive the wedding festivities together or die trying.

the best part of this book was roman matching maggie’s freak. everything maggie does, intentionally, sexy or not, turns him tf on. even when he’d had multiple chances to escape he’s like “hmm no i can’t leave her alone with her crazy ex” like homeboy wasn’t just drugged and held against his will.

i’m gasping im hiding im flustered 🫪

[Kursed Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

For Maggie Hamilton, contract killing is the family business, and that means you can’t bring just anyone as your plus one to your dad‘s wedding. So, when all this fails, you kidnap your sexy neighbor, Roman Ellis, to be your date.

OMG! Unwilling is funny, sweet, bloody, and spicy. The most bizarrely perfect combo!! Easily and unquestionably my second 5⭐️ read of 2026!!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Burn: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Darkness: 🖤
Heat: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Range of Emotions: 🫣🤭🫠🥵😍
Ending: 💗 {HEA}

POV: 👫🏻 {Dual | Present}

🗄️ Genre: Contemporary Romance
🗂️ Subgenre(s): Dark, Mystery/Suspense, New Adult, RomCom

✨ Tropes: Billionaire, Blackmail, Fake Relationship, Family Saga, Forced Proximity, Hidden Identity, Kidnapped/Captive, Mafia/Bratva/Organized Crime, Meet Cute(ish), Neighbors
 
💫 Microtropes: Caretaker/Protective MMC, “Good Girl”, Reformed Player, Tragic Past

🔆 Character: Contract Killer, Influencer

💋 Kinks: Dirty Talk, Finger Licking Good

🤰🏻 Pregnancy: n/a

🚩 Red Flags: n/a

⛔️ Safety Squad: Unaliving, Violence and other potentially triggering elements. Triggers may appear both on- and off-page, and in the past and present. If you have any hesitation, check the warnings before diving in. Otherwise, blind is best!!

📍 Setting: London 🇬🇧, Family Estate 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

⚠️ Warning: This sweet and steamy read will leave your panties damp and your cheeks flushed.

📣 Type: The Unwilling Plus One is the first book in The Killer Kin series series of interconnected standalones.

🛑 Be Advised: My Goodreads shelves are … explicit in both senses. As such, they could be considered spoiler-y.

[The Bou]

So MMC is a biggggg manwh0re
- scene with OW right at the beginning
- MMC still in love with his ex who betrayed him
- He doesn’t find the MFC attractive and I quote “pretty in the way that one of those little death kitties”
At this point I was starting to wonder if I should keep reading 🙄
- and then another scene with OW!!! And the MFC get to hear them doing the devil dance 💃

Just why?
Pretty sure there is a good explanation somewhere but I don’t want OP scene, just tell me he is a manwh0re and be done with it, I don’t need to read 2 scenes!!

Shame because I liked the writing and was willing to overlook the first scene but two…

I gave up

[Smutty Little Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was WAY cuter than I expected! This is one of those books that slowly sneaks up on you but it had everything I wanted to end up enjoying this book in one sitting. At first I didn't think this book was working for me and then all of a sudden, I couldn't put it down and absolutely loved these two adorable dorks in a very uncomfortable situation.

Roman and Maggie were perfect for each other, and I loved how their storyline slowly brought them together. The chemistry between them was undeniable and despite this being a romcom, Effie was able to slip some relatable truth into the storyline.

Overall, I definitely think this is worth a read.

[KatieGwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a fun story. A bit disjointed. The sex scenes felt v forced every time and 1 scene was suppperrr unnecessary (looking at you garda), grossed me out, added literally nothing to the experience except revulsion and almost made me Dnf. Im also not a fan of crude teen boy potty humor so that was a miss for me. And maybe also British humor? Didn’t know they had any but she tried.
The over all plot was kitschy and cute though so that was nice.

[mackenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

oh my god did i have the best time with this!! not only do i love fake dating, but i love banter and humor that is actually funny, and this delivered on literally every single level. i fear i have a new obsession. roman and maggie were so fun together, but i won't lie i didn't entirely feel the chemistry. it was there, but i think it gets lusty too quick for the tension to truly build and it took me out of it a little bit.

this book isn't going to be for everyone for sure, so check some triggers and just mentally prepare yourself to be a little grossed out at a few points. definitely some wtf moments in here that i didn't see the point of but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story really. i would say if you liked the ruinous love trilogy, then this is right up your alley!!

pre-read:
who doesn't love a dark rom-com? and it's fake dating!!!!

thank you to netgalley & the publisher for an arc. all opinions are my own.

[Adri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Roman and Maggies story. They’re an opposite attracts, but are good for each other - kind of couple.
You always need one morally gray person in a relationship and Maggie takes the title, even though she’s not in the family business of killing. Whilst, Roman isn’t entirely an honest person, it’s more that he’s gone down a rabbit hole and doesn’t know how to get out. I really like how Roman supports Maggie in the story, and that causes him to have some reflections of his own.
This book spoke to my dark sense of British humour. I will be coming back for book number 2 in the series.
Also, Roman’s Gran needs 5⭐️ all of her own.

[Sarah]

I think this book was previously published as “The Unwilling Plus One”

[JuLiterally · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 ⭐
Мені дуже сподобалась ідея з тим, що нарешті у нас головна героїня - викрадачка, але абсолютно не зайшла реалізація.
Дуже хаотичний, сирий текст, який після себе лишає купу питань. Герої розкриті досить поверхнево - ми дуже мало знаємо про них, їхні переживання і відчуття. Можливо, саме такою була задумка авторки, але мені вона не до вподоби.
Ну і хімії між героями я, на жаль, не відчула. Це було занадто вимушено.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into How to Kidnap a Fake Date expecting a cute romance, but I ended up laughing way more than I should have.

Maggie is a glorious, walking ball of absolute catastrophe. All she wants is to impress her family and get out of an arranged marriage, but her execution? Unhinged. Enter Roman, her unsuspecting neighbor who was minding his own business (and struggling under the weight of his fake online persona) before being forcibly drafted into Maggie’s dad fooling scheme as a main character.

Honestly, Roman didn't stand a chance. Maggie is a menace, but their chemistry is ridiculously adorable, even when he has every logical reason to run for the hills, the man simply cannot stay away from her.

Honorable mention: Roman’s gran. She drinks whiskey and rum, eats chocolate cake, talks endless shit, and is so wholesome I want to put her in my pocket and keep her forever.

If you like chaotic heroines, exasperated hot neighbors, adorable grandmothers, and murderous families… give this one a read!

[Renee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this ALC from libro.fm in exchange for an honest review.

I had to DNF this one. I made it to the 50% mark but it was tough to get there. First up, the narrators voices seem completely wrong for this content. Particularly the male narrator. His accent was this weird put upon British accent that I’ve never heard from a single real live human.

Secondly the story did not work for me. I simply did not care about the characters. I didn’t care if they got together and did not care what happened to them. That’s a sure sign it’s time to DNF.

One star.

[Jules · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was excited to dig into this but then we get MMC's manwhore sexcapades that FMC has to listen to through her thin walls because they're neighbors.

No thank you.

Safety - on page sex with OW

[B.E.Love · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maggie has an unusual family, everyone but Maggie are killers. Maggie knows her family wants her to take her place in the family business and she's tried but Maggie just can't do it. With her father's wedding approaching Maggie knows she will once again be asked when she will be a part of her family's legacy or be married off to her ex who she hates. Maggie likes her life it's nothing like her families but she's happy and next door is Roman, and Maggie knows exactly who Roman really is and she also knows she wants him.

Roman has a carefully curated life, he's made sure people only see what he wants them to see. He may not like all aspects of his life but gives him a life he couldn't imagine having any other way. The only person whose opinion matters is his grandmothers who he loves more than anyone else.

With her father's wedding right around the corner Maggie makes a plan to kidnap Roman and take him to the wedding. This plan is perfect, with Roman at the wedding talks of her marrying her ex will not be an issue and she's been trained all her life to kidnap someone, this should be so easy. So Maggie sets her plan into action, it can't go anything but easy. But Roman disagrees.

This book was so funny, the way Maggie thinks this is a good idea and sets out to achieve her goal makes this story so good. I loved the writing style of this author and just enjoyed this book in general. Maggie is funny and caring. Her families back story was so interesting. Roman isn't what he shows the world but when you see who he really is you see he is perfect for Maggie and a really good guy.

This is the perfect summer read. It's funny, fun and just one of those book you love to pick up. I couldn't get enough and didn't want to finish.

*Thank you Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC

[bookgalbrock 🐝✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Unwilling Plus One

What a story to tell your future grandkids. Your neighbor wanted you as a date to a wedding so badly... She kidnapped you!

star rating: 4 stars
spice level: 🌶️🌶️🌶️


Maggie. Failing serial killer. Up and coming stalker, surprisedly.

Roman is a liar. A hypocrite. And that's exactly what's gotten him into this predicament. That and proximity.

Now spending day in and day out with Maggie pretending to be a couple, Roman doesn't know if he's smitten with her or if that's just the Stockholm settling in.

[Tiffany ✨️ Bergamot Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maggie is terrible at the family business. As the eldest child, her future has already been planned. She'll take over and lead the charge as the next in line, or she'll need to marry someone who can do it for her. The prospects are low - as her family is in the business of contract killing - but she at least needs a buffer to delay the inevitable marriage to an absolute psychopath. Enter Roman, her handsome neighbour who's rife for blackmail, and Maggie's only hope at fake-boyfriending her way into more time to escape.

*****

I've read a few of Effie Campbell's books, and I knew that going into this I'd get good banter, some hot spice, and absolute weirdos with a vibe. This did not disappoint! I loved that Maggie was such an oddball. She was an outcast in her own unique family, and socially inept when it come to her hot-as-sin neighbour. Her deciding to kidnap him, instead of befriending him and asking his assistance, added the perfect quirky strangeness to set this book on a comical turn - even with the gore and murder.

Roman was his own interesting character, and I wish we got a bit more of him, because his backstory is wild. How he got into his lifestyle and it spun out of control was so intriguing, and watching him slowly self-destruct under layers of lies and guilt made him and Maggie the perfect oddball pairing. She pushed him to be better - while making her own terrible choices - and he encouraged her to be better, while also self-examining his own behaviour.

All in all, this was funny, weird and cute, and I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

*****

I was sent a complimentary advanced reader copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Melissa · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

4.25/5 ⭐️
2.5/5 🌶️

When I read the blurb for The Unwilling Plus One, I knew I had to read this book. It sounded right up my alley. I love a good dark romcom, and this one promised a super fun twist on fake dating. Plus, the FMC is the morally grey one? We love to see the feminism, babe.

Maggie Hamilton comes from a family of assassins, but at twenty-nine with a kill count of zero, she’s basically the disappointment of the dynasty. When her father threatens to marry her off to her terrifying ex if she’s still single at thirty, Maggie does the only sensible thing: kidnaps her grumpy, extremely hot neighbor and forces him to pretend to be her boyfriend for a family wedding in the Scottish Highlands.

Roman Ellis—her neighbor and a supposedly celibate internet influencer—definitely did not sign up for this plan. But after being literally tied into Maggie’s chaos for an eleven-hour road trip and a week with her deeply unhinged family, he’s along for the ride whether he likes it or not.

This book absolutely delivers on the dark comedy. The humor is chaotic, the situations escalate in the most ridiculous ways, and Maggie’s internal narration had me laughing out loud more than once. The tone walks that perfect line between absurd, violent, and genuinely romantic.

I also loved the dynamic between Maggie and Roman. Roman’s grumpy, controlled personality makes the perfect foil for Maggie’s impulsive chaos. Their banter is sharp and funny, and the forced proximity (plus the fact that Roman starts the book literally tied to a car seat) sets up some great tension.

If you enjoy dark romcoms with morally questionable characters, ridiculous situations, and a heroine who is absolutely willing to threaten violence while falling in love, this one is a blast.

The Unwilling Plus One is spicy, chaotic, and a little bit unhinged—in the best way. A perfect pick if you like your romcoms with a body count. 🔪💘

Thanks to the author for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Clara · Rating 1 out of 5]

J’aurais pu mettre 2 étoiles pour les fous rires magistraux. C’était si drôle de le lire en Readathon avec mes bff mais sinon holy fuck buckets c’était NUL À CHIER. Rien n’allait dans l’histoire ou dans les personnages. C’était cringos au possible et problématique ++++. Et RIDICULE. Vraiment les scènes de cul un procès. Roman le gros mascu on en parle ??? L’autre weirdo qui est obligée de trébucher toutes les pages et de se masturber avec son oreiller sinon elle meurt ??? Jamais vu des persos aussi horny. Bref bref bref quel enfer. (Mais quand même merci pour les rires)

[Cassidy Mann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stop this book was soooo good ☺️ I ate this book up so quick. This book is a dark rom-com heavy on the ROM-COM though. It was funny, the characters were so well written. You could feel the confidence or lack their of on the page, you could really feel the emotion and connection and I put that all down to Effie's beautiful, easy going and funny writing.

Unwilling Plus One, is a laugh out loud rom com about Maggie and Roman. Both have secrets that the world definitely can't know about, one being more deadly than the other. Maggie is in a predicament and needs a date so what better to do than kidnap her HOT AF neighbour and force him to fake date her for her father's wedding by blackmailing him.

The vibes:
Fake Dating
Forced proximity
Road Trip
Grumpy X Sunshine
Opposites attract
TW: Killer Family

Overall I loved this book, it was funny, suspenseful and a little spicy which made it so much fun to read. I'm looking forward to continuing the series with Eliza's book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Effie Campbell for this arc ☺️

[That_awkwardbook · Rating 5 out of 5]

an absolute delight to read.
this book was fun to read it's full of crazy plans, dark family dynasties and family expectations, murder, the coolest pet ever, witty banter and spice so hot.
this is such a good darkish Romcom and the perfect escape from reality.

[Caro · Rating 1 out of 5]

C’était nul nul nul, de l’intrigue aux personnages, en passant par les scènes extrêmement dérangeantes, rien n’allait.
J’aurais presque pu mettre 2 étoiles pour les big fous rires qu’on a eu en le lisant à 3, si je l’avais lu seule j’aurais DNF au bout de 20 pages.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC review

This book is wild. Imagine this: You get drugged to be taken as a plus one to a wedding by, I kid you not, a failed contract killer!
Maggie is our failed contract killer, that needs to go home, to Scotland, to attend a whole series of wedding activities. She knows she will be forced to wed someone she doesn't want. So in order to avoid this she drugs, kidnaps and basically forces her neighbor, Roman, to be her fake boyfriend.
The story that follows is hilarious and the banter in it is sharp and sarcastic. Exactly how I like it.
The book is relatively short (not a bad thing), so I do feel we could have a little bit more insight in the family written in the book. Also the 180 Roman did considering his behavior towards Maggie could have been dragged out a bit more.

[ari ⋆˚ · Rating 3.25 out of 5]

⋆˚࿔ How to Kidnap a Fake Date review 𝜗𝜚˚⋆
┆ ⤿ 3.25 stars

I had to pick up this book because I LOVE seeing women in male-dominated fields. When I saw the plot line was HER kidnapping HIM I was absolutely sold.

I was lucky enough to get an ALC from Libro FM and Boldwood Books! I really enjoy dual POV it always makes the audiobook feel so immersive so this was fun listen.

Our FMC Maggie has to kidnap our MMC Roman in order to secure a fake date for her father's wedding, as well to deter her dad from trying to set her up with her killer-ex. I really liked the setup and I'm a sucker for fake dating, especially with higher stakes! The banter and writing was funny and kept me laughing from the beginning.

My only con was that about halfway through the book I began to feel a shift in my energy and wasn't as excited to continue. There was a few mysteries that I was curious about the resolution to but other than that I ended up enjoying the first half more than the second. The romance felt like it wasn't paced as well as I would have liked as I felt there was an abrupt shift in interest from Roman rather than a deserved change in feelings.

I am interested in checking out book 2 as I really liked the chemistry and tension I felt between Eliza and James!

𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬:
😈 FMC Kidnapper
😈 Family Drama
😈 Fake Dating
😈 Pay-For-Hire Killers

｡ﾟ• ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈꒰ა ♡ ໒꒱┈ ┈ ┈ ┈• ｡ﾟ

Thank you to Libro FM and Boldwood Books for the ALC!

[Aleesha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to start with the positive stuff.

1. This reads a lot like a British comedy show. Given that it's set in London/Scotland, and written by a British author, this isn't all that surprising. But if you know what I mean when I say Brit-Com, then you'll get the vibe of this story right away. I personally ADORE this kind of writing. It's silly, but also quick witted and clever. It had me barking out laughter all the way through it.

2. In general, Maggie and Roman were likeable easy-to-read characters. They both have bright moments that made me smile.

2.5. Maggie: She's the eldest child and heir of a family of assassins. Except she's REALLY not equipped for the job. Her blunders are sometimes harrowing and sometimes cringe-worthy, but also sort of amusing.

2.75 Roman was genuinely funny once he and Maggie got on page together. The way he's forced to just roll with some of the most insane stuff was great entertainment.

3. The plot of the story was engaging, too. Especially the bits with Eddie. This story had a way of dragging me into it that made the pages easy to turn.

4. I am glad that Maggie didn't end up changing or compromising herself or her morals. I was thoroughly expecting her to snap and cross that line and she didn't. I also sort of assumed that Roman would, too. So it was good to see them just stay normal people connected to a crime family, but still deeply uncomfortable with it in the end.

5. Coffin the crow. I want a pet crow that brings me shiny things. I loved this bird. Easily the best character in the whole book.

Now the stuff that drags this down for me:

1. Maggie isn't always an easy character to read about. As much as she charmed me, she also irritated me. I think her ineptness in seemingly EVERYTHING is a bit forced in places. It got to the point where it felt more like a running bit than just someone who was genuinely awkward. I sort of had to wonder if we were even expected, as readers, to like her, by the end.

2. Something similar happened with Roman, about halfway through the story. Outside of the kidnapping plot, he's kind of dull.

He's got a podcast???? where he essentially poses as this celibate person who's bitter and doesn't think love/intimacy is worth it - something about his own heart being broken and his parents leaving him/dying - it never really came together for me at the end of the day. Except we see him with 2 separate women before the plot of the book picks up and Maggie kidnaps him.

His identity was supposed to be this big secret but genuinely nobody (except Maggie's ex) seemed to care?

3. The spice happens early, and happens pretty often throughout this story, and in other circumstances, it would have been hot. But it sort of comes out of nowhere and doesn't make sense for where Maggie and Roman are in their relationship.

Because the fact is they don't HAVE a relationship. He feels protective of her a time or two (but there's no real reason why he SHOULD feel like that), and he's sexually attracted to her, clearly - but she's put him in a very strange, very dangerous position by KIDNAPPING him and he's mad about it one second, then fingering her the next. It didn't feel natural or earned at all.

He also has MULTIPLE chances to dip from the wedding celebration and leave Maggie with her family, but talks himself out of it for various reasons that, ultimately, just felt like lame excuses. He owes this woman nothing, barely knows her. Why should he care that her creepy ex is sniffing about? She's a grown almost 30 year old woman. No one could force her to marry against her will.

I dunno the romance arc seemed flimsy at the end of the day.
It was entertaining, but flimsy.

4. Which brings me to the grand gesturing after the wedding is over and the two of them split. Roman admits on his podcast or whatever that he's a fraud. That he's not and has never been celibate, and that now, he's in love.

He sends this to Maggie as a way of saying "see, I love you." And she just...doesn't reply to him, ever. She admits that OF COURSE she loves him back, that of course she wants to be with him and then just...does nothing about it. When he's right across the hall dying, waiting on her answer.

In the end, he bakes her cookies and has to go knock on her door before they resolve things. It was just weird - he lobbed the ball into her court, she was happy about it, and then just...I dunno. Took a nap in the stands? I'm not building a very good metaphor, but you get the idea. Talk about leaving a man hanging.

5. The ending. Listen. First of all, Roman's set on proposing, but it's only been a handful of months they've even been together. That was weird.

And then Maggie's sister calls her and tells her she needs Roman's help moving a chopped up dead body. And he's just...FINE with it. When he wasn't fine with anything before. Man's just accepted that even though Maggie herself isn't involved in her family's...business, he'll sometimes end up involved, because he loves Maggie and - yes - would even KILL for her.

Funny. He wasn't all about killing Eddie, when he promised to "fuck her in [Roman's] blood and breed the next generation of Hamiltons from her." 😒😒

The ending just felt a bit slapdash and weak for me, in general.

--

SO, as much as this book amused me. I wanted a bit more out of it, I think. It definitely had potential as a concept! The British humor was charming, the book itself was a very quick, easy read for me. I wasn't ever bored and didn't ever feel like DNFing. But objectively speaking? I don't really think the story's on par with Lights Out or Butcher and Blackbird, like the blurb would have you think. I don't think I'd recommend this to people who enjoyed those books.

[Sasha | omgitssmk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh….this is what I get for trying to follow through with something I read in a book without thinking it through completely. I should have listened to my conscious and did a little more research first before I just dived straight in and went for it. But did I listen? No. Then again, do I blame myself?

I stare back at the 6ft man tied up, blindfold on, and unconscious with his clearly defined washboard abs on display while his tanned skin glistens in the moonlight like he's the perfect definition of what "God's Gift" would be. God's Gift is right because I've been watching him for the past year outside my window every MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, and FRIDAY when I work from home and when I go to work/come home from “in office days” on TUESDAYS and THURSDAYS – he’s the LITERAL definition of “perfect man” to me which is why he instantly became my target for the “kidnapping” I’m currently in the middle of.

He’s a creature of habit, as most people are, but I don’t mind. This is what made it so easy to come up to him, ask for assistance with something at night, and have him here, in my backyard, clearly unaware that I stabbed him with an elephant tranquilizer where he should be waking up in the next 15 minutes. Which, I will inject a different serum after his eyes open so that he has no movement of the lower half of his body. Now all that is left is to get him to my garage where the car awaits and I can strap him in the passenger seat for us to take a ride out towards the sunset. Well…. maybe not sunset since it’s nighttime now….but you know what I mean.

I re-open “How To Kidnap A Fake Date” by Effie Campbell to do a run through of what Maggie had done from her side to see if there was anything I had missed, pack the book within my backpack, and then make my way toward my new “fake date” that I’ll be bringing with me to the airport. Easy enough. Then again, the hardest part has yet to come…figuring out how to get him on the plane….willingly.

When I saw that NetGalley approved for me to read an ARC for How To Kidnap a Fake Date by Effie Campbell, I could not have screamed loud enough as this is a HUGE ANTICIPATED READ for me. Already having read Heart Eyes, which was another great work of art by the author, I knew I was going to be in for a fun ride and this ABSOLUTELY NAILED IT for me. In fact, I found myself DEVOURING this within a day and couldn’t put it down.
Rather than hear me gush over how much I LOVED this book, let me start you off by listing out some of the tropes to let you be the judge:

💉Neighbors To Enemies To Lovers
💉Fake Dating x Kidnapping
💉Family x Murder Drama
💉Delicious Banter
💉Forced Proximity
💉Sweet, Funny, & Spicy Scenes

Mixing this with an overview of the book….
We have our FMC Maggie, who is bluntly put, not like her family members and is having a hard time putting herself in the same category as the rest of them. While many would say they understand, what most people don’t realize is WHO Maggie’s family ties are and how her family literally “kill” for a living. While not for a lack of trying, our FMC just can’t seem to get herself to initiate her first kill and with a deadline set on her by her father, she’s under a lot of pressure to either ( A ) showcase she can do the job or ( B ) have an arranged marriage to someone who can. Because as the eldest daughter next in line to take over the business, she must prove her worth and time is ticking.

Insert our MMC, Roman, who is Maggie’s neighbor, a social media superstar, and outright liar to his audience he streams to on his platform. This man is everything Maggie wants…minus the liar part….and has been secretly snapping photos of him to send to her family that think he is the “boyfriend” she has been seeing. Maggie, in reality, doesn’t have one and has been using Roman as the muse without his knowing. Unfortunately, this causes her family to request to have Roman come with her to her father’s wedding which puts Maggie in an awkward position figuring out how to make that happen. Most “normal” people would have just walked over and asked – but Maggie on the other hand, took matters into her own hands in a different way. Rather, Maggie has the ultimate plan to kidnap her neighbor and take him along as her “fake date” while portraying the boyfriend she’s been telling her family he is. The hard part now is how she is going to get him to do that….willingly.

Sounds good, right? In fact, I am absolutely ESTATIC while writing this and it makes me want to immediately go through a re-read of this. In fact, now that I think about it, I might want to start the audiobook of this when it’s ready…because that would absolutely be wild ride!
Overall, I greatly enjoyed my journey alongside our MCs Maggie and Roman. Both characters, with their back-and-forth banter and comedic internal monologues, really provide an enjoyable experience for anyone looking for a break from the usual classic romance or romantasy releases piling on our growing TBR Carts. I am very curious to see what comes next in this series as this was BOOK 1 and looks like there is another planned soon which I cannot wait to hear about.
The chemistry between both characters was fantastic and loved how I couldn’t stop smiling from START to FINISH with this storyline – in fact, the way that this author writes her characters is so rewarding in itself that you can related to both of our MCs and the struggles they are going through in this hilarious adventure.

Absolutely cannot recommend this enough and am screaming from the mountain tops to have everyone pick this up when it releases on JULY 30 2026!

[Virg Val · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨ How to Kidnap a Fake Date by Effie Campbell ✨

Not the usual Effie Campbell book I’m used to, but what a delightful surprise! The characters are well-crafted, and the plot hooks you from the very first page. Their chemistry and dynamic as a “couple” was fascinating to watch unfold.

I absolutely loved how Effie played with the assassin theme, blending it with humor, I was laughing the entire time. Roman is simply wonderful, and Maggie’s quirky, clumsy nature gave her character that extra spark.

This story was witty, unexpected, and so much fun. Definitely a great time spent in the company of these two chaotic souls. 💕🔪😂

[Larareads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Actual rating 3.5 ⭐️

First Effie Campbell book and it did not disappoint! This was such a good dark rom-com. It's funny, a little dark and very chaotic...and I loved it! Can't wait for Eliza's story!

[LICE ALERT · Rating 3 out of 5]

Divertissant, ça fait changement que ce soit la fille qui kidnappe le gars lol. Elle vient du famille de tueur à gage et elle doit se trouver une date pour le mariage de son père, c’était vraiment bon en livre audio

[Emms-hiatus(ish) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was it necessary to hammer home how 'weird' she is? The reader is told over and over and over and over again. A couple of times, sure. Then show us.

Otherwise, it's decent enough.

[Max Alvarado · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️½ | 🌶️ 1

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Unwilling Plus One is a dark rom-com that had some cute moments, but overall it didn’t quite land for me.

The story itself is fun in concept, but the execution felt forced and a little cringey at times. Maggie, unfortunately, was the biggest struggle for me. She’s so hard on herself for almost the entire book that it started to feel like even the author didn’t want the reader to like her. I really wish we had more backstory with her family — even though they kind of suck — because their treatment of Maggie (for a solid 60% of the book) felt excessive and frustrating rather than compelling.

Roman was another miss for me. He comes across as having the hots for basically every woman except Maggie… until suddenly he doesn’t, and now he’s all in. That shift didn’t feel earned, which made the romance harder to buy into.

I’ll be honest: I had to force myself past the 30% mark. That said, the book does improve as it goes on. Once the plot starts coming together, the pacing feels better and the story becomes more enjoyable. The banter has some genuinely cute moments, and while there is some gore, it’s nothing unexpected given the whole family-of-murderers situation.

Also — and I mean this with my whole heart — heck Eddie. Why Maggie’s family would ever want her with him absolutely baffles me.

My favorite character? The crow. No notes.

The ending was cute, but not particularly memorable. Overall, this is a semi-cute book that I’m sure will work for the right reader — it just wasn’t for me.

[Olivia Ryann · Rating 5 out of 5]

really fun read

This book has something for everyone: kidnapping, fake dating, unaliving people, klutziness, kooky pet crows, and so much horny pining. It’s very fast-paced, but I loved it.