The Love Gimmick

by Mary Rudder

Poppy Montgomery may play the villain in the wrestling ring, but offscreen she's still the soft-hearted actress from Texas who grew up starring in a beloved film franchise - more sunshine than scandal, no matter what the headlines say. When trouble from her past threatens her carefully balanced life, the last thing she expects is to become someone's solution.

Successful architect Evan Park needs a girlfriend to land the biggest deal of his career. Poppy - his longtime celebrity crush - is perfect. When an opportunity arises, Evan makes a bold proposal: they fake a relationship. It's strategic. Controlled. At least, that's the plan.

Between staged moments at red carpet events and heartfelt road trip conversations, their chemistry begins to write a story of its own. This may be one role Poppy can't walk away from.

Turns out, the toughest act of all... is not falling for the guy who's been in her corner all along.

Genres: Romance

299 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 10, 2026

Reviews

[Harriet]

♡ ARC REVIEW FROM NETGALLEY ♡

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Needing to find a fake girlfriend in order to secure a big business deal, architect Evan Park can’t believe his luck when professional wrestler/actress (and his longtime celebrity crush) Poppy Montgomery agrees to play the part. With his career and her reputation on the line, it’s not long before sparks are flying and their fake relationship starts involving some very real feelings.

Packed with tropes aplenty, The Love Gimmick is a sweet romance with plenty of heart. I liked the way the author explored the topic of childhood bullying and how it impacts us well into adulthood. The tender moments where Evan and Poppy opened up to each other about their individual experiences were very touching. I also enjoyed how Evan’s seizure disorder was addressed—not only the medical side of things but also the challenges he faces in his day-to-day life, such as getting wrongly turned away from places because of his service dog.

There’s no spice in this book (so a good one if you’re looking for a clean read), which I felt only added to the soft, almost innocence of Evan and Poppy’s blossoming relationship. I liked how protective they were of one another, and the little moments like the photobooth and the forehead kiss (IYKYK) were absolutely adorable.

I will say that at times the flow didn’t always work for me, with the way certain plot points were progressed and ultimately resolved feeling a little too convenient at times, but overall I did enjoy reading the book and would recommend it to someone looking for a wholesome, easy read.

Tropes 💞 :
- Fake dating
- Celebrity crush
- They’re both protective
- He falls first
- Childhood bullying
- Seizure disorder rep

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Tanisha]

Fake relationships are one of those romance tropes that almost always get my attention, and this one had the added bonus of a hilarious "meet ugly." Poppy and Evan's first encounter definitely did not go according to plan, and it immediately made me curious about how these two were ever going to end up pretending to be a couple. I also liked that they were connected through mutual friends from a previous book. I have not read that story yet, but I never felt like I needed to in order to enjoy this one.

Evan was probably my favorite character. He has a seizure disorder and a service dog who alerts him when a seizure is coming, and his dog completely stole my heart. The seizures do occur on the page, so that is something readers may want to be aware of going in. This part of Evan's story also hit a little closer to home for me because my brother dealt with a seizure disorder when we were younger. I appreciated that Evan's condition was an important part of his life without becoming his entire personality. He is also a successful business owner who happens to need a fake girlfriend to help land a major contract, which is where Poppy comes in.

I also really liked getting to know Poppy beyond the public image that has followed her since she was a teenager. She has spent years dealing with the consequences of something that happened during her time as a child actress, and the anniversary of her old movie franchise forces her to confront that part of her life again. I loved that Evan became someone who could stand beside her through those moments without trying to take over. As their fake relationship became less and less fake, I found myself really rooting for both of them.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. There were a few developments toward the end that genuinely surprised me, especially when it came to Poppy's future, but I was happy with the direction the story took. I also loved the epilogue and thought it gave Poppy and Evan a really satisfying ending. Between the fake dating, their unconventional first meeting, Poppy's complicated past, and Evan's lovable service dog, there was a lot to enjoy about this one.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

[Claire]

3.5 upped to a 4

Girl if you know me, you know that I looovvvee a fake dating trope!!! Evan is so silly Billy but also hey closed mouth don’t get fed and he got fed because he did ask. Poppy is a little quick to judge and react but she comes from a good place for sure, also I don’t care what anyone says, that was a very warranted reaction to the bad first impression he gave her. And to be fair, I love a feisty strong independent woman and Poppy really is her.

Love the little sub-plots and minor details that are mentioned throughout the story that then ties it altogether with a cute lil bow on top.

I really appreciated that you could see not just the character developments of the main characters but that of the supporting characters as well. Genuinely all the characters grow on you (except the obvious).

Also, it was honestly so sweet to see them interacting with each other’s family - sometimes I forget how touching and endearing it really is to see your significant other be accepted and cared for by your own family.

Evan my man - the consideration you have? I love how these were subtle but noticed details. He really be thinking about her all the time. Green flag, green flag!

So cute, so sweet and absolutely wholesome as heck.
Super keen to read more about them all <3

(Yes, I shall be adding the author's other book, 'Love on the Ropes' to my tbr list!)

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Victory Editing for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest thoughts!

[Jen Lindsey]

This definitely is an interesting premise for a rom com, however, thoroughly entertaining and full of character growth and emotion. We have a ton of troupes included in this rom-com:
*childhood crush/ he wrote fan fic for her childhood character
*sports romance
*grumpy/sunshine
*fake dating
*forced proximity

Evan is not lucky in love, but his most recent encounter he wishes to never relive. But he keeps running into Poppy, his childhood crush and dream girl. She is his best friend's fiancé's co-worker, so when he proposes a fake dating relationship to win a work deal, he is prepared to get let down. Poppy is running from past onset trauma and having Evan with her could help her endure it. Their plan seems fool proof, but as they open up to each other, feelings develop and what was fake soon turns very real.

I love the discussion and situations surrounding Evan's working dog and his seizure diagnosis. The real talk of childhood bullying and grown up realizations and acceptance. How they support each other and the friends and family in their corner to lean on.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an Arc of The Love Gimmick in exchange for an honest review. This is a sweet, clean read with lots of pining and character development.
3.5 stars

[K T]

This is a very sweet, clean romcom!! It exceeded my expectations & I enjoyed the book. I LOVED the vocabulary in the book!!! So fun to see unique & less popular words being used well. I also appreciated how clean it was!!

There is a lot of slow burn tension & pining for each other.... this is definitely a he falls first... and I loved the twist at the end where they find they had connected previously & didn't know it!!!

I appreciated the discussions of Evan's seizure history... there are some TW's - history of being bullied & abused & manipulated, as well as medical issues (seizure disorder). I found it to be well written & kindly dealt with and liked that Evan has a service dog that helps him get help when he needs it. And I appreciated that Poppy got resolution for what happened to her as a teen.

The book is told in a dual 1st person POV.

Closed door, sweet clean romance.

*rom com
*medical drama
*she's an actress & a wrestler
*he fell first
*long time crush/pining
*sports romance
*childhood crush
*he wrote fan fiction for her child actress character
*fake dating
*forced proximity
*clean romance

Thank you to the author (Mary Rudder), publisher (Victory Editing) & Netgalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

[Nikola]

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this ARC.

I enjoyed this romance story between Poppy and Evan. Poppy was an interesting character as she potrays a villain wrestler. The fighting scenes with her was very descriptive and I could feel myself being transported into the match and felt just as excited to see how the match would go. I also liked Evan as a character and his adorable service dog. Evan has had seizures since a baby and learning about his day to day struggles was enlightening. I also like how Poppy did not take any disrespect from anyone who tried to treat Evan differently because of his seizures. Finally, I liked how wholesome this book was. There was no spice and I felt like I did not need it to fully immserse myself into the story and to enjoy it.

[Eirena Ewert]

ARC Review

What a cute and fun story! I always love when a MC’s dog is practically another character in the plot.

Some of the situations in this book were a little unrealistic, but that’s the beauty of fiction, it doesn’t have to constantly be accurate.

I’d suggest this book to others to read!