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Dating Games

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My rules for being a Manhattan billionaire's fake girlfriend... No kissing. No fooling around. No falling in love. What can possibly go wrong?

Note to self:

When your boyfriend dumps you on your thirtieth birthday, it's probably not the smartest idea to drink so much that you wake up in the same bed as the mysterious hottie wearing the gorgeous suit who you noticed sitting across the bar.

The only silver lining in my obvious lack of judgment is the promise of never seeing Mr. Suit again, not in a city the size of New York.

Or so I thought, until a story I'm working on about the country's most sought-after and elusive escort lands me in the same café as Mr. Suit. So I do what any self-respecting woman of my age would do in my shoes... Try to ignore him.

But he won't let me.

Instead he makes a proposition that leaves me questioning whether I need to have my ears checked. Be his fake girlfriend for a summer of wealth and excess in the Hamptons. In return, he'll help me win back my boyfriend's heart.

Juvenile? You bet.
Effective? Could be.
Bad idea? Most likely.

But what do I have to lose?
Apparently, a lot more than I originally bargained for.

Let the games begin...

Dating Games is a standalone modern retelling of Cinderella meeting her billionaire Prince Charming. If you like a sassy heroine, a sinful hero, and a whole lot of laughs, then you'll love this fake relationship romance.

440 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 25, 2019

2513 people are currently reading
3650 people want to read

About the author

T.K. Leigh

64 books4,498 followers
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T.K. Leigh, otherwise known as Tracy Leigh Kellam, is the USA Today Bestselling author of the Beautiful Mess series, in addition to several other works. Originally from New England, she now resides outside of Raleigh with her husband, beautiful daughter, three cats, and special needs rescue dog.

When she’s not writing she can be found training for her next marathon (of which she has run over twenty fulls and far too many halfs to recall), having impromptu dance parties with her daughter, or planning her next trip to parts unknown.

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5 stars
2,146 (45%)
4 stars
1,608 (34%)
3 stars
757 (16%)
2 stars
148 (3%)
1 star
56 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 644 reviews
Profile Image for Dilek VT.
1,548 reviews1,683 followers
not-appealing
January 10, 2020
He makes her a proposition to be his fake girlfriend ...
Yeah... so not my cuppa... but still not my reason to avoid the book.

In return for a few months' of fake relationship, he’ll help her win back her boyfriend’s heart.
The one who left her after a 12-year relationship...
The one who didn't want her any more.

Why would she want him back?
Because of her low IQ level?
What kind of hopelessness is it?
Profile Image for Snow.
2,323 reviews728 followers
March 12, 2019
*sigh*

okay, lets say I have a high tolerance for various kinds of plots...but when the story starts with the cliche - "he broke it of with the heroine after 12 years of relationship in which she "supported" him through his law school only to be cast away by him cause she doesn't "fit" his vision" and then "she meets a hawtie with his own heavy past and issues, and they make a deal of mutual benefit - she'll pretend to be his girlfriend in exchange of him bringing her ex-boyfriend back into the picture, only for them to fall for each other in the process"...

Now, I'll just drop this line out here, it is, what it is... BUT why the fuck would you want to get back together with a guy who cast you away after you put him through college and what not, after tending to his needs for 12 years, in the first placce?!

WHY, for the love of what is holy?! I don't get it...

and that's exactly where I lost my interest...and I just couldn't even give the actual main characters a try :/

my bad...
Profile Image for Naadira  Moodley (BookedMercy) .
369 reviews82 followers
February 14, 2019
Fun, flirty and thirty. This book was filled to the brim with sarcasm and wit. The sexual tension between the characters left you feeling hot and bothered. Cinderella meets her billionaire Prince Charming.

Evie believes everything in her life is going as planned until her boyfriend of 12 years breaks up with her instead of proposing. She does what any sane person in this situation would do, she gets plastered. So plastered that she cannot remember the events the night before after waking up in a very hot mans bed. She tries to forget about this man that clearly invades her thoughts and focus on uncovering the indentity behind the exclusive and elusive escort that has whispered between woman. But Mystery Man makes it all the more difficult when he shows up again and after knowing about Evie’s breakup proposes a deal. Become his fake girlfriend to help him with something and return he will help her win back her ex. The more time Evie spends with him, the more she lets go and live in the now and for her that’s big. She is a planner and follows strict itineraries. She is the fake girlfriend to a man who oozes charm and sex appeal. She starts wanting more but can this man who is guarded, haunted and harboring a major secret from her give her that? She’ll just have to persevere and follow her heart.

This book is ideal if you in need of a good laugh. It’s a swoony type of love story that is beyond sweet but also has bit of drama that makes it all the more intriguing. The characters were lovable and adorable. The fake relationship trope was executed perfectly.
Profile Image for Ezi Chinny.
2,690 reviews530 followers
July 22, 2020
4.5 Stars for Evie & Julian

Guinevere Fitzgerald aka Evie was a doormat at the beginning of this story. Until her drunken night and meeting with Julian Gage and it changed her life. I love fake relationships because the characters are so busy going after the thing they believe they want, that they miss when their priorities realign. It’s almost like the new love sneaks up on them because they were vulnerable with the fake boyfriend/friend.

Evie and Julian were hot together. And this story was a lot more substantive than the frivolous title led me to believe. There was layers to their past pain and they helped each other to overcome and grow.
I love stories where characters evolve. This book was definitely a surprise to me.
1,180 reviews3 followers
March 8, 2019
DNF

Goodness! All I wanted was a simple, light, afternoon romance. What I got was a full, feature-film length round and round with more tributaries than most rivers.
It just went off in all directions...break-up, Mystery man, job promotion, friends with secrets, contested wills, trips to the Hamptons, meeting strangers, fake couples....on and on it went. Finally, I looked down, and realized...I am not even to the halfway point yet! Deal me out, I’ve had enough.
This is not a book I would recommend, unless you are endeavoring to induce a stroke, I mean.
Profile Image for Treena.
1,343 reviews82 followers
March 16, 2019
Though I kinda figured out the "mystery", I still really enjoyed this book. To me, it read like a modern day Pretty Woman --- which the author also acknowledges in the story as well. Fun, light romantic read!
Profile Image for Tani.
245 reviews271 followers
dnf
June 15, 2020
Profile Image for Tracy.
417 reviews19 followers
February 13, 2019
Where to even begin!! Dating Games takes you on an emotional adventure that will blow your mind. All of Evie's lists and planning could never have prepared her for what came next in life. Heartbreak, sorrow, exhilaration, releasing her inhibitions! Julian and Evie were the perfect salve for each other's wounds and hearts. This story as a whole just captured all of my attention and my heart from the first page.
Profile Image for Maheswari.
526 reviews18 followers
June 16, 2020
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Modern Cinderella stars

Well this is unexpected- the premise really familiar
Even I already knew how the story will be but I couldn’t stop read it because the author give a great h , Guinerve Fitzgerald... not just a beautiful name but she got a bunch of humor , I just love her character
H pretty decent but I can imagine how those suit works him out through and through

All in all this book is pretty entertaining, I should go to 5 stars but why would author ruined H cars collection , between those Jaguar, Land Rover , Bentley there’s those T car ..... that just wrong how can she let the hero skip an Aston Martin - I mean even James Bond can’t file divorce to it through so many different actors which played the movie....

Gotta get some tea and scone from this heart breaking fact of one stolen star ⭐️
Profile Image for Whispering Chapters.
1,367 reviews455 followers
May 6, 2019
This book was so so good! The cover was the first thing that caught my attention, along with the title.

Evie gets dumped on her 30th birthday. She still goes out and gets semi drunk at a bar, where she proceeds to tell everybody there how she got dumped. There's a mysterious hottie around who catches Evie's attention. She wakes up the next day in bed with said hottie. At least she won't see him again... During a work related project on doing research on the most sought out escort, she encounters Mr. Suit (the hottie) and he makes a proposition for her to be his GF for the summer and get access to the Hamptons and in return, he will help her win back her BF.

First thing's first, I stake my claim on Julian Gage. He's mine mine mine! And second, this is the first book I read by TK Leigh and it certainly won't be the last! I fell beyond hard for EVERYTHING! Evie's sass and humor is freaking amazing. And Julian and the way he talks and loves and cares *swoons* This book had me laughing so hard! Evie and Julian's chemistry is explosive yet sweet and endearing. I love how Julian is all for women finding themselves and moving on. He kept winning me over.

If you're after something light and funny, I highly recommend Dating Games, which is def one of my faves of 2019.

This review was first published on Whispering Chapters.
Profile Image for Amy.
3,051 reviews620 followers
January 12, 2022
If it wasn't SO DANG LONG I wouldn't feel so triumphant about finishing this sucker.
For a Kindle freebie romance, this actually didn't suck. Which is not to say I liked it. But I did make it through 400+ pages.
The story follows a fun-loving gal who gets dumped by her boyfriend for not being "serious enough." Instead of following him to law school, she starts fake-dating one of those ubiquitous billionaires hanging around NYC in an effort to make him jealous.
While the plot plays out the way you would expect (hint: she doesn't end up with her stuffy ex), it actually tackles more "serious" themes about relationships, sacrifice, and domestic violence. All of which...make this a challenging one to rate because I don't have too much specifically negative to say about it. Maybe "meh." A nice, solid, adult "meh" freebie that was simultaneously more weighty than I expected.
Profile Image for Sissy's Romance Book Review .
8,992 reviews16 followers
February 23, 2019
DATING GAMES by T.K. LEIGH is the story of Julian and Evie.
Evie thinks her life is going great...all planed out until her 30th birthday when he 12 year relationship comes to a end. Giving into self pity she lets loose and drinks to much which leads her on the path to Julian. Julian is handsome rich and has secrets that he is keeping. A bargain is made that if Evie does his pretend girlfriend he will help her get back her boyfriend. Sounds like a good plan where they both get what they want until Evie realize she wants something else. This was such a fun romance! Loved it and will look for more books by this author!!
Profile Image for Victoria Stolte.
Author 3 books63 followers
February 25, 2019
HAHA Omg... This one had me cracking up throughout the whole story. Evie is such a funny character. Not to mention her friends Chloe and Nora. The scenes where the three of them are together... Side-splitting. Dating Games was a refreshing read and was just what I needed to get me out of my book slump. Oh- and did I mention Julian? Don't get any ideas ladies. He is taken. #Claimed. He is yummy, to say the least, but full of mystery and you may never know what side of him you are going to get. Let's just say he is "layered" like, Shrek. Great storyline, with some interesting twists, and will definitely keep you intrigued from start to finish.
Profile Image for Ana Decosta.
466 reviews20 followers
September 17, 2022
Cinderella meets Prince Charming... and the rest is history ;)
Profile Image for Nina DuBois.
1,858 reviews17 followers
January 5, 2020
I call it a great feat that I finished this book. I really wanted it to get better for me, but I couldn't get past how dumb the heroine was. She was with a guy for 12 years while he put went to law school and the guy dumps her because she doesn't fit the image of the woman he should have on his arm. She agrees to have a fake boyfriend to try to win him back by making him jealous and remember what he gave up. The way she acted was so naive and I just couldn't get over it. Had it not been for Julian's character I would have completely disliked this book. I do enjoy some of T.K. Leigh's writing, but this one was not one of them.
Profile Image for Natasha.
Author 11 books39 followers
July 13, 2019
“Dating Games” had too many games and lies for me to enjoy it. When a man tells you he doesn’t want to be with you and hasn’t wanted you for a long time, believe him and move on. The plan to win him back using a fake boyfriend who was also being dishonest didn’t appeal to me.
Profile Image for Melissa Crump.
631 reviews76 followers
January 18, 2019
Dating Games is the BEST book you’ll read in 2019! Epic in every way, this book will fill you with laughter, put a massive smile on your face, and give you so much angst you can barely stand it. The chemistry of these characters was explosive and hotter than fireworks on the Fourth of July. This book is incredibly amazing and is absolutely a favorite of all time!
Profile Image for Karen.
5,385 reviews74 followers
March 1, 2019
I don't like the cover for this book. It makes the book seem frivolous or flirty....chick lit.
This book has several serious subplots and a murder, however it's not necessarily staid either.
Bare with me...bear with me. The thirty birthday scene at the bar has to be some of my favorite scenes in a book. It just got funnier and funner. It did remind me of true Irish drama with alcohol prerequisite. I'll be returning to the book for that alone!!!

I'm not entirely sold on escorts and how they played out. Maybe I missed how/when the concept for the character's participation started and why. ?? So I must re-read.....it's worth it.
Profile Image for Lori R..
1,411 reviews71 followers
December 23, 2020
**3.5 stars**

I enjoyed this! It had humor, had some emotional moments, and definitely kept me interested. I am a fan of this author’s writing style. She has the talent to easily pull me in, and she did just that with this book. Plus, I’m a sucker for a fake relationship romance.

I read out of order...I read book two first (loved it!) back in February. I’ve been meaning to get back to this series and glad I finally did. Can’t wait to read book #3!

I listened to the audiobook and I’m thinking I might’ve (maybe??) enjoyed this more had I read it. The female narrator wasn’t terrible, but she wasn’t my favorite.

Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews133 followers
Want to read
March 6, 2020
🎁 FREE on Amazon & on iBooks today (3/6/2020)! 🎁
Profile Image for Charlotte Witney.
1,853 reviews46 followers
October 16, 2021
I didn't really know what to expect when I went into Dating Games but the story really surprised me.

Evie thought she had everything sorted because everything good happened with a 3. Including her relationship with Trevor who was her third boyfriend but what she didn't expect was for Trevor to dump her on her 30th birthday. This is how Evie ends up spilling her life story in a bar while a handsome stranger watches on from across the room. Little does she know that this handsome stranger will become such a massive fixture in her life.

Evie and Julian have such amazing chemistry and it all builds up with the fake dating trope but Julian also starts to reveal all his cards without even noticing. I loved this cinderella retelling , it definitely felt like Evie was dressing up to go to the ball every time they went out but I mostly enjoyed the twist at the end when Evie had to find her Prince Charming.
Profile Image for Deanie Nelder.
1,131 reviews24 followers
July 10, 2020
I confess. I got this book because it was free on Amazon, and the guy on the cover looked like he was on a boat (which I needed for a reading challenge). I'm so glad I did, because this is one of the best books I've read all year.

Magazine writer Evie expects her boyfriend of 12 years to propose on her birthday, but instead, he dumps her, because a relationship and sex writer for a women's magazine isn't the type of serious significant other he needs as an up and coming lawyer. So she gets drunk, tells her story to an entire bar full of people, and ends up meeting rich, sexy businessman Julian, who proposes that they fake date to help him seem more serious and appealing to his business contacts, and make her ex jealous.

Did the book need the subplot about Evie's quest to write an article about New York's most popular escort? Maybe not, but it integrated into the story fairly well. Evie and Julian have fantastic chemistry, and the inevitable they-break-up-because-of-their-own-issues part was well written. Definitely a book any romance fan would love to read.
Profile Image for Dianna Little.
106 reviews3 followers
February 13, 2019
Wow where do I start. I am totally in love with Evie and Julian. Evie is stubborn always has everything planned out and lives life to her own beat. That is until that ordered life is thrown for a loop. She is left wondering what happened and starts to realize what she has been missing out on. Enter Julian. He see her and is intrigued with the captivating woman who marches to her own beat and has to get to know her better. This is their journey of realizing that what they thought they wanted out of life is not what they want at all. How wanting something you think is out of reach isn't.
Just when you think you figured out what is going to happen there comes an unexpected twist and it makes you love these two more that you did before. I couldn't put this down. 5 stars isn't enough for this book and I can't wait to see what is next.
Profile Image for Priyanka  Dhingra .
235 reviews3 followers
July 16, 2020
This was the first book I read by this author and OH MY GOD!! I LOVED IT!!

THE PLOT, STORYLINE everything was new, THE CONCEPT was really next level!

I really enjoyed this book.
Profile Image for Ani.
159 reviews
July 6, 2020
AB. Cute romance. Love how witty the female lead is
Displaying 1 - 30 of 644 reviews

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