Fake Empire

Kensingtons #1

by C.W. Farnsworth

A steamy, standalone arranged marriage romance.

Cover and blurb coming soon.

Genres: Romance, Marriage Of Convenience, Enemies To Lovers, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Billionaire Romance, Forced Proximity

ebook

First published June 23, 2022

About the author

C.W. Farnsworth is the author of numerous adult and young adult romance novels featuring sports, strong female leads, and happy endings.

Charlotte lives in Rhode Island and when she isn’t writing spends her free time reading, at the beach, or snuggling with her Australian Shepherd.

Find her on Facebook (@cwfarnsworth), Twitter (@cw_farnsworth), Instagram (@authorcwfarnsworth) and check out her website www.authorcwfarnsworth.com for news about upcoming releases!

Reviews

[Mareeva · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars

After yet another unfortunate experience, I have learned nothing except these words of wisdom: TWITTER RECS ARE FUCKING SHIT.

And the tropes you mentioned, lost and forgotten twitter user, are a scam.

Like the one bed trope? What's the point of having it if NOTHING happens. Do you think I pay to watch them sleep🤨

Or this supposedly having grumpy h & playboy H?? Do you mean grumpy h & and a man with zero personality? Cause this is how I pictured Crew:

And to make my point even clearer, I had to google "typical white man" to find this picture.

The arranged marriage was accurate though. But they had such odd relationship development. So many missed opportunities...

🛑SPOILERS🛑

◉ The first sex scene...

First of all, the condom thing was pointless. Not them using a condom itself, but the way the whole scene played out. It doused the tension, became unsexy (pausing to search for a rubber is always so awkward, why would you ruin a scene like that), then we were thrust back into sex abruptly. My vagina went through five stages of grief at that point.

Second of all, underwhelming when it could've been mind-blowing. The heroine flipped & rode his ass to kingdom come and I felt NOTHING.

◉ There was a lot of back & forth because Scarlett is so random about her affection. She didn't gradually grow out of her ice-queen antics, but had sudden bursts of sentimentality, before she reverted back to being an asshole. It's nothing new but it was weird here, like she has some sort of bipolar disorder.

◉ Why is everyone acting so shady in this😭 they all be sus as fuck without actually doing anything wrong.

◉ I loved watching these billionaire nepotism babies running around, worrying about money like they won't still be millionaires even in the worst case scenario. Rich people are so funny.

◉ The best part of this book was them arguing about milk.

Overall, it felt like the author had no direction in anything. Things just happened for the sake of happening.

[sil ♡ the book voyagers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I had FUNNNNN reading it, you know? And that's important. I fully think it doesn't have a very big plot; it's more about the journey and trust between the two characters. To see them grow into a couple couple instead of a marriage that was only for convenience/arranged. I loved both characters and they made me smile and enjoy this story so much! I do highly recommend you reading it if you enjoy the tropes and a billionaire heroine (we don't have a lot of them in romance! we do have a lot of billionaire heroes).

Look, Scarlett and Crew are wild. He's sort of a sweet playboy... but like he has his grumpiness sometimes. But he is down bad for Scarlett i-- he is there since day one. And I love to see that. I feel like he's more in love with her than she with him lmao. Yeah, they are the "she fell first but he fell harder" trope.

Scarlett is so interesting. The ice queen! She has very strong and high walls that no one has knocked down... until, yeah, Crew. He has the chance to do it, but Scarlett doesn't trust him a lot at first. But their relationship grows and she starts to put down those walls and it's so amazing to see before you. I love seeing their relationship, their marriage, develop! It's so swoony and sweet and all of those SMALL MOMENTS *screams* I live for them.

[Larissa Cambusano · Rating 1 out of 5]

respectfully… i fear i hate this book so much.

i have more chemistry with a cup of coffee than these two main characters. crew was so bland.. personality nowhere to be found. and scarlett was just mean, for no reason at all?????

you can tell the author tried to make this a gossip girl vibe, and i can appreciate that… however it didn’t land for me. she even used the same last names??? like hello archibald, vanderbilt and waldorf?

and this somehow managed to be not only bad but BORING. i fell asleep 99% of the time. i would’ve dnf’ed but i wanted to be able to say i finished it so i could give it 1 star ⭐️🫢 (i’m petty. i know. i’m sorry)

i sincerely apologize to my best friend because this is one of her favorite books.. i tried. i really did.

“there’s wealthy.. and then there’s me” 😃
i should’ve known from that sentence i’d hate this.

[Iqra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending was adorable 🤭💗

***

Update: unsuccessful for Nadia 😭😭 but I’m loving what I’ve read so far, so… 🤞🤞

(Hopefully successful??) BR with my gorgeous Nadia <3

[m · Rating 3 out of 5]

spoilers <3

[ 2.75 stars]

“Beg me, and I’ll kiss you, Scarlett.”
“You’re…” I search for the right insult and come up short. “I can’t believe you.”
“I warned you, baby.” “You’re just pissed I hurt your pride.” Crew doesn’t respond, but a muscle ticks in his jaw. "Begging is not happening. I’m not that desperate. See you on the altar, baby."

sometimes all you need is a good ole marriage of convenience book to get you out of the worst book hangover of your life jokes on me I'm still suffering. 😀

for a slow burn this honestly didn't feel like a slow burn at all and it also didn't feel like insta love? the mcs were both secretly pining for each other so there was a lot of tension (scream). they also heavily reminded me of coballway

➣ scarlet is a CEO of a fashion magazine and is starting a fashion line
➣ crew is a bigshot CEO (idk I wasn't really paying attn lol) and an heir to his families empire
➣ ice queen and the sunshine guy who loves pissing her off finds it hot af when she's mad <33
➣ SHE MADE HIM BEGSAJDHJDKJEHJHFE mommy?
➣ BOY OBSESSED🧎‍♀️


but a lot of things irked me too
➣ I HATED how scarlet didn't even bother telling crew she was a virgin when they first did it and didn't even tell him at all
➣ Crew's dad literally sl*t shamed scarlet (she wasn't there) and crew didn't even bother defending her. all we got was "I was itching to hit my father but I kept my cool" SIR?/?
he had no reason not to defend his wife that moment.

and the drama was hot .

drumroll please

HIS BROTHER GOT HIS STEPMOM PREGNANT. HIS STEPMOM. AND HE'S GETTING HIS OWN BOOK LIKE?/?///?///?
*sips tea*
and the whole miscommunication at the end was very unnecessary it only lasted for like 2 chapters though so it was fine ig lol

really cute and fast-paced I wouldn't call it a slow burn but good nonetheless. would recommend it if you love marriage of convenience <3

SPOLERS

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”You’re a total DILF."

look I saw it coming 50% in and w also got the "I woke up sick this morning" chapter and you know what. I didn't hate it. I found it really cute (shocker) and I wished we had more caring moments and an actual epilogue with their daughter (HES SUCH A GIRL DADJHSJ) idgaf dilfs are hot okay? leave me alone.

[crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

OBSESSED IN LOVE THE BANTER THE TENSION OH MY GOSSSSH WHY DIDNT I READ THIS SOONER. I did just find a new fav book

[ren ꣑ৎ ⸝. · Rating 4 out of 5]

..「 ★★★★¾ ꒱꒱
⁀➷ spice: 3/5
•---------------------------•

“she’s devastatingly, heartbreakingly beautiful. the untouchable sort of regal. an ice queen. a snow angel. a moon goddess.”

╰┈➤ when i tell you this has the BEST combination of tropes i am so serious. it's got arranged marriage, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, and billionaire romance. what more could you possibly want? the tension, chemistry, angst and banter between scarlett and crew was everything to me. seeing them grow and become a major power couple was *chefs kiss*. and scarlett's confidence?! i aspire to have that, she is literally the IT girl and no one can bring her down. i also loved how crew was so patient with her and was determined to break down her walls and show her what it feels like to be truly loved.

“you’re different, scarlett. you matter to me, red. i’d choose you over anyone. anytime. anywhere. don’t doubt that. ever.”

this book was perfect. scarlett and crew deserve the absolute world.

[Jena]

Self note
So sick of gorgeous manwhore H.
Boring ice queen h. Described as, “She’s not even that pretty. I’ve never seen her smile or flirt—ever.”

MCs knew each other growing up, and assumed they would end up marrying, but that didn’t stop him from fucking around with ow. 🙄 and they’re only brought together through a marriage of convenience.

Their convo before they’re “together.”
“
I glance past him, down to where he was standing before. “So, who’s the lucky lady tonight? The redhead or the blonde?” Those blue eyes appraise me as he casually props one elbow on the varnished wood of the bar top, mirroring my relaxed posture. Crew swirls a tumbler of what smells like bourbon before he replies. “Or both.”



There’s no actual cheating, but I can’t stand H who sleeps around after meeting the h.🤷🏻‍♀️
Read the sample.
Avoid.

[thaís · Rating 5 out of 5]

there’s nothing better than an ice queen fmc. the way crew loved and never gave up on scarlett even when she was acting kinda like a bitch because she was insecure. that’s what i call a MAN.

“I do know that. You’re my wife. I meant those vows. You’re the only woman I’ve ever approached in a bar. I wouldn’t have given anyone else my mother’s ring. Risked a massive business contract because some drunk dick described how he would fuck her. You’re different, Scarlett. You matter to me, Red. I’d choose you over anyone. Anytime. Anywhere. Don’t doubt that. Ever.”

that man’s insane for this😭😮‍💨

[cindysreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

i just love reading about rich people. AND THE ARRANGED MARRIAGE TROPE?? yup, that’s my jam

[aira]

pre-read: I've been waiting a while to read this one.

[♥︎ Heather ⚔ (Semi-Hiatus-attempting return) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely, easy , fun read. Little surface level.

[Grayson Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5⭐️
this book was very different from any romance book i’ve ever read, and maybe i’m just being dramatic or maybe i just haven’t seen this trope before but i ATE IT UPPPPPP. i loved the arranged marriage and the way it all played out. i think the way the relationship progressed & the way they ended up falling for each other just felt so real to me. the refusal/denial of true feelings on both sides, but particularly scarlett’s was so relatable. SCARLETT SPECIFICALLY WAS JUST…SUCH AN ICON. i loved how badass she was & how she wasn’t afraid to stand up to anyone. and crew…crew…i love him. he was just so great from the beginning. overall, so great, fast paced, a good amount of drama & spice & tension.

[G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book so so much.

[Grecia Robles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arranged Marriage
Reverse Grumpy/Sunshine
Billionaire

Amo los matrimonios arreglados.
Ellos han estado comprometdos desde que tenían 15 años, porque son de las familias más ricas y pues su matrimonio va a traer beneficios mutuos.
Siempre han tenido una relación cordial pero no se conocen, siempre es un simple saludo y ya, pero llega el momento de casarse y es cuando se dan cuenta la realidad de su situación.

Al principio ella no me cayó muy bien era a Little annoying, en este caso ella es la grumpy y este tipo de protagonistas no me gustan suelen prejuzgar y odiar al protagonista sin motivo y sí muchas veces pasaba eso pero no llegó al grado que la llegara odiar.
Tambien era muy desconfiada y a pesar de ser una mujer exitosa también era insegura.

En cambio él era un amor o sea, blue eyes, sexy as fuck, con mucho charm.
Él si me encantó.

Su relación si fue muy ríspida al principio, pero tuvo muy buen desarrollo, los dos se empezaron a conocer y al final eran bien tiernos.

La verdad que si lo recomiendo mucho, terminas con una sonrisa en la boca.

[Sanyah(Taylor’s Version) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Normally, I’d immediately stride behind my desk and take a seat in the leather chair. But if I do that, I won’t be able to maintain eye contact with her. If I sit down, I’ll be beneath her, looking up. So I stay where I am, essentially ceding control of the room to her”

Crew gives me Connor Cobalt vibes by this scene.


“Insult my wife again, and this will be our last conversation, Hannah.”

Crew threatening another woman for insulting his wife,we love to see it.

[Love Within Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 stars! Someone said to read this if you loved Coballoway (from the Addicted series) and that’s the only reason I picked this one up. Thankfully it delivered and honestly, that should be my entire review because that’s the best way to sell this book! I really loved it because of the power couple vibes it exudes and because I’m just a sucker for these kinds of characters.

I love a cynical, ice princess; a self-proclaimed bitch; an unfeeling, jaded heroine! But I love them because of the reminder they serve that women are flawed and infallible and that is okay. Stoic and aloof is often used to describe morally gray men but honestly, I know so many women like that too and sometimes I crave a non-sunshiney heroine and that is exactly what you’ll get in Scarlett Ellingsworth. She’s rich, intelligent, hard-working, stunning and powerful and she owns every inch of it. But with that high position comes the need to constantly prove herself and show no emotions, in the chance she gets misconstrued as overly emotional, weak or spoiled. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t have emotions or vulnerabilities or struggles and seeing her bare that softer side with the man she’s in forced proximity with made this such an amazing story!

In the upper echelons of high society NYC, it’s commonplace to “marry upwards” and Scarlett has always known the inevitability of an arranged marriage and has accepted that, even if she fights against Crew in every way possible once they are together. Establishing a rich x rich & cold x cold relationship, Farnsworth has lured me into the power play between Scarlett and her new husband, Crew Kensington. Both powerful in their own right (although Scarlett’s a little more richer!), the question of who will secede control first leads to a combustible battle for trust, intimacy, and well… love.

Scarlett’s decisions will frustrate you, I’m warning you right now! She’s constantly on the defensive and her natural instinct is to lash out with a sharp tongue and walk away with her head held high. That’s hard to deal with as a man who has to marry her but wants to be her husband. What starts out as fighting against attraction becomes fighting against wills because neither wants to admit that they may actually want what they’ve been expected to fulfill. But as frustrating as the push-and-pull may be for readers, their character development and relationship progress was so relatable. I loved getting to read about every step of their relationship, even the ones other romance novels often gloss over (everything from attraction, vulnerability, acceptance, intimacy, trust, control, and ultimately love are passionately experienced).

I will say that there is not much of a plot that drives this book other than their relationship but that’s understandable considering this is a romance novel. With that said, I absolutely adored this couple and how different yet relatable they are. They definitely remind me of one of my all-time favorite power couples (Conner Cobalt and Rose Calloway) in the sense that they both fall for each other at the same time but he definitely falls harder. Watching Crew break down her high walls and thaw every ice prick as he tries to prove that he’s worthy as more than just a financial asset but as a trustworthy partner was a sight to behold. I’m a sucker for a cold but powerful woman and a cold but soft-for-her-only man and set against the backdrop of billionaire decadence and chess games, I easily consumed this novel!

[mimi brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

i have a lot of questions:

1) why was scarlett attracted to crew in the first place?

2) if she scarlett chose crew to marry when she was 15, why was she trying to distance herself from crew?

3) why were there so many abrupt scene cuts that seemingly made no sense and just left a feeling of unease?

4) why every woman who comes near crew is instantly attracted to him when he's just a nepo baby with no other talent?

5) also why is crew the next in line to be the ceo? what are his qualities that makes him so... qualified for the job? sure he's charming but you can't build an empire with flirting and charms.


ps, the writing was good but the plot made no sense to me. it was a constant back and forth with these two and it wasn't fun after some time.

[Ri ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

i devour this 🤌🏻 need more romances with arranged marriage between billionaires!

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were a few cute moments and some good banter here and there, but for the most part, this book was a bit of a chore to get through. Scarlett was sooooooooo unlikeable. One good thing, though, was that this was the first book I've read by this author where I didn't need a thesaurus to look up half the words. I'm glad to see she's moved on from that phase of using such ridiculous vocabulary and analogies.

[Filiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bu yazarı ilk defa okuyorum ve yazım tarzına bayıldım.

Scarlet çok zengin bir ailenin tek kızı Crew'de bir o kadar zengin olan ailenin ikinci oğulu. Bu iki aile zenginliklerini birleştirmek için anlaşmalı bir şekilde bu iki genci evlendiriyorlar. Birbirlerini en başta istemiyor gibi görünselerde aslında içten içe evlenmelerine memnunlar. Scarlet bir derginin patronu. Crew'de kendi ailesinin şirketinin Ceo'su. Öyle çok büyük entrika ve olaylar yok ama birbirlerine aşık olmalarını yazar çok güzel işlemiş. Kadın karakterinde ayakları yere sağlam basan, ne istediğini bilen güçlü birisi olması kitabı ayrı yükseltti.

[tori · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐
it wasn't that bad, the writing was fine but the story was just too boring for me. i expected more since i usually like books about rich people drama but i felt like this one had too much telling and not enough showing

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,8. It’s a good reading.
The characters were a bit cold for me, however 🤷🏻‍♀️and their world is unbelievable.
It’s worth the reading.

[casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/5! this book was every bit the perfection i thought it was gonna be. my love for this book and scarlett & crew is infinite I’M OBSESSED 😭

[alana ☁️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

love me a rich power couple💥

– 3.5 stars

[nazia · Rating 1 out of 5]

The female lead was so fucking annoying, I give up.
Dnfed at 40%

[Khadidja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Her chin rises to a defiant tilt. “There’s nothing to discuss, Crew. I said I’d marry you, and I just did. That’s the extent of us.”
“The start of us.”
“The extent,”
“I assume you want separate bedrooms?”
She holds my gaze. “I have a chef and a maid. One of them will show you to your room when you get to my place tonight.”
“Sex?”
“Be discreet.”
“With you, Scarlett.”
“I don’t know yet. Maybe sometimes.”

I genuinely had so much fun reading this one i loved it!! The dynamic between the two leads was SO GOOD i love a grumpy rich woman and her discreetly desperately trying to be liked by his wife man. He was so obsessed with her and so was she !!! And her being the cold one in the relationship was refreshing i loved Scarlett's character and Crew too he's like a well trained golden retriever

[logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

actually so mad i didn't read this sooner, SO GOOD. the pace and development, the tension, the way they're both so in love but scared to admit it bc it was only supposed to be an arranged marriage eeeeeeep i loved it so much. and the spice! they resisted each other for a while but once they gave in they never stopped going at it lol

[Jeeves Reads Romance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

With palpable tension and a fresh, engrossing storyline, this arranged marriage romance had me glued to the pages from start to finish. I loved the battle between this couple; they're both strong and hard-headed, so neither one is willing to be the first to bend. And while they've known about their likely inevitable marriage for a decade, they've never exchanged more than pleasantries in the past - so they were woefully unprepared for the sparks that would fly between them. The push/pull dynamic and charged sexual tension had me hooked, and I loved that the storyline kept me on my toes. Both characters were great, but I particularly loved that the hero knew he'd been handed a good thing, and he was willing to fight tooth and nail to make the heroine believe that he truly wanted it. They underestimated each other, and watching them recalibrate their expectations was so much fun. I loved it!

The story follows Scarlett, a woman who accepted her fate a decade ago. Though she's an extremely wealthy entrepreneur and workaholic herself, she also comes from a powerful family - the kind that thinks of marriages as business transactions. Scarlett has known for the better part of a decade that her groom would likely be Crew Kensington, and she resigned herself to that fact a long time ago. But when the papers are drawn up and the engagement is announced, things begin to shift between them. Though Crew and Scarlett have circled each other for years, they've never taken the time to get to know each other - and that may prove to be a fatal mistake. Crew soon realizes that he's extremely attracted to the woman who was given to him, and entering into an arranged marriage with her means she has every single one of her guards up.

I love a marriage of convenience romance, but arranged marriages can be a tougher sell. This one was truly special because Crew and Scarlett were so evenly matched. They're both strong, intelligent workaholics who don't really need the power or influence their marriage garners them, and the fact that Scarlett held her ground was so refreshing. She expects them to have a marriage on paper only - with no assumption of fidelity - and I loved that Crew had to prove himself over and over again. He loves her bite, and he's willing to put in the work. Their dynamic was also extremely charged, because they made no promises to be faithful to each other. I was definitely kept on my toes, waiting to see if either would cross any unforgivable lines, and I actually liked how much the author teases us. It's a safe read in the ways that count, but one that toys with both the characters and the reader. That certainly adds intensity to the story as well, and caused a ton of friction. I loved the slow growth in intimacy paired with the fire and spice. This was a sexy read, and they fought hard for their trust and emotional connection. That made it even more fulfilling when they finally got there. An excellent, compelling read, and one that has me very excited for the next interconnected standalone in the series.

[steff ౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars ☆ “I do know that. You’re my wife. I meant those vows. You’re the only woman I’ve ever approached in a bar. I wouldn’t have given anyone else my mother’s ring. Risked a massive business contract because some drunk dick described how he would fuck her. You’re different, Scarlett. You matter to me, Red. I’d choose you over anyone. Anytime. Anywhere. Don’t doubt that. Ever.”

Wow. I really enjoyed reading this book. The banter was just great, the teasing, the sweet and cute moments of them together. It was everything. Someone said that this book has Connor & Rose vibe which made me read this right away. And it did, but I still choose Coballoway 🫶🏻

The only problem I have was their miscommunication. ugh, it sucks how the book was getting so good and then the constant back and forth about "trust" keeps ruining it.