Fake Dating's a Beast: A Folklore Falls Romance Retelling

by Emily Fluke

Thanks to my great, great, gold-digging grandma, I'm cursed.If I don't make someone fall in love with me before my 25th birthday, everyone I know will suffer seven years of bad luck. My only option in this tiny town is a rich, playboy known as "Brett the Beast."And he's not the only one. I'm killer at hiding my ugly side, until I'm forced to date. Okay, force is a strong word but when Brett planned to bulldoze my family's old house, I struck a deal.Like everyone else in Folklore Falls, I hate the guy, but I promised to help him win the mayoral election if he leaves the house standing. Little does he know, I also need him to say he loves me before I turn twenty-five on Halloween.The problem is, our relationship is fake. Pretend romance might trick people into trusting Brett, but will it help me kiss the curse goodbye?Fake Dating's a Beast is a sweet, small-town romance inspired by Beauty and the Beast that keeps the bedroom door closed. It is the second installment of the Folklore Falls Romance series but can be enjoyed on its own. For fans of The Ex Hex, Beth Labonte's Autumnboro romances, and books by Emma St. Clair.

266 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 11, 2022

About the author

Emily Fluke is a Congenital Heart Defect survivor who finds joy and peace through writing (though she’ll tell you her scars are from a dragon attack or a sword fight). She is an internationally published author with an honorable mention for science fiction from the Roswell Awards and a recent contributor to the United Disability Services’ magazine; Kaleidoscope. Inspired by Tolkien and her children's’ imaginations, Emily writes when she’s not spending time with her family. For an extensive look at her publications and life as well as access to giveaways, visit emilyfluke.com or follow Author Emily Fluke on Facebook.

Reviews

[Rae (semi-hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I do wanna live in Folklore Falls now lol. (blurb below review)

Combine Penny Reid’s writing and witty humor with Mariana Zapata’s descriptive, lengthy slow-burns and you get Emily Fluke.
Those are two of my favorite authors of all times so 👀

Before I proceed, let me clarify: this is a clean romance. No smut (sorry, my friends) but what you get is a relationship that develops where you know it’s not relying solely or mostly on lust. This was a long book. Great! But long.

However, it was wonderful. I got to experience the town of Folklore Falls as if I was actually living there too. Descriptions galore with loads of character development. I would say we got to see the day-to-day but sometimes it was more like an exact itinerary from start to finish each and every day. Nice at first, but this really slowed down the pacing in some places.

The FMC (Bella) was a goth 😍🥵🖤 I need more goth MCs please. She was so fun to read about, she was so bubbly and caring, but sassy and I was living for it. But also, she was a goth 😩. By the end I was so rooting for her and wanting that curse solved. Love yourself, girl.

Brett (MMC) became more likeable to me nearer to the end of the book tbh. He just felt a little boring. Plus, he was a bully all throughout his school-age years and that put me off a little, particularly because I never understood why. But he did grow a lot. Even though he’s an adult here, you can really see him mature, reflect, become softer, and I wasn’t against him being with Bella any longer.

The epilogue was great. Perfect amount of time and perfect for the declaration too.

I haven’t read a clean romance in…goodness, maybe over a decade? But if I were to read more, I’d trust Emily Fluke to be my go-to.


Blurb: Thanks to my great, great, gold-digging grandma, I'm cursed.

If I don't make someone fall in love with me before my 25th birthday, everyone I know will suffer seven years of bad luck. My only option in this tiny town is a rich, playboy known as "Brett the Beast."

And he's not the only one. I'm killer at hiding my ugly side, until I'm forced to date. Okay, force is a strong word but when Brett planned to bulldoze my family's old house, I struck a deal.

Like everyone else in Folklore Falls, I hate the guy, but I promised to help him win the mayoral election if he leaves the house standing. Little does he know, I also need him to say he loves me before I turn twenty-five on Halloween.

The problem is, our relationship is fake. Pretend romance might trick people into trusting Brett, but will it help me kiss the curse goodbye?

[Leslie Erkman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how Emily Fluke does fairytales! This is the second in the Folklore Falls series.
The theme of the book is beauty & the beast… just not the traditional way.
Emily takes fairytale themes and writes her own story. She weaves in some Easter eggs to let you know which fairytale is being told and it’s fun finding those eggs along with reading her story!
This story follows (FMC) Bella and (MMC) Brett. There is a curse to solve and a beast to tame… but do we really know which is the beast?
This is a clean romance slow burn that’s delightful and fun to read!
I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

[Shaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Emily Fluke for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Fake Dating’s a Beast coming out October 11, 2022. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Bella Villenueve is cursed thanks to her 2 greats, gold-digging grandmother. She has to make someone fall in love with her before her 25th birthday. If she doesn’t, then she’ll have 7 years of bad luck. The problem is there aren’t any guys to date in her small town of Folklore Falls. The only available bachelor is a rich player known as Brett “the Beast” Jensen. She doesn’t like him at all.

Brett plans to bulldoze Bella’s family home, so she is forced to strike a deal with him. She offers to help him win the mayoral election if he leaves her house. They decide to enter into a fake relationship. But Brett doesn’t know that he has to say “I love you” to Bella before she turns 25 on Halloween.

Can Bella pull off the fake romance and break her curse?

First of all, I love fairy tales. I especially love Beauty and the Beast retellings because of the amazing library! I loved this book! This was such a sweet, fun romance! I normally don’t like a lot of contemporary romance stories, but I loved the fantasy fairy tale aspect of it. It was my kind of romance. I just loved Bella’s character. She was so fun and relatable. She was funny. She says “Not one of them could live up to the fictional guys I’d fallen for.” I loved that she was bookish.

I think I would’ve liked the fake dating to start a little sooner. I think I was just excited for the witty banter and shenanigans between Bella and Brett to start. Other than that, I loved it all. I loved the small town feel and autumn vibes. The references to Shakespeare and other literary works were so awesome. The dialogue was fun. It was great to get the two perspectives from Bella and Brett. I loved the ending!

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys sweet romances and fairy tales!

[Amanda Rodrigues · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be once again in Folklore Falls!
This book had my full attention from the very first line!
This time we follow Loxley's friend Bella, Folklore Falls' goth sweetheart, who believes that thanks to her great-great-grandmother that her family is cursed, and the only way to break the bad-luck curse and protect all those she holds dear is to find love before her 25th birthday, which is only a month away, on Halloween.
Brett Jensen, not affectionately nicknamed the Beast by the residents of Folklore Falls, finds himself back in the small town he was so happy to have left behind, all thanks to a promise he made to his dying mother. Now he feels obligated to run for mayor in a town where everybody hates him.
Desperate for a way to make the town view him in a good light, Bella seems like a perfect solution to his problems, when she - quite literally - falls into his arm. Fake dating seems to be the answer to both of their problems: Bret will get the town to like him, and Bella can try to get him to fall in love with her to break the curse.
If only they didn't tap-dance on each other's last nerves!
Fake Dating is a Beast, is such a sweet, comforting, and fun Beauty and the Beast retelling, twisted into an unpredictable way that will have your eyes glued to the page, desperate to learn more.
I loved revisiting the characters from the previous story and getting to know Bella and Brett. Their relationship was so sweet and real, I didn't want the book to end.
If you love bookworm FMCs, grumpy MMCs, the fake-dating trope, fairytale retellings, and cute cats, then this is the book for you!!

[Reilly AS · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love Once Upon a Time with a gothic twist, this book is for you.

Bella is 2 months away from her 25th birthday when she runs into bad boy Brett for the first time in many years. They strike up a deal to fake date so Brett can win over the town with the good girl Bella by his side. Bella hopes he will fall in love with her to avoid a family curse. This book takes you through an entire journey.

This book is told from both Brett's and Bella's points of view. I would definitely read the first book in this series, Until Theft Do Us Part, before reading this one so some things will not be spoiled for you.

I absolutely adore both of these characters because they are extremely relatable. If Bella were a real person, she would definitely be a part of the booktok and bookstagram community. You get so many cozy and fall vibes that this book is so perfect for this time of year. I also feel like we all have a family member or person close to us in our lives similar to those in the book who makes us feel less than ourselves. I loved that our main characters had to grow throughout the book to realize who they truly were.

Thank you so much Emily Fluke for allowing me to arc-read this book for you!

[Chelle Cypress · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fake dating is one of my favorite tropes and I adore a good Beauty & the Beast retelling but for me this book just fell a bit short. I had high hopes from the first few chapters which set up tension and an excellent “meet cute” where these former high school antagonists (for lack of a better word) crossed paths in the MC Bella’s home town. However, the sparks smoldered more than a blazed between the two of them for the entirety of the book.

It was a very very slow burn and often Bella came across as selfish pursuing Brett to simply break her families curse. While Brett was dealing with a slew of personal issues revolving his mothers death, his own family secrets, battling against a persona of him being a “beast” from high school and carrying a long hidden crush for Bella.

The story does subvert the trope toward the end and delves into breaking the curse with self love.

I think I just wanted more in the end. More sizzle between the characters, the characters spending more time together and less of the townspeople.

It is a very cozy small town book. If you are in for cozy vibes, and a very slow burn then this would be a good fit for you.

[Hallie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fake Dating’s a Beast is the second sweet romance set in Fluke’s fictional town of Folklore Falls. Best of all this visit to the Falls happens during my favorite time of the year, Autumn. This book focuses on Bella and her struggle to break a family curse before it’s too late. This retelling of Beauty and the Beast is full of wonderful Easter eggs paying homage to the original tale as well as Fluke’s other books. I loved how Emily Fluke writes about the atmosphere of her town in Autumn. It made me want to pack up and move there. Our story’s main couple was perfectly suited and I was rooting for them through out the whole book. While I did pick up on the retelling I also was reminded or other sweet romances, like Penelope. I highly recommend any of Emily Fluke’s books and this is no exception. It’s a perfect cozy Autumnal sweet romance. Fans of Hallmark and fairytale retellings will enjoy this latest publication from Fluke. I really can’t wait for the next one.

[Melodylovesbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the opportunity to be an ARC reader for this book and I’m so glad I did! I love Beauty and the Beast retellings and this one is so creative and different from some of them Ive read!

Bella is cursed and she had to get someone to fall in love with her before her birthday in order to not get bad luck because of the curse. She is a bookstore owner/unpaid town therapist that everyone loves. She decides she needs to get someone to fall in love with her when she runs into her old classmate Brett. Brett was the school bully and now he is back in town to run for mayor of Folklore Falls. So they decided to help each other out and fake date to help with Brett’s campaign while Bella has other motives(the curse).

If you love:
Fake dating
Enemies to lovers
Small town romance
Grumpy/sunshine trope
Beauty and the Beast retellings

You will love this book!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5☆
I loved this funny, banter filled book. I was so happy to see the little hints here and there for different fairytales. It's a cute, heart warming hallmark type read.

Brett some times is hard to like, but by the end, I loved him and understood him better. So many times, each of the MCs put their foot in their mouth, and I was so upset. I was cheering for them to work everything out everything they hit a rough patch. I loved the characters and the relationships they built.

Emily does a great job with her enemies to lovers novel. It is heart felt and a fast read. It took me a couple chapters to get into the story, but after that, I was sucked in until the end. I can't wait to read more books by Emily.

[Brittany Forgaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as an ARC and it was wonderful. Beauty and the beast retellings are some of my favorite things to read. This was such a quick and spooky read. Which was perfect for October.
I really enjoyed the dynamic between Belle and Brett. They had amazing chemistry and I'm glad they had so much in common. They enjoyed a lot of the same books and they both have a love of felines which was amazing! Got to love the cats!
I loved that the two of them went on a journey of self discovery which they both needed to do. Fake dating is an amazing trope. I also love the miscommunication. Honestly this was one of my most anticipated reads and it did not disappoint. I am looking forward to more retellings from Emily.

[Lydia Hammond]

I was given the opportunity to read an eARC of 𝑭𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈'𝒔 𝒂 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕 by Emily Fluke.

I finished it last night and I really enjoyed it. Bella is the town’s sweetheart who owns the bookstore. There’s also a curse on the women in her family. Brett Jensen is known as the beast. He pulled pranks and was a bully. His temper gets to him. He comes back to town to run for mayor. Bella and Brett decide to fake date to help break a curse and win mayor.

If you enjoy this 👇
🥀 Beauty and The Beast inspired
💋 fake dating
🖤 possible curse
🎃 set in fall in a cozy small town
🤩 fun cast of characters

🥀𝑭𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝑫𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈'𝒔 𝒂 𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕 comes out tomorrow 🤩

[Sarah Havener · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was privileged to be chosen to read this as an e-arc. This was such a great Beauty and the Beast retelling! I've enjoyed everything Emily has put out and this was no exception. The allusions to the original fairytale were more overt than the previous book, which I liked. She also snuck in references to book titles by tiktok authors! Although this is a sweet romance, she did tease a little bit of spice, enough for some tension to happen. The fall vibes are perfect! And the fact that she pictured Sebastian Stan for the MMC is the icing on the cake (or the spice in the pumpkin lol).

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Beauty and the Beast retellings so of course I love this modern revamp of the tale. This book was even better than the first book in the series. I loved every second of the story.

Instead of Brett (the Beast) being cursed, it was Bella (the Beauty). She has to broke her curse before she turns 25 by having someone say “I love you” to her. In enters, Brett.

I love Brett and Bella so much. All their flaws and their relationship. Sometimes I will catch myself smiling at the page because they are so cute together.

[Gwendolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

pg 4: "Well, duh. But in all seriousness, how much does it hurt on a scale of seeing someone dog-ear a book's pages to a book's original cover being replaced by its movie poster?"

oh 58: “…I like books, my cat, and maybe two people.”

pg 116: I rolled my eyes. Yes, my eyes would get stuck that way eventually, and I'd cosplay a possessed person or a ghost. Honestly, it'd suit my style just fine. Take that, mother.

pg 145: Her last words always haunted me because I never made sense of them. Love changes everything, even curses.

oh 230: Fake dating’s a beast… (title of book)

[L.C. Pye · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a cozy fall contemporary romance book then go no further! This was a fun and easy read that was just what I needed. The author did a great job of adding in some new twists to her retelling of the Beauty and the Beast that kept me intrigued. I will say there were a few moments when it dragged on for me. There were about 4 chapters near the beginning that I thought could have been taken out all together.

[Emma Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I didn’t realize that I liked fake dating so much until I read this and and saw it as a perfect representation of the trope. I love the little mentions of other fairy tales and also all of the Beauty and the Best Easter eggs!

Retellings will always have my heart as my favorite genre and I don’t think I’ll ever find a book of Emily Fluke’s that I don’t like.

[Esther · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a sweet story! There are a ton of lessons sprinkled throughout the story, particularly the lesson about loving yourself and not relying on others for your self-worth. If you're looking for all the feel-good warm fuzzies, this is the story for you!

I was sent this book as an ARC.

[Cheryl Filipiak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a great fairy tale retelling and this book was one of them! A very original story idea that keeps you hooked from the start. No spice, just a wholesome romance and that's enough. If you love small town romance and fake dating then this book is definitely a must read for you.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! The author took the story and made it her own while keeping elements from Beauty and the Beast.

This is a cute, closed door romance. A perfect sweet romance.

Thank you to the author for the ARC.

[Katie Grover · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beauty and the Beast meets Hallmark Movie style writing, and I LOVE it! Highly recommend for a feel good read

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so hard to put down I read it all in like 1 sitting maybie getting up here or there to refill my tea! This is absolutely amazing and I can't wait for more by Emily!

[Elizabeth]

DNF at 9%. I like the cover but the author needs better editing. Misspellings and weird plotting and characterization. This is not an author I will try again.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good. Clean, predictable probably wouldn't read it a second time, but will check out the authors other books.

[Meagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚 ARC REVIEW 📚
4 ⭐️

I am so, so, SO happy I got an ARC of this book. Lately I’ve been on a rom-com fix and this sweet small town romance delivers with bad boy turned good, a family curse, a spunky bookstore owner with lots of sass, and did I mention it’s spice free!
This clean small town romance is a must read! I really enjoyed this book, it was like a breath of fresh air. I liked that there were two points of view, which really helped bring clarity to how the events of the book affected our mc’s.

Folklore Falls sounds like such a dream. It gave me Starshollow vibes from Gilmore Girls, so I would love to live there! Bella, our mc, is goals. She’s bubbly, caring, sassy, and she doesn't care what others think of her (or her goth persona) and I love that! I didn’t care for our MMC, Brett, a whole lot, at times I found him a bit annoying. Bella definitely carried the story, but by the end I liked Brett a lot more.

If you want a fun, sweet, clean small town romance, I HIGHLY recommend this book!

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book! Slow for me personally but good! Maybe because it was long? But it’s a small town romance witch I love! And Bella was an amazing character but did not like Bret feet much he was unlikable to me. But that’s my opinion! I don’t want to say to much without giving it away! But I can say she believes she is cursed and the only way to break it is to find love before her 25th birthday. Then she meets Bret. they both need something from eachother. This is where the fake dating comes in….

[Anna Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a super cute book. I enjoyed reading it start to finish, and I can't wait for more Folklore Falls Romance books! I did read this one before Until Theft Do Us Part, so I think I missed a few things, but it ties together just fine if you don't read it.

Bella and Brent have such good banter and chemistry. It's no wonder they seemed drawn to each other. I will say that Bella's mom made me want to throat punch her so many times! Her attitude drove me insane the few times her interactions were there.

I will say this without giving away spoilers. I am so happy by the outcome of the story - as far as Bella's discovery of needing to break the curse. Honestly, I think that was way better than the alternative.

[Sarah Zane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute Hallmark Halloween with a goth Belle and a trust fund Beast, the characters took a little while for me to warm up to, especially Brett (the Beast) but by the end I really liked them both, and I loved the somewhat twist ending and the prologue was freaking adorable
Def a cute and a fun read