Pippa Grant / Jamie Farrell – The Smut Report

We’re rounding out fake relationship trope week with a super specific sub-category of the trope—you know the one, where at least one protagonist swears that they just can’t do real relationships because they’re so bad at them? Except then they’re really good at being in the fake one because they’re just themselves and it’s completely endearing and wonderful?

Anyway, this is a dynamic that’s pretty specific to contemporary romance, so here are six for your reading pleasure:

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

Stella might begin her quest by asking Michael for sex lessons, but it only takes one encounter for them to decide to fake something more like relationship intimacy as a solution to Stella’s dating woes. Of course, intimacy is intimacy, and it’s not long before their relationship evolves into meeting the family and thoughtful gifts and crossing all the fake relationship lines.

Flirting with the Frenemy by Pippa Grant

Ellie’s best friend is getting married, and she ends up sharing a house with her brother’s best friend Wyatt, and his son. Ellie’s ex is also in the wedding, so she arranges for a friend to be her fake boyfriend–but when Wyatt finds out, he flips the script and insists HE is her real boyfriend. There are all kinds of reasons they apparently can’t be together but…none of them end up mattering.

Best Fake Fiancé by Roxie Noir

Daniel hasn’t dated in years because he’s been focused on being a good single dad to his daughter while also running a brewery—and what he was doing before he found out he had a kid is not exactly what we would call “dating.” When Daniel panics at a custody hearing and tells the judge he’s engaged to his best friend, Charlie, he thinks it’ll be simply a matter of Charlie showing up at the next hearing and saying, “Yup, we’re getting married.” Too bad they live in a small town where the congratulations start flowing immediately because 1) the court clerk is a huge gossip and 2) everyone is already convinced that Daniel and Charlie have been secretly dating for years.

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

Dani’s carrying so much hurt from being dumped when she was young that it sabotages her relationships, so she’s decided not to waste her energy on something that’s not working for her and is being awesome at work instead. She’s so fixated on how a relationship won’t work for her that she doesn’t even realize she’s exactly the girlfriend Zaf has been dreaming of the whole time they’ve been fake dating.

Sailor Proof by Annabeth Albert

Being in a relationship with a partner who’s deployed in a submarine for long stretches is hard. Too hard. So Derrick has decided to give up the misery of dating and be married to work…after he gets back at his cheating ex by having his best friend’s little brother give him the most epic fake welcome home kiss ever. Too bad the rest of the family is there to see it and is over the moon to adopt him into the family.

Irresponsible Puckboy by Eden Finley and Saxon James

Look, Dex is a himbo. He doesn’t realize that his best friend has been in love with him for years, and he doesn’t realize his relationship failed not because he’s dragging his feet about getting married but because he doesn’t actually like her much. But, being the problem solver that he is, Dex convinces Tripp to go to a chapel in Vegas and pretend to marry him so he can get over his wedding anxiety. It’ll be fake, he said. We won’t file the paperwork, he said. Boy, are these twits surprised when the team’s PR department calls demanding answers. Bonus points: This one’s a legit rom-com. Erin couldn’t stop laughing while describing its bonkersness and Holly told her to put it on this list.

As always, we’re always taking recommendations (even if our TBRs are threatening to fall on top of us), so let us know if there are any we just shouldn’t miss!

Series Review

Series Review: Copper Valley Fireballs by Pippa Grant (2020-21)

March 9, 2022 Ingrid

Copper Valley Fireballs, Books 1–3

Heat Factor: Like all Pippa Grant, there’s a healthy dose of sexual tension and plenty of heat.

Character Chemistry: They’re all kind of bumbling but hot. It’s the Pippa special.

Plot:

Jock Blocked – Brooks Elliott kept his V-card for baseball luck and upon being traded to the Copper Valley Fireballs, decides he’s going to finally do away with it. Ultra Mega Fan Mackenzie can’t let that happen, so she goes out of her way to stop him. Hilarity ensues.

Real Fake Love – Luca Rossi is in the baseball Hall of Fame and does a lot of modeling and commercials. Henri is a secretly famous romance author who can’t stop getting engaged and wants Luca to teach her how to stop falling in love with every guy she dates. There’s an Italian Nonna who is pretty absurd.

The Grumpy Player Next Door – Max Cole is a super anxious, grumpy baseball player with a really difficult past, who desperately wants to belong in the small town he’s in. Tillie Jean is like the backbone of the community, and his best friend’s sister. She basically needles him into making out and then everything falls apart. But in a good way.

Overall: This series is classic Pippa–a lot of physical humor, absurdity, and inside jokes–and it was absolutely good but I think I overdid the Pippa books.

Continue reading →

Listicle

Saturday Smutty Six: Chef Heroines

March 27, 2021March 22, 2023 smutreportteam

To celebrate Women’s History Month, every Saturday in March we’ve prepared a Saturday Smutty Six list of some of our favorite heroines.

This week: Chefs and Bakers and purveyors of delicious things

The Secret Ingredient by KD Fisher

Lesbian. Dueling. Chefs. Need I say more?

Ok I’ll say more. This small-town Maine romance is beautifully gentle AND has great food writing.

Trouble and Strife by Lara Kinsey

Elizabeth owns a chocolate shop, where she sells handmade bonbons and other delicious confections. Yum. She also loves her body, prefers to take the lead in a relationship (both in and out of the bedroom), and shows people she cares for them by literally caring for them. Of course Sidney is absolutely smitten! Now he just needs to overcome his complex about not being good enough for her.

Humbugged by Pippa Grant and Lili Valente

In this delicious Christmas tale, Noelle is desperate to successfully run her bakery business and ignore the endlessly funny and mouthwateringly gorgeous Marine who keeps helping her sort out these inexplicable messes she finds herself in. Instead, they attempt a little holiday friends-with-benefits scenario that is both charming and hot, hot, HOT.

A Good Man by Rosanna Leo

Emily inherits her grandmother’s old home and ends up on a fixer-upper show with the incredibly talented and very foxy Zorn brothers in an effort to turn it into a location for her new soup-making business. Michael Zorn is desperately trying to forget a traumatizing experience and is utterly failing at it. Between the two of them, they sift through experiences and memories and find a new way forward together.

Recipe for Persuasion by Sonali Dev

Ashna is an extremely talented chef who can’t cook unless she’s following her father’s recipes exactly. Which is a problem, since she’s running an Indian restaurant that could really use makeover – and some new menu items. And is an even bigger problem when she gets talked into participating in a cooking competition show, where she’s paired with none other than her ex-boyfriend. Expect lots of angst and drama.

The Ultimate Pi Day Party by Jackie Lau

Sarah owns a pie shop. Josh wants to throw a pi day party to impress his estranged father. Ok, so his motivations are a little wack, but it does mean that we get lots of scenes of Sarah developing delicious-sounding pie recipes and then eating them with Josh. Especially recommended for pie enthusiasts and math nerds.

Author Spotlight

Author Spotlight: Pippa Grant

July 27, 2020 smutreportteam

Looking for a new author? Here’s everything you need to know about Pippa Grant, author of Charming as Puck, Humbugged, and Flirting with the Frenemy. You may also recognize her style under the pen name “Jaime Farrell.”

What She Writes:

Contemporary romantic comedy with minimal angst, a heavy dose of absurdity, healthy love stories, and panty-melting love scenes.

What Makes Her Unique:

Pippa Grant weaves tight-knit communities and friend groups from which her multiple series springs with hilarity eternal. She also tends to turn macho contemporary rom-com heroes on their heads after they meet badass heroines.

Writing Style:

She primarily writes alternating 1st person POV. Characters are described through their personalities; you won’t see elaborate or superficial character descriptions.

Her Books in GIF Form:

Why We Love Her:

These books are plain fun and easy to read. Also, she doesn’t shy away from normal awkward behavior and feelings, which is funny. There are multiple entry points for her different series, but you’ll find Easter eggs and cameos from old friends if you keep reading.

She Might Not Be For You If:

You really enjoy an angsty read. Or super domineering heroes.

Notable Quotation:

“If men are pigs, his body is the bacon, and god help me, I love a good piece of bacon.”
The Pilot and the Puck Up

Content Warnings:

There aren’t a lot of warnings with Pippa Grant, but her characters do tend to be white and privileged.

The Bottom Line:

If you’re having a bad week, read Pippa. If you need to restore your faith in humans, read Pippa. If you’re lonely and missing your friends during this insane pandemic, read Pippa. Basically, if you want to feel good…READ PIPPA.

Start With:

Flirting with the Frenemy (Bro Code #1). Check out her full suggested reading order here.