About The Best I Never Had: They staged a romance, faked a breakup, and this time around, anything can happen―even something real. Releases August 18th 2026.

I’ve always been interested in everyone’s favorite trope. I overanalyze each, attributing meaning like a half-baked personality test or poorly written horoscope. There’s no way I’m right (I don’t actually think enemies-to-lovers fans are living out their fantasy of fighting through the characters because they’re avoidant in real life), but I’ve always wondered what it says about me that I can’t seem to get enough of fake dating books.

For some important context, I’m the goodiest of goody two-shoes. The idea of lying makes me break out in hives. Maybe that’s why I love these books so much? It’s something so far outside of my comfort zone that I can explore through the characters. Come for the adrenaline rush, stay for the “Is this kiss real?” moment.

I devour these books, and in each story, one of two things happens. Of course, they fall in love (as one is destined to while fake dating), and either they (a) decide to come clean, or (b) get caught and it all blows up in the most delicious way. It got me wondering… what if neither of those things happened? What if they never acted on their attraction and weren’t forced to come clean by external forces?

That’s exactly what happens in my new book, The Best I Never Had. Owen pays Thea to pretend to be his girlfriend for a family wedding. Despite the tension between them, Owen chooses not to put the moves on someone he’s paying to pretend to like him (like me, he is the goodiest of two-shoes). They walk away from the weekend, unkissed and certain they’ve gotten away with it.

Flash to three years later, when Thea shows up at her sister’s whirlwind wedding to a man she’s never met and realizes that the groom is Owen’s little brother. The two panic, agreeing to keep up the lie that they dated and had a devastating break up so Owen’s intense mother doesn’t blow up the whole wedding. But it’s hard to keep straight what’s real and what an act when his huge meddling family keeps pushing the ‘soulmates’ back together, especially when those pesky feelings they so successfully ignored the first time get even more intense.

This book is a play on fake dating instead of the real thing, but it took its inspiration from all of the fake dating books I’ve read. Here are ten of my favorites:

The Wedding Crasher by Mia Sosa

Read if you want to laugh out loud on every page

Mia Sosa is one of my all-time favorite authors! In my eyes, she can do no wrong, and that’s certainly true with The Wedding Crasher. After ruining Dean’s modern-day marriage of convenience by objecting at the wedding, Solange agrees to pretend to be his girlfriend to help him claim the promotion he’s been chasing. What follows is banter-fueled perfection (Dean literally gives her a fake dating study guide!) that had me howling and squealing.

The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez

Read if you quote Marie Kondo’s “I love mess” on the regular.

This is the messiest (complimentary) book on the list. We have an upcoming wedding, a hero and heroine who are in love with the bride and groom, respectively, and a fake dating scheme to cover up the fact that the hero was about to tell the bride to call off the wedding. It’s hilarious in just how chaotic it is, but it’s also so beautifully grounded in relatable characters you can’t help but cheer for. And most importantly, Theo is scrumptious.

Say You’ll be Mine by Naina Kumar

Read if no man will ever compete with Mr. Darcy

This one kicks fake dating up a notch. Instead of fake dating, they’re fake engaged. Karthik’s mother is relentless in her desire to see him settled, and Meghna’s just agreed to be the ‘best man’ for a man she’s secretly loved for years. They both need a buffer for the next few months, so what better way than to ‘agree’ to the arranged match their parents are pushing? I am obsessed with Karthik! He’s giving Darcy, all stern and judgmental, but once he falls, he falls hard.

Sunk in Love by Heather McBreen

Read if you like your laughter with a side of tears

I’ve read this book a half-dozen times, and I love it more with every read. Roslyn and Liam are in the middle of a secret divorce when they’re invited to an important family event. The two agree to pretend to still be together for the trip to avoid the drama and disappointment of announcing their split, pairing fake dating and marriage in trouble in the best way. McBreen expertly weaves together funny, spicy, and heavy moments as we learn what pulled them apart and cheer for them to get back together.

Lovelight Farms by BK Borison

Read if you’ve ever secretly been in love with your best friend

I’ll admit it. I’ve been that girl pining after her best friend. And while I’m very happily married now, there’s some sort of wish fulfillment watching two best friends who clearly refuse to act on their feelings being forced to snuggle up and kiss. Stella didn’t think things through when she mentioned a “boyfriend” on a contest application, but now she’s a finalist and needs someone fast. Enter her delicious best friend, Luka, who is more than happy to step in for the role. They’re so soft and perfect, and I come back to reread every Christmas!

Take a Hint, Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

Read if you binge watch everything on BBC

I’ll read anything Talia Hibbert writes, but this one will always hold a special place in my heart. When Dani and Zaf go viral, he begs her to fake a relationship so he can bring more attention to his non-profit. The only problem… they can’t seem to keep it professional. Dani’s on board for the perfect friends-with-benefits situationship she’s been looking for, but Zaf’s determined to show her they could be so much more than a fake relationship with hook-ups on the side. Like all of Hibbert’s books, she pairs beautifully complex characters with the type of hilarious British humor that’s made me pay to stream way too many BBC shows.

Birding With Benefits by Sarah T Dubb

Read if you think older characters deserve to get their back blown out, too

Being quiet isn’t in my nature, so I could never be a successful birder, but I devoured this book. Celeste shows up at a birding competition thinking she’s there to pretend to be this stranger’s girlfriend. Meanwhile, John, who’s looking for a birding partner after his last partner—and girlfriend—dumped him, has no idea what’s happening when this chaos demon shows up. They decide to go with both, and their dynamic is addictive. Your hot not-boyfriend having to stand close behind and whisper in your ear to avoid scaring the birds? Yeah, I’ll take two.

Sunshine and Spice by Aurora Palit

Read if you love a good Bollywood movie

I remember watching ‘Jab We Met’ in college, and it rewrote my brain chemistry. This book hit all the same chaotic, perfect notes! Naomi, our sunshine heroine, needs to learn about Bengali culture—fast, and Dev, our grumpy hero, needs to avoid the matchmaker his mom hired against his will, so they strike a deal. He’ll teach her about the culture her mother never shared if she pretends to be his girlfriend to scare off potential matches. I was (and am) obsessed. I wanted to magically transport myself into the Garba scene and then melted at the scene right after (iykyk).

The Kiss Countdown by Etta Easton

Read if you haven’t been able to stop talking about Project Hail Mary

We all know astronauts are hot. No other career pairs a brilliant mind and competency with the body of a professional athlete. In this book, Amarie’s life is falling apart around her, and Vincent is preparing for a big mission. Both need to get the people in their lives off their backs, so they agree to fake a relationship until he leaves. The Kiss Countdown has it all. The wickedly hot astronaut, a temporary roommate situation to dial up the tension, a 3-month countdown to a literal blast off, and a New Year’s Eve kiss that will have your toes curling!

First Down by Grace Reilly

Read if you think there’s nothing hotter than a toxic man being put in his place

Look, I know hockey romance is all the rage (I’m with you! The number of times I’ve watched Heated Rivalry should be illegal), but this football romance deserves the spotlight, too. Who can resist a book that starts with her kissing a hot stranger to get away from her cheating ex? From there, Bex and James strike a deal. She’ll help him pass the class he needs to graduate if he pretends to be her boyfriend to get her ex to leave her alone. He’s so wonderfully protective of her, and the rest of the series (featuring a different sport for each sibling) is just as amazing.

The post Author Amy Buchanan’s Fake Dating Book Recs appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Intrigued? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Aurora Palit’s Honey and Heat, which releases on September 16th 2025.

Cynthia Kumar always wins. She’s successful, competitive, and knows exactly what she wants: to be the heir to her father’s multimillion dollar business.

Except, her father just chose his successor and it’s not her…it’s her one-night stand.

Rohit Patel can’t believe his luck. He’s just landed the opportunity of a lifetime, his future is once again on track, and the woman he spent one steamy night with could be the love of his life.

Except, she’s his new boss’s daughter and now she hates him.

When Kumar Constructions falls under scrutiny, both Cynthia and Rohit are determined to see its tarnished reputation restored to its original glory. As they each try to swoop in and save the day, their game of one-upmanship fails spectacularly, leaving them no choice but to set their differences aside and work together. But as their partnership to save the company—and their feelings for one another—blossoms, they’ll have to decide what’s more important…their careers or love?

I can’t hold my tequila worth a damn,” someone beside Cynthia said, “but can I join you?”

The faint beginnings of a tequila-induced fog in Cynthia’s brain parted like the Red Sea for that voice. The smooth, rich timbre was satin against her auditory nerves, but when his words sank in, she rolled her eyes and turned to face bachelor number five. Or was it six?

Lively dark brown eyes, brimming with amusement and humor, met her gaze. Cynthia’s eyes widened as she took in his warm, golden skin and playful half smile on really nice lips that no man deserved in a fair world.

Huh. Maybe the beer goggles were finally kicking in. Cynthia gave her head a shake. “Okay, let’s hear it.” “Hear what?”

She gestured at herself with an impatient wave of her hand. “Your lame pickup line about how good I look. Or how nice I smell. Or if you can ‘see my keys because I’m turning you on.’” With a sarcastic laugh, Cynthia spun back to the bar and rolled the empty shot glass between her hands. “Go ahead, tell me I’m beautiful and then toddle off.”

He was silent at first, prompting a thin, cold sensation that felt suspiciously like disappointment snaking down her spine. When she risked another glance at him, he was watching her with a thoughtful glint in his narrowed gaze.

“What?” Cynthia asked, tugging at the left strap of her dress self-consciously.

“Well, obviously I need a second. I don’t want to waste the opportunity.” There was zero sarcasm or defensiveness to his tone, and Cynthia swiveled on her barstool to face him properly.

“Give me the best you can do,” she said. To her ears, the words played back harsher than she had intended, a depressing indication that when it came to flirting, she was woefully out of practice. Teasing and coy digs were not the mark of an aspiring CEO who relied on working overtime and detailed project charters to get what she wanted. But, to her relief, he responded to her challenge with a low chuckle that rasped like the wrong side of crushed velvet against inquisitive fingertips, and Cynthia found herself leaning forward.

“Okay, fine,” he said, clearing his throat. “‘I’m also just a boy, standing in front of a girl, asking her to notice him.’” With a lop-sided smile, he added, “I had to wordsmith it a bit.”

The words were so familiar that the last of the buzzy mist clouding her mind cleared away. “Wait . . . Where have I heard that before . . . ?”

He accepted a beer from the bartender and tipped its open mouth toward Cynthia. “Would you prefer ‘To me, you are perfect’?”

Cynthia’s head tilted to the side as the words rolled through her, just unfamiliar enough to be out of reach. Or perhaps it was the speaker’s darkly fringed gaze upon her that was throwing her off, the sparkle in his deep brown eyes that was shifting the ground underneath her. He met her stare head-on with humor and blatant curiosity, which sent a new feeling through her, hot on the heels of her confusion.

Exhilaration.

“You did not come up with those yourself,” Cynthia said, pleasantly surprised to hear the note of playfulness lacing her words.

He made her wait as he took a long pull from his beer bottle, leaving her nothing to do but trace the arch in his throat with her eyes. Long, graceful muscles worked with every swallow and Cynthia’s mouth dried, suddenly parched.

Ordering another drink, however, was the last thing on her mind.

When he met her eyes again, his smile was blinding. “It feels too soon for ‘I wanted it to be you. I wanted it to be you so badly,’” he said.

Cynthia let out a delighted gasp. “You stole those from movies!” Their shared laughter faded as his eyelashes lowered, his eyes sweeping down her red dress before lingering where the hem had ridden up several inches above her knees. Heat and appreciation flared in his eyes when he raked them back up to her face. His perusal was so direct and so unapologetic that Cynthia’s cheeks flushed, but she had zero desire to look away.

“It was worth a shot,” he said, his smooth voice dropping to a husky pitch.

“It was a good try . . .” she murmured, submitting him to the same once-over he’d given her. He was wearing a charcoal-gray suit that hugged wonderfully broad shoulders and even broader thighs, a welcome change from baggy Tommy Bahama and other atrocities she’d borne witness to that night. The white shirt he wore beneath his suit was a little rumpled where it was loosened at his throat, like he’d gratefully tugged off a tie after a strenuous day.

The thought of him loosening his collar, the tension in his body as he worked to pull the confining material away, stirred a tight, delicious heat in the pit of Cynthia’s stomach. He had sexy collarbones.

“I might be willing to let you try again,” she finished.

He grinned and tipped his drink to his mouth again. Cynthia’s eyelids lowered to half-mast as she tracked the path from his pursed lips to the sharp line of dark stubble along his jaw. His beard was short and shaped with angular precision, and the skin on the pads of her fingers tingled. Whether it was the neatly trimmed roughness of his facial hair or the alluring texture of his voice, she suddenly itched to touch something.

Him. The realization hit her like an electrostatic shock and with it came just the right hit of endorphins to send a tingle into her core and pull her inner thighs closer together. I want to touch him.

“‘As you wish,’” he said. “I’m Rohit, by the way.”

The reference to one of her favorite childhood movies pulled Cynthia off her seat so she stood between his spread legs, loving how he immediately leaned a fraction closer. He smelled good, too. “Cynthia.”

Rohit cocked his head at her empty shot glass. “So, can I buy you a drink, Cynthia?”

She let her gaze flit to his slightly parted lips before settling on his eyes again. His pupils dilated, laser focused on her with a hunger that charged Cynthia with the confidence to pull the near-empty bottle from his hands and place it on the bar with a resolute clink. The disappointments from earlier that evening tucked themselves into the deep recesses of her brain as a slow, catlike smile curved her lips. For the first time that night, she felt like herself. Or perhaps, a heightened version of herself: bold to the point of dramatic, assertive and unafraid.

She was surrendering to her primal instincts, and it felt damn good. Cynthia leaned forward, dropping her voice, careful to not let any part of her body touch his. There’d be time for that later, and the anticipation sent another wicked jolt through her.

“It’s my turn,” she said. “How about I show you my keys and we get out of here?”

Excerpted from HONEY AND HEAT by Aurora Palit, published by Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright © 2025

The post Read An Excerpt From ‘Honey and Heat’ by Aurora Palit appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Hi, Aurora! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?

Hi readers! I’m a Canadian romance writer of South Asian descent living (sometimes thriving, sometimes perishing) in the prairies. I’m a longtime romance reader who enjoys self-medicating with chocolate, pretending like I know what I’m doing at the gym, and a good meal I don’t have to cook. I also aspire to be one of those Northern Lights chasers but fear I don’t have the fortitude. Oh, and I also write stories with humour and heart.

When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?

I’ve always felt like I had so many stories living rent free in my head, but I never dreamed of becoming a writer; there weren’t any South Asian authors in the YA space when I was growing up (at least, not at my local library) and I certainly didn’t see many South Asian characters in what I was reading. Flash forward to 2017 when a friend encouraged me to put my stories onto paper, I started writing as a hobby, which turned into a blessing in disguise, partially because I found myself stuck at home in the evenings with a one year old with an early bed time. I attribute a lot of where I am today to the lovely, wonderful members of the romance writing community who helped propel me forward and I am eternally grateful to them.

Quick lightning round! Tell us:

• The first book you ever remember reading: one of those “I Can Read” books for early readers. It was Rapunzel, I was four years old, and some of the illustrations scared me.
• The one that made you want to become an author: The Chai Factor by Farah Heron was the first South Asian romance I read that made me feel like my stories might have a place on the shelves, too.
• The one that you can’t stop thinking about: How do I choose just one! I’ll go with Trust Me On This by Jennifer Cruise.

Your debut novel, Sunshine and Spice, is out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Colorful, self-discovery, honest, heartfelt, humorous.

What can readers expect?

When struggling brand consultant, Naomi Kelly, lands the lucrative opportunity to re-brand a neglected South Asian business, she quickly realizes she might be in over her head. As the daughter of a free-spirited Bengali mother who refuses to acknowledge her roots, Naomi knows very little about the cultural nuances her new employer wishes to preserve in her rebranded business. So she teams up with her employer’s son, Dev Mukherjee, who agrees to act as a cultural guide in exchange for Naomi posing as his fake girlfriend to ward off his mother’s persistent and unwelcome matchmaking efforts. Things becomes very complicated with Naomi and Dev develop real feelings for each other against the backdrop of their families who think they are completely unsuitable for each other.

Where did the inspiration for Sunshine and Spice come from?

I’ve always deeply connected with identity politics and diasporic stories, both from an immigrant’s point of view and their first generation offspring. I grew up in a very homogenous small town and always felt the strain of living between cultures and wondering where I fit in. I think everyone feels a sense of imposter syndrome at different points in their lives and this novel is a love letter to anyone who has ever felt like they don’t fit the mold of who or what they’re supposed to be.

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?

I enjoyed exploring the shift in Naomi’s mindset when she stops worrying about how she should feel and how she might be perceived by others, and embraces living in the present instead. Both she and Dev have these lovely moments of finding their voices and using them, and it was a joy to write. But I should also add that writing a grumpy, soft-hearted love interest was a lot of fun, especially when it came to writing his banter with Naomi!

Why romance?

Happily ever afters are so special – they bring comfort, inspire hope, and, I think, provide readers with a gratifying sense of closure for two characters (sometimes more!) that they’ve become deeply invested in. I love reading these kinds of stories, so writing one was an easy choice. And it’s special privilege to write a novel that shows people of colour receiving their happily ever afters, too!

This is your debut published novel! What was the road to becoming a published author like for you?

I owe so much to the writing community; they taught me so much about craft, self-confidence, and the publishing industry. After an unsuccessful round of querying my first manuscript, I wrote something new (Sunshine and Spice) with zero aspirations that it would go anywhere. But when the 2021 Pitch Wars mentorship program opened for mentee applications, my writing friends insisted I apply with my very messy manuscript. My stars must’ve aligned because I was chosen by the incomparable Regina Black (author of The Art of Scandal) and Nikki Payne (author of Pride and Protest and Sex, Lies and Sensibility). They are incredible mentors and in three short months, helped me whip my book into shape for the Pitch Wars agent showcase. Things kind of snowballed from there: I signed with a dream agent, went on submission (which is lingo for sending your book to editors at publishing houses with the hope they’ll read and buy your work), and, after a brief but dramatic auction for who would get the rights to my book, signed with my editor at Berkley Romance in November 2022!

It has been a whirlwind and I can’t believe my debut date has finally arrived.

What’s next for you?

I am currently working on a second book, also published by Berkley Romance. I can’t say much, yet, but I’m deep in the revisions cave for this standalone that lives in the same universe as Sunshine and Spice. If things progress well, it will be published in 2025 and features tropes like rivals to lovers, workplace proximity, and he falls first.

Lastly, what books have you enjoyed so far this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on?

I’ve enjoyed too many to name, but here are a few: Birding with Benefits by Sarah T. Dubb, I Hope This Finds You Well by Natalie Sue, They Called Us Exceptional by Prachi Gupta, Woke Up Like This by Amy Lea, and If I Had Your Face by Frances Cha.

I’m looking forward to reading: Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb, Rules for Second Chances by Maggie North, But What Will People Say? by Sahaj Kaur Kohli, Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe, and The Summers Between Us by Noreen Nanja.

Will you be picking up Sunshine and Spice? Tell us in the comments below!

The post Q&A: Aurora Palit, Author of ‘Sunshine and Spice’ appeared first on The Nerd Daily.