Review: Faking It (Losing It #2) by Cora Carmack

Mackenzie “Max” Miller has a problem. Her parents have arrived in town for a surprise visit, and if they see her dyed hair, tattoos, and piercings, they just might disown her. Even worse, they’re expecting to meet a nice, wholesome boyfriend, not a guy named Mace who has a neck tattoo and plays in a band. All her lies are about to come crashing down around her, but then she meets Cade.

Cade moved to Philadelphia to act and to leave his problems behind in Texas. So far though, he’s kept the problems and had very little opportunity to take the stage. When Max approaches him in a coffee shop with a crazy request to pretend to be her boyfriend, he agrees to play the part. But when Cade plays the role a little too well, they’re forced to keep the ruse going. And the more they fake the relationship, the more real it begins to feel. ~ Goodreads

Source: ARC/review copy received at BEA via the publisher – William Morrow & Company

Review:
Faking It is the companion novel to Carmack's Losing It, Book #1, in the Losing It series. In Losing It, Bliss and Garrick were the main love interests. Cade was Bliss's BFF and had finally confessed his love to her only to be turned down as she chose Garrick.

I barely remembered Cade from that book and what little I did didn't leave a huge impression on me. I guess he seemed dorky, maybe a little cute but HOLY MOTHER OF BOOK GUYS! Cade in THIS book is HOT. He’s still super sweet but way more confident than I was expecting. Bliss honey….you missed out and good for Mac for seeing just what an incredible catch he is and not letting him get away!

As you may have guessed Faking It starts out with the familiar fake relationship trope. Sometimes it works and sometimes it stretches plausibility. Here it works. Mainly because once they pass the initial fake relationship to meet the parents part the facade is over and they embark on something more serious. There’s an attraction but they are so different…Mac calls Cade Golden Boy because of his all American good looks and ability to perfect almost anything he tries, while Cade is envious of Mac's ability to take on the world without caring what anyone thinks. But at the core they are the same, protecting themselves from the inevitable loss of those they love.

What's nice about Faking it is that, yes, there's the requisite angst because Cade and Mac scare the shit out of each other but they also push back against their fear because they know they make each other better so it's worth taking the jump.

I enjoyed Losing It. It was laugh out loud funny but I felt it got a little convoluted near the end. I LOVED Faking It. This was a tighter story. A tad darker than Losing It but balanced with a perfect touch of humor.

I had a few minor quibbles. Mac sees Cade as perfect and doesn't think she deserves him and Cade sees Mac as this wild, untamable free spirit to help him take chances. I really enjoyed the opposites attract angle but it almost felt like they liked the "idea" of each other rather than the reality. Like this was more of a fantasy encounter. I say this is minor because once you get to the heart of their story they could not be more perfect for each other.

Also, I had hoped Cade would stand up to Mac's crazy, interfering parents in her defense more. But again, I was won over in the end. I think it's better and more believable when a character (especially a female) can do that for themselves and the whole thing played out very nicely.

One more point and I'm done! lol Bliss and Garrick make an appearance (yay!) and I thought it was great that Carmack didn't just write Bliss out of the picture in Cade's mind once Mac showed up. It's handled so well and realistically.

Final thoughts: I adored this book as well as Mac and Cade. Faking It is SO filled with sexual tension, without being overly graphic, heartfelt moments and humor scattered throughout. Mac is vulnerable yet strong and Cade….oh my…Cade! What a pleasant surprise. I'm so glad Cora Carmack saw more to you than I did and gave you your own book!

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