Is 'A Proper Charade' Worth Reading?

Maria Walker has spent her entire life under the weight of expectations in a world where reputation trumps happiness. As the daughter of the respected Walker family, every choice—including her relationship with kind, loyal Noah Bennett—is judged by high society, who see him as far beneath her standing. Daniel Rothfield faces a different pressure. The powerful, emotionally guarded CEO of Rothfield Holdings has avoided relationships since a devastating breakup left him unwilling to risk love again. Yet his parents and business partners insist a man of his status needs to project stability—and a serious relationship is the perfect image. When Maria and Daniel unexpectedly arrive together at a prestigious charity auction, a fleeting moment ignites rampant speculation. Within hours, social media explodes with rumors that the billionaire CEO and the Walker heiress are secretly dating. Rather than deny it, Daniel proposes a solution: pretend the rumors are true. A fake relationship solves both dilemmas. Maria’s parents would stop pressuring her about Noah, while Daniel’s family and associates would see him finally settling down. It’s meant to be simple, temporary, and strictly controlled. Rules are set: No real feelings. No crossing boundaries. No forgetting it’s just an act. But pretending to be in love proves far more complicated than planned. As they appear together at events, family gatherings, and public functions, undeniable chemistry emerges—shifting from performance to something dangerously authentic. Meanwhile, Noah grapples with quiet jealousy fueled by headlines and photos, Daniel’s past resurfaces to threaten the facade, and their carefully built lie begins to crumble. In a society that measures love by status and appearances, Maria and Daniel face an undeniable truth: the relationship they pretended to have may be the most real thing either of them has ever felt.

Blackmailed into wearing another woman's face, Isla Virelli, an elite con artist, agrees to impersonate Celeste Voss, the missing fiancée of Elias Hargrove to save her best friend’s life. She never planned to feel anything. She never planned to stay. But on the day she is supposed to walk down the aisle, Cassian Hargrove kidnaps her from the bridal room and marries her himself, because he can’t lose the woman he loves for a second time. Now trapped in the wrong marriage, Isla is caught between two powerful brothers, a collapsing empire built on lies, and the shocking truth that the real Celeste is her long-lost sister. As buried secrets surface and her false identity is exposed to the world, Isla must choose; disappear forever or fight for the man who unknowingly loved her long before either of them knew the truth. Will a marriage born from a lie become the most real thing she has ever known?

After being betrayed by her boyfriend and stepsister, Faye Brown married a hotel waiter on a whim. For a while, she thought her life would turn out to be yet another clichéd script of a rich beauty rescuing a poor guy from the trenches of poverty before her husband, Cedric Shaw, turns out to be a billionaire instead. As their true identities gradually unveil, Faye and Cedric find the realities they once knew and believed unraveling at its seams. How much of what they thought was true are, in fact, lies? More importantly, could this impromptu masquerade be a quest for true love instead?

“Just who is the woman behind that mask?” It’s no lie that Evangeline Laendler is one of the best con artists around. The trail of devastated moneybags who are both heartbroken and near bankruptcy because of her is enough proof. It’s all owed to her impeccable skills of switching through disguises and emanating the characteristics that her targets want to see. But this was not the life she and her dear brother had wanted for Evangeline. So when a high-priced opportunity to retire early suddenly comes, Evangeline accepts it. It was easy anyway. Seduce the billionaire heir, sway him to do terrible things so he doesn’t inherit the company, break his heart, then leave. Easy. It’s not like there was more to this guy’s story, right? What was unknown to her was just how messy and tangled this new job was, revealing secrets that even she never knew about her life. In any case, she will keep fighting to keep the facade on. Although this time, someone might just be able to unveil the real Evangeline hiding underneath.

Cassandra finds herself in a precarious financial situation due to her mother's mounting medical bills. Just when things couldn't seem to get any worse, fate intervenes in the form of the charming and prosperous Jasper, who proposes an irresistible proposition. He offers her a chance to pretend to be his wife for a year, which will help him handle his overbearing parents. Although the offer seems ludicrous, Cassandra finds herself in a bind and unable to refuse. As they embark on this fake relationship, they must learn each other's habits and quirks, blurring the lines between their fabricated romance and true feelings. But complications arise when Jasper's stunning ex-girlfriend appears on the scene, leaving Cassandra to question everything. In the midst of the unfolding drama, will Cassandra be able to navigate the complexities of her fake marriage with Jasper, or will the allure of his ex-girlfriend prove to be too much to handle?

"The Prince I Love to Hate is an absolute must read! This romcom will have you rooting for Niamh and Olivier right from their hilarious first meeting. - Harlequin Junkie Blog top pick This prince? He’s anything but charming. I’ve never been the girl who’s dreamt of a prince rescuing me from a fire-breathing dragon before whisking me away to his castle. So when I fly all the way to Ireland to find my long-lost dad, I have no intention of playing the damsel in distress to some dude. But the night I encounter—and accidentally wallop upside the head—Prince Olivier of Salasia, my plans are completely upended. This prince is the opposite of charming, though. After thirty seconds in his presence, I want to feed him to a dragon. But fate is a fickle b*tch. Before I know it, I agree to team up with Olivier in the search for my dad. As I travel across Europe with this actual honest-to-god prince, I wonder, what’s the worst that could happen? It’s not like I’ll be stupid enough to fall in love with Prince Charming."