“Future Fake Husband” by Kate Hawthorne and E.M. Denning is without a doubt one of my favorite reads this summer. With its LGBTQ+ themes, adorable tropes, and spicy scenes, it quickly became an all time favorite in my collection.
The story follows two characters, Cole Mallory and Rhett Kingston. Each has their own quirks and lovable personalities. When you first meet them, you wonder how everything will turn out, but it quickly becomes clear, it’s going to be a romance unlike any other.
The book begins with Cole Mallory. Cole is a wine connoisseur making a living at his family vineyard in California. He hopes to inherit the family business soon. With all his dreams and responsibilities, Cole never had time for dating or long-term relationships. In fact, his past lovers include: Ginger from Starbucks. Tattoos at Gas Station. Kristen’s Baker. Yet, it takes him by surprise when he finds out that, unless he gets married soon, he may lose the family vineyard to someone else.
Meanwhile, Rhett Kingston is in his own little world of heartbreak. Rhett is the bookish twin of Ryan Kingston, Cole’s best friend, and has recently gone through a pretty bad breakup. In a moment of weakness and a want for peace, Rhett lies to his brother that he’s dating someone in hopes of getting Ryan off his back. This, of course, makes him realize that he needs a secret boyfriend, fast!
This book was everything I didn’t realize I wanted and then more. By chapter 3, the proposal of a fake marriage between Cole and Rhett is set and accepted and the drama starts. This novel wastes no time in getting you into the thick of it and I loved… Every. Single. Moment.
Being Ryan’s best friend, Cole has always been a part of Rhett’s life and vice versa. However, it isn’t until the moment they decide to carry out this façade that it finally clicks, and the attraction and insanity begins. And oh, boy, does it begin!
This book was a beautifully crafted masterpiece, and I don’t use that term often. There are little hidden tropes that I loved, a quick and burning attraction between both men, and a plot that kept me reading…and reading…and reading… It wasn’t until I was finished did I realize I read all night and into the next morning.
Complete hats off to Kate Hawthorne and E.M. Denning because this book had it all. The romantic scenes made you swoon. The sexy bits were H-O-T and SPICY! The funny bits had me rolling in laughter.
And that ENDING!
No spoilers here, but Kate and E.M. if you’re out there, I LOVED THAT ENDING! Such twists and turns I hadn’t expected. These authors made me fall in love not only with Cole and Rhett but every other character who made an appearance: Penny, Ryan, Kristen, even our little plant friend Lucy.
“Future Fake Husband” is a fantastic MUST READ book this summer. If you’re looking for something sexy with a side of good ‘ol dork humor (because yes, they’re both dorks), THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU! Five out of Five Stars!
Thank you to the authors for “Future Fake Husband” and adding another book to My Favorites shelf at home! I can’t wait for my next adventure into another one of your books.
As a special treat, I reached out to these two amazing authors, Kate Hawthorne and E.M. Denning, and they both agreed to answer five quick interview questions about the book and their process. Thank you to both of you for participating! It made the book even more special after reading your responses!
1) When did you first come up with the idea for this novel?
EM – The idea for Future Fake Husband came about one day when I told Kate about a very outlandish idea involving an Omega and a dowry and a fake marriage. But between the two of us, it quickly morphed into what it is now, and I couldn’t be happier. I love sharing a brain with her.
Kate – OMG I forgot all about that until you said it!! LOL.
2) I know you aren’t supposed to pick a favorite, but I’m curious. Who was your favorite character to write for this novel?
Kate – Well we each took one lead. I wrote Cole, so I’m partial to him, but I think the errant street crabs may have been my actual favorite.
EM – Rhett was the character I wrote, so naturally I love him just a bit more than I love Cole. I love that he has a plant named Lucy that he talks to. I love that he’s afraid of errant street crabs and I love what a soft, sweet person he is. He’s precious.
Shanna – A word about errant street crabs. You all may be looking at the screen a bit funny, wondering what that is all about… but as someone who has done a marine internship and worked with them…they can be vicious! Beware!
3) What was your favorite scene to write?
Kate – I loved writing the whole book, but I really enjoyed writing Cole and Rhett’s dinner at the seafood restaurant. I based it on a place my husband and I ate on our honeymoon in Tahiti, so it was fun to go back through old pictures and relive that a little bit. In the book, it was also one of those awkward scenes where the characters knew they had feelings for each other but were still hiding it, so that’s always fun. I love to torture my characters. Haha
EM – OH god. Don’t make me choose. I really enjoyed the whole Tahiti experience. I’d never written a destination wedding before, so it was fun to escape to that. Tahiti was a very romantic place for the boys, and I enjoyed every bit of it.
4) Co-writing a novel can be a very challenging process and many writers have horror stories about the process. However, not only have you written “Future Fake Husband” together, but also “Irreplaceable”. What is the secret to your success for crafting such fantastic stories together?
Kate – We’ve actually written 5 books together now. Irreplaceable was our first, then Future Fake Husband, and we have two more books set at Mallory Vineyard, Future Gay Boyfriend and Future Ex Enemy. And there is a 5th book, that EM and I wrote with another friend of ours EM Lindsey.
EM – Our secret to writing so brilliantly together is our friendship. We enjoy a lot of the same things in the books we read, and that easily transfers over to what we like to write about. We’re both willing to compromise, but seldom does the need to ever arise. Working with EM Lindsey on Cloudy With a Chance of Love was much the same way.
5) What future projects can we look forward to seeing form you both in the future (together or separately)?
EM – I haven’t announced what my next series is just yet, but fans of past adventures might be pretty happy with what I’m doing and where I’m going. The first book is called Everything to Lose and it’s a brother’s best friend romance and I’m very excited about it.
Kate – So much!! I am just about finished with a 5 book series about brothers who inherit a hotel in a small town called Cherry Creek. The series is called Room for Love, and it’s been so much fun to write. The characters are all different and troublesome and wonderful. I’m working on bonus content for an older series, Secrets in Edgewood, and that will be out this fall. As for 2021, who knows!
Thank you again to Kate Hawthorne and E.M. Denning for responding and answering those interview questions. I loved every response and now know that I have a few more books to hunt down, especially because I adore Ryan (Rhett’s brother) and I need to know if one of those books is for him!
Thank you to all of you as well, I hope you enjoyed the review. But more importantly, I hope you go out and buy your own copy of “Future Fake Husband”. You won’t be sorry!
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Stories by Shanna Pikora 
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