There are a lot of romance tropes I adore.

Enemies to lovers? Absolutely.

Forced proximity? Sign me up.

Small town? I will never get tired of it.

But if I had to choose my forever favorite, the trope that makes me click "Buy Now" faster than common sense can intervene, it would probably be fake dating.

Or fake engagement.

Or fake marriage.

Honestly, if two people are pretending they're in love while secretly falling in love, I am already emotionally invested.

I know. I know.

It's ridiculous.

No sane person should be able to convince the entire world they're deeply in love while simultaneously telling themselves they feel absolutely nothing.

And yet...I eat it up every single time.

Here's the thing. Most romances begin with two people trying not to fall in love. Fake dating stories take that resistance and turn it into an Olympic sport. The hero and heroine create a nice, tidy agreement. They establish rules, boundaries, and expectations.

A perfectly reasonable plan.

We'll pretend to date. We'll fool our families. We'll survive this wedding. We'll get through this business deal. Then we'll go our separate ways.

It's emotionally risk-free.

Which is exactly why everything immediately falls apart.

The moment someone starts saying things like, "Remember, this is only temporary," you know they're about three chapters away from a complete emotional meltdown.

And I love that for them.

Fake dating creates one of my favorite forms of romantic torture. The characters are allowed to do all the things real couples do. Meanwhile, both characters are internally screaming. He's wondering why her hand feels so perfect in his. She's wondering why his smile suddenly makes her forget her own name.

Neither one is willing to admit what's happening.

The reader sees it. Their friends see it. The family dog probably sees it. But the characters?

Completely oblivious.

It's wonderful!

Underneath all the humor and chaos, fake dating stories usually explore something surprisingly real, and that reality is fear. Most of us don't walk around pretending to be someone else's fiancé.

At least I hope not.

But many of us know what it's like to protect ourselves. To keep our hearts guarded. To convince ourselves we don't need anyone. To build walls after disappointment, heartbreak, or loss.

Fake dating forces characters to lower those walls. The relationship starts as a performance, and then somewhere along the way, they begin sharing real conversations about their dreams, their struggles—real pieces of themselves—and before they realize what's happening, they're no longer pretending. They're simply being seen.

That emotional shift gets me every time, and maybe that's why I just keep writing them.

When I started writing The Reluctant Bride series, I didn't intentionally set out to fill it with fake relationships.

It just kept happening.

Apparently my subconscious has a type.

Who knew?

In Marry Your Billionaire, a desperate college student joins a reality dating show.

In Bargaining with the Billionaire, a fake engagement becomes a little too believable.

In Trusting the Billionaire, a high-school crush might get its happy ending.

In Charming the Billionaire, a marriage of convenience causes all kinds of complications.

And now I'm working on Resisting the Billionaire and Tempting the Billionaire, where things get even messier, funnier, and far more romantic than anyone involved planned.

The characters always think they're in control.

They never are.

Love has a terrible habit of ignoring contracts, which leads me to the biggest reason I love this trope.

If I'm being honest, I don't think fake dating romance is really about pretending.

I think it's about hope.

It's about discovering that the person you've been looking for might already be standing right in front of you. It's about learning that vulnerability isn't weakness. It's about finding someone who sees the messy, imperfect, complicated version of you and stays anyway. It's about believing that the best relationships aren't built through perfect planning.

Sometimes they're built through unexpected moments.

Accidental feelings, a fake date, a fake kiss, and a fake engagement until nothing about it is fake anymore.

And that's when the magic happens! 

So here is a little something I'd love to learn from you:

Tell me in the comments: What's your favorite romance trope?

Are you a fake dating fan like me, or does enemies-to-lovers, grumpy/sunshine, forced proximity, or friends-to-lovers hold the top spot in your heart?

I'd love to know! 

💖 Cynthia Savage

Author of The Reluctant Bride Series