✨ Writing Update: Tempting the Billionaire Is Officially Underway

Cynthia Savage — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I'm officially hard at work on Tempting the Billionaire, the next book in my Reluctant Bride series!

This story follows Julian Cross, a billionaire venture capitalist who has thirty days to find a wife or lose the opportunity of a lifetime.

Unfortunately for him, the one woman he can't stop thinking about is the matchmaker he's hired to help him find someone else.

Expect:

💜 Enemies-to-lovers tension

💜 A billionaire who falls first

💜 Forced proximity

💜 Dating lessons gone wrong

💜 Plenty of banter, chemistry, and romantic chaos

I'm having so much fun writing Julian and Elena's story, and I can't wait to share sneak peeks, character art, and exclusive excerpts with my readers.

Stay tuned!

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Why I Love Fake Dating Romance

Cynthia Savage — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

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

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Coming Soon: Resisting the Billionaire 💎

Cynthia Savage — Fri, 3 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

He's rich.

He's relentless.

And he's about to meet the one woman who refuses to fall at his feet.

I'm currently writing Resisting the Billionaire, a brand-new sweet billionaire romance filled with sparks, tension, humor, and a happily-ever-after you'll be cheering for.

I'll be sharing exclusive updates, sneak peeks, and cover reveals right here, so make sure you're subscribed.

Trust me—you won't want to miss this one.

❤️ Cynthia Savage

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Unreadable: A Book and Pen Name

Cynthia Savage — Sat, 1 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This video begins my and Troy Lambert's journey of co-writing a romantic action/thriller novel titled Unreadable. It is now live on Amazon, but if you would like to see what sparked the idea to write this book, feel free to watch the video below...and then grab your copy of Unreadable.

Side note: I clearly love pen names because I now have a new one...CJ Rizk. Dear Lord!

Purchase Unreadable: https://geni.us/Unreadable

Embedded Youtube video removed, see original post to watch.

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Cynthia Savage | Updates

✨ Writing Update: Tempting the Billionaire Is Officially Underway

Why I Love Fake Dating Romance

Coming Soon: Resisting the Billionaire 💎

Unreadable: A Book and Pen Name