Romancey Pants

Friends, welcome! So, Star (a human) and I (their duck) have been completely ducking enamored by The Fake Dating Game by Timothy Janovsky. It’s one of the first two releases from Afterglow Books, a brand-new Harlequin line that launched this month. Afterglow celebrates diversity—because everyone deserves a happily ever after. Duck yes! Anyway, we both loved the book, so we thought we’d have a convo about it, duck-to-human and human-to-duck. Here we go:

Duck: The question on everyone’s beaks is, Who wouldn’t want to take part on a supermarket-themed game show called Madcap Market? (Only if we’re avoiding the frozen duck section, of course.)

Star: I do love a good gameshow. And as someone who always avoids the frozen duck section, I have to say, the book’s premise is flipper-ticklin’ good. Holden James has landed an audition for Madcap Market—the TV gameshow that he and his dear mom, who passed six years ago, ducking adored. For his mom, appearing on Madcap Market with Holden was a life dream, so it makes sense that he’s auditioning to honor her. Frankly, the emotional stakes are high. Also nail-biting is the fact that, for the audition, Holden must have a partner. However, (duck, no!) he’s just been dumped by his boyfriend. The clock’s ticking! What to do? Enter: Leo Min, a concierge with smokin’ forearms, a duck of a lot of empathy, and a need for some ready cash. Can these two fake date their way through the auditions? They’re gonna have to practice if they want to be convincing ….

Duck: Now, generally, as a duck, I’m a little wary of present-tense, first-person narratives. Sustaining present tense and first person over the full beak-to-flippers course of a novel tends to be challenging, IMDO. But Timothy Janovsky makes it look like a snip. Yes, me and my flippers were pleasantly surprised by Holden’s peppy, quippy, and heart-filled narration, which, like water over a coot’s glossy behind, carries us through with sauce and pluck. Not that the narration isn’t deep and sensitive too. Janovsky artfully conveys deeper, darker emotions as well as flipper-kicking, hilarious high jinks. Lots of depth and plenty of spirit. Characters you just have to adore. I ducking love it.

Star: It’s true. The characters are so real and adorable, and the highs and lows are captured so well. Having lost my own parents, I really appreciate how well Janovsky deals with grief and loss in The Fake Dating Game. For Holden, he and his mom were such die-hard fans of Madcap Market that they always dreamed of being on the show, so perhaps, in some ways, the show itself is Holden’s mom—or at least, a part of her.

Duck: Not a duck part, just to clarify. Because supermarkets do have duck parts. No, really. They do. Actual duck parts. It’s shocking.

Star: Zero duck parts in The Fake Dating Game. But diversity? Lots.

Duck: Duck yes! Apart from ducks, Janovsky does a super-ducking awesome job of peopling this world with characters from differing backgrounds. It’s a lovely mix.

Star: Agreed! As a queer, pansexual, nonbinary person, I may not have seen myself fully reflected in this novel—although in some ways, seeing a queer duo really does reflect me and I’m super-grateful for that. On the other hand, I also can’t say for sure that we don’t encounter pansexual characters in this novel. That’s because this author makes The Fake Dating Game a big, warm bath—or pond—of inclusivity. For instance, Holden knows that just because the gameshow host is married to a female supermodel does not necessarily make him straight. Thank you, Timothy Janovsky. That’s the world I want to live in.

Duck: And everything’s so colorful and vivid in this novel, including the attraction between Leo and Holden, which comes together as organically as pondweed dumplings, (which always come together perfectly), but is also gentle, romantic, and deeply human. And at times, unsure. And isn’t that just like early love?

Star: Janovsky is a star dialogist too. I love the interactions—so important in romance. (Between you, my duck, and me, I’m honestly a bit done with stale interactions in romance novels, so The Fake Dating Game scores extra points there, too!) Anyway, I’ve a particularly soft spot for the way Leo speaks. You can hear the distinct voices of these characters, and that really makes them pop on the page.

Duck: Also, can we quack about the sex scenes?

Star: We HAVE to quack about the sex scenes.

Duck: Friends, we’ve left this till the end on purpose, so if you’re not a sex scene person, please stop reading now.

Star: But oh! There’s such yearning between Holden and Leo, and their connection in these sex scenes is scintillating, yet at the same time the descriptions are explicit and down-to-earth, and while these heroes are, for the most part, unafraid of sexual connection, they’re also allowed to play and be spontaneous in the sack. I love the freshness of their bond. That’s not to say that everyone’s confident-as-duck during sex. On the contrary, there are times when these lovers must negotiate sexual boundaries with each other and their very selves, especially when it comes to kinkier aspects of the relationship, like BDSM. For me, that’s beautiful and deep, and ducking enlightened. These sex scenes are sultry, explicit, and emotionally attuned. And by the way, Afterglow, hooray for a queer romance! Because diversity matters a duck of a lot.

Duck: There weren’t any ducks though, were there?

Star: In the sex scenes?

Duck: No, at all! I mean, at the very least, duck visibility was limited. I don’t think I read about one single duck. Then again, The Fake Dating Game isn’t necessarily for a duck audience.

Star: True. There may have been a duck. But I’m not sure where.

Duck: If there was a duck, I missed it. Which is a bit embarrassing. Anyway, silliness aside, a FULL FIVE FLIPPERS for The Fake Dating Game. And for audiobook fans, (check out the audiobook here and below) we also give a HUGE five flippers to audiobook narrator Mark Sanderlin, whose performance was by turns zesty, energetic, exciting, and moving.

Star: Duck yes! Five flippers there, too.

Get The Fake Dating Game by Timothy Janovsky via any of these links:

Harlequin (print book)

Harlequin (e-book)

Harlequin (audiobook)

Amazon (Kindle, print book, and audiobook)

Audible (audiobook)

Apple Books (audiobook)

Barnes & Noble (e-book, print book, audiobook, larger print)

Image by Star Tavares, with book cover courtesy of Harlequin. Duck helped.