
Fake Empire
Pub Date: 23 June 2022
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Panda Rating:
(3.5 pandas)
📖 SYNOPSIS
There’s rich.
Then there’s the Ellsworth family. The Kensingtons. American royalty.
Money buys power, and power always has a price. The fear of those who already possess both? Losing it. The best way to ensure keeping it? Alliances. And elites don’t marry down—they marry equal.
For Scarlett Ellsworth and Crew Kensington, that leaves one option: each other. Accepting that inevitability is very different from embracing it. That’s the only thing they agree upon.
It was meant to be a union for better and for business.
Instead, it challenges everything Scarlett and Crew thought they knew about themselves, their families, and most of all…each other.


TL;DR: I wasn’t really sure what to expect when I picked this up but I was pleasantly surprised by it! This was a really ‘good time’ read—it was well-written and well-paced, the romance started off deliciously angsty and the tension built up so nicely.
I loved how Scarlett and Crew were both so alpha and bosses in their own right. It was great to see how they slowly came to realise what they’ve always hoped for when it comes to marriage in their cut-throat billionaire world, is actually something they can have together. It was so satisfying seeing them get to know each other and let their barriers down because they were so perfectly suited for each other!
What I particularly liked about this romance was that they’re both from the 1% world where pretty much everyone is fake and hates or loves you for how much money you have. I also loved that they’re basically *the* power couple everyone wants to be and both were extremely hardworking and successful in their own right. It’s clear from the beginning that there’s curiosity and even mild crushing on both their parts but they both believe that the other accepts this ‘marriage of convenience’ because their families say so. Scarlett was definitely the more prickly and hard-to-win-over of the two and her walls took much longer to break down. Having witnessed her father’s disrespect and disregard for her mother and herself all her life, Scarlett expects that all marriages in their world work out the same way including her marriage to Crew. She’s an ice queen but such a boss and although I wanted to shake her sometimes I loved her passion and drive to prove she’s more than the spoiled princess everyone assumes she is. Then there’s Crew, who gave her exactly what she needed. He’s the glue that holds his dysfunctional family together and while he’s that boss no one messes around with, he’s got the softest, sweetest heart when it comes to Scarlett and their marriage. I love a simp hero and this man was all in with her from the beginning!
They had a lot to work through and it wasn’t smooth sailing at all but I loved that they did work on their communication and were upfront with how much they wanted to try with each other. My heart melted for them both when they realised that they both wanted their marriage to be different and to succeed. Ngl, the way Crew supported Scarlett had me melting at times! Plus, as their chemistry gets stronger, the tension that built up gave us some pretty hot and steamy scenes! 🔥 They complemented each other so well and had such a great connection and I loved it.

Have you read Fake Empire or is it on your TBR?

This is one I’ve seen (probably mostly on your blog) and I’ve been curious about it. I loved reading your review. It is definitely going to be one I read!
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I think I picked this up cos I saw Sil reading it on Twitter and I was like Ooh, that sounds… Possibly good! 🤔 It won’t be for everyone but surprisingly worked for me! I hope you enjoy it if you give it a try.
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Sounds like the setup for one of the primetime soaps (Like Dallas, Dynasty, Falcon Crest) where we watch rich people’s drama play out.
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I haven’t watched any of these shows but I do remember catching glimpses of Dynasty (similarly, The Bold and the Beautiful) when I was growing up cos I think mum watched it, but it definitely does give those vibes 😂
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The Bold and the Beautiful was a day time soap. It was on every day vs being the prime time soaps only being on once a week. No season streaming when I was young.
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