Fauxmance in the Falls

Devon Falls: A Small Town MM Romance Series, Book 1

By: J.E. Birk

Narrated by: Avery Wilde, Colt Carter

I'm here to destroy this town. How did I end up in a fake relationship with its hero?

I've spent my life proving to my grandpa and dad that I'm more than just the Lewis family mistake. So when Grandpa sends me to Devon Falls, VT to take some ridiculous leaf festival to court, I head straight there and get to work.

But Dr. Jack Lancer keeps getting in my way.

He's everywhere. Helping me out with my migraines, making me dinner, insisting people be nice to me even though I’m the enemy. Who is this guy? The next thing I know I'm pretending to be Jack's boyfriend to get him out of a bind. I swear he's putting kindness pills in my food or something.

Jack thinks he can fix me the same way he fixes everyone else. But I'm not broken. This podunk town will be when I'm done with it, though. And Jack? Well, he's about to learn the meaning of the term "collateral damage." Because I'll do anything to win this case and end this festival.

Even if it means losing something that feels an awful lot like love.

Fauxmance in the Falls is an age-gap romance featuring a small town full of quirks, a grumpy lawyer and a charming physician, a fake relationship gone wild, some inappropriate use of a doctor’s office, and a healthy mix of humor and angst. It stars Benson Lewis, who first appeared in the book Counterpoint.

©2023 Maple Mountains Press (P)2026 Pink Flamingo Productions

Small town mystery

This was good, I enjoyed listening to it and the narrators were so good! They kept me hooked into the story and what was going to happen next!

It Started with a Festival

I so like Benson Lewis and want to surround him in bubble wrap to be protected from the people with whom he shares DNA. Especially his grandfather. That man! Grrr....

As for Dr. Jack Lancer, I am a fan of his general attitude towards most things. The issues with his in-laws and what happened with his ex do bring out his insecurities. I love how Benson is a good balance for that.

While Benson's father attempts to redeem himself, tissues are required for that scene, it's disappointing and heartbreaking that a parent would treat their child like that. I may not be perfect, but my children are secure in the knowledge that they are loved. Sorry, that apparently touched a nerve.

I read along with the audio book. The narrators, Colt Carter and Avery Wilde, are so easy to listen to. I do wish they were in duet and pronounced "Henri" the same way, but I otherwise enjoyed this. 🎧🧡🎧

Story: 4 stars
Narration: 4 stars
Listening Speed: 1.8x

Better than the first time

I love when audiobooks make you feel like you’re reading a story for the first time. There’s just something so magical about two narrators bringing a story to life in such a way that you feel like you’ve never read it before.

There’s so much I loved about this book. I’ll start by saying how much character development both MCs went through. Jack needed to see how his way of wanting to fix everything and everyone was hurting those he cared about. He never took the time to see that he was pushing them away instead of bringing them closer.

Benson needed to learn to accept he didn’t need his family’s approval for him to be valuable. He was already an amazing person that was perfect just the way he was. Wanting to impress a family that only belittle him and judged him by his education didn’t deserve his loyalty or respect.

The fact that Benson offered to be Jack’s fake boyfriend just so he could help his nephew despite their not so friendly relationship, shows how big of a heart he had. He didn’t want Elijah to suffer the same way he did as a child by taking away the one thing that made him happy.

Ultimately, Benson realized that he didn’t need his family’s approval to see his own worth. There were countless others who did and that was more than enough. Having Jack’s love and support meant more than anything he could have ever dreamed of.

Jack was a fixer by nature and trying to dial it back, especially when it came to Benson was nearly impossible. He was gone for him the minute he laid eyes on the prickly lawyer who made his heart skip in a way it never skipped before. But it was that particular trait that almost lost him his chance with Benson.

Having to admit that he in fact was a fixer wasn’t easy for Jack. For him that was his love language but he wanted Benson to know he didn’t need fixing. He wanted to show him he wanted all of him in every aspect. And letting him make his own decisions and mistakes was the best way to show him how much he loved him.

𝑯𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒊𝒔. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒆𝒄𝒉𝒐 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒊𝒎𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒊𝒕 𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒎, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒆 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒅, 𝒂 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒑 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒘𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅-𝒘𝒐𝒏 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.

love the town

I love a good sweet cutesy book and this was exactly that with a little bit of mystery and drama added in. Benson has definitely been through alot with his family so I can see why he is the way he is. I love seeing him get his HEA. I absolutely loved Jack, he has his own issues, but the way he is so sweet to want to take care of everyone he loves. Definitely recommend this book especially the audio as the narrators did a great job.

Book 1 - Devon Falls

This is book 1 in Birk's Devon Falls series. A great start to a new series that can be read / listened to easily as a standalone. A MM romance with main characters being small town doctor Jack Lancer and big city attorney Benson Lewis. Ben is sent to the little town of Devon Falls to stop their annual fall festival and take the land from the town but meets the handsome Dr Jack. Both of these men have their own pasts that make being vulnerable difficult. Ben's been an outsider with his family his whole life and Jack's marriage failed, and it's taken a toll on him not understanding what went wrong. While the town tries to make Ben out to be the enemy, he gradually grows on them and they, in turn grow on him. Brik delivers the sweet and steam as well as suspense, danger, healing and hope along with a beautiful HEA. The narration was beautifully done. What turned into a faux / fake became oh, so much more!

This book was given to me for free at my request and I voluntarily provided this review.