The Best Worst Fake Out
(2026)(The first book in the Happily Ever Hockey series)
A novel by Ellie Hall
My fake boyfriend is the best one I’ve ever had. That’s either a red flag or green. Meanwhile, I thought I’d raised the white one when it came to relationships.
I fled to Cobbiton to hit the reset button—not to go viral as the new girlfriend of a hockey player who showed up to grab a plate of nachos and meet someone else entirely. But that’s Hockeyland for you. People in small towns do not redact, delete, or listen to reason.
It turns out that Ben Brewer needs a plus-one before his mother makes her grand entrance. I want my family to stop treating me like a cautionary tale. By the time we run out of guacamole, we make a fake dating deal. Falling in love isn''t even on the menu—we both canceled our reservations. This arrangement is temporary. Pretend. Foolproof.
Except for one tiny glitch.
The lines blur. The rules are bent.
Ben looks at me like he sees the capable and lovable woman I’d forgotten I could be. I begin to envision a life together. Then my ex rolls into town demanding a cut of the bon bon empire he didn’t believe I’d build, an entire hockey team declares that I’m their living, breathing good-luck charm, and every breakup we script is postponed—right up until Ben and I are accidentally, legally married.
What’s the worst that can happen when the best fake relationship turns into non-refundable feelings and the realest thing we’ve ever had?
From USA Today bestselling author Ellie Hall, get ready for all the sweet and swoony fake dating, accidental marriage, hockey-team hilarity, and small-town shenanigans in this clean, no spice, closed door hockey romantic comedy.
Tropes include:
•Fake relationship
•Accidental marriage
•Secretly bookish
•Bon bon business
•Hockey romance
•Small-town quirks
•Found family
•Kisses only
Genre: Romance
I fled to Cobbiton to hit the reset button—not to go viral as the new girlfriend of a hockey player who showed up to grab a plate of nachos and meet someone else entirely. But that’s Hockeyland for you. People in small towns do not redact, delete, or listen to reason.
It turns out that Ben Brewer needs a plus-one before his mother makes her grand entrance. I want my family to stop treating me like a cautionary tale. By the time we run out of guacamole, we make a fake dating deal. Falling in love isn''t even on the menu—we both canceled our reservations. This arrangement is temporary. Pretend. Foolproof.
Except for one tiny glitch.
The lines blur. The rules are bent.
Ben looks at me like he sees the capable and lovable woman I’d forgotten I could be. I begin to envision a life together. Then my ex rolls into town demanding a cut of the bon bon empire he didn’t believe I’d build, an entire hockey team declares that I’m their living, breathing good-luck charm, and every breakup we script is postponed—right up until Ben and I are accidentally, legally married.
What’s the worst that can happen when the best fake relationship turns into non-refundable feelings and the realest thing we’ve ever had?
From USA Today bestselling author Ellie Hall, get ready for all the sweet and swoony fake dating, accidental marriage, hockey-team hilarity, and small-town shenanigans in this clean, no spice, closed door hockey romantic comedy.
Tropes include:
•Fake relationship
•Accidental marriage
•Secretly bookish
•Bon bon business
•Hockey romance
•Small-town quirks
•Found family
•Kisses only
Genre: Romance