Josie Greene has always been a glass half-full kind of girl. But after a messy breakup, she’s broke, betrayed, and barely getting by. Even her trusted tarot cards point to chaos in her future. And they’re right: Axe MacKenzie needs her help.
As part of the tech CEO’s latest covert mission, Axe has been developing a simulator to create any user’s “Perfect Match,” and bubbly Josie is the ideal woman to test his product. When the gorgeous, reclusive billionaire makes her an offer—fake date him so he can launch his groundbreaking AI dating app—Josie’s in no position to refuse.
But Axe’s two worlds collide as the criminal underworld corrupts their experimental fling. What started as steamy role-play quickly spirals into a very real threat, leaving both Josie and Axe no choice but to uncover their well-buried pasts. With her life on the line, Josie will have to trust the man who has created the ultimate virtual illusion—and who might be hiding the most sinister truths of all…
Release Date: Jan 6, 2026
Heat Level: NA
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley
Price: $10.99
Axe is a tech guy who decides to create an AI simulation of the perfect woman. He asks Josie to be the model. She reluctantly agrees to help him. Neither one anticipates the crazy pull they would have towards each other would make the “fake” dates more real.
I really wanted to enjoy this book, but it just didn’t draw me in. After reading almost to the halfway mark, I just decided to call it quits. The characters never pulled me into their story. I didn’t care about the AI character that Axe was trying to create of Josie. It is just not my speed.
I took a day or two to really gather my thoughts and also go back to see what I thought of the author’s previous work. I have to say that I’m not the audience for her. I now know better when selected books to read.
My biggest issue with the story is the lack of romance. Axe and Josie have this physical chemistry that is evident from the very beginning. However, that is all I got from them. I never felt like they fell in love. She is all over the place after a string of bad luck and her tarot cards are saying everything under the sun. She knows she is attracted to him but she pulls back a lot. Then he is not looking for love but she is everything. Yet, it never connected in the way that most romance novels read for me.
While I normally would force myself to continue a story, I don’t want to be dishonest about my feelings. If you like romance that has a lot going on and gives you a hint of darkness, then this is the story for you.
~ Samantha
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