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The Do-Over

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Arrogant womanizer Kyle Manchester hates blind dates; however, when best friend, Brad calls in a favor, insisting Kyle take out his girlfriend’s sister, Kyle reluctantly agrees. Attorney Lanie Carmichael’s appearance is no surprise. She is dowdy, awkward, and dressed in so many layers she resembles a wedding cake, but not in an edible way. Her brazen attitude though, astonishes him, especially when she explains she has no interest in gorgeous Kyle. Lanie Carmichael is in love with Brad, and wants Kyle’s assistance in winning his best friend’s heart.

Kyle gradually accepts, justifying that the mystery of Lanie has sparked his natural, thirsty curiosity. As an ambitious journalist, he also can’t resist the Pulitzer worthy scoop she offers him. However, as Lanie sheds more layers, both emotionally and physically, Kyle begins to examine his life choices, and his true feelings for this enigmatic girl. With Kyle’s support, Lanie begins to unravel the secrets of her past, and the deep pain that has quietly defined her life. As they each learn more about themselves and each other, both question how a relationship built on fraudulent lies between two broken people could ever survive.

227 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 7, 2013

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About the author

M.K. Schiller

17 books1,824 followers
Not knowing a word of English, MK Schiller came to America at the age of four from India. Since then, all she’s done is collect words. After receiving the best gift ever from her parents—her very own library card—she began reading everything she could get her greedy hands on. At sixteen, a friend asked her to make up a story featuring the popular bad boy at school. This wasn’t fan fiction…it was friend fiction. From that day on, she’s known she wanted to be a writer. With the goal of making her readers both laugh and cry, MK Schiller has penned more than a dozen books, each one filled with misfit characters overcoming obstacles and finding true love.

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,113 reviews
Profile Image for *J* Too Many Books Too Little Time.
1,921 reviews3,721 followers
October 12, 2013
4.5 Stars!!!

Imagine my surprise when I discovered M.K. Schiller had a new book out?!?!?! It wasn't even on Goodreads....I stumbled upon it on Amazon. And I LOVE LOVE LOVED The Other C-Word!



The Do-Over was like Sex-Ed 101....and as another friend pointed out (thanks Sara)...it also reminded me of the movie 27 Dresses.

The story revolves around 4 characters for the most part--Brad, Kyle (the hero), Lanie (the heroine) and Cassie.

Lanie--28 year old virgin lawyer, hiding behind frumpy clothes.

Cassie--Lanie's younger sister, lives with Lanie, total BITCH.

Brad--a lawyer at the same firm as Lanie, currently dating Cassie

Kyle--Brad's longtime friend

You with me here???

So the story begins with Brad asking Kyle to go on a blind date with Lanie. Brad feels sorry for Lanie....

"She's not bad looking."
"Yeah, well, 'not bad looking' doesn't mean good-looking, and even if it did, that's way below hot."
"She's a nice girl, and she's very intelligent...and articulate...and successful."
"Just the kind of girl I avoid."


Only turns out Lanie has her own motive for agreeing to the blind date with Kyle....she's in love with Brad. And she wants Kyle to help her up her chances with Brad. And so it begins.....Kyle agrees to help Lanie and in the process things start to change between Kyle and Lanie.

Frankly, they were both kidding themselves. IMO they were both hiding behind the original plan of Brad being the ultmate goal. Kyle see's that there's more to Lanie underneath all of the layers. He questions why she hides behind the clothes. It's like Lanie is two different people--one person in her professional life and one in personal life....and why? Good question Kyle...that's what I want to know. What are you hiding Lanie???

My heart seriously broke for Lanie several times…..people were so cruel to her times. I wanted to punch both her mom and sister in the face. Several times. Not to mention several other people too!



And then when I did find out why Lanie hid behind the layers. And why she was a 28 year old virgin. And why she allowed her mom and sister to treat her the way they did!!! I was shocked! And heart broken. And I just wanted to give Lanie a hug!!!

Kyle and Lanie were a ticking time-bomb. In denial about their true feelings. Acting like boyfriend/girlfriend for the sake of the “greater good”—aka Operation Land Brad. I just knew shit was going to hit the fan…..it was just a matter of time. But I didn’t want shit to hit the fan….I wanted Lanie to forget about Brad and ride off in to the sunset with Kyle.

There were a few things that bothered me like Kyle claiming that Yeah right?!?! In what world are you living in Kyle??And the fact that Lanie was able to . That never happens. But as a whole, it didn't really take away from the story.

This was a really interesting and different storyline, which was a definite plus. The Do-Over had M.K. Schiller's trademark humor which I was super excited about. This was also a steamier read than C-Word....also another plus. It was an enjoyable read that kept me interested thoughout the whole book. I was curious to see how it was all going to play out between Kyle, Brad, Cassie and Lanie. Was Lanie going to end up with Kyle or Brad? Where does Cassie fit in?? Bet you want to know don't you????



The ending was priceless! Even though I wanted to junk punch Kyle! I loved it! This was a standalone with a HEA.
Profile Image for Mysza.
478 reviews400 followers
June 23, 2015
I forking loved this book! One of the best romantic, funny books I've read. And Kyle could fork me anytime, just saying...

Real life and work is kicking my butt so this gonna be quick and in gifs.

She was adorable...



He was adorable...



And them together...



So simply...





that I've read this book!.

And to all you my friends who didn't kick my butt to read this earlier...



just kidding, love you all!!!
Profile Image for Pearl Angeli.
652 reviews1,013 followers
July 20, 2017
5 Kyle Manchester Stars!

"You can't plan love; it just happens."


There are so many underrated but great romance books that everyone should pay attention to. This book is one of them. I loved it so much that I found myself smiling, laughing, and totally swooning the entire time I was reading it.

The Do-Over is a friends-with-benefits and friends-to-lovers kind of romance book. It does sound cliché but for me, this is a good kind of cliché because it's not a shallow romance book to begin with.

The story started off when Kyle Machester, a womanizer journalist was asked by his best friend Brad to take his girlfriend's sister Lanie for a date. Lanie is a heroine that is all kinds of awkward when it comes to looks but is an exceedingly smart and confident lawyer. At their first date, Lanie told Kyle that she's in love with Brad, unfortunately Brad is her sister's lover so she can only hope that they'll be together someday, who knows. Lanie and Kyle soon came to a mutual agreement that they're going to pretend to be dating in order for Brad to notice Lanie's desirability. What started off as a platonic pretend-relationship soon became more than that.

What especially made me love this book was Lanie's character development. I loved that she was introduced as an ugly duckling but eventually she slowly bloomed into a very attractive swan. She's also a heroine that is so easy to like because of her inner beauty and brave and smart attitude. And of course, I forking love Kyle! Perfect doesn't even begin to describe this one hot, sweet, and caring book boyfriend. I loved how he took care of Lanie and how he made her feel so beautiful and special. I even loved the way he fought hard against Lanie's bitchy mom and sister. What a perfect man!

There were lots of hilarious scenes and dialogues here that made me LOL like crazy. Kyle's narration is frickin' funny and way too sexy! Apart from the funny side, this book also had a bit of an angst. There were deep and dark secrets that Lanie and Kyle kept from each other which they soon unraveled and that was something that I admired about this book. It's not just about sexual tension but there's depth in the story.

All in all, The Do-Over is another Adult / New Adult book that is now sitting on my favorites shelf. I am such a sucker for these kinds of books! Apparently so. :)

Pearl's Book Journey (1)



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Profile Image for • Lisa •.
562 reviews1,577 followers
February 14, 2014
FIVE FORK ME STARS.

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I got to about a quarter of a way through completing this novel, and thought to myself 'I need to go in search of more books by this author'. What a brilliantly put together story, it was witty, heartfelt, sexy and utterly charming. 'The Do-Over' left me with a smile on my face, a longing for more and an unhealthy addiction to this story. From beginning to end this was a thoroughly gorgeous tale that was begging me to read it right from reading the blurb. I'm excited to discover more books by the obviously talented M K Shilling, but until then here are my 'look-away-now-if-my-gushing-reviews-make-you-nauseous' book thoughts ...

What's it all about?
Lanie Carmichael knows she has work to do, she can be socially awkward, has no idea about fashion and the idea of forming a relationship with the opposite sex leaves her a little clueless. Enter in 'man-whore-with-a-heart' the sexy but arrogant, Kyle Manchester. Kyle and Lanie have been set up on a blind date it comes as a complete surprise when she announces to this playboy that she has no interest in him what-so-ever, she does however, have a plan to fall in love with Kyle's best friend, Brad and she wants him to help her achieve her goals. Kyle eventually accepts the challenge, never saying no to the chance at winning but when they start to become friends and friendship turns into something that could be more, will Lanie and Kyle be able to take a chance on each other to find the perfect ending?

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What did I love?
I love reading, I love that I want to fall in love with books, I love that most of my fellow readers loved this story and finally I think it might be worth mentioning that I completely, absolutely, thoroughly fell in love with this story and all it's fabulously written gorgeousness. 'The do-over' was cheeky and courageous and funny and sweet and emotional and sincere and completely unexpected. Everything about Lanie and Kyle was predictably comforting, their story was equal parts comical and romantic and it even had a 'just about right' amount of added sincerity and emotion to make it a book that made my heart swoon. I loved their friendship and I enjoyed that we were able to get a 'both sides of the coin' look into both characters thoughts and feelings as the story progressed. I laughed out loud at the silly banter, I felt my heart race as they started to fall for one another and I championed this couple right from the start. Everything about this book was terrific I can't recommend it enough to those that enjoy a fun, easy to read romance.

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Final thoughts ...
If you like a friends-to-lovers story that has a loveable twist then you don't want to miss out on MK Schiller's hilarious and equally touching story of finding love in unexpected places. 'The Do-over' was all I wanted and more and I can gladly say that I was given 227 pages worth of pure loved-up enjoyment. Don't take my word for it, go grab it readers. Enjoy, kisses.

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Profile Image for Mo.
1,392 reviews2 followers
September 1, 2016
This is the story of sexy, arrogant, journalist, Kyle Manchester, who has women dropping at his feet at every turn …. And dowdy, awkward, lawyer, Lanie Carmichael. Kyle’s friend, Brad, sets him up for a blind date with Lanie….. I think he wishes he was “blind” when he saw first her….. problem is, Lanie WANTs Brad! And Brad is dating Lanie’s sister ….


He was Mr Fantastic while Kyle was Mr Fucktastic




I don’t want to say much but the banter between these two is great. Lanie dresses in layers, in dull clothing. They begin to “date” to try and catch Brad’s attention…. Well, actually, Brad works with Lanie so they do know each other but she wants more.


Things progress and Kyle starts to feel more for Lanie…. Overall a GREAT, FUNNY read.

HE HAD NEVER LAUGHED SO HARD
AND BEEN SO HARD AT THE SAME TIME


This is another book set in Chicago, yep, I want to go there too ….


There is more to the story than just these two. They both have secrets buried deep and the get to explore each other and share the secrets….

Profile Image for EmBibliophile.
624 reviews1,922 followers
October 17, 2021
4 ‘forking’ stars

This might not be perfect, but it was just so freakin fun and entertaining to read. I mean it was cliché, tropy, and reminded me of those early 20s romcoms movies, but it’s the kind of book that grow on you. I didn’t expect to love it that much, but I freakin did.

I loved Lanie. she was an awesome heroine. She’s quirky, socially awkward, and kinda weird. But I admire her, her brutal honesty, and how she know what she wants. I liked how she wasn’t such a doormat, that she was actually aware with how everyone was treating her, even if she chooses to ignore that.

Also, Kyle was such an interesting character. I was prepared to hate him from the beginning. He was such a jerk, playboy, and rude to sweet Lanie. But oh how I loved watching him slowly fall into her. How he started to see how awesome she is. How he was so protective over her. His character development was so good that I was so into him.

Also, how come that every female character in the book was so annoying?? Like why is everyone treating poor Lanie so badly like that? The book was so enjoyable to read and the dialogues were so freakin entertaining. Those two were just so sweet and i forking love it.
Profile Image for Elise ✘ a.k.a Ryder's Pet ✘.
1,314 reviews3,033 followers
July 31, 2020
Third e-read: 31.07.2020
This book makes me wish for a relationship like this, and I don't even do relationships. I'm 26 years old and I've never been in a relationship. Yes, you read that right, never. And no, I don't do one night stand either; I'm a virgin. Yup, 26 and a virgin. Can I get a live please? This book is just so sweet and cute and funny, and awesome to read when I can't find anything else to read. I like just simply like it.

Second e-read: 10.08.2019
I found myself thinking of this one while re-reading another book, and knew I just had to start this one right after I was done with the other one. There's just something about pretend relationships and friends to lovers themes that pulls me in. This friendship here is just awesome. The characters have a great chemistry and the sex is hot. The book is funny, sweet and charming, and I found myself smiling more times than not. You have to admit that their first meeting was practically god-sent. It's hilarious and rude at the same time. Overall, I do not regret re-reading this one. It awesome, and I want a man like Kyle.
“I’m just freaked out.”
“Because you’re cold?”
“No, because I’m scared of Jason Vorhees and his ax! We’re just asking for it, you know.”
Kyle laughed heartily, then cupped his chin as if deep thought. “Oh yeah, I know that guy. He lives in one of the other cabins. He’s very quiet, but I’ve played hockey with him a few times.”
“Stop!” She slapped him gently on his shoulder. “And now I’m not even a virgin anymore.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Why would that matter?”
She smirked. “Because the virgin always lives.”
He laughed again, wondering how she had the ability to make him laugh so hard and be so hard at the same time. He nuzzled her neck. “Lanie, you have nothing to fear from Jason’s ax, I promise.”
“Why, because you’ll protect me, Captain Kyle?”
“Hell no. I’ll be showing you just how fast I can run,” Kyle said.
“Nice. So why am I not supposed to be afraid of Jason’s axe?”
“Because he carries a machete, baby.”
This time they both laughed.


⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱*Still so adorable*⋰⋱⋰⋱⋰⋱

Re-read: 24.04.2018
I just love how every time they met Kyle finds new things about Lanie, it becomes her best feature. It's adorable and it's a great way for the readers to see the man slowly fall in love with the woman. The first 50% of the book is just plain awesome. Everyone who hasn't read this book should. Especially those of you who are romantic to the heart and in the need of a funny, sweet and adorable story. Overall, it was nice to meet the arrogant womanizer and journalist (for Tribune), Kyle Manchester (29) and attorney Delaney ‘Lanie’ Carmichael (28) again. They are great characters who everyone should met.
New Rating: 3.5

“No worries there. You’re definitely not the hero in my story.”
Kyle turned and stared at her until she met his gaze. “I’m not the hero in anyone’s story.”
“Then I guess we have an understanding.” The statement should have brought him great relief, but it did just the opposite, filling him with a sense of anxiety, and he didn’t know why. “We do.” Although he couldn’t identify his jumbled feelings, one thing was for certain. Lanie kept him off balance, but not in an uncomfortable way. She wasn’t just different…she was special. Kyle had no desire to be the hero, but he felt drawn to the story of her and had an incredible craving to be a supportive character at least.

Other characters:
Brad Jansen (29), Kyle's longtime friend and a lawyer at the same firm as Lanie. Lanie also have a crush on said lawyer.
Cassie Miller, Lanie's sister who she lives with and Brad's girlfriend. A bitch to the core and quite verbally abusive.
Ellen Miller, Lanie's mother. A horrible mother; like mother like daughter (Cassie).
Rachael, Kyle's sister. And her twins, ‘double trouble; Thing One and Thing Two’, Jake and Joey.

“Fork you, Kyle," she said and took a bite of her duck, chewing it with deliberate slowness.
"Fork yourself, Lanie," he replied, irritated by her rant.
She got quiet for a minute, swallowed, and then said barely above a whisper, "I tried but it didn't work. That's why I have you.”


First read review:
“You’re definitely not the hero in my story.”
“I’m not the hero in anyone’s story.”

What an adorable, funny read! It was awesome, and the characters were great. Not Lanie family though. Hated them. Lanie and Kyle on the other hand...loved them. Specially Kyle. I loved how Kyle was with Lanie, how he made her feel beautiful. For those who read this book, and didn't fall for Kyle; you have no heart. He was amazing.
“I’ve got news for you, buster. She is beautiful,” Rachael said with some admonishment.
Kyle looked straight into his sister’s eyes, the same color as his, and said quietly, almost painfully, “I know that, Rachael, but she doesn’t.”

Quick basic facts:
Genre: - Contemporary Romance
Series: - Stand Alone
Love triangle? -
Cheating? -
HEA? -
Favorite character? - Kyle Manchester.
Would I read more by this author/or in this series? - Yes, I do believe so.
Would I recommend this book/series? - Yes. Specially if you are looking for a sweet, easy and funny book.
Will I read this again in the future? - Actually, I think I might.
Rating - 4 stars.
Profile Image for Lana ❇✾DG Romance❇✾.
2,190 reviews13.4k followers
February 18, 2014
5 Forking Laugh Out Loud Stars

I'm not into set ups. You know that."
"Lanie is very nice. She's an attorney too and works at my firm. She's very successful."
"Yep, and I bet she wears granny panties."
"You're disgusting. Do you know how offensive you are?"
"Offensive? To grandmas?"
"She's not bad looking."
"Yeah, well, 'not bad looking' doesn't mean good-looking, and even if it did, that's way below hot."

That quote there? I was pretty much sold into the story the second I read that. 3% in, and I knew this was going to be a book that I was going to simply love.

If you like romantic comedy type stories with an endearingly quirky heroine, an sexy asshole player hero, lots of laugh out loud moments, and even more steam then this is a must read.

And if you like the whole player finally meets his match trope, then this book is definitely for you. Ladies, meet Kyle

Kyle is not the relationship kind. He's not even a more than one night kind. He's cocky, successful, and his looks guarantee him not lacking for women. When his friend asks him to go on a date with his girlfriend's sister, he's not exactly thrilled but he reluctantly agrees.

Much to his dismay Lanie is everything he thought she would be...and yet also not. She's frumpy looking, hides behind shapeless layers of clothing, and brash...
I'm in love with Brad."
"What?"
"Yes, I love Brad, and you're Brad's best friend. Or at least a close friend, and I thought maybe you could help me."
"Does the loony bin know you've escaped or should we call them?"

Lanie is a successful attorney, but she's completely hopeless in the love department. She would ask her sister, but unfrotunately she hasn't lucked out in the family department. Talk about your cunty women, her sister was one. A HUGE one.

Oh and she also happens to be dating Brad. But Lanie knows her sister, and knows it won't be long before her sister cheats. But she's not vindictive or malicious. She wants Brad to love her for who she is, without forcing his hand, she just needs a little help. This is where Kyle comes in.

Although Kyle is not exactly thrilled with the idea, eventually he agrees since the mystery behind Lanie and who she really is intrigues him too much.
He felt sorry for Lanie, but he had no idea why. She was the kind of girl he did everything to avoid. She was mousy but arrogant about some things, like her work. She didn't care about her appearance, to the point where she accepted she was unattractive She had low self-esteem but confidence too. An air of sorrow surrounded her, but she had a great sense of humor despite that. She was a total paradox, a puzzle that Kyle wanted to solve or at least understand

What starts out as simple advice somehow turns into something much more where Kyle decides that the perfect plan is to pretend to be Lanie's boyfriend.

But what happens when fake slowly starts getting real?


I adored this book. The writing, the characters, everything. It was fun, and sexy, and even emotional. As Lanie's layers are slowly revealed, Kyle can't help but fall more and more for this quirky girl who is also an incredibly refreshing breath of air from any other woman he's known. Lanie was such an endearing heroine. You simply can't help but love her. She may be shy and awkward when it comes to people and relationships, but she also has this layer of strength and has a good head on her shoulders.

Kyle was utterly delicious. And you know what they say? The bigger they are, the harder they fall. And I loved watching Kyle fall more and more. The banter between them was hilarious too.
Guess what else I Googled? she replied, running her lips down his chest."
"Oh God, I love the Internet," Kyle whispered.
"I know...so...informative."

I forking loved it! I could go on with the quotes, but you really must read this book and experience it yourself.

I have found me another auto-buy author to watch out for. A huge huge rec from this girl! Read it, you wont be able to help but fall in love with this book and the characters like I did.

For more reviews visit

Profile Image for Phuong ✯.
674 reviews8,205 followers
March 31, 2021
✩⡱ original rating May 2020: 4.25 stars
✩⡱ 1st re-read March 2021: 4.5 stars

I decided on a whim to re-read a certain scene in this book, but ended up re-reading the whole book . It was the dumbest thing I could have done, because I had exactly 5 hours of sleep instead of the 7+ hours I should have for my exam today. So just for that I'm bumping the rating up a little and because I still love this book despite all its flaws. ✨

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
** original review **

Oh my god, The Do-Over was such a cliché book. Name any overused trope and this book had it.

– playboy manwhore ✓
– awkward inexperience heroine ✓
– fake dating ✓
– unrequited love ✓
– evil self-centered sibling ✓
– tragic past ✓

but it was so good and just worked. I loved it.

Kyle and Lanie were absolutely adorable together! I really didn't expect this book to be so angsty, but they literally punched me in my feels. There is no better angst than one of the main characters "in love" with someone while fake dating the h/H and slowing falling in slow with them. Uhhh.. the pain is so good.

I'm head over heels in love with the heroine Lanie Carmichael. Even though she is this socially awkward and inexperienced woman that I usually don't really go for, she has this other side where she's such a strong badass who doesn't take shit from anyone (okay she take shit from her awful family but she has her reasons and is self-aware of that!). Lanie is still confident in her own way cause she knows she is a kickass lawyer. Kyle summed it perfectly when he said that Lanie is special because she is sweet but strong, innocent but wise, loyal and dedicated.

To be honest I wasn't the biggest fan of Kyle Manchester at the beginning. Kyle was checking out other women when he first meet Lanie and was downright rude to her. He tells her that she is not prettiest girl (EW. JERK!!), he thinks she's a psycho for being secretly in love with his best friend. He was freaking rude and mean. But there was nothing more satisfying to watch than seeing the manwhore Kyle falling in love with Lanie even though he told her to not fall in love with him. BITCH, THAT'S KARMA! Nothing gave me more joy than Kyle getting all jealous when Lanie mentioned Brad (his best friend whom she is in love with). His character development was on point. Once Lanie and Kyle started fake dating, boy, he was committed to the cause! Kyle was so sweet and selfless. He did not just take Lanie's heart but mine as well (yes this line was totally corny but it's on par with some of the corny lines in this book and I don't even care 😂)
“Sometimes, life fucks up your plans. Sometimes, that the bet thing that can happen to a person. There are so many things I wish I could change about our past, Lanie. But the one thing I know for sure is that meeting you in that sports bar that night was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

The plot is non-existence. It completely focuses on the characters and I don't care cause Kyle and Lanie were just so cute. They had so many heart warming scenes together. They were so soft and domesticated. Watching movies, eating ice cream, making corny star trek references. Kyle always kissing the tip of all of Lanie's fingers 🥺🥺🥺 please protect them at all costs.
Profile Image for ♡Karlyn P♡.
604 reviews1,264 followers
August 10, 2016

4.5* FORKing Hot & Hilarious Stars!!

BEST. BOOK. I. HAVE. READ. IN. MONTHS.

I always love a story about a nerdy gal landing the hot guy, but how Lanie goes about landing Kyle in The Do-Over was down right hilarious and hot. I am now a big fan of this author!



Lanie is a brilliant but frumpy 28 y/o lawyer who has spent her life focused on building her career, and now she wants to focus on falling in love. She has a BIG secret crush on her co-worker Brad, and she knows they could be perfect together. The only problem is her super-sexy (but oh so bitchy!) sister Cassie is dating him, and he barely notices her!

Kyle is a super hot journalist who is hell bent on winning the Pulitzer one day, and who enjoys a carefree single lifestyle having lots of casual sex with hot women without all the fuss of a relationship. But when his best friend Brad calls in a favor and enlists him to have a pity date with his girlfriend's sister Lanie, he is backed into a corner and can't refuse.

Kyle


This is the start of a hilarious game of deception where Kyle decides to help Lanie win Brad by 'fake dating' her. Kyle wants Brad to break free of the bitchy two-timing sister Cassie, and despite his first impression of Lanie being a complete psycho, she rattles him and he finds her a fun challenge. Their plan to make Brad notice her could work, if only she wasn't so dumpy and frumpy! How about a little help, huh??

Lanie


The romance between Kyle and Lanie was super hot! WHEW! Their game of deception turns into a game of self-denial as the 'fake dating' routine turns into true friendship and more. I loved how Kyle went from thinking Lanie a complete psycho to something he couldn't let go of. And the dialogue between these two was awesome!



This book was more than just a fun romance comedy with a great deal of steam, it is also had great bit of depth to these characters. We learn more about their family lives and everything that shaped them into the people they now are. Lanie's story of why she was so un-noticeable and reserve blew me away, and made me really get who she was. Kyle had his own demons, and I enjoyed the way he slowly had to deal with them.

If I had any niggles it is the lack of an epilogue, which is because I didn't want to let these characters go. I wanted to know how life went on for them, what happened to Brad and Cassie, and everything else about their well deserved HEA. Otherwise, this book was pure fun which I highly recommend. I will definitely read more by this author, I am a big fan now.

If you are fans of Emma Chase's Tangled, or RL Mathewson's Neighbors From Hell series, I think you will especially enjoy this one.
Profile Image for Katerina.
796 reviews307 followers
July 5, 2017
I was going to rate this 3 stars but swapped for 1 because of that piece of shit ending with no grovelling.

#MAJORSPOILERS# aka me vomiting the plot of the story.

Read the blurb of the book guys, it gives you a clearer picture.

Something about the way this story touched on such vivid emotional abuse left me empathetic. The heroine was a quality-ridden strong character. She's a recluse, in equal measure with her assertiveness, kind, and witty, yet a completely socially stunted insecure individual leaving her a 28 y/o virgin. I admired Laine: her strength, her profession (lawyer), her observation skills.

My experience of this entire book was equal parts horrible and sweet.

But the hero completely ruined it for me. He was a prick.

The hero's natural physical reaction to the heroine was repulsion. There was no initial attraction. For a 1/3 of the book, Kyle, our resident fuckboy continues to sleep with other women (implied and told, not showed).
*
He winced when he saw the tall, frumpy woman looking around the room.
*
He was pleased to find he could stare at Lanie and still make out the blonde’s glorious backside from this position
*
He was a sex addict, but he was always honest with the girls he slept with, and he thought himself a decent friend.
*
“You make the average librarian look like a runway model.”


Fuckboy I can handle. Sex addict I cannot.

The heroine likes Brad, her juvenile older sister's boyfriend. She wants to be more desirable and asks for Kyle's help in exchange for a favour which will change the trajectory of his journalism career. Kyle agrees, and begins to see glimpses of the heroine's heart of gold and self deprecating manner.

She was realistic about her unattractiveness, but the matter-of-fact way she debased herself drew on his sympathies.

One of the ways they build her "desirability" is by pretending to be a couple because the first step is make yourself look "unavailable".

The thought of dating her was so strange. He wondered what his friends or previous lovers would think of them together. They would laugh their asses off and think Kyle was playing a practical joke.
*
“The blonde, Candace or Connie or whatever her name was, had screamed his name over and over when her legs were wrapped around his neck later that night. Kyle didn’t say her name back though. He couldn’t remember it, even when they were in the throes of passion. He was only thinking of the Pulitzer, the most coveted prize in journalism, and…Lanie. How could she be so perceptive about him, yet so stupid when it came to her own life?"
*
“And he didn’t feel an ounce of guilt for eyeing all the luscious girls in the bar.”


Still, I didn't mind. They were hoovering in this weird realm of friendship and intrigue. Suddenly we start to learn their intricacies and pasts. Things get deeper. They become closer, and he proposes a friend's with benefits non-exclusive relationship so that he "teach her" how to be with Brad.

Every time her insecurities heightened, he complimented her, and through indirect discourse - we know he truly believes she's beautiful, but that's because his perception is changing. His earlier comments stuck with me. He saw her as ugly, but now reveals his fixation with one favourite trait at a time:

>Her shapely long feminine legs
>Small soft hands
>Soft spurned magongany hair with natural gold highlights
>Full lips
>Perfectly shaped white teeth
>Flawless complexion
>Beautiful hazel eyes
>Pert breasts

What wasn't mentioned was her nose , eyebrows and ears (not that author's necessarily mention them). And suddenly I got thinking, how in the world can this girl be unattractive when she's being described in this way. Her own sister calls her a "2/10".

Then as he realises he's falling for the girl who is into someone else, he takes her virginity, and knows they need to end. Yet it is she who calls it because she wants something real, and treasures their friendship. He has a job opportunity else where, and suddenly just hit her in all the places it hurts, like everyone else and I thought that just put him on level with every other vile negative person in her life. It was a dichotomy between hard hitting truths, and small declarations:
*
You’re infatuated with a guy who’s fucking your sister in the next room every night. It’s sick, don’t you think?”
*
He spun her around. “A few girls have been in here, but no one has spent the night. You’re special that way.”
*
“Lanie, I haven’t been with anyone else since we had sex.” It was lie. In fact, he hadn’t been with anyone since they had made their agreement, but he didn’t want to tell her that.
*
Kyle winced, remembering what he’d said to her about daddy issues the night he walked out. All he wanted to do was take her pain away, not add to it.


The thing is I could have forgiven him for all of that. They had brilliant chemistry and conversation, but then he behaves so cruelly before dropping her and going to New York for his new job.

“Kyle sat on her couch while she straddled him, running her lips across his neck. He couldn’t reciprocate. He felt sick. This girl smelled like cheap perfume and cheaper wine. She didn’t smell sweet and delicious like Lanie did. She wasn’t sweet or delicious in any way. Kyle pulled her off his lap.”


For me this was cheating. I didn't mind the first 1/3 where we know he's screwing other girls because he and she didn't care for each other. He goes to New York and is miserable for 3 months, but allowing this was cheating. He was her only ffs, and the dynamic is something that never makes me feel good.

“You’ve never cheated on Lanie, right?”
“No, never, but it’s not that simple. Our relationship was founded in dishonesty.”


He returns to win her back, and this is where I drew the line. No fucking grovelling. She takes him back within a few hours. He never tried hard enough to win her back. A little resistance, and kapow she caves.

Then I remembered one of the first scenes in the entire book. He thinks he's gods gift to man with his fucking chipped tooth. See a dentist asshole and take a hike.

“I love the way you handle the neck of the bottle,” he complimented her, displaying a sly smile that showed off his chipped tooth, a feature many women said made them wet on sight.”
Profile Image for Jess-i-ca .
796 reviews777 followers
October 22, 2013
4 Funny Stars

You have frumpy, 28-year old virgin lawyer, Lanie.



You have hot journalist, playboy Kyle.



You have Lanie's awful wench of a sister, Cassie.



And you have Cassie's boyfriend Brad, who is also Kyle's friend, Lanie's co-worker and love interest.



Lanie thinks Brad would be the perfect life partner for her. They have similar goals and work together and he is her ideal man.

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Unfortunately Brad is dating mega bitch, moocher Cassie. Lanie knows a break-up is inevitable since Cassie is a serial cheater so she wants to be prepared for Brad when that happens. When Brad sets up his friend Kyle on a date with Lanie, she decides to enlist his help on "Operation get Brad." The problem is Lanie is boring and not feminine at all.

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I absolutely loathed Cassie. Someone needed to tell her

DUMB photo yrg_zps82279eff.gif

But unfortunately her mom blew her head up and made her think she was top shit for selling cosmetics. The whole book I wanted Lanie to punch her in the twat and tell her

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There was quite a bit of humor that came along the way of her trying to get with Brad. A few sad parts and a few small annoyances that caused eye rolls and WTF's...

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but for the most part a cute, nice read.

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Profile Image for Catarina.
896 reviews2,236 followers
February 17, 2014
4 Sweet Stars
Lanie is a lawyer with some image issues, thanks to her sister and mother, and she’s completely dedicated to her work, but no so much herself.
Kyle is a journalist and a ladies-man. He’s charismatic, successful, extremely good looking and he knows it and uses it to his advantage.
He is the best-friend of Brad, the guy Lanie’s in love with… and that is currently dating her sister.
So they make a deal: They will pretend to date and meanwhile Kyle will help her improve her image and be more confident of herself in order to make Brad notice her and in return she will give him the exclusive of a very important story.
That implicates they’ll have to spend a lot together and well, you know where this is going.

description

This was a sweet and funny book. I loved the banter between the main characters and this book completely hooked me on, despite having minor quibbles.
One of those great books for when you need a light and fluffy reading.

description

Rating: 4 stars.
Storyline: Very predictable but equally enjoyable. I loved how it wasn’t insta-love and how they developed a friendship before it grew into something more. What I didn’t like, although was Lanie’s image change. I got the message, I did. She stayed genuine to herself but more confident and with more self-esteem. But why did she had to change at all?
Writing Style: Third person, dual POV. Funny and additive writing.
Character Development: Both of them were great characters and impossible not to love. A little broken, indeed, but it was nice to read how they worked their problems around it. I loved Kyle and Lanie’s interaction and I would have really loved an epilogue. Brad was “meh”, I don’t understand the initial infatuation of Lanie with him. Cassie, her sister, was, putting it mildly, a total bitch. And that’s it.
Steam: Some real hot moments.
HEA:
Profile Image for Mirjana **DTR - Down to Read**.
1,454 reviews792 followers
August 13, 2020

***5 Stars***

Sooooo, basically...





I'm not going to go into any type of detail about anything....I'm just going to give you the emotion that pretty much sums up my thoughts on this book. So here you have it...

That feeling when you finish watching a movie, a romantic comedy would suit this book the best, and immediately go buy the DVD so that you can add it to your collection because you know you're going to watch it over and over again. But also know that when you're flipping thru the channels on any given day, if it's on, you're going to watch it.....EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

This book is TOTALLY that movie for me.

Profile Image for  A. .
1,163 reviews4,967 followers
August 10, 2020
3.75 Stars

Here's the thing: had I read this book back in 2013, I would have probably rated it 5 stars. I wouldn't have complained about the cliché plot or about the hero's disgusting man-whoring tendecies.



Or about old maid virgins.



On the contrary, I would have probably gushed about how this was one of my favorite books and I would have praised the author how good she was at slow burn. No, really, the way falling in love is portrayed and experienced in this book is exquisite. Yum. And I would have emphasized over and over again how awesome the heroine was.

But life is not fair and it's 2020 now. Unfortunately, I've read about a thousand stories like this in the meantime and the fact that this author was one of the first to write this type of stories, sadly, does not influence the enjoyment of the book.

But hey, 4 stars is still a very high rating, which means this book is good. If you like that type of stories.
Profile Image for Jennifer Kyle.
2,519 reviews5,358 followers
February 10, 2014
What a funny, sexy, enjoyable, light read!

[image error]

M.K. Schiller delivered a well paced story that has the right ingredients to bring smiles to readers’ faces!!

It starts with a set up...

"She's not bad looking."
"Yeah, well, 'not bad looking' doesn't mean good-looking, and even if it did, that's way below hot."
"She's a nice girl, and she's very intelligent...and articulate...and successful."
"Just the kind of girl I avoid."


Then a switch up…

”I’m in love with Brad.”

Kyle agrees to help Lanie win Brad (her sister's boyfriend) in exchange for a huge career opportunity. All the while there is terrific humor, several horrible women and one blossoming relationship.

”By the way, 1980 called and wants its shoulder pads back.”

I LOVED how Kyle slowly started to see Lanie’s best feature and how believable their feelings for one another felt.

”She was more than pretty or beautiful or sexy. Lanie Carmichael was breathtaking.”

Profile Image for Wendy'sThoughts.
2,669 reviews3,278 followers
April 16, 2021
4 Totally Enjoyable Trans-formative Stars
* * * * Spoiler Free
I love my GR feed... yes, I said it. I love seeing all of the books and personal comments from my friends and their friends updating my page. My page is a window to so many things... trends in the types of books that are hot... information that I value about what they are reading and wonderfully entertaining reviews.... some of which are on the scale of any blockbuster playing on the silver screen. I have learned who has similar tastes to mine and also have been pushed out of my comfort zone time and time again by other friends with welcomed results.


This book, though, was a no-brainer for me... in that once I saw it fly by... from Allison, Lisa Jayne, Mo, and many more...I tracked it down and dove right in.

This was such an easy read... it sailed along and if you were of the mind frame to just go for it.... it took you to a happy place.

It was a combination of Cinderella with a horrible, evil Stepmother and sister; it had parts Pygmalion/My Fair Lady with many other elements thrown in. This was not a class warfare issue, it was something altogether different.

We meet Lanie, Cassie, Brad, and Kyle.

Lanie, our main interest in this tale is an extremely accomplished attorney. She knows she is good, has a keen sense of human nature, uses it to her advantage, and has successfully negotiated hundreds of cases with incredible results with never stepping into a courtroom. She is cloaked though in bland.... she dresses to be ignored with layer upon layer as her armor against prying eyes and the world. She has been driven for most of her life to make something of her career-wise causing her to have zero social/dating skills. Where she has the confidence to come up with an agenda to claim the one man she loves...having relaxed social interaction outside or work cause serious self-doubt.

Kyle is the player, handsome with dark hair, stunning green eyes, and charm for days...he is an accomplished journalist with the Chicago Tribune, goes about his work, and has women eying him at every encounter... whether the bar, club, or dry cleaners...and he partakes, he makes sure all are on board with Casual... he usually will have to drop them after 3 dates as that is when these playmates get a little starry-eyed and start talking about doing things in the future...Nope... not gonna happen.

Brad is the object of Lanie's desire. He is part of her firm, two years behind her on the partner track. He is the for all intents and purposes a Dudley Do-Right in everyone's eyes... handsome, friendly, would-help-an-old-lady-across-the-street kind. It is a closely guarded secret; he has some very ugly skeletons in his closet. His best friend is Kyle... and Brad needs Kyle's assistance... he needs Kyle to take Lanie out on a date so he can have alone time with Cassie, Lanie's half-sister.

Cassie... is a piece of work. She is self-absorbed, selfish, and downright nasty/mean. She is freeloading off Lanie... staying in her place since being thrown out of the love nest she was in with her married lover. It seems he didn't appreciate her doing other workouts with her trainer ... the kind that didn't use any equipment except the one between his legs...Cassie has her hooks into Brad with her blond hair, big chest, and tiny waist... and Brad needs Kyle to take Lanie out for an evening.

Kyle agrees only because Brad had a marker he was holding over Kyle's head. Lannie meets with Brad at a sports bar; proceeds to shock the hell out of him because she is not shy of self-effacing like described... She comes across as confident... she nails all of the things Brad is doing... like scoping out a chick at the bar and watching the Bears game while talking to her.

Because Lanie doesn't care about Kyle being into her....she has her own game plan... she wants Kyle to help her learn all about Brad... her true love. She knows her sister's track record... know she will leave him for another and when she does... Lanie wants to ready for Brad. she dangles a once in a lifetime interview get for his cooperation on project Brad. The interview is too good to pass up... Lanie has Kyle on her team and we are off and running.

We go through all of the stages of this plan. We see how Lanie blossoms under Kyle's care and in turn how Kyle becomes more aware of Lanie and all of her strength and beauty. Kyle also gets a first-hand vision of the past hurts Lanie must have endured by her family. He sees how they talk to her, treat her and how she lets it take place.

The author gave us glimpses of how people cope and adapt... some valiantly like Lanie... others cruelly like her half-sister Cassie and mother. The man also had their own issues and we were treated to their reckoning and learning, too.

It was a very fast read for me and although it reminded me of another book I had read last year... I was fine with this specific story. There were additions that made this different and totally satisfying.

So thank you my GR Friends... I have now met M.L.Schiller and will look for more tasty tidbits in the future.

For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
Profile Image for * Meli Mel *.
856 reviews675 followers
June 3, 2014


♥♥♥ 4.5 "I forking LOVED it!!" stars ♥♥♥



●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●

"I'm in love with Brad."
"What?"
"Yes, I love Brad, and you're Brad's best friend. Or at least a close friend, and I thought maybe you could help me."

"...Then I guess we have an understanding."
"We do."
●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●

Just from the blurb alone, I knew I would really enjoy this book. I'm glad to say that this book didn't disappoint me...at all. I loved it!!





The story starts off with the womanizing journalist Kyle Manchester, having a few drinks with his best friend Brad. Kyle is a total player. He doesn't do serious relationships. He is quite successful in his career and likes the way things are going. Things change for him when Brad asks him to take out his girlfriend's sister for one date. Brad's girlfriend, Cassie, has a sister that is also his co worker and fellow lawyer, Lanie. Lanie isn't the most gorgeous woman ever, but she is very hardworking and a great person. Kyle is very reluctant to go on this date, but he finally agrees.

●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●

"I'm not like most girls, Kyle. I know what I want," Lanie answered simply.

"That's for sure. In fact, I'd say you're not like any other girl I've ever met, and just so we're clear, that's a compliment."

●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●

My first reaction to Kyle was that he was a big asshole. But, that only made things more interesting for me because I couldn't wait to see how he would grow by the end of the book. I loved how shocked and intrigued he was by Lanie. I was rubbing my hands in anticipation for what was to come. You see, Kyle had no idea that Lanie wanted to meet with him because she wanted his help. She's been in love with Brad since they met, unfortunately her evil sister Cassie had to ruin things for her. After an awkward yet entertaining conversation, that leaves Kyle wanting to know Lanie a bit more, he agrees to her scheme. He soon comes up with the idea of them being a fake couple in order to get Brad to notice her.



Lanie is a strong, independent woman who works hard for what she wants. She is kind hearted, quirky, and successful. But I will admit, I did cringe a bit at how self deprecating she could be. It really saddened me how she believed she could never attract anyone because of all the hurtful things said to her by all the women in her life, including Cassie and her mom. But, she was also really endearing to me. The fun chemistry between Lanie and Kyle had me hooked. I would giggle like a school girl, and smile like a dork at the both of them. It was just awesome. I loved seeing her shed the layers figuratively and literally. I liked how confident she became just being herself as the makeover continued.

●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●

'She deserved someone who put her on a pedestal.'

●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●

This whole story really called to my hopeless romantic self. I laughed at all the funny banter. I loved the mounting tension and feelings that these characters shared. I loved how it was written, the pace in which everything took place, and I loved the hero and heroine, both. I think all of us women have our Lanie moments where we put ourselves down, so you can really relate to her. I loved seeing their friendship bloom into more. My heart melted and swooned at Kyle's sweetness towards Lanie. They were just so perfect for each other that you couldn't help but root for them to end up together.



●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●

"Miss Lanie, you are the hero in my story..."

"...And even with all the do-overs you've had, you're my hero too."

●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●

Overall, I loved the crap out of this. It was a heartwarming romantic comedy with some good emotional moments. It also had some hot steam and silly funny moments. I loved Kyle so much...he was quite yummy, even if he was a jerk at times. I loved seeing him fall for Lanie, and the jealousy...LOVED it!! He went through one hell of a makeover while Lanie learned how to shine. It was awesome and can't stop saying how much I really enjoyed this one. You should read this one for yourself.

Profile Image for KatLynne.
547 reviews590 followers
August 13, 2016
4.5 Fantastic, Fun Stars!

Humor and steam are two of my favorite combinations and this book delivers! It's very well written and the mixture of passion, romance, tenderness and laughter is served up in spades.

Lanie Carmichael is an intelligent, young attorney whose appearance can only be described as frumpy. Her outdated, mismatched, baggy apparel leaves much to be desired and while her outer shell may have you thinking mousy as well as uninteresting, looks can be deceiving. As the physical layers that blanket her body are removed, her story slowly reveals one of the most adorable heroines I’ve read. She’s smart, compassionate, and I love her wisdom as well as her innocence.

Kyle Manchester is an intelligent, successful journalist with his eye on the Pulitzer. He’s also a charmer and has the looks and killer body that leaves women swooning. He easily defines the term Player, and has no plans for a committed relationship. When his friend Brad calls in a favor, Kyle reluctantly agrees to a blind date with Brad’s girlfriend’s sister.

Kyle’s not surprised by the drab, unattractive woman he first meets but is shocked by her boldness and her quick disclosure that she’s not in the least interested in him. One of the best things about this story is watching this arrogant, lovable man fall!

... “I enjoy your stories, but I didn’t want to meet you to impress you, sexually or otherwise. I sure as hell didn’t come here to flatter your inflated ego, If that’s what you’re thinking.” ...

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Lanie loves Brad, she knows his relationship with her sister is short lived and for the first time in her life she wants to be appealing and ready if and when Brad shows an interest. In exchange for Kyle’s help, she’ll hand over a story that will ensure his candidacy for his much desired prize.

Lanie is a total paradox and Kyle quickly finds himself wanting to understand this complex, intriguing character. The unearthing brings both pleasure and heartache as well as surprises.

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M.K. Schiller is a new to me author and with her production of this clever, poignant, steamy read she now has a new fan. As Lanie sheds both her inner and outer layers the secrets from her past reveal the utter pain that has defined her choices. This journey into Lanie’s makeover also brings freedom to Kyle from his emotional baggage. The only quibble I had was I wished for an epilogue. Do-Over has much to offer its readers in this fun, sexy read and the delivery is captivating. Highly recommend.

You don’t love someone for their looks or their clothes or their fancy car but because they sing a song only you can hear…..Oscar Wilde

A big Thank You to my friend KarLyn who led me to this fabulous read. I’ve provided a link to her wonderful review as she clearly states the attributes much better than I...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Profile Image for Dilek VT.
1,545 reviews1,562 followers
December 26, 2020
Plot: The hero enters her life as a fake boyfriend but things get real soon.

Characters: Virgin heroine - playboy hero. There is some real depth to each character and why they are the way they are.

Writing: Third person point of view, omniscient.

Safety: No cheating, no one after they met.

Recommendation: It is between 2-2,5 stars for me. It is not bad but still not good enough.
August 20, 2016
Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos

Lanie is a very successful lawyer, living in Chicago and supporting her nasty sister. Lanie is a wallflower at best...she disguises herself underneath layers of unfashionable clothing, wears no-making...nothing alluring about her. Her sister, on the other hand, is tall, blonde and dates every successful man around...namely Brad, Lanie's business associate and secret love interest. Cassie treats Lanie like garbage and Lanie takes it. If anything will drive you crazy in this book, it's Lanie's ability to take all the criticism and bullying from people and keep going forward.

Kyle is a hot, successful journalist and total man-whore. When his best friend Brad asks him to take out poor Lanie on a date, he's quick to turn him down. He doesn't do or need fix-ups. The girl is surely single for a reason...but he concedes to one date. He owes Brad the favor.



"I'm not into set ups. You know that."
"Lanie's very nice. She's an attorney too and works at my firm. She's very successful."
"Yep, and I bet she wears granny panties."
"You're disgusting. Do you know how offensive you are?"
"Offensive? To grandmas?" Kyle asked with a wicked grin.
....."She's not bad looking."
"Yeah, well bad looking doesn't mean good looking, and even if it did, that's way below hot."




This part of the book was my FAVORITE. When Kyle sets eyes on frumpy Lanie, the show is on! Their banter was the epic! He's not especially nice to her and Lanie dishes it back like the best of them. Lanie has a proposition for the man-whore. Ya see, she's in love with Brad and wants to gain his attention. All she wants from Kyle is the inside scoop of how to get it. In return, she will hook him up with a story, a current case she's working on, that'll put him in line for the next Pulitzer. Kyle isn't quick to take the offer, he's got loyalty to Brad...but we're talking Pulitzer here!

So the book is basically a fantastic day to day story of Kyle and Lanie's fake courtship to gain Brad's attention. It quickly grows to a best friend scenario and Kyle is perfect for Lanie's social inadequacies and fashion faux-pas.



"By the way, 1980 called and wants it's shoulder pads back."



Just a really cute love story...a friends to lovers sort of thing. It has some steam, great humor, and endearing characters.



"Do you know what blue balls are?"
"I can't say I'm familiar with the terminology."
"Well, maybe you should Google it. It's a serious condition, and I believe you're the only cure."




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This book is what chick flicks are made from! Totally. The story needs to be brought to the big screen. Until we had a true description of Lanie, I had Melissa McCarthy and Bradley Cooper stuck in my head.



Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos


I highly recommend it for those looking for a cute, light read.


Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos
Profile Image for Sophie's Reading Corner .
878 reviews397 followers
November 30, 2014
★ 4 Forking Stars ★



This was such a light, fun read! Exactly what I needed at the moment! :)

The story reminded me a lot of the movie 27 Dresses ! Brad is Kyle's best friend and asks him as a favor to go out on a date with his girlfriend's sister, Lannie. Kyle is the typical selfish, manwhore, avoiding commitment and having only one night stand with girls, so he doesn't want to accept, but Brad makes him accept in the end.

Kyle meets Lannie and he is surprised by her personality. She doesn't act in the way he thought she would do and not only that, but she asks for his help. Lannie is in love with Brad and asks from Kyle to help her win his heart. But Lannie doesn't want to steal Cassie's boyfriend, she just knows that this relationship won't last and wants Brad to notice her when he'll be available again. So she offers a clever business deal for Kyle in order to help her.



Kyle considers the offer and eventually he accepts. He suggests to her that they should pretend to be a couple. But what happens when fake starts getting blurred and turning into real?

I really enjoyed this book! It was so much fun! I loved their banter, I loved Lannie's personality, how she wasn't the Barbie edition, but a real tomboy. She didn't care to look nice, she loved watching sports, she loved fast cars etc. Kyle was also amazing. I loved how he seemed to slowly change around her, without really realizing it.



This is the perfect book if you need something light, sexy & funny.
Profile Image for Giorgia Reads.
1,330 reviews2,021 followers
February 23, 2020
2.75 stars I guess.. I really can’t decide..

This is a weird one to review. It mean, it definitely had it’s good moments, some lines of dialog were pretty kick-ass and the heroine was likeable, smart and a lot of other good stuff.

Now the problem is with plot holes, inconsistencies of character, oh and there’s the little issue with the author forgetting the male mc’s last name(dude, that’s like the number one rule in writing: remember your characters names- Manchester vs Masterson ... I later concluded she did indeed settle on Manchester)

Back the the point I was making: considering all the things I just mentioned, it’s safe to say this didn’t impress me much, but the reason I’m writing about it is because I genuinely liked the inquisitive dialog and sometimes I would read a chapter and it would be so good I would think why couldn’t the author just keep that up, just why...

Basically I felt this had so much potential but the author didn’t really know how to piece things together to make sense for everyone.. she’s a good writer as in she can definitely produce some good lines but she’s not that good of a storyteller.
770 reviews133 followers
April 7, 2014
1.5 Nothing New Stars

Why, why do I torture myself ??

description

I read these raving reviews and then I'm like maybe I should give this a try, but as usual I am left disappointed .

description

There was nothing wrong with this book , don't get me wrong . The problem is it seems like the book was a mix of a lot of books and given that the book was released in October 2013 , which is pretty recent , I can't even say that other books were released with a similar concept after it .

There were some different elements but they were not enough for me to ignore the similarities . And the fact remains that the other books were much better

Let me give you a list [which I seem to be doing in a lot of reviews now days],

Playboy hero description
yeah, the most original idea there ever is #NoteSarcasm
Virgin heroine description
Oh come on ! Seriously ?
Damaged pasts description
*rolling eyes* of course , how can there be a story without it
Getting in a sort of friends with benefits relationship description
Hero finding the heroine different description
how much exactly does it hurt when you hit your head on the wall ??
Hero immediately changing his playboy ways description
ok in the defense of the book , it was well executed as compared to other books , but it was still there .
Heroine realizing she doesn't like the guy she is after all that much and has developed feelings for the hero description
ya think ?
Feeling something is wrong with them too as they have the same genes as their destructive parents description
Did you not go to school ? Such things are NOT hereditary.
Breaking things up due to...well what do you think ? Of course because they were not good for each other !! description
-_-
They come to their senses after a talk with their parents description
Where obviously they find eternal peace as FINALLY realize they are not the same as their parents ...about time
And then they get their happily ever after description
I'm not spoiling anything , everyone's knows it .

There were some redeeming qualities to the book to due to which I gave it 1.5 star . I liked the heroine , she was strong , independent and knew how to take care of herself . thank God , I didn't have to add damsel in distress to the list

So ...if you haven't been put off the book by now , go ahead and give it a read .



Profile Image for Didi.
865 reviews285 followers
January 29, 2014
4 STARS OR 8/10!!

I'm really beginning to think MK Schiller is fast becoming one of my go-to authors! This is the second book I've read by her and I loved it. This reminded me of an ugly duckling turned swan story. But Lanie was never an ugly duckling. She did hide behind layers of clothes and bulky glasses, hiding herself behind layers meant to discourage any admirers.

But Lanie needed help. She needed Kyle's help in scoring favour with his best friend and boyfriend to Lanie's sister, Cassie. But Brad only has eyes for Cassie and although he works with Lanie at a prestigious law firm, he never sees past her layers. This was such a great story! Kyle was completely against helping Lanie but she dangled a golden carrot in front of him....still...he wouldn't budge. But he did offer some pointers, ways to make her more appealing. So what began as a lesson in seduction soon turned into a life changing relationship!

Kyle was a man-whore and it was so sweet to see him shed his whoristic ways but deny it all at the same time. He would often make excuses to see Lanie, try and justify his actions, but it was very apparent his mind hadn't quite caught up to his heart. He treated Lanie like gold and gave her the ability to let go of her own insecurities.
Lanie was such a sweet heroine. She blossomed under Kyle's touch and became the woman she was meant to be. There came a point that feelings could no longer be denied and my heart broke for Lanie with how Kyle treated her. What was so frustrating was that Kyle was hurting too but too dumb and in denial to see it.

I loved the last third of this book so much! It was beautiful, fulfilling and perfect. Lanie's mom and Cassie were such bitches! So many scenes I wanted to throttle them! Especially Cassie! That girl had it coming and it was sweet when it came. This book was the perfect combination of romance, humour, and angst. It flowed effortlessly and kept me turning the pages, loved it!
Definitely reading more of this author!
Profile Image for Amanda.
1,392 reviews325 followers
May 7, 2015
OMG! This was one the the best romantic comedy I have read in a long while. It was funny, sexy, the dialog was smart and witty. Kyle was so swoon-worthy!!! Sweetest pretend-boyfriend ever!!

I love Lanie. This frumpy 28 year old virgin was an oddball, but she was seriously smart. She was a lawyer after all. She had never been interested in love life until she had a crush on her colleague, Brad. Too bad he was in love with her bitch of a sister, Cassie. Cassie was the epitome of a bombshell and Lanie was a total opposite.

When Brad found out Lanie was a fan of Kyle's work, he decided to set them up for a date.

Kyle was an ambitious journalist and a womanizer. He balked at the idea of a set up date with an unknown woman, but unable to extricate himself from Brad's persistence.

It turns out that Kyle was completely caught off guard by Lanie's weird behavior that didn't conform to the majority of the female population or maybe just the women he used to hang out with. When Lanie confessed that she was in love with Brad and needed his help, he thought she was a psychotic stalker. He needed to warn his friend.

But Lanie tried to sweeten the deal with him. A once in a lifetime career opportunity that might just land him a Pulitzer!

"Because this story is the road to the Pulitzer, something you covet very badly. I'm willing to bet that just the idea of this story is making you harder than the blonde at the bar."

Okay, now we are talking. Kyle was totally eating it up, but he do have some morale himself despite his debauchery. He don't believe in manipulation or cheating or breaking up other people. So he decided to help make Lanie to be more feminine and desirable in Brad's eye.

"Just show a little skin once in a while. You look like a member of a freaking Mormon cult or something. We live in Chicago, not Baghdad."

Although this was told in dual POV, it was majority in Kyle's POV. He was the kind of hero who think less of himself and had a little hero complex going on. I like the way he stood up for Lanie and gave her confidence. He genuinely like her even when she was all frumpy and unattractive. The friendship they have was amazing and make me wish I have my own Kyle who will feed me hot fudge ice cream.

Later on, when Kyle decided to kick up a notch in his plan by acting as Lanie's pretend boyfriend to make Brad jealous, I totally swoon over. The things he did just make me feeling all mushy inside. Before long, Kyle subconsciously falling for Lanie and the feeling of unrequited love from Kyle's part was a little sad. Poor Kyle.

"Kyle had no desire to be the hero, but he felt drawn to the story of her and had an incredible craving to be a supportive character at least."

Okay, back to the fun part. I thought the comedic value in this book was awesome. Beside the smart conversation and witty dialog, one of the funniest moment ever,

"To make sure it all works. As you friend, I'm willing to make the sacrifice and conduct initial trials."

Yeah, you might just have to read the story to know what Kyle was referring to.

As with everything that I rated 5 star, there was definitely some hot panty melting sex.

"Oh, baby, please do that to me now, please, please, please, please... not the biting part, but everything else, okay?"

I missed Lanie's POV from the second half onwards, I'm dying to know what she think of Kyle's weird behavior and at which point did her affection change from Brad to Kyle. I want to know!

Recommended for everyone who loves sexy romantic comedy with a smart heroine and a truly lovable hero that make you laugh and swoon at the same time.
Profile Image for Rozberry🍓.
292 reviews134 followers
July 21, 2022
reread — 7/21/22

4.5 “Captain Kyle + Miss Lanie” stars


Now I’m still not excusing his early behavior at the start, but I’m upping my rating just a bit. Going in the second time around, knowing the full arc of how much Kyle develops as a person (as he’s unexpectedly falling for Lanie) throughout the entire book made the opening chapters more palatable for me.

original read — 4/6/21

4.25 “Jason Vorhees-ed” stars
😂

The Do-Over was unquestionably not without flaws. It’s quite off-putting in the opening couple of chapters. Everyone went a few big steps beyond brutal honesty with Lanie in the beginning, even the hero, Kyle. That said, initially, Lanie read every bit as weird as Kyle thought tbh. Nonetheless, it’s still unjustifiable not to exercise basic decency. Albeit far less significant, but with the age of this book, I’m surprised the error referring to the hero by a completely incorrect last name is still in there. The virgin/ugly duckling trope is definitely not a trope I gravitate to, yet after the rough start, I was so invested that I got to the point I didn’t care. Lanie’s rationale makes some sense.

All things considered, it was a beautiful thing to see Lanie unsuspectingly gradually bring Kyle to his knees...ego & all, as he fell for her piece by piece. Really it was rather cute his subconscious was on a scavenger hunt of sorts gradually cataloging his new favorite feature of hers as he started to truly see Lanie - inside & out. Honestly, Kyle began as such an utterly convincing asshat that by the halfway point I was beginning to wonder what kind of sorcery was this as he became utterly adorkable 🤨...& sexy, caring, etc.

Though not beginning so severely problematic, Lanie went from a basic cliché, all stiff, wooden & kinda cringy to a heroine of flesh & bone - an intelligent, feisty & witty woman full of heart. With everything she’s been through in her past & all the misdirected contempt(it’s emotional abuse tbh) aimed at her by her own mother & sister(Cassie), - although I differ in opinion in keeping that behavior in her life as long as she did - it’s incredible how Lanie was able to compartmentalized & not let it destroy her completely. When everything did finally come to a head in her relationship with her sister, Lanie’s final moment with Cassie was such a kickass full circle comeback.

I nearly stood on my bed & clapped, but the ceiling fan was on, so I quickly concluded better not 😉.

I had never heard of this book before Phuong’s recent re-read & I read her review. I’m happy I found it this way & discovered quite a few other friends had read it & enjoyed it too. Otherwise had I not with the way the first few chapters were written, I probably dnfed early on & missed out on a pretty entertaining book(even with its flaws & all). So thank you all for your reviews ☺️.

Trigger Warnings:
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