One of my friends—she’s an absolute disaster when it comes to lying—recently tried to bluff her way through a dinner party by pretending she’d read a book she absolutely had not. She made it four minutes before cracking. I’ve been thinking about her constantly while reading Cover Story, a novel about a woman who has to maintain a fake relationship while investigating one of the biggest stories of her career. Unlike my friend, Bel is very, very good at the performance. The results are considerably more entertaining.
Plot Summary
Cover Story: A Novel by Mhairi McFarlane is a contemporary romantic comedy set in Manchester. Bel is an investigative journalist at a national newspaper who’s close to breaking a major story: a powerful politician is abusing his position and using blackmail to cover it up. She’s working her way in through a socialite contact—until her new colleague Connor, the office intern she can’t stand, accidentally walks in on her undercover operation. Now she has to pull him into her cover as her devoted boyfriend. The only problem? Their “relationship” starts to feel less fake by the day. This is a standalone novel from the author of Last Night and If I Never Met You.
Why I Love This Book
I love how Cover Story manages to be both a page-turning investigation and a pitch-perfect romance. Mhairi McFarlane’s signature wit is all over this book—the banter between Bel and Connor is absolutely electric, and the slow burn of their fake relationship turning real is handled with real patience and skill. I also love that the investigative thread has actual stakes; it’s not just window dressing. The villain is genuinely detestable, and watching Bel take him down while also trying not to fall for Connor is genuinely thrilling. Secondary characters are sharp, funny, and memorable.
Who Will Like This Book
If you love contemporary romance with fake dating, enemies-to-lovers tension, and a storyline that goes beyond the romance, Cover Story is exactly what you need. McFarlane fans will feel right at home. It’s witty without being fluffy, and it earns its happy ending. There are some dark themes beneath the rom-com surface—corruption, harassment, and abuse of power—but they’re handled with purpose and never feel gratuitous.
⚠️ Trigger warning: sexual harassment, abuse of power, stalking (ex), emotional abuse, explicit content (mild), workplace misconduct.
Tagged As
contemporary romance, romcom, fake dating, enemies to lovers, investigative journalist, workplace, slow burn, British romance, witty banter, standalone, HEA, Mhairi McFarlane
Steam Level
🌶️🌶️🌶️ Moderate
There is some mild open-door content, but this isn’t a spicy read. The chemistry builds slowly and the heat is tasteful—it’s the emotional tension that will really get your heart racing.
