Thanks to NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

tl;dr
Romance and mystery are mostly balanced (with romance pulling into the lead just a bit), in a very satisfying story with two likable leads.

About
Eva Caldwell has worked hard to make a name for herself as a photographer, and her skill has not gone unnoticed - she's even called upon to photograph crime scenes when the need arises. The work is good, and the company, a certain Detective Nathan Winston, is even better. So when Detective Winston asks her to pose as his beloved for a week, she's thrilled. But a criminal from one of Nathan's past cases has arrived seeking revenge, and Eva isn't sure what's more difficult - solving the case, or keeping her true affections for Nathan in hiding.

Thoughts
I love a fake romance trope, and I love a romance where the characters are honest with each other. I know these sound like opposing ideas, but Nancy Campbell Allen has somehow managed to make both of these ideas come to the table in an extremely satisfying way. The two leads are very easy to cheer for. Eva is smart, complex, and empathetic. Nathan is thoughtful, clever, and modest. The two of them feel SO very meant for each other, and their chemistry feels very natural.

Supporting cast are all interesting, with Sammy being an easy favorite. I often approach books about "strong female lead" types with trepidation, because they so often fall into the "not like other girls" trope as well. I am pleased that this is not the case here, with several women of varying natures and distinct personalities. There are definitely a couple catty types, but they are presented as an outlier. Nathan's mother, in particular, is a delight.

The mystery unfolds at a quick pace, and I absolutely ate it up. This is definitely more a read-along mystery, rather than a solve-along, but the reveal felt like it was reasonably hinted at, and the twists all made sense.

This book is a spinoff of another one. While the previous book isn't necessary reading, newcomers do have a little bit of catching up to do, and the first few chapters are packed with a lot of information to be learned in a short amount of time. Once you catch up, though, it's very smooth reading from there. I had a great time, and I will definitely be seeking out the author's other works.