Fauxmance in the Falls is the first book in the Devon Falls series by J.E. Birk, an author I first became aware of through her books in the multi-authored Vino and Veritas series. Fauxmance is set in small-town Vermont and features all the things you’d expect from the trope – quirky townsfolk who know everyone and everyone’s business, and the grumpy out-of-towner who is gradually won over and falls in love with the town as well as with one of the locals. I’m not usually the biggest fan of small-town romances, but this one worked for me; the premise is a bit stereotypical but the two leads are engaging and three-dimensional, there’s a strong secondary cast and the book isn’t as cloyingly sweet as some of the other small-town romances I’ve read.

Benson Lewis has been something of an outsider all his life. The result of a one-night stand, his mother dumped him on his father’s doorstep when he was a baby, and as Linus Lewis was was about to go off to Harvard Law, baby Benson lived with his stern grandfather and was brought up by a succession of nannies until he was old enough to be sent away to school. When his dad got married and had twins, Benson’s stepmother, Sarah, was always welcoming and tried to include him in their lives, but Benson knew the four of them were a real family – one he could never be part of. Benson has spent most of his life searching for love and acceptance, trying to live up to his tyrannical grandfather’s expectations, to show him and his father that he’s more than the Lewis Family Mistake – and now that his grandfather (who owns a very prestigious law firm) has entrusted him with a very particular job, Benson jumps at the opportunity to prove his worth.

This job is resolving a land dispute in the small Vermont town of Devon Falls. The large plot just outside town was bequeathed to the community a hundred years ago and has been used for the Devon Falls Leaf Festival ever since; but now, a long-lost descendant of the family who originally owned the land has come forward to dispute its ownership, and should his claim prove successful, it will mean the end of a century of tradition.

Doctor Jack Lancer returned home to Devon Falls after his divorce, unable to shake off the feelings of failure and guilt that continue to dog him. He’s now in general practice, and currently has his ex-wife’s fourteen-year-old nephew, Elijah, living with him while his dad is away on deployment. Elijah is a very talented musician but isn’t particularly academic, and Jack’s in-laws are constantly on at him about the boy’s falling grades, and keep pushing for Elijah to go to live with them in Florida until his dad returns. Jack knows they blame him for the break up of his marriage to their daughter – and now they’re blaming him for what they see as Elijah’s failures, too, so much so, that he can’t help a niggle of doubt creeping in that maybe he is failing him somehow.

Jack and Benson bumped into each other on the day Benson arrived, but even though there’s an attraction there, neither thinks anything can come of it – Benson isn’t going to be sticking around and anyway, he’s the Bad Guy, out to destroy a part of Devon Falls’ unique heritage, and everyone is supposed to hate him for it. But Jack just can’t do it. Benson is easy on the eye, sure, but Jack is drawn to him for more than his looks, sensing there’s more to him than the tough, abrasive exterior he presents to the world and wanting to find out what that might be. The chance to do that comes a few days later when, at the weekly market, Jack is ambushed by Elijah’s grandparents, who start – again – complaning that Elijah’s grades are slipping, that Jack shouldn’t allow him to spend so much time playing his guitar, that Jack doesn’t have the skills to take proper care of Elijah because he has no-one to support him. Benson can’t help noticing similarities between Elijah and his younger self, a kid who didn’t excel academically, loved music and was told he had to give it up to focus on more ‘important’ subjects. Before he really knows what he’s doing, Benson blurts out that he and Jack are a couple, and that he’s more than happy to help out with Elijah.

Thus, the titular fauxmance is born. Benson really does help Elijah with his schoolwork and the two of them bond over their musical tastes and love of the guitar (Benson used to play but hasn’t in years), and as Jack and Benson spend time together – for appearance’s sake, of course – they begin to realise that what they’re starting to feel for each other isn’t fake at all. Benson is falling for Jack and for Devon Falls and the people there, who, despite the fact he’s supposed to be the villain of the piece, are warming to him, too. It doesn’t take Benson very long to realise that there’s something distinctly fishy about the situation he’s been sent there to resolve – and once he works it out, he’s got some big decisions to make. Does he follow orders and kill off an important part of Devon Falls (together with turning a blind eye to something really dodgy) or does he turn his back on everything he’s ever wanted – a place in the family and the family firm, recognition and acceptance from his father and grandfather – by doing what he knows to be right?

Benson and Jack are complex, likeable characters with relatable strengths and weaknesses. and issues to deal with. Benson’s tough outer shell is clearly hiding someone who has been hurt so often that he has almost learned to expect it. His grandfather is overbearing and treats him like shit, and I’ll admit there were times I wanted to shake Benson and tell him to grow a pair! But as we get to know him, it becomes easy to understand why he’s put up with that treatment for so long, and how badly the lack of anyone in his life who is really on his side has made him yearn for belonging and acceptance. Jack is a decent, down-to-earth guy who wants nothing more than to do the best for everyone around him, and, perhaps not surprisingly considering his profession, he’s one of life’s fixers. The trouble is though, that he’s often so intent on fixing things that he fails to truly listen to what the other person wants, and I really liked the subtle way this aspect of Jack’s character is explored. The obstacles Jack and Benson have to overcome feel real and mature, and kudos to the author for coming up with a third-act crisis that actually makes sense in terms of who these people are and doesn’t feel at all contrived.

What does feel contrived however, is the turn into clichéd TV movie territory taken by the storyline about the disputed land near the end, which is why I knocked my final grade down from a B+ to a B.

Apart from that, I enjoyed Fauxmance in the Falls – more than I’d expected to, actually. Benson and Jack have strong chemistry and their relationship is well developed and well written; I enjoyed Benson’s relationship with Elijah, and despite Jack’s tendency to bulldoze, I appreciated his desire to care for Benson and that, in him, Benson at long last had someone in his life who would put him first. This is definitely one for fans of small-town romances, sexy doctors and hard-nuts with a soft centre, and I’ll be looking out for the next in the series.