I love this series but the first two books in this series were way better! I just didn’t connect with these characters as much. ( )

4.9 stars

This book might be the best that I have read by this author. She writes with such intricate thought. Instead of writing a pretend girlfriend to shoe the ex you are over them, she instead takes that sub genre and flips it in a totally different way. I was expecting the tried and true way because I'm a sucker for those. However, this was soooooo much better. Her characters have depth. You learn all their idiosyncrasies and can get a better feel on the characters mind and how they are feeling. This is especially true with it being told in dual POV. As a reader I really appreciate that.

Leighton. This woman is fiery.i love that she is devoted to her best friend but keeps her true feelings hidden while she is there for him to heal from a bitter break-up. She was the personification of unrequited love. Something pretty much any person can relate to at least once in their lives.

Ryan. Good Lawd this man is swoon worthy. It's always hard to see the writing on the wall, so to speak, and in his case he couldn't see how a heartbreaking end was holding him back from the very thing he wanted. It was refreshing to see him vacillating in his feelings for Leighton instead of instant love.

Together these two had chemistry that was off the charts. It wasn't fast. It wasn't easy. It had angst. It made you smile, and your heart ache.

This series of standalones is fantastic. This one is my favorite so far though. Under il Dean. I can already tell that's going to be my favorite since he is my favorite character.
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Crystal Kaswell examines romance from all angles and finds humor in the tragic, hope in the hopeless and redemption in love. She humanizes the love genre without fictionalizing the romance. Pretend You're Mine begins with a lie and quickly becomes an irresistible reality. With fresh eyes and an open heart, she keeps me in love, with love. ( )

REVIEW: There are several things that make this book special. The damaged characters are so well depicted. The sexy scenes sizzle with dirty talk. The comradery between the guys in the tattoo shop is fun and sometimes profound. For Leighton and Ryan to jeopardize their strong friendship while pretending to be lovers seems like the ultimate test. “You said the only thing worse than being his best friend and not his everything is being his nothing.” Well worth reading. This is my voluntary review of an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

DESCRIPTION, NOT REVIEW: I'm pretending I'm in love with my best friend. What could possibly go wrong?
Leighton is my best friend. My subordinate.
My girlfriend.
That's the story we're selling. To our co-workers. To our friends. To everyone who's anticipating the breakdown of the year at my ex's wedding.
It's a terrible idea. This ruse is going to f*ck sh*t up. Losing her is out of the question.
Touching her is all kinds of wrong.
And right deep in my bones.
Then Leighton slides her hands into my hair and presses her berry lips to mine.
And all that wrong fades to right.
I stop pretending.
I forget about the woman who broke my heart. I forget about our rules. I forget I'll be lost without her.
I kiss her back like I'll never get enough.
I won't. But I can't risk losing my best friend.
Even if she's the woman who might finally unlock my heart. ( )