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A review by dinoqueenreads
Pretend for Me by Swati M.H.
3.5
please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: HEA
POV: dual 1st person
spice: several open-door spicy scenes
TWs: alcoholism, addiction, anxiety attack, blackmail, bullying from a parent, cancer, death of a parent, emotional abuse, grief, slut shaming, mild violence
Kinky Content: biting, dirty talk, edging, finger licking good, fingering, grinding, manhandling, masturbation, nipple play, oral, orgasm denial, praise, spanking
standalone: standalone
final thoughts: I’ll be honest… I was very not into this book for the first few chapters but I’m glad I stuck it out. The FMC was way too quirky and it was more cringy than funny but it gets better- not gone and entirely un-cringy- but better. The MMC was really the saving grace of this book for me. he was charming, patient, practical but willing to accept the FMCs eccentricities, and vocal about his wants and needs. I enjoyed not only his character but the way he interacted with the other characters in the book (his friends and family).
This felt like it wasn’t fully a standalone and that I would’ve gotten more out of the book had I known the friend groups from the Elements of Rapture series. There seemed to be so much backstory that I was missing from both characters being background characters in other novels.
read this book if you love
😆 banter
💵 billionaire
🍿 celebrity
🥵 dirty talk
💬 epistolary
💏 fake dating
🏝️ forced proximity
🎁 grand gestures
👦 he falls first and hard
🛏️ “it’s just a fling”
🥰 nicknames
🔀 opposites attract
😜 possessive MMC
🙏 praise
😂 romcom
💓 slowburn
💔 third act breakup
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: HEA
POV: dual 1st person
spice: several open-door spicy scenes
TWs: alcoholism, addiction, anxiety attack, blackmail, bullying from a parent, cancer, death of a parent, emotional abuse, grief, slut shaming, mild violence
Kinky Content: biting, dirty talk, edging, finger licking good, fingering, grinding, manhandling, masturbation, nipple play, oral, orgasm denial, praise, spanking
standalone: standalone
final thoughts: I’ll be honest… I was very not into this book for the first few chapters but I’m glad I stuck it out. The FMC was way too quirky and it was more cringy than funny but it gets better- not gone and entirely un-cringy- but better. The MMC was really the saving grace of this book for me. he was charming, patient, practical but willing to accept the FMCs eccentricities, and vocal about his wants and needs. I enjoyed not only his character but the way he interacted with the other characters in the book (his friends and family).
This felt like it wasn’t fully a standalone and that I would’ve gotten more out of the book had I known the friend groups from the Elements of Rapture series. There seemed to be so much backstory that I was missing from both characters being background characters in other novels.
read this book if you love
😆 banter
💵 billionaire
🍿 celebrity
🥵 dirty talk
💬 epistolary
💏 fake dating
🏝️ forced proximity
🎁 grand gestures
👦 he falls first and hard
🛏️ “it’s just a fling”
🥰 nicknames
🔀 opposites attract
😜 possessive MMC
🙏 praise
😂 romcom
💓 slowburn
💔 third act breakup