Playing Pretend by Eden Summers is live!
A fun, flirty best-friends-to-lovers story that is full of chemistry and bursting with sexual tension
Amazon
Blurb
One bed. Two best friends. Three nights playing pretend.
When I agreed to let Rome be my fake boyfriend on a work trip, I didn’t think acting like a couple would be that complicated.
He’d flash his killer smile at my colleagues.
Impress them with his charm.
While keeping my toxic ex at bay.
But that’s not the reality I’m currently drowning in.
From the moment we arrive at the resort Rome’s hands are all over me.
His whispered words in my ear more scandalously filthy than sweet.
He’s acting like a lust-drunk fool who’s dying for a taste and I can’t stop blushing… Or panicking… Because there’s only one bed in our hotel room and Rome Cavanaugh wouldn’t know how to sleep in anything other than his birthday suit.
Review
3.5 stars!
A fun, flirty best-friends-to-lovers story that is full of chemistry and bursting with sexual tension, this is my first book by Eden Summers, and it’s an enjoyable – though slightly angsty – read.
Piper is heading off to a work retreat, and needs a buffer from her stalkery-ex-boyfriend. When her (and her brother’s) best friend, Rome, volunteers to be her fake boyfriend for the trip, she’s initially hesitant, given that he’s a complete ladies man, and she’s been in love with him for as long as she can remember. But when Rome dangles a job opportunity in front of her if she can withstand the pressure of the trip, she’s all in.
Rome has wanted Piper for a long time. There’s a six year age gap between them, so he’s kept his distance until they were both age-appropriate, but now they’re both in their 20s and he figures this is finally his chance to get his hands on her in the way he’s been dreaming of. Plus, he has her brother’s blessing to pursue her romantically, so it’s all systems go to change their relationship forever.
It’s a fun set-up, and I saw so on board as Rome takes the opportunity to get his hands (and lips) all over Piper. He’s pushing her limits at every turn, and having a fabulously fun time doing it – flirting with her, riling her up and constantly teasing her with more. He has a filthy mouth, and is a little wild, and though Piper is terrified of giving in to him, there are times when the chemistry becomes all too much.
I succumbed to temptation too easily. I rode my best friend like a pony at a carnival while he murmured heart-palpitating filth in my ear.
The sexual tension absolutely simmers between these two. You can feel how much they want each other, and individually you can see that they care for and want each other, but you wouldn’t know that when they interact with each other. It’s messy and overly-complicated, and the line between love and hate gets really blurry. It should be simple, but their situation is far from easy.
It all comes down to the dreaded miscommunication. They’re both madly in love with the other, but neither of them even hints that they want something more, for real. Piper dreams of true love and a family, and Rome has never indicated that he’s interested in that – in fact, his wild sex life would indicate the complete opposite – and she doesn’t want to risk their friendship for a fling. And while I initially really liked Rome, the more their time away together goes on, it seems like he’s just playing games with Piper, and won’t tell her how he feels or what he really wants. It’s frustrating when you’re desperate for some romance!
“You’re mine.” He bridges the space between us, our mouths colliding in a searing kiss.
But all of the angst and drama does drive some good character development. I enjoyed that Piper knew her worth and wasn’t going to be pushed around, and I really enjoyed Rome’s ‘come to Jesus’ moment. There’s quite a bit of back and forth, but they do finally get on the same page, and I enjoyed watching two best friends finally come together.
“The way I felt, and will continue to feel, is far more than friendship, and I think you know that.”
“I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember.”
The epilogue hints at a book for Piper’s brother, Rett, and if he gets the second-chance-romance I think he will, I am really looking forward to reading more about him.
I enjoyed this one. It was frustrating at times, but the build-up was there, and I did like seeing these two finally get their HEA.
3.5 stars!
Note – I listened to this as an audiobook, narrated by Gideon Frost and Samantha Brentmoor, and they do a great job with it.
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.