Blog Tour, Review and Giveaway: Pretending

by Shanna Clayton

BookCrushin is excited to be a part of the Pretending blog tour hosted by Xpresso Book Tours! In today’s post you will find all the book information, a spoiler-free review and a giveaway!

Pretending by Shanna Clayton

Publication date: March 12 2014
Genres: New Adult, Romance
Purchase: Amazon

Four years.

 

That’s how long Wesley Kent has to live with the girl his dad shacked him up with, and then he can collect his inheritance and escape small town life. He gets through the prison sentence by pretending Dahlia Reynolds doesn’t exist. With three years down and one more to go, he doesn’t expect much to change. That is, until the girl that’s not supposed to exist sharpens into his reality, making it impossible to ignore her.

 

Three years.

 

That’s how long Dahlia Reynolds has been living with a total stranger. She’s convinced herself Wesley Kent is no more than an illusion in the hallways. It’s easy to do, especially since that same illusion has never spoken more than two words to her. But one mistaken identity later, and she finds herself caught up in the mysterious world Wesley lives in. One by one, he begins knocking down the safe, comfortable walls she built, leaving her wondering what his motives are. Does he want to expose her—or free her?

 

Recommended for 17+ due to mature language and adult situations.

REVIEW

[book rating= 4/5]

It’s not very often that a book classified as New Adult catches me by surprise. Most follow a pretty standard format that’s why Pretending was such a breath of fresh air.  If I were to describe this gem of a book it’s like Indiana Jones meets a Julia Roberts movie, meaning tons of romance and adventure!

Dahlia “Doll” Reynolds is not your typical NA heroine. Yes she’s beautiful (although she hides it) but she’s super smart and her past-times include watching Ancient Aliens (my favorite show) and searching for a missing treasure map. Then you have Wesley Kent, who is rugged, mysterious, and a literal treasure hunter…intrigued yet? I didn’t know what to expect with this book. The title doesn’t really do the story justice because it could mislead you into thinking this was another run of the mill NA and it’s so totally not!

First, you have the insane chemistry between the two main characters, oh did I mention they’ve lived together for 3 years (for reasons) yet Wesley is only now noticing the awesomeness that is right under his nose? Then you have the fact that Dahlia is searching for a missing treasure map, Wesley is being separately harassed by a mysterious group, there is friendship drama, sexual tension, adventure and finally just good old fashioned romance.

My only complaint was that I wish that the story dug a bit deeper with the treasure hunting stuff and got more into detail about the group that was harassing Wesley (leaving out more detail to avoid spoilers). The adventure came right at the end of the book, and was fantastic but I think if some of the side drama with Dahlia’s friends (although still very entertaining) was cut out, it would have made the story that much better.

Still I was so pleasantly surprised by how different and unique this story was. I really did not want Dahlia and Wesley’s story to end. Their romance was not rushed, which I find is such an issue with NA books, it’s all about the race to get to the intimate scenes that can derail the story. With Pretending, you have a relationship that unfolds naturally, with the right amount of schmexy thrown in to keep you hooked until the last page.

I found myself bummed that I didn’t see that there was a sequel. I’d love to read more about Wesley and Dahlia and their next adventure (hint hint Shanna!)

AUTHOR BIO