As the Governor’s daughter, Charlotte McClain is an expert in playing pretend. High society, the men her mother shoves in her direction and a Pre-Law major are all a part of her perfect pretense. But when she pretends to be a nobody during Spring Break, she meets someone who rocks her world.
Mason Rowell knows heartbreak and Spring Break don’t mesh well, so he allows the mysterious Charlotte to seduce him. What should have been a fling, results in something deeper. After Spring Break has long since passed, he moves to Washington to pursue his graduate degree, but what he never expected to find living among the rich and pompous, was the girl who gave him the strength to change and the desire to start anew.
When the guy Charlotte can’t forget goes from a sensual memory to temptation in the flesh, her facade is put to the test. If she surrenders to his charms, she risks ruining her mother’s perfect career and master plan. Playing pretend is what Charlotte does best, but how long can she pretend she doesn't love the man who made her proud of her true self?
* * * * * * *
If you've watched the movies The First Daughter or Chasing Liberty then Playing Pretend should be a familiar plot line (the book doesn't have the same storylines, of course). The story starts off with Charlotte, pretending to be a nobody, having made her way down (after deceiving her strict mother) to California for Spring Break with her (real) best friends. She's having the week of her life with a sexy and DDG she met, Mason. Their fling ends on a simple goodbye with no promise of any further contact but the forces of destiny (oooh yeah, I used THAT term) brings them back together in Washington. In Washington, Mason finds out who Charlotte really is and why she was so adamant about keeping their fling so temporary and why she left him with no personal details at all (not even her last name!)--she's the daughter of a governor who was planning on running for presidency! Unsure of what to think and what to do with his feelings, Mason follows his heart and pursues Charlotte despite her pleas for him to leave her alone to live the life her mother has set out for her...and the book goes on.
I'm fond of the strong female storyline as I don't love the damsels in distress (they whine a lot, no?). I was cheering Charlotte on throughout the novel. The whole double life thing was so unnecessary. Watching her battle with her own wants and needs vs those of her mother seemed familiar and it was refreshing to watch her find herself. This was a light and decent read--not too heavy on the serious stuff. Charlotte and Mason's relationship started off as "just a spring break fling" but their attraction to each other and the chemistry between them is off the walls and makes for a hot, hot read!
I'm fond of the strong female storyline as I don't love the damsels in distress (they whine a lot, no?). I was cheering Charlotte on throughout the novel. The whole double life thing was so unnecessary. Watching her battle with her own wants and needs vs those of her mother seemed familiar and it was refreshing to watch her find herself. This was a light and decent read--not too heavy on the serious stuff. Charlotte and Mason's relationship started off as "just a spring break fling" but their attraction to each other and the chemistry between them is off the walls and makes for a hot, hot read!
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
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About the Author
New Adult author and contributor at NA Alley blog.
While Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting—but equally gratifying—life of a wife, mother, and author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in Connecticut and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.
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My pleasure!
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