The Perils of Pretending by Amanda P. Jones: Book Review

 **ARC received for consideration. All opinions are my own. 

The Book

Hello rock bottom, it’s me, the girl fake dating her brother’s best friend at a family reunion.

When I get tricked into joining a ten-day family trip to Alaska (because Grandma doesn’t take no for an answer), I thought awkward family dinners would be the worst part. That is, until Grandma unveils her pièce de résistance—a suitor she’s handpicked just for me. Spoiler: I’d rather marry a moose.

Enter Max, my brother’s annoyingly charming best friend. His genius solution? Fake dating to dodge Grandma’s matchmaking. Sure, it starts with convincing everyone we’re madly in love, but things take a turn when his smirks start feeling less fake, and my heart decides to join the chaos.

Of course, it’s not that simple—falling for Max means facing my biggest fear: his career. The same dangerous job that took my dad’s life. Can I survive Grandma’s schemes, family shenanigans, and my runaway feelings, or will I end up in the kind of mess not even Max can charm his way out of?

The Perils of Pretending is a sweet romantic comedy packed with love, mischief, and a dash of moose-related drama, proving that the most unexpected relationships might just be the real deal.

The Author

Amanda writes sweet romantic comedies and contemporary romance novels with love, laughter, and happily ever afters.

When not reading or writing (which is rare), Amanda loves to travel, camp, spend time with family and friends, and eat chocolate chip cookies—or any other excuse she can come up with to avoid doing housework. She lives in the Rocky Mountains with her husband and three children.

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Book Review

The Perils of Pretending is the third book in the Love Connections series. This is a multi-author series centered around a group of cousins, all traveling to a unique destination and finding love. 

For this book, we pack our bags and head to Alaska for a little fake dating between Sadie and her brother's best friend-Max. Fake dating AND brother's best friend!? Say less! These are two of my favorite tropes, so I was definitely excited for this one. And Sadie and Max absolutely didn't disappoint. I just adored these two together... they had a fun dynamic between them, and I loved seeing their connection grow throughout the story. Sadie's grandma was... well, she was something else, that's for sure. I loved seeing Max step in to help her out. And those kisses? So good. And of course, we get some more cousin texts to add some fun to the story too. While there were many moments that had me laughing out loud, I loved that their story didn't shy away from more difficult subjects either, with the loss of Sadie's dad playing a beautiful part of the story too. Throw in some Alaskan adventures and a rather interesting moose and there truly was a lot to love. 

The Perils of Pretending is a closed-door romance with kisses only and no language. 


You can purchase your copy here: https://amzn.to/4eeqxEB