Rachel Harris (1)

I cannot say how much I absolutely love this series!!! Everything about it makes me all swoony!

Rachel Harris knows how to write her characters. They are sweet, confused, and trying to learn how to fumble through their lives. I think having a story told from Cat and Lucas’ point of view was great. I liked being in both of their heads, and seeing pieces of what’s been happening being put together. I am not a fan of Cat’s mom. She had me grinding my teeth, and shooting daggers with my show more eyes.

MNSSSL was paced perfectly. The story had me in from the beginning, and when it was over I was sad to see it end. It’s so easy to have a connection with these characters, and I know they’ll always be with me! show less

The year is 1507. Alessandra (Less) D’Angeli was forever changed two years prior when her cousin from the 21st century, Cat, came and spent a week with Less and her family in Italy. In her mind, life as Alessandra knew it no longer existed, especially since she was introduced to Cat and the small part of her world she brought with her. She longed for more than life had to offer her where she was at. Cat taught her so many things about life, love, passion, and fun, and gave her a fleeting show more and exciting glimpse at what she dreamed of doing, becoming and actress, something that is never going to happen in her time. She longs to see Cat again and visit the 21st century, and it just so happens that Alessandra gets her wish. Suddenly, she finds herself in Beverly Hills knocking on Cat's door. Needless to say, Cat can't believe it. They formulate a cover story and Less soon finds her self thrust into the center of what it means to be a teenager in the 21st century, drama and all that goes along with it, and it is a little harder to accept than she thought. On the first day of school, she has a run-in with the school's bad boy, Austin Michaels. She is completely infuriated with him, yet strangely finds herself extremely attracted to him at the same time. Meanwhile, Cat is helping her to realize her acting dreams, as well as teaching her how a 21st century teenager would act. Then when Austin makes her a deal she can't refuse, things really getting interesting. There is one big problem, however... can Less and those she has come to care about handle things when it is time for her to go back home?

A Tale of Two Centuries is absolutely a delightful story. I loved getting to know the characters in My Super Sweet Sixteenth Century, and it was also great meeting the new characters in A Tale of Two Centuries. I loved Alessandra's character and it was so much fun watching her adapt to life in the 21st century. I also really enjoyed seeing what what going on with Cat, and how things were progressing with the Italian hottie, Lucas. Then there is the new hottie, Austin Michaels, who is just my kind of guy. He's cocky, has the whole bad boy persona going on, tends to be smug, and just oozes with hotness, but he also has his his own secrets and hurts from the past that have colored his choices and made him the way he is. It was great watching the relationship between Alessandra and Austin develop. He's a pretty take charge guy to, and very protective of Less, while at the same time challenging her to be and do all that he knows she is capable of. Rachel Harris did a great job of writing the different scenarios that this group of friends found themselves in, which were funny, entertaining and romantic. A Tale of Two Centuries is a wonderful sequel to this enchanting series and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the way the book ended to, which I thought was was very well done. I am looking forward to seeing the direction that Rachel Harris takes these characters and their story in with the next book in the series, My Not So Super Sweet Life. show less

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You want the fluff? I got the fluff right here. (You should know that I’m saying this to you in a mobster accent. Why? I don’t know. It just seemed appropriate.) The Fine Art of Pretending isn’t the best fluff out there. It’s not a perfect book, or even close to it. BUT what it does have is a cute ship and sufficient flaily JUST KISS ALREADY moments to keep me thoroughly invested. For a number of years, I didn’t show more fully appreciate the value of books like this one, but sometime you just need the fluff and The Fine Art of Pretending will successfully scratch that itch.

As the title implies, The Fine Art of Pretending falls into the fake dating trope. Now, obviously, this trope isn’t the most realistic of things. I mean, it’s probably happened, but not to the degree it does in fiction. I don’t care about that, however. Not one iota. I love this trope. So much. There’s just something about two people, generally who have plans to hook up with other people, pretending they’re into one another and having to kiss and being blindsided by passion. Actually, I think that’s what unites all of my favorite romance tropes. I like when the characters didn’t see it coming. I like that moment where suddenly they’re looking at this person who was just a friend or a convenience or an enemy and suddenly like UM DAMN WERE YOU HOT THIS WHOLE TIME? So yeah, I was predisposed to like this ship.

Aside from that, though, I think Aly and Brandon are a good ship. I won’t go down with this ship, but I definitely got the swoony butterflies sometimes. Rachel Harris is good at writing that sexual tension. I could not read this book fast enough. Like, even though I obviously know exactly how the book will end, I HAD to get there ASAP and see for myself. Let’s just say that I will forever be a fan of that Truth or Dare scene. *fans self*

For most of the book, I was of two minds about Aly’s makeover. Brandon wasn’t interested until she started dressing in more form-fitting clothing. However, I think that was handled pretty well in the end and the book didn’t end up saying one way of dressing was better than another. It’s more about being comfortable with yourself however you like to be in the end, which is really the best message to be sending to readers. I like that the mission ends up being about more than just boys and Homecoming in the end, too, but about Aly improving herself for herself.

It was a bit frustrating how long it took Aly and Brandon to notice they were into each other. I mean, denial is a thing and it is real, but holy crap, kids. Brandon’s determined never to fall in love because his dad died and left his mom alone. Aly’s convinced she can make herself fall for the most popular heartbreaker in school, Justin. Speaking of, his character was interesting and frankly didn’t ring the most true for me. I really hoped that it would be revealed that he was actually just trying to help Aly realize the truth or something. The fact that he decided she was the only girl worth loving because Brandon was into her is really weird and unhealthy and I do not buy it.

Aside from Brandon and Aly’s relationship, much of the book didn’t really click for me. Thankfully, it’s a romance and they’re a lot of the book. The writing isn’t very strong. This showed a lot in the interactions with friends. They felt really stilted and unnatural. Lengths were made to differentiate Gabi from Kara and Carlos from Justin from Drew, but really they’re all defined by one or two characteristics and that’s literally all she wrote. They’re around to move the plot along, but the banter between friends doesn’t make it.

My biggest concern is the element where Brandon and his friends went through and labeled girls as either Commitments or Casuals. Now, I agree that some people are more into long term relationships and others more into short term. That, in and of itself, is completely fine. The boys were trying to spare the feelings of others by making the list even, so their…hearts…were in the right place, I guess. What bothers me is that Brandon puts a value judgment on this:

She was supposed to see that her lack of exes wasn’t a bad thing. It boils down to respect. Some guys know she deserves a lot more than they are willing to give.

You can fuck off right now, Brandon. Only Commitments are respected by guys? Commitments deserve what little they get? Are you fucking kidding me with this? There’s a general sense throughout the book that Aly is a much better person than Lauren, the token Casual. Kara’s also shelved as a Casual, but she has one boyfriend throughout the whole book. It’s troubling that the one Casual female who dates around slut-shames others and definitely is viewed as undeserving of love. She’s the classic bitchy popular girl and mean to everyone. By the end, she gets a bit better, but that judgment of her choices by Brandon and Aly doesn’t really go away. The three of them just learn to be civil.

The Fine Art of Pretending wasn’t outstanding, but it did a fine job of getting my shippy feels going, which was really all that I needed. show less

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: Adorable contemporary romance that I couldn’t put down. I finished the whole thing in one sitting and loved every minute of it!

Opening Sentence: The cleavage popping out of my scandalously low-cut halter top heralds the beginning of Operation Sex Appeal.

The Review:

Alyssa Reed has always been friends with all the popular guys in school, but never one of their girlfriends. She is the type of girl that wears baggy jeans, and the only makeup show more she uses is chapstick. Looking back at all her years of high school she realized that she has always gone to school dances with just friends or pity dates. Now it is her senior year and she has decided that she no longer wants to be one of the guys. Then Operation Sex Appeal is born.

Aly has decided that by homecoming she will completely transform her imagine and that Justin Carter, the hottest guy in the school, will be her date. First off, she gets a whole new wardrobe and makeover. Now that she looks the part she just needs to convince everyone that she has become a carefree, hookup kind of girl. Now comes phase two of the plan where her best friends and total hottie, Brandon Taylor, becomes her pretend boyfriend. Everything is going according to plan until both Aly and Brandon start to develop more than friendly feelings towards each other. When the planned breakup happens it not only devastates both of them it also might be the one thing that will destroy their long-time friendship.

Aly’s story was really more of a coming of age story. She is at a point in her life where she decides to make some major life changes to try and attract guys. She’s not a hundred percent comfortable in her own skin so she changes her image. I loved watching her try to figure out who she really is and what it is she really wanted in life. It made it really easy to connect with her and like her. She makes many mistakes along the way, but that just made her feel more realistic. She is a smart beautiful girl that has some life lessons to learn and it was fun to be along for the ride.

Brandon really is the whole package. Not only is he extremely good looking, but he is respectful, kind, and just an all around good person. I did wish that I got to know him a little bit better, there were a few things about his past that I would have liked to have explored a little bit more, but that didn’t stop me from loving him. His relationship with Aly is sweet, sexy, and just perfect. They have been best friends for years and Brandon never wanted to ever do anything that would jeopardize their friendship in anyway because it meant so much to him. They could confide in each other and always be honest, which is a rare trait to find in a relationship. I thought that he was a great love interest!

The Fine Art of Pretending was adorable and I loved it. If you have read very many of my review you will know that my all time favorite type of romance is when best friends progress to something more, so right off the bat I knew I was going to like that about this story and it did not disappoint. The romance was seriously so cute and really well done, it totally made me swoon! There was also tons of great drama and humor blended into the story which made it a very entertaining read. The pacing was spot on and I pretty much blew right through the entire book in just one day. The plot was predictable but honestly in books like this it doesn’t bother me, I like knowing that there is going to be a happy ending. This is my first book by Rachel Harris but I have heard nothing but praises about her other books and having really enjoyed this one, I will be picking up more of her work in the near future. I would highly recommend this to anyone that is looking for a light, adorable romance.

Notable Scene:

Gabi clears her throat. “All right, my turn.” Her stare zeroes in on me as she says, “Truth or darea?”

Aw, crap. Is it possible to say neither? Gabi just got burned on truth, and I’ve been far from Miss Truthful lately. What would I say if she asks about Brandon? But then, a dare almost had me making out with Lauren a few minutes ago. I waffle back and forth, gnawing on my lip like a freaking rabbit, and then spit out, “Dare?”

Gabi sits up tall with eager eyes, and I immediately start to wishing for a do-over.

“Since this trip started, I’ve seen the two of you,” she says motioning between me and Brandon. “give each other little kisses on the check and that chaste peck on the lips last night, but I’ve yet to see you go at it. I’ve spent years watching the two of you pretend you weren’t hot for each other. So go for it already.” Wiggling her shoulders, she days, “Aly, I dare you to make out with Brandon for a full minute.”

FTC Advisory: I purchased my own copy of The Fine Art of Pretending. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. show less