Review: Pretending with the Playboy by Tracey Livesay

Pretending with the Playboy 
by Tracey Livesay
Released Date: December 29th 2014 by Entangled: Indulgence
Pages: 229
View/Purchase: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N
Author's Links: Goodreads, Website, Twitter, Facebook

Commitment makes you weak. It's playboy Carter Richardson's motto. The only exception to the rule is his aunt, and when Carter learns she's terminally ill, he rushes to her bedside. Filled with fear and guilt—and desperate to ease his aunt's mind—Carter does the only thing a guy could do...he panics and blurts out that he's engaged to his aunt's enticing protegée. Lauren Olsen has already had her heart crushed once by Carter. Against her better judgment, she agrees to keep up appearances—until Carter makes their “engagement” public in order to protect the family business. 

Now Lauren's torn between obeying her conscience, and obeying her desire. Because while she could never trust the womanizing Carter she once knew, she seems to be falling for the man beneath the playboy...
(Synopsis taken from Goodreads)

My Review:

I really enjoyed reading Pretending with the Playboy, it was a cute romantic story that had it's ups and downs. Tracey Livesay did a good job with the book, it wasn't just about love between two childhood friends that was explored in the book, but also about friendships, and loyalty.

Carter Richardson has made it very clear that he doesn't do relationships. He has also made it clear over the years that he doesn't want to be involved in the family business. His family has made the Richardson name very powerful, but his family's money wasn't about to hold Carter back when he all he wanted was to create a name for himself, and so he left Chicago in order to pursue what he wanted. Working his way up, he easily became very successful. Yet, having everything at his disposal, Carter's only weakness is his Aunt Dorothy. The one he left behind to pursue his career after his parents passed away, and the one that took over the family business for him. Now after been away from his childhood home for years, he receives the shock of his life when his childhood friend, Lauren Olsen, comes knocking at his door determined to bring him back to see his ill aunt. Little did he knew the commitment that he was going to make to make his sick aunt happy again. 

Lauren Olsen had a rough childhood, her parents died, and she suddenly found herself being raised by Aunt Dorothy. She took Lauren under her wing, by giving her a job, and helping Lauren with her studies. Having met Carter before, she was aware of his playboy status, and for that she wasn't too thrilled to bring him back to Chicago. But with Aunt Dorothy's illness, she didn't have a choice, especially when the company could be in deep trouble if they don't find a new CEO to replace Dorothy. But she wasn't expecting to find herself attracted to the playboy that she once knew all over again, and that she had to pretend to be in love with him all to protect his family legacy, and Aunt Dorothy. 

I personally liked both character's personalities, Lauren and Carter have a lot learn throughout the book that made it relatable, and realistic. Carter is a playboy, one that knows what he wants to achieve, yet he also has a soft heart when it comes to his Aunt Dorothy. She definitely had the most influence on him, the drive that he has to make a name for himself takes him away from his family. On the other hand, Lauren does the complete opposite and almost wants to become like Aunt Dorothy, by spending time together, she is constantly looking for her approval. Lauren is a talented artist, and she knows that her calling is somewhere else, but she doesn't want to break the news to Dorothy of fear that she might not get better. 

Things started to heat up when Lauren and Carter started to spend more time together, after he tells everyone in his family's company as well as his aunt, that he is getting married, everyone is pretty much watching their every move. The were some secondary characters that brought out the drama with them and helped speed up the story. All in all, the story line was enjoyable to read. I found myself rooting for the main characters, and always happy to read their romantic scenes. The ending was my favorite part that I almost wish the story would of kept going. I recommend the book, it was romantic, and fun to read. I would certainly keep reading more from the author in the future. :)

***ARC provided by Entangled Publishing in exchange for an honest review***

My Rating: 4.5/5

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