Almost Pretend

by Nicole Snow

Opposites attract in this sizzling, feel-good, grumpy sunshine romance about a lively illustrator and the brooding billionaire she literally falls for. Eleanor Lark is an upbeat illustrator plagued by headaches and unruly strawberry-blond hair. After a grueling cross-country flight, she blacks out cold. The brooding stranger who sat next to her grumping his way through the flight catches Elle as she falls. Neither expects the sweet chaos that happens next. August Marshall is stonehearted, insanely rich, and a master of corporate cleanups with major baggage of his own. The last man alive who needs a media frenzy after his airport heroics steal headlines. But August has a plan—ask Elle to marry him so their trouble disappears. Elle almost faints again. They just met! But it’s hard to say no when August tells her she might be the key to saving a children’s book series she adores. And it’s even harder to remember it’s only pretend as sparks fly, hearts fall, and two perfect strangers try to remember life before make-believe…

Genres: Romance, Audiobook, Fake Dating, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Forced Proximity, Billionaire Romance

427 pages, Paperback

Published April 30, 2024

About the author

Nicole Snow is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author. She found her love of writing by hashing out love scenes on lunch breaks and plotting her great escape from boardrooms. Her work roared onto the indie romance scene in 2014 with her Grizzlies MC series.

Since then Snow aims for the very best in growly, heart-of-gold alpha heroes, unbelievable suspense, and swoon storms aplenty.

Current fan favorites include her Enguard Protectors series, accidental love novels, plus long beloved MC romance thrillers like the Grizzlies and Deadly Pistols.

Find more about Nicole here:

Website: http://nicolesnowbooks.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicolesnowbo...

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/nicol...

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NicoleSnowBooks

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Nicole-Snow/e/...

Reviews

[Jen ♥]

DNF @ 55%


I can no longer torture myself and endure this prick of an a-hole. I guess it's my fault for holding so much hope that August would eventually lessen his assholishness because Elle, for some unknown reason, decided to put up with him up until this point.

I thought he'd somehow changed his attitude toward her because, deep down, he knew she deserved better treatment, but nope, he's still a grade-A jerk, through and through. And the way he used her like his personal sex toy only to be discarded right away after he was done was just downright cold and cruel. 😡

I didn't think he could get even worse, but alas, he proved me wrong. I'm amazed by the audacity of this douchebag to treat the person who's doing him a huge favor, mind you, like a disposable tissue. What a freaking tool! 

So damn you, August; Elle deserves someone better, and you're fxcking not it.

I normally love this author's books, but this one was just not worth the read and the energy to get furious at anymore. So I'm gonna stop while I still can. If only I could get back the hours I spent on this. 🤦‍♀️😑

[MC · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 / 5.0 DNF 26%

Almost Pretend by Nicole Snow is a fake dating/engagement, grumpy and sunshine, billionaire romance. The FMC has a debilitating chronicle medical condition that causes her to be rescued by a complete stranger who is mysteriously kind but extremely rude. They meet on a plane, a Delta flight, in business class. Okay, I can bite.

We get two POV, from August (MMC) and Elle (FMC), but they are like two sides of the same coin. He is supposed to be late thirties and she is early twenties, so there is a considerable age gap. He is supposed to be reserved and knowledgeable, but almost immediately engages in an outstanding display of contrived circumstances and bribes/strong-arms her into being his fiancée. There was mention of him being a widower but I didn’t read far enough to see if that was a plot hole or used as a miscommunication trope later in the book. It is all very messy and convoluted.

Overall, one thing I couldn’t swallow is why a billionaire (yes, with a B) is flying red-eye from NYC to Seattle in Delta Business Class. Nope. Right out the gate, just no. So that made me realize I wasn’t reading even a moderately researched book, just someone’s self-insertion rich-Daddy romance with all the popular tropes mashed together. It’s not good, there’s no chemistry because the characters are shallow and stupid, and there’s no reason to even skip through for the “good” parts.

Until Next Time,
MC

Thank you to NetGalley for access to this eARC.

[ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

stars: ⭐️ ⭐️ . 5
spice: 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ (there was a lot of it, like too much even)

me in the first half of this book: 🥰 🥰 🥰
me in the second half of this book: 🤮 🤮 🤮

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

[darra.reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐️ Много сладка и приятна история! Чудесна за разтоварване!

Харесах и двамата главни герои - Огъст и Ел! Него малко повече - съчувствах му повече!

Признавам си бозавия финал ми развали малко удоволствието, но такъв тип истории обикновено свършват така.

[dani]

dnf and we will leave it at that

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm usually a fan of this author's writing, so I couldn't wait to dive into this book when I heard about it. This book started off promising with a cute meet-cute and fun banter. As someone who suffers from migraines and has friends who suffer from them just as badly as Elle, I appreciate the migraine representation.

Unfortunately, this story was a miss for me and completely fell flat. It had so much potential, but I struggled to connect with the characters and their story.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

[TheSassyNerdBlog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicole Snow is a new author to me so I didn’t know what to expect going into this. It wasn’t a bad read. It took me a little bit to get into but once I got into it, it was an enjoyable read.

August is one of the grumpiest billionaire alpha holes I have had the pleasure of reading… and I am a sucker for an asshole. So I was SOLD.

Elle is adorable. She’s so sweet, full of sunshine, warmth and positive energy. You can’t help but be happy when you are around her.


If you are into grumpy/sunshine, this book is right up your alley. You will absolutely love August and Elle. These two couldn’t be more different, yet they are so perfect for each other. They meet when they are both on the same flight and Elle is suffering from a major migraine. August wants nothing to do with her and is trying to ignore her but just as they are landing, Elle faints and August is there to rescue her. When the media gets photos of him carrying her at the airport, he needs damage control and to protect his reputation, so instead of things looking bad for him, he asks Elle if she’ll fake being his fiancée. She agrees but she never realised how out of her element she would be. She’s been thrown into a life she wasn’t intending to be thrown into and one she knows very little about.


The banter between the two of them was entraining and had me laughing throughout the book. The push and pull between these two was intense. They were polar opposites which made for the best relationship. Fake or not. Elle brought a softer side out in August and what started out as fake grew into so much more.

I really enjoyed the side characters in this book too. This book was a good read. It had emotion, steam and top-tier banter.

4 STARS!

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC review

I am bursting with thoughts, so allow me to attempt to translate them all to page. Almost Pretend follows Elle, a sunshiney illustrator, and August, a stone-cold billionaire, in one of my favorite tropes - fake dating. In the first quarter of the novel, my attention was captured. Elle suffers from a chronic illness that I share, intense migraines, and after August displays his white knight behavior in helping her out, she is met with his mutually beneficial proposal to pretend an engagement.

I must say that I enjoyed the beginning of the book and the character's early banter and vulnerability over their dynamic as the book progressed. For fear of spoiling, I will vaguely leave it at that, but I desired better conflict resolution from the male main character. My parting note will be that the epilogue was absolutely adorable!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishing company for this arc!

[Dana Randall · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up to be a nice little easy read and on the whole, it was ok.

However, the characters did not draw me in. There was no depth to them. Elle was a little irritating with her seemingly forced chirpy attitude, and had no backbone when August would randomly treat her badly and humiliate her in front of others. I just couldn’t warm to either of them.

The plot had some twists which I wasn’t expecting, but unfortunately even that couldn’t stop finishing this book be struggle.

[Catbytheseareads ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

In-cred-ible !!
Start with the grumpy billionaire who has long lost his way from living life.
One plane ride next to a smiling, babbling beautiful woman whose migraine has her literally falling into him. Family, Friends, Tragedy and life long secrets makes it hard to put down this sweet, spicy, fun story.

[eli]

thank you for the arc, netgalley!

although i love the chronic migraine/anemia representation, i have to dnf this one.

in 2024, i really don’t want to force myself to read books i’m not enjoying!

[Linda Stokes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elle is moving from New York to Seattle which has always been home. Elle suffers from debilitating migraines and she is hoping that she can get to her seat on the plane before it gets too bad. Elle was born prematurely and she was not expected to live but she did. She also has anemia. Elle’s parents were never around much but her gran raised her. That’s where Elle is going now to help Gran out since she has a bad knee. Elle has found her seat but the man in the other seat won’t acknowledge her and won’t move. Elle finally gets seated and immediately takes her migraine medicine. Elle tries to introduce herself to her seat mate and he ignores her. He is very handsome but also very grumpy and she nicknames him Jet Daddy. When the plane takes off the pain is very severe and Elle is crying Jet Daddy hands her a satin pocket square to wipe her eyes. Elle sleeps most of the flight and she blacks out when the plane lands. When she comes to most everyone is off the plane. Elle gets off the plane and her migraine explodes again and she starts to faint, luckily Jet Daddy is there to catch her. August is a fixer, he fixes businesses that are failing. He is on his way home from a six month stint when he is seated next to Elle. August has already deplaned when he sees Elle faint, he catches her just in time before she hits the ground. August lost his parents when he was young and his aunt Clara took him and his sister Debra in and raised them. August is a billionaire who lost his first wife and the tabloids named him a black widow. August carries Elle out to his car while his driver Rick tries to find someone who might know Elle. Elle struggles to give Jet Daddy her gran’s address. The next day August shows up with a ring to ask Elle to be his pretend fiancée since their pictures were plastered all over the newspapers of him carrying her out of the airport. Elle eventually agrees and she enjoys pestering August because he is so grumpy. Elle is an illustrator and she has dreams of writing children’s books. She gets so excited to find out that her hero is none other than Clara Marshall, August’s aunt. August and their publishing company are being sued and that is why he wants Elle to be his fiancée. He also wants to see if Elle can bring Clara out of her funk and get her to draw again. As time passes August begins to show Elle more pleasant sides of himself. Elle begins to fall for August and they actually become friends with benefits. Whenever August and Elle have sex outside of his house, pictures end up in the tabloids. August gets a call from Rick that Clara is going to meet with Marissa, the woman who is suing Little Key and Clara for IP of Inky the character of Clara’s books. When August answers his door to a PI that he had hired. He found out that Rick was giving Marissa information. August took Elle with him to find out what Clara was doing. Clara had signed over everything to Marissa. Elle is trying to get everyone off the streets while they argue and August shattered her heart by telling her to stop being an intrusion which is something Elle has always struggled with feeling and he told her she wasn’t part of the family and she wasn’t needed. Will August ever realize how much he hurt Elle? Will August finally realize that he loves Elle? Will Elle forgive August after he broke her heart? Will Little Key be given to Marissa? Will August find the reason for Clara’s funk? Will August and Elle start over as a real couple? Will August and Elle find love and happiness in being their true selves?
I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book via NetGalley.

Awesome Grumpy Billionaire Eccentric Woman romance!

[Dino Queen · Rating 4 out of 5]

please note that the trigger warnings and topes/themes may contain spoilers
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
HEA: HEA
POV: dual 1st person POV
spice: a couple moderately open-door spicy scenes
TWs: addiction and drug overdose, alcoholism, anemia, bribery, bullying (recounted), cheating, death of family member (recounted), death of a spouse (recounted), manipulation, severe migraines, stalking
standalone: yes
final thoughts: this was a very fast-paced, slowburn romance. The plot moved fast and was really enjoyable to read. There were a lot of elements, but nothing got lost or overlooked. There were darker elements (stalking, bribery, etc) without it being a dark (or even grey) romance which I think was mostly due to the banter between the MCs. It was a great way to keep levity in the story as well as show the evolution of their relationship through their jokes, nicknames, and digs at each other.
I wish August wasn’t such a man-baby with his outbursts toward Elle when she was the only person consistently in his corner. I wish he was made to grovel more after his constant outburst but I always feel like there’s never enough groveling in books 😅

read this book if you love
😬 angst
🔢 age gap (23/34)
🫡 big MMC
💵 billionaire
🍿 celebrity
💏 fake engagement
🎣 fish out of water
🏝️ forced proximity
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 great side characters
😡 grumpy/sunshine
🤫 hidden secrets
🩹 hurt/comfort
💞 mutual pining
❓ mystery
🥰 nicknames
🔀 opposites attract
🌀 plot twists
💓 slowburn

[Melissa Schmidt · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute story but dragged out a little

I usually like her stories but this one dragged out to were I wanted to stop reading parts. The storyline was cute but I think she could have shortened it in some parts

[Destinee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good grumpy meets sunshine with some fake dating/engagement. I was hooked from the beginning.

Elle Lark, the strawberry blonde sunshine, always living life to the fullest. Moving back to take care of grandma and gets horrible migraines that puts her into the arms of August Marshall “Jet Daddy” who is a stubborn grump and has written off love due to a previous lift altering relationship.

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake for the eArc.

[Olive · Rating 2 out of 5]

The overall book is average with a lot of smaller offenses that really bothered me. If you don't read many books, skip this one. If you do read a lot of books, up to you, but there are better Nicole Snow books out there.
Almost Pretend is a grumpy x sunshine, marriage of convenience romance about a children's illustrator and the ceo trying to save his family's children publishing agency. I've read a few other Nicole Snow books and they are extremely similar to this book. It's the same beats over and over. The few twists and turns weren't surprising. Personally, when I read a romance novel, I get annoyed when I can figure out up coming plot twists before the characters because it lowers their intellect in my eyes. I wanted to scream YOU'RE AUNT IS A LESBIAN! COME ON, YVETTE LITERALLY WORKS ON A CHICKEN FARM!
The two love interests didn't have a lot of chemistry. I am lax when it comes to pet names, but the repeated use of wretch and brat really turned me off from the MMC. Those are words I typically associate with misogynistic men who are trying to assert dominance, but are just women haters. Other than inner monologue/thoughts about how crazy Elle makes him, I didn't get the vibe that August actually loved Elle. Just that she was there and wasn't his dead crazy ex-wife. I found him to be rude and hurtful in a way I personally couldn't get past. I've read a lot of "alpha-hole" stories and this was a poor execution of it.
There were some spelling/grammar errors that will hopefully be caught before final release.
Some other red flags I came across - I didn't love how alcoholism was treated in this book. It feels like the characters actions were showing one thing, but then the author would slip in lines of dialogue to make sure the reader knew that they had the "correct" view on alcoholism. And the line about Marissa asking her mother - who she was estranged from for 12 years - to be her AA sponsor so "she wouldn't let Marissa slip away like her father did." Yeah, no. I am not an expert on AA, but having someone so close to you, who you haven't spoken to in over a decade, and has also gone through the trauma of losing a mutual loved one from alcoholism, doesn't seem like a good or healthy idea. I would suggest changing the line to be more along the lines of Yvette helping Marissa get to meetings and taking care of her, not being her sponsor.
Thank you to Montlake, Nicole Snow, and Netgalley for providing me with this free eArc in exchange for an honest review.

[Dux [My week is Booked] · Rating 1 out of 5]

No.
Was this soap opera I signed up for?

August was a jerk. Eleanor was a push over.
Her “wow I faint out of nowhere with my low iron and migraines” miraculously disappeared in the storyline after being way too much of a factor in the beginning of the book.

The meet cute- how was she sat next to a billionaire on a plane exactly? How did she afford the first class ticket?

Around 90 percent into the book I started to get SO irritated while reading it.

The alcoholic daughter kisses the JUDGE in the court room scene where it’s revealed that his aunt who raised him was secretly a lesbian in love with the alcoholic daughter’s mom but never told the mom? The court case is thrown out. The alcoholic daughter gets AA sponsored by her own mother (there’s NO way that’s advisable). The alcoholic daughter becomes the boss of the heroine?! Just “months later”….
So she’s completed her therapy and detox for being an alcoholic, she’s signed paperwork to have her company acquired by August and they thought… she should definitely be in charge of a whole division of the company she tried her hardest to PUBLICLY take down.
NO. NOPE. NO.

Elle forgives August at the slightest hint that he might think about apologizing. HE NEEDED TO GROVEL.

Oh and when they get engaged, she looks at the ring and says it reminds her of her favorite children’s cartoon that she’s always been obsessed with.

I want to mention that I didn’t even touch on the random storyline of getting betrayed by his personal assistant/driver (and then letting him come back to work for them in the epilogue), or the fact that Elle moved home to help with her grandma but then is literally never home to help with her grandma…

Ugh. This book was so annoyingly frustrating.

Stars- 1
Steam level:4-5

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where to start…. why does every author I like feel compelled to add in politically correct tropes once they have signed on with a traditional publisher? I’m tired of being force fed lgbt…. storylines and characters in every one.

I like the author’s books. I own a few. The premise for this one was one of my favorites. She asked for volunteers to read an early copy and I raised my hand. The set up and meet cute is one I haven’t read before. Elle suffers from debilitating migraines, which cause August to come to her rescue.
The need for a fake relationship was a very thin, paper thin plot device. Once the story got going, the medical aspect all but vanished. The conflict that forced their relationship involved a mystery surrounding one of his family members and body of work. The middle of the story drags a bit, with other challenges thrown in to further complicate the couple.

The third act breakup and reveal to the mystery fell flat for me. By that point I just wanted the book to end. The epilogue was sweet and helped wrap things up.

Slow burn that leads to lots of spice. Too many misdirects and side characters for me.

[Brooke Benn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my very first ARC book and review! But I am no stranger to Nicole Snow. She is the first author I binged when I started reading again after not caring about reading for 20 years, since high school.

To preface, I would like to say that I do love all of Nicole's books! But, I think my favorites have been the last 3 released, including this one and The Broken Protector & The Sweetest Obsession.

This book has all the tropes - grumpy sunshine, age gap, fake fiancee, opposites attract, billionaire romance.

Is the HEA predictable & expected? Sure, but aren't they all? It's the journey getting from point A to point B that's the fun part. I especially loved the epilogue.

I read this in one day, easy read. I'm looking forward to see if perhaps another certain character will get her own story someday. As always, I can't wait to see what Nicole comes up with next.|

[Kelsey Stone · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was supposed to be a fake dating, grumpy/sunshine, billionaire romance with chronic illness rep. I assure you it has all of that.

The book is messy, so is its plot honestly. Elle and August’s chemistry isn’t quite there for me and I just am not feeling August for a character that’s supposed to be older in age. He comes off rather young in maturity.

Overall this one fell flat for me and I just couldn’t get into it like some of her other work. Some of the instances just make no logical sense, or there’s random tidbits of information thrown out with no ties. Just information.


Thank you Montlake, Netgalley, and Nicole Snow for the eARC!

[Kylee Millman · Rating 1 out of 5]

How does this have such high reviews?! August is the biggest asshole! This young dumb girl is so blinded by his looks and power. She thinks she changed him but this book is just too delusional for me. Her nickname for him “gruffikins” is so bad and cringe I hated every second of their relationship. The plot was also not very interesting and also kind of cringe and the spice was just mid. I wanted to DNF.

[PP's Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best thing about Almost Pretend by Nicole Snow is the simplicity of the plot and the power of the writing. It's a story you have probably read a million times as s romance reader. A grumpy billionaire, an eccentric sunshine artist and their fake engagement for the sake of a greater cause becoming a great love story. But the reason you should still pick Almost Pretend is to experience Nicole Snow's beautiful writing. The way she effortlessly delivers all consuming feelings in every page. The way she makes everything poetic, even the heartbreak, even the hot scenes. Before I knew, I was invested into this heartaching story with brilliant contrast of humor.


When billionaire businessman August Marshall rescued Elle Lark at the airport when she fainted from the severe migraine attack..they didn't know it will become a media sensation. Now August proposes a fake engagement to her to save his already unfairly tarnished reputation..and offering her an apprenticeship in his family publication company under his aunt and the legendary children's book illustrator Clara Marshall. She is Elle's inspiration for being an illustrator herself. August need to save the company and Elle wants to save him.


August Marshall is so deceptively grumpy and brooding. He is a man who has been betrayed, hurt, dragged through the mud of public court. He cannot afford to fall in love and definitely not with a storm like Elle. She is exactly opposite of his controlled calm world. She is pure beautiful chaos. With a big heart and bigger personality. She is sweet and adorable and witty and totally unfazed by August's grumpiness. She has seen grief and abandonment too but she has still chosen to see the brightness of life while August hide in the shadow. The publications company comes with secrets and lies those didn't unfold till the very end and it almost ruined everything but the execution was on point. August and Elle came closer slowly with each day they spent pretending together. They both felt the very complicated emotions deep in their heart but for the sake of saving themselves from pain, they tried to ignore and resist. The author placed each piece of their puzzle with meticulous care and intention and I was completely lost in the process. There were lots of ups and downs. Elle forced August to face the scary ways of falling in love and like all great book boyfriends, he finally lived upto the task. Elle deserves nothing less than the all consuming obsessive devotion from a man like August. The HEA was so swoony and sweet.

I reviewed an early copy voluntarily

[Rady Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eleanor Lark is a children's book illustrator and going home to help her injured grandmother. Due to her massive migrane attack, she loses consciousness at the arrival airport, but her grumpy yet handsome flight neighbour saves her from landing on the airport floor.
When the next day he appears on her grandmother's doorsteps with a proposal about their fake engagement to save the damage the media circus has done, she agrees just to repay his kindness.
What August Marshall doesn't know is that Elle's the ray of sunshine to his darkness, he so desperately has needed.
The feelings she has revoked slowly crack his armoured heart.
But can he win the fight against the darkness, and Elle with her smiles and kindness get to his heart?
Find out for yourselves.
I loved the writing and the descriptions of their feelings, I simply loved the whole book. With its little twist, it was the perfect book to read after a few heavy reads.

I would love to share my favourite marked parts:

"She’s an angel of light captured straight from a fairy tale, and as the sunrise thins the barrier between worlds, she’ll fade away like she was never here slumming it in flesh and blood at all."

"I’ve sworn I’ll never love again— if you could even call what we had love. I swore I’d definitely never trust again. Never let anyone else past the walls and barbed wire that keep me safe from more agony. Now I, August Marshall, am a damn liar."

[Mandy Sickle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received Almost Pretend in return for an honest review from the author.

I adore Elle she's such a wonderful character who happens to find herself sweep into a whirlwind fake relationship with broody August. He in his own right is exactly how I pictured him and perfect for Elle. I loved the chemistry these two have as they attempt to pretend it's a fake relationship. Neither one can deny the attraction as they spend more time together.

Almost Pretend was sweet is a sweet story with just the right balance of spice. There is just a touch of mystery involving Augusts aunt's story that kept me wanting to know more. I truly enjoyed every moment of Elle and Augusts romance as I'm addicted to fake dating and the author did a fantastic job with it.

This is my first book by the author but I'm hooked as Almost Pretend was a perfectly created romance that captured my heart as well as my imagination. I love the characters and really felt like I could connect with them through the story. I ended up devouring this one in just a long afternoon because I had to know how it would play out. The author has a beautiful gift with storytelling and I can't wait to fall in love all over with her other books. She's going on my must read them all list.

[Trish (Beautiful Chaos Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 🌟
2.5 🌶️

Someone said the grumpy/sunshine trope is blah. Nicole Snow said, "Here, hold my wine." With Almost Pretend, she has given us the gift of August, who is the grumpiest of grumps—not arrogant, just grumpy. He hates waking up before noon, is impatient and snarky, and generally bites everyone's heads off. So he meets Elle, sunny disposition flowing out of everywhere. She just laughs in the face of the grump in a good-natured way, and of course, he falls in love. The story that goes along with it is, at times, sad and poignant, but then again, it is hilarious at times. I so thoroughly enjoyed this book. It fits in well with all the billionaires of Seattle and Chicago and when Nicole writes them--there is no blah. It's all well worth the read. Enjoy!

I received an advanced copy of this book. The opinions are my own -- yeah it's really that good!

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretend Fiancé Trope

I think the pretend fiancé trope is a popular one, and this romance novel about billionaire fixer August Marshall and the slightly sickly migraine-suffering children’s book illustrator was pretty top notch. I confess to feeling like I needed some easy reading and this fit bill.

Of course Elle Lark is the exact opposite of everything August Marshall is; where he is grumpy, she is sunny. August is stuffy and focused and Elle is chaotic and spontaneous. In other words, they are a perfect foil for each other’s most attractive traits and they are explosively sexy. August is touched by Elle’s affection for his aunt and her original childhood book character that inspired Elle to become an illustrator. Little by little she worms her way into his heart, but he makes it look like an intrusion. In the end it’s all romance gold, and a well written, easy slice of romantic smut. I loved it. Four and a half stars rounded up to five.

[This Is What I Read (Nitzan) · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love a grumpy-sunshine romances, this book is for you.
August is the grumpiest grump and Elle is the sunniest sunshine.
They meet on an airplane where Elle is having a severe migraine and August tries to ignore her only to rescue her when she faints as they land.
When the tabloids print the photos of him carrying her at the airport, August needs to save his reputation and asks Elle to be his fake fiancee.
I loved all the female characters in the book (especially Elle's grandmother) but I had some trouble relating to August's character.

[Joanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Amazon Prime read.

Utter face slap of a read.

Arty/ easy-going/ wild child, money-stricken girl sits next to a billionaire on a plane in business class. So...said girl can afford business class? Unless of course I missed the oh my lucky stars I've been upgraded for free! And billionaire flying commercial?

So our pretty girl has a migraine and collapses in the airport and the billionaire assists her. He then turns up on her doorstep the next day insisting that she marry him because the press think something bad about him? Ok, that makes perfect sense. Good job the wild child doesn't have much sense otherwise the story would have ended right there and we would all have an extra two hours of life.

I mean, each to their own, but I think the grumpy (read tortured past) billionaire turned out to be something of a wet lettuce. Of course, the hero needs to be changed by the heroine, but surely losing his spine on his journey of romantic discovery was a bit too much?

[Debby *BabyDee* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Third times the charm for Nicole Snow and I modestly gave this 3-stars and that was only due to the narration performance that I thought was quite good. As far as the storyline goes, I was very disappointed to read no character development with the hero. His demeanor stayed that same throughout the whole story that I wasn't sure why the heroine bothered to deal with such a prick. Could have been better for me...but failed a bit much.

[Sissy's Romance Book Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

Almost Pretend by Nicole Snow is the story of August and Elle. This was just a wonderful book!! Loved it and I hope to read more from this author soon! Highly Recommend this book and this author's writing.