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The Chicago Falcons #3
Just Pretending
It's not easy being royal. Sixteen-year-old Evangeline wears her crown proudly, but between her duties and her overprotective big brother, the idea of romance is just a dream. But a chance encounter in Chicago changes all that….
Sure, seventeen-year-old Tyler Evans loves playing hockey, but he's more concerned about providing for his dad and little sister. Then he meets Eva--and falls head-over-heels in love—and he has two more problems. One, she's his best friend's little sister. Two, she wears a crown.
But then Eva accidentally mistakes Tyler for a visiting prince, and for the first time, Tyler doesn't feel like a nobody. He knows he has to tell her the truth…but not yet.
His plan? To keep up the royal charade as long as it takes to convince Eva he’s the guy for her. Even if he’s lying to everyone…including himself.
Disclaimer: May cause disillusionment. Those girls looking to find their Prince Charming might consider scouting out hockey rinks.
Sure, seventeen-year-old Tyler Evans loves playing hockey, but he's more concerned about providing for his dad and little sister. Then he meets Eva--and falls head-over-heels in love—and he has two more problems. One, she's his best friend's little sister. Two, she wears a crown.
But then Eva accidentally mistakes Tyler for a visiting prince, and for the first time, Tyler doesn't feel like a nobody. He knows he has to tell her the truth…but not yet.
His plan? To keep up the royal charade as long as it takes to convince Eva he’s the guy for her. Even if he’s lying to everyone…including himself.
Disclaimer: May cause disillusionment. Those girls looking to find their Prince Charming might consider scouting out hockey rinks.
Unknown Binding
First published November 5, 2018
53 people are currently reading
1439 people want to read
About the author
Leah Rooper
5 books112 followersLeah and Kate Rooper are sisters who live on beautiful Vancouver Island, BC. Ever since they were little, they have loved playing make-believe. Now even as “grown-ups”, they play make-believe every day in the stories they write. When they’re not glued to their laptops, Leah and Kate are both studying Elementary School Education at university.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
October 23, 2018
I've really enjoyed the Chicago Falcons series and I'm sad Just pretending is the last book. Each story can be read as a standalone but the characters feature in the books. This is queen Eva's and Tyler's story.
Eva wants a taste of a normal life. She is visiting her brother in Chicago and wants to see more than the tourist's attractions. She visits the ice rink to watch her brother practice hockey. Tyler meets Eva in the last book while her brother needed help. When she bumps into Tyler at hockey practice they get off on the wrong foot. After a mix-up, Eva believes Ty is a prince and feels they are on even ground. They have lots in common and Ty is very sweet but what's going to happen when Eva realises he didn't tell the whole truth.
Tyler has had a thing for Eva since he met her. His own life is complicated and he's trying to find his way. When Eva comes to visit her brother, Tyler wants his chance with her. He gets roped into meeting a prince at the airport but finds Eva instead. When he's pretending to be someone else he gets the chance to show her the real him.
Just pretending is a sweet story with a mix up in identity. 4 stars out of 5.
*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The first book was my favourite but the others are worth the read. I can't wait to see what these ladies come up with next.
Eva wants a taste of a normal life. She is visiting her brother in Chicago and wants to see more than the tourist's attractions. She visits the ice rink to watch her brother practice hockey. Tyler meets Eva in the last book while her brother needed help. When she bumps into Tyler at hockey practice they get off on the wrong foot. After a mix-up, Eva believes Ty is a prince and feels they are on even ground. They have lots in common and Ty is very sweet but what's going to happen when Eva realises he didn't tell the whole truth.
Tyler has had a thing for Eva since he met her. His own life is complicated and he's trying to find his way. When Eva comes to visit her brother, Tyler wants his chance with her. He gets roped into meeting a prince at the airport but finds Eva instead. When he's pretending to be someone else he gets the chance to show her the real him.
Just pretending is a sweet story with a mix up in identity. 4 stars out of 5.
*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The first book was my favourite but the others are worth the read. I can't wait to see what these ladies come up with next.
August 18, 2023
when he dedicates a whole art gallery just to you 🤝🏼
"I just kept picturing you in my mind. You were a thousand paintings, a million colors.” wholesome moment 💞💞💞
"I just kept picturing you in my mind. You were a thousand paintings, a million colors.” wholesome moment 💞💞💞
October 22, 2018
I voluntarily reviewed an Reader Copy of this book which I received through
Netgalley.
This book is amazing. I loved Eva and Tyler so so much. They're so real and sweet and ugh just loved it!!
I also very much love the writing style. I flew through the book.
Netgalley.
This book is amazing. I loved Eva and Tyler so so much. They're so real and sweet and ugh just loved it!!
I also very much love the writing style. I flew through the book.
December 30, 2018
I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Honestly, once I got this ARC.. I never really read the previous books. Thankfully, I got them for free on Kindle Unlimited and dove right into them. Each were entertaining to say the least. Plus, I do love my hockey romance books. After reading this though, I'm sad to see this series end. I really enjoyed getting to meet each character and falling in love with their stories.
In this book, you will meet Eva and Tyler. Eva is royalty and Tyler plays on the same hockey team as her brother Daniel. Now if you've read the previous two books, you learned that Daniel was a prince in the second book - so yeah, spoiler alert!
Now I loved the romance between these two! They were completely adorable and it made my heart pitter patter. This book also had it's fair share of secrets in it - which kind of kept me on my toes for a bit. Other than that, the drama was a tad bit ridiculous at times. Even with knowing that this is a Young Adult, I just couldn't help rolling my eyes a few times.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I was happy to see everyone from the previous books and it brought joy to my eyes seeing them all happy. Everyone was very cute throughout this series and again, I was so happy to dive into it. I will definitely look out for another series or book by this author. Hoping it will being joy to my life once again.
Honestly, once I got this ARC.. I never really read the previous books. Thankfully, I got them for free on Kindle Unlimited and dove right into them. Each were entertaining to say the least. Plus, I do love my hockey romance books. After reading this though, I'm sad to see this series end. I really enjoyed getting to meet each character and falling in love with their stories.
In this book, you will meet Eva and Tyler. Eva is royalty and Tyler plays on the same hockey team as her brother Daniel. Now if you've read the previous two books, you learned that Daniel was a prince in the second book - so yeah, spoiler alert!
Now I loved the romance between these two! They were completely adorable and it made my heart pitter patter. This book also had it's fair share of secrets in it - which kind of kept me on my toes for a bit. Other than that, the drama was a tad bit ridiculous at times. Even with knowing that this is a Young Adult, I just couldn't help rolling my eyes a few times.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I was happy to see everyone from the previous books and it brought joy to my eyes seeing them all happy. Everyone was very cute throughout this series and again, I was so happy to dive into it. I will definitely look out for another series or book by this author. Hoping it will being joy to my life once again.
November 20, 2018
#JustPretending #NetGalley
publisher synopsis: It's not easy being royal. Sixteen-year-old Evangeline wears her crown proudly, but between her duties and her overprotective big brother, the idea of romance is just a dream. But a chance encounter in Chicago changes all that….
Sure, seventeen-year-old Tyler Evans loves playing hockey, but he's more concerned about providing for his dad and little sister. Then he meets Eva--and falls head-over-heels in love—and he has two more problems. One, she's his best friend's little sister. Two, she wears a crown.
But then Eva accidentally mistakes Tyler for a visiting prince, and for the first time, Tyler doesn't feel like a nobody. He knows he has to tell her the truth…but not yet.
His plan? To keep up the royal charade as long as it takes to convince Eva he’s the guy for her. Even if he’s lying to everyone…including himself.
This is a cute, clean romance. It has some great lessons throughout it as well. Both Evangeline and Tyler "hide" who they really are, but in up finding their true selves, and each other. Tyler works on his own paralyzing truths and finally comes clean and asks for help, which doesn't make him weaker, it makes him stronger.
Wonderfully written and executed.
I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
publisher synopsis: It's not easy being royal. Sixteen-year-old Evangeline wears her crown proudly, but between her duties and her overprotective big brother, the idea of romance is just a dream. But a chance encounter in Chicago changes all that….
Sure, seventeen-year-old Tyler Evans loves playing hockey, but he's more concerned about providing for his dad and little sister. Then he meets Eva--and falls head-over-heels in love—and he has two more problems. One, she's his best friend's little sister. Two, she wears a crown.
But then Eva accidentally mistakes Tyler for a visiting prince, and for the first time, Tyler doesn't feel like a nobody. He knows he has to tell her the truth…but not yet.
His plan? To keep up the royal charade as long as it takes to convince Eva he’s the guy for her. Even if he’s lying to everyone…including himself.
This is a cute, clean romance. It has some great lessons throughout it as well. Both Evangeline and Tyler "hide" who they really are, but in up finding their true selves, and each other. Tyler works on his own paralyzing truths and finally comes clean and asks for help, which doesn't make him weaker, it makes him stronger.
Wonderfully written and executed.
I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
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March 8, 2023the worst one out of the bunch tbh. i didn’t really like any of the characters. the whole way eva treated tyler when she saw him as a hockey player was just so mean and his acceptance of it made him feel like a pushover. i get he has low self esteem but this was too much. like it doesn’t justify her treating you like roadkill. they were both so bleh and then daniel was super annoying in this one as well. these books progressively had less and less ice time. the dyslexia stuff was solid but other than that i didn’t care for this much.
march 8, 2023
march 8, 2023
August 6, 2019
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.
Now, books 1 and 2 in this series were so good, that I had high hopes for this final book, and though I enjoyed it, I felt it was the weakest of the trilogy. In Just Pretending, we follow Princess Evangeline as she travels to Chicago to visit her big brother, Daniel. While there, she meets one of Daniel's team mates, Tyler, but she happens to confuse him with a prince, and though it's wrong, Tyler finds himself playing along, and pretending to be a prince, rather than coming clean about his families struggles as he provides for them. The chemistry between both was really sweet, and it seemed like each understood the other, but we always had the whole secret identity aspect hanging over them like a sword, so when it is revealed, there's obviously a lot of drama and angst.
I did enjoy both main characters, but, like I said, not as much as the previous couples. Ty was really sweet, and I loved how hard he fought for Eva to prove he deserved her, but still I didn't connect as much with him or Eva. Still, I think this was a perfect way to end this companion series, and I'm glad I discovered the books online.
Now, books 1 and 2 in this series were so good, that I had high hopes for this final book, and though I enjoyed it, I felt it was the weakest of the trilogy. In Just Pretending, we follow Princess Evangeline as she travels to Chicago to visit her big brother, Daniel. While there, she meets one of Daniel's team mates, Tyler, but she happens to confuse him with a prince, and though it's wrong, Tyler finds himself playing along, and pretending to be a prince, rather than coming clean about his families struggles as he provides for them. The chemistry between both was really sweet, and it seemed like each understood the other, but we always had the whole secret identity aspect hanging over them like a sword, so when it is revealed, there's obviously a lot of drama and angst.
I did enjoy both main characters, but, like I said, not as much as the previous couples. Ty was really sweet, and I loved how hard he fought for Eva to prove he deserved her, but still I didn't connect as much with him or Eva. Still, I think this was a perfect way to end this companion series, and I'm glad I discovered the books online.
November 1, 2018
Sorry, I DNF'd this book (Did not finish....) I got 1/4 of the way in and I just couldn't do anymore. It seemed to fake, and too forced. It just wasn't for me.
November 6, 2018
I will start off by saying this is the first book in The Chicago Flacons series I have read. If you're looking for a super cute fairy tale story, then this is for you!
With the plot, I did like the fact that we got to see Chicago but also another country all together. I wish the author would have explored these a bit more or focused more on one location. With the art aspect, I really enjoyed that as art is something I also love. Speaking of parts of the story line, I really enjoy that the authors chose to speak about a disability. Disabilities are extremely common in our society and I feel a lot of time in books they are pushed under the rugs. So, I really commend Leah and Kate for willing speaking about a topic in their story.
As far as characters go, my favorite character was Madison. I love how helpful and upbeat she is. She always seems to see the good in every situation. Also, the real Tiberius was hysterical and he was a perfect comic relief. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with our main characters. With Tyler, I thought he was too hard on himself and a bit of a cry-baby. The one thing I really enjoyed about him was how he was with his sister Millie. With Eva she was a bit too "royal" for me and didn't really break down even around Tyler whom she supposedly loves. Then, there's Daniel who I love the over-protected older brother thing, but he took it a bit far for me most times.
Overall, Just Pretending was a super cute read with an ending you know and want coming. I think Kate and Leah Rooper on are their way to creating swoon-worthy contemporaries!
Thank you to Entangled and Netgalley for the copy.
Find this review at Shortie Says
November 5, 2018
3.5*
Just Pretending was a cute story with a lot of heart. Eva and Tyler both want to be “seen” for who they really are, not just as a queen and a poor jock. Eva, as the young Queen of a small country, wants nothing more than to have friends and belong to the Falcon family her brother Daniel has created for himself and his friends. Tyler just wants a shot at being something more than who he thinks he is.
Although for all Eva’s posturing about how she wanted to fit in and not have people judge her for being queen, there were a couple of times that she sure was quick to judge Tyler, without knowing him or even giving him a chance.
When the opportunity presents itself to Tyler to become someone he’s not, he jumps at the chance, just to spend time with Eva. Before long he’s in deeper than he expected and unfortunately things implode on him.
I’m kind of embarrassed to admit to the tears I shed for Tyler towards the end of the book, but he pulled at every single one of my heartstrings! Yes, he made some questionable decisions and dumb choices, but I honestly can't fault him for it, even with the fallout from his behavior.
Overall I thought this story was very sweet. Eva and Tyler both came to some realizations about themselves, and I liked that there was an underlying message of accepting yourself woven in.
This was the first book I read in the Chicago Falcons series- I hadn’t realized it was part of a series when I requested to read and review it. Although it can be read as a standalone I do think it would have been better if I had started at the beginning, especially with Eva and her ascension to the throne.
***Copy received courtesy of the publisher.
Just Pretending was a cute story with a lot of heart. Eva and Tyler both want to be “seen” for who they really are, not just as a queen and a poor jock. Eva, as the young Queen of a small country, wants nothing more than to have friends and belong to the Falcon family her brother Daniel has created for himself and his friends. Tyler just wants a shot at being something more than who he thinks he is.
Although for all Eva’s posturing about how she wanted to fit in and not have people judge her for being queen, there were a couple of times that she sure was quick to judge Tyler, without knowing him or even giving him a chance.
When the opportunity presents itself to Tyler to become someone he’s not, he jumps at the chance, just to spend time with Eva. Before long he’s in deeper than he expected and unfortunately things implode on him.
I’m kind of embarrassed to admit to the tears I shed for Tyler towards the end of the book, but he pulled at every single one of my heartstrings! Yes, he made some questionable decisions and dumb choices, but I honestly can't fault him for it, even with the fallout from his behavior.
Overall I thought this story was very sweet. Eva and Tyler both came to some realizations about themselves, and I liked that there was an underlying message of accepting yourself woven in.
This was the first book I read in the Chicago Falcons series- I hadn’t realized it was part of a series when I requested to read and review it. Although it can be read as a standalone I do think it would have been better if I had started at the beginning, especially with Eva and her ascension to the throne.
***Copy received courtesy of the publisher.
October 22, 2018
Tyler was the poor kid with the dead mom. Eva was the teen queen. Both felt the pressure of all their responsibilities, but maybe together, they could have everything they wanted and needed.
• Pro: Tyler and Eva came from such different backgrounds, but surprisingly shared a lot of common ground. The Roopers did a great job drawing those parallels between the two, which I thought lent some credibility to the friendship and the romance that developed between them.
• Pro: These two tugged on my heartstrings. They just wanted to be seen beyond the labels they had been"assigned", because there was a lot more to both of them then met the eye. I was so happy they found each other, and could share all of themselves, not just the parts people wanted to see.
• Pro: There was this wonderful message of trusting in others and sharing one's burdens, which I liked a lot.
• Pro: Ty and Eva were super cute and swoony together. They could really talk to each other, and share their hopes and fears. They could also have fun with one another, and the happiness they enjoyed together was wonderful.
• Pro: As in the previous book, the Falcon family came through to support their own. I never tire of stories that feature family-we-picked-ourselves. These characters were sort of doubly lucky too, because they were blessed with great families and great found-families.
• Pro: This was the final book in the series, and I really grew to love the Falcon family. I was so pleased with the epilogue, because the Roopers gave all our Falcons great starts to their futures.
Overall: A wonderful ending for a series that was filled with friends, family, swoony romance, fun antics, and lots of love.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
• Pro: Tyler and Eva came from such different backgrounds, but surprisingly shared a lot of common ground. The Roopers did a great job drawing those parallels between the two, which I thought lent some credibility to the friendship and the romance that developed between them.
• Pro: These two tugged on my heartstrings. They just wanted to be seen beyond the labels they had been"assigned", because there was a lot more to both of them then met the eye. I was so happy they found each other, and could share all of themselves, not just the parts people wanted to see.
• Pro: There was this wonderful message of trusting in others and sharing one's burdens, which I liked a lot.
• Pro: Ty and Eva were super cute and swoony together. They could really talk to each other, and share their hopes and fears. They could also have fun with one another, and the happiness they enjoyed together was wonderful.
• Pro: As in the previous book, the Falcon family came through to support their own. I never tire of stories that feature family-we-picked-ourselves. These characters were sort of doubly lucky too, because they were blessed with great families and great found-families.
• Pro: This was the final book in the series, and I really grew to love the Falcon family. I was so pleased with the epilogue, because the Roopers gave all our Falcons great starts to their futures.
Overall: A wonderful ending for a series that was filled with friends, family, swoony romance, fun antics, and lots of love.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
October 25, 2018
I loved book 1 in this series, sadly I missed book 2, but I have to say I struggled with book 3, Just Pretending. The storyline had so much potential, I loved the premise of Tyler pretending to be a Prince and I loved that there were some funny moments, especially with the real Prince Tiberius, who, I have to say was a complete hoot, and stole the show for me. I did however, struggle with how horrid and snooty Eva was, I struggled with how Tyler belittled himself and how he deceived his best friend and the girl he was falling for, all because he was insecure. I didn’t like how Daniel was with Tyler, none of it made me think they were a really tight knit unit. Overall it was a bit of a flop for me with a saving grace from the side characters, Millie, Madison and of course Tiberius. I will say however, there were some highly emotional scenes towards the end of the story, and once the characters were honest with themselves it redeemed itself somewhat. I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest review.
November 5, 2018
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*I was provided with an ARC of this book through Netgalley, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Let me first state that this is the final book in a series, however I haven’t read the other books and you don’t need to in order to enjoy this. Because I really did enjoy this, it was everything that I like in a contemporary, it was a quick read, it had likeable characters and an adorable romance. I really liked the romance, but ultimately it was the characters, two characters in particular and one of the minor storylines that made this book for me.
Firstly, the main characters were Eva and Tyler. Eva has not long been crowned Queen of her small country and Tyler is still in high school and plays for the hockey team with Eva’s brother Daniel. Both Eva and Tyler feel somewhat trapped in their lives, as they both feel bound by their duties to others. Eva’s in a constant tug of war with her mother about whether she can have a normal teenage life, whilst running her country. Tyler on the other hand, feels like he has to be there for his family because they don’t have much money and he constantly has to look after his sister so his dad can work. Through their experiences with each other, they both learn a lot about who and what they want to be and ultimately make each other better people, which was really lovely to read about. I think that this betterment of someone because of a romance isn’t always displayed enough.
The romance between these two was very sweet, it was shrouded in secrets and had its ups and downs, but it was a joy to read about. You could tell that their connection wasn’t at a superficial level, they both felt truly seen by someone in a way that they never had before and they both deserved it. It was a bit of a whirlwind romance though, things happened quite fast and very important words were said very quickly, there were also some very surreal events that happened, like Eva purchasing a horse and carriage for £5,000. And at times I didn’t get why Tyler didn’t try harder to tell Eva the truth, like keeping his helmet on, also how people didn’t recognise Tyler and generally how he kept the charade up that he was Prince Tiberius. But a lot of those aspects are very common in romances and things are meant to feel like a dream and so it didn’t make me not enjoy the book, but it did prevent it from getting a full five star rating. Some of the dates that they went on were honestly just so cute and often were hilarious, I was laughing at so many parts, because these two managed to get themselves in all kinds of pickles.
The other characters in the book, Daniel and Madison, and Alice and Hayden were who the other books in the series were based on. From what I saw of them I probably would of liked their stories just as much as this one. Madison was super kind to Tyler and was determined to help him get his happy ending. Daniel and I had a very love hate relationship, sometimes he irked me, but then he’d show what a great friend and brother that he can be and made me forgive him. Alice and Hayden weren’t as present, but they both seemed nice enough and their story sounded very interesting indeed. I can imagine how bittersweet it was for those who have been following this series, seeing all of the characters come together in the way that they did, as they learn to grow up and decide their futures and how they can be a part of each others.
Now I get to talk apart my favourite aspect of Just Pretending, which was basically Tyler and his family. Tyler’s family doesn’t have a lot of money, especially in comparison to his friends. It was so sad to witness him feeling ashamed and embarrassed by himself and his situation, he loved his family more than anything but he still felt some resentment towards his dad for their situation. He also felt tremendous guilt that he isn’t able to give his sister all the things he wants to, it was honestly so heartbreaking. He truly believes that he has no future, because of his lack of money, he needs to look after his sister and because he has dyslexia and his little sister is the only person who knows. Tyler even gets so enraged by a teacher, who talks to him about future prospects because he feels like she’s mocking him.
Tyler’s journey to accept himself and what he did and didn’t have was what will stay with me the most. It isn’t easy for him to ask for help because he feels like his dad has enough on his plate, but he eventually learns in more ways than one, that sometimes being honest is the best thing you can do. His relationship with his family and his little sister Millie in particular meant so much to me and ultimately outshined the romance. Millie was such a precious little thing, she was pure sunshine, even when she was being cheeky. She was only 9 years old but she was very wise and was the best sister to Tyler that anyone could hope for, helping him with his reading and writing in secret. She was also hilarious and I truly don’t know what Tyler would of done without her.
Overall this was a cute and quick read, that had some more important messages threaded through it, which was wonderful. I loved the inclusion of Tyler’s financial situation and his dyslexia, which is something that one of the authors personally has experience with, it gave the book an appreciated depth. More than anything I had fun with this, and I couldn’t write this review without briefly mentioning the real Prince Tiberius who was a real scream, he was honestly so ridiculous that I couldn’t help but laugh every time he appeared, he was completely in his own world. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t desperate for him to get his own book. Please pick this up, it was delightful in every sense.
*I was provided with an ARC of this book through Netgalley, in exchange for my honest opinion.
Let me first state that this is the final book in a series, however I haven’t read the other books and you don’t need to in order to enjoy this. Because I really did enjoy this, it was everything that I like in a contemporary, it was a quick read, it had likeable characters and an adorable romance. I really liked the romance, but ultimately it was the characters, two characters in particular and one of the minor storylines that made this book for me.
Firstly, the main characters were Eva and Tyler. Eva has not long been crowned Queen of her small country and Tyler is still in high school and plays for the hockey team with Eva’s brother Daniel. Both Eva and Tyler feel somewhat trapped in their lives, as they both feel bound by their duties to others. Eva’s in a constant tug of war with her mother about whether she can have a normal teenage life, whilst running her country. Tyler on the other hand, feels like he has to be there for his family because they don’t have much money and he constantly has to look after his sister so his dad can work. Through their experiences with each other, they both learn a lot about who and what they want to be and ultimately make each other better people, which was really lovely to read about. I think that this betterment of someone because of a romance isn’t always displayed enough.
The romance between these two was very sweet, it was shrouded in secrets and had its ups and downs, but it was a joy to read about. You could tell that their connection wasn’t at a superficial level, they both felt truly seen by someone in a way that they never had before and they both deserved it. It was a bit of a whirlwind romance though, things happened quite fast and very important words were said very quickly, there were also some very surreal events that happened, like Eva purchasing a horse and carriage for £5,000. And at times I didn’t get why Tyler didn’t try harder to tell Eva the truth, like keeping his helmet on, also how people didn’t recognise Tyler and generally how he kept the charade up that he was Prince Tiberius. But a lot of those aspects are very common in romances and things are meant to feel like a dream and so it didn’t make me not enjoy the book, but it did prevent it from getting a full five star rating. Some of the dates that they went on were honestly just so cute and often were hilarious, I was laughing at so many parts, because these two managed to get themselves in all kinds of pickles.
The other characters in the book, Daniel and Madison, and Alice and Hayden were who the other books in the series were based on. From what I saw of them I probably would of liked their stories just as much as this one. Madison was super kind to Tyler and was determined to help him get his happy ending. Daniel and I had a very love hate relationship, sometimes he irked me, but then he’d show what a great friend and brother that he can be and made me forgive him. Alice and Hayden weren’t as present, but they both seemed nice enough and their story sounded very interesting indeed. I can imagine how bittersweet it was for those who have been following this series, seeing all of the characters come together in the way that they did, as they learn to grow up and decide their futures and how they can be a part of each others.
Now I get to talk apart my favourite aspect of Just Pretending, which was basically Tyler and his family. Tyler’s family doesn’t have a lot of money, especially in comparison to his friends. It was so sad to witness him feeling ashamed and embarrassed by himself and his situation, he loved his family more than anything but he still felt some resentment towards his dad for their situation. He also felt tremendous guilt that he isn’t able to give his sister all the things he wants to, it was honestly so heartbreaking. He truly believes that he has no future, because of his lack of money, he needs to look after his sister and because he has dyslexia and his little sister is the only person who knows. Tyler even gets so enraged by a teacher, who talks to him about future prospects because he feels like she’s mocking him.
Tyler’s journey to accept himself and what he did and didn’t have was what will stay with me the most. It isn’t easy for him to ask for help because he feels like his dad has enough on his plate, but he eventually learns in more ways than one, that sometimes being honest is the best thing you can do. His relationship with his family and his little sister Millie in particular meant so much to me and ultimately outshined the romance. Millie was such a precious little thing, she was pure sunshine, even when she was being cheeky. She was only 9 years old but she was very wise and was the best sister to Tyler that anyone could hope for, helping him with his reading and writing in secret. She was also hilarious and I truly don’t know what Tyler would of done without her.
Overall this was a cute and quick read, that had some more important messages threaded through it, which was wonderful. I loved the inclusion of Tyler’s financial situation and his dyslexia, which is something that one of the authors personally has experience with, it gave the book an appreciated depth. More than anything I had fun with this, and I couldn’t write this review without briefly mentioning the real Prince Tiberius who was a real scream, he was honestly so ridiculous that I couldn’t help but laugh every time he appeared, he was completely in his own world. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t desperate for him to get his own book. Please pick this up, it was delightful in every sense.
January 11, 2019
Just Pretending was such a cute, sweet and fun story. I very much enjoyed this last book in Chicago Falcons' series. I guess this was my favourite of them all.
October 30, 2018
This book series has been really great reads so far and Just Pretending did not disappoint! It was fast paced, and it had the same reading vibes as the other books had for me.
Just Pretending reminded me of Aladdin so it almost could be an Aladdin retelling. It’s not intentionally supposed to be one, but it had all of the elements there. For example, there was a queen and then a commoner who ends up pretending he’s a prince. I liked that aspect very much.
I liked Tyler in this book and was glad we got to see both Eva and Tyler. I liked all of the characters here and the reunion.
The end made me sad though since this was the last of the series, but overall this was a five star read because it continued the series that I loved, the plot, and characters. Plus I also like the hockey parts in this story. I like a good hockey story. I’d definitely recommend this if you are looking for a series with friendships, romance and hockey.
Overall, this entire series is a five out of five star read.
I received this book from Netgalley. It has no impact on my thoughts and opinions. They are my own.
Just Pretending reminded me of Aladdin so it almost could be an Aladdin retelling. It’s not intentionally supposed to be one, but it had all of the elements there. For example, there was a queen and then a commoner who ends up pretending he’s a prince. I liked that aspect very much.
I liked Tyler in this book and was glad we got to see both Eva and Tyler. I liked all of the characters here and the reunion.
The end made me sad though since this was the last of the series, but overall this was a five star read because it continued the series that I loved, the plot, and characters. Plus I also like the hockey parts in this story. I like a good hockey story. I’d definitely recommend this if you are looking for a series with friendships, romance and hockey.
Overall, this entire series is a five out of five star read.
I received this book from Netgalley. It has no impact on my thoughts and opinions. They are my own.
November 5, 2018
Tyler is a shy hockey player, a close friend of Daniel, who has a crush on Eva, Daniel's sister and queen of Perienza. Because of his low self-esteem and dyslexia, he believes that will never have a chance with the girl, but he takes full advantage of a chance that comes up and ends up finding himself refreshed next to Eva.
Eva in turn is feeling the pressure of governing and the eternal dissatisfaction of her mother.
She ends up approaching the supposed prince Tiberius and being enchanted with the sweetness of the boy.
I loved the light and dynamic writing of the book and was impressed to discover that one of the writers has this problem. I really enjoyed the participation of the characters of the other books, only Daniel seems to have not learned to trust his friends yet.
I loved the pretty cover and the sweet ending. I will miss these characters.
Eva in turn is feeling the pressure of governing and the eternal dissatisfaction of her mother.
She ends up approaching the supposed prince Tiberius and being enchanted with the sweetness of the boy.
I loved the light and dynamic writing of the book and was impressed to discover that one of the writers has this problem. I really enjoyed the participation of the characters of the other books, only Daniel seems to have not learned to trust his friends yet.
I loved the pretty cover and the sweet ending. I will miss these characters.
January 7, 2023
I will not be finishing this book for MULTIPLE reasons… and it is not easy for me to stop reading in the middle of books easily.
First of all, the way that Tyler and Eva bonded as like a “love-at first sight” was awful. It had me cringing and felt so cheesy and cliche, not to mention they’re 16 (eva) and (~)18 years old (Ty).
Eva in the beginning is claiming how she is a loner and just wants friends like her brother has. She wants a hockey jacket like Madison’s because it signifies that they all support and care for each other. Then, when Tyler goes up to her after a game, for the second time, she is a complete bitch and blows him off. The first time was understandable due to the heat of the moment feelings she had as being seen as another “girl to conquer”, I know I wouldn’t be in a chippy mood either. However, the second time, there was really no excuse.
Also, the fact that she assumes all the guys on the team are just using her for her title, after her so-called “best-friend”, Madison, warns her that the first guy that came up to her has an awful reputation and to watch out— but there are other good ones on the team. Does she take the advice? No. Then she over hears some of them talking about how they just want to sleep with a queen. Automatically, she assumes that all of the rest of the guys are douche bags— ignoring Madison, but wanting her advice later in the book?
Then when Tyler actually walks up to her to tell her the truth, she ignores him & treats him like garbage before walking away. What a good image for a queen. Not only that, but then she has the audacity to be mad at him? And Tyler believes he just didn’t have enough courage to tell her ?
Now, I don’t think he should have let her walk away but he was still in his skates— which if you know anything about ice skating, you shouldn’t be walking on concrete with skates on because they will dull them. Not to mention that Eva actually liked the real him and he felt accepted, so of course he thought that to keep those feelings he should keep pretending to be someone else. **not condoning it, just saying I understand it**
Then there is Tyler. As much as I do have empathy for what he is going through, and I understand that he is showing signs of depression which can put a character into an awful mental state, he had this attitude that he has nothing in life going for him. He has a group of friends that love and care for him— but they all have new cool hockey and he can’t afford it, woe is me (he literally is on one of the best teams). He can’t read because he “may have” (he does) dyslexia — there are things out there that can help with learning to read !! He can draw — but can’t leave his family to go to college, much less can’t afford it, once again, woe is me to the fact that he could apply for scholarships ESPECIALLY for hockey &/or go to community college near home if he doesn’t want to go far. He has a really supportive community around him that loves and cares for him.
Tyler should have told Eva earlier on about himself and who he really is. When he goes to Madison and confesses, she is all like “oh boy, I can’t keep this from Daniel! We all know how much of a mess it is to lie about who you are”, but by the next page she was scheming with Ty about how to keep hiding his identity until the perfect time comes up to tell her. Well 1. Madison already said she knows how that goes and yet wants to do it again? 2. Yeah what happened about being honest and truthful to your boyfriend?
Not to mention, the whole fake-persona thing is super repetitive from the first book in the series (which I actually really enjoyed).
Overall, there was no character development from what I saw, Eva was a bitch, Tyler is an idiot, Madison is just in it for the drama, and Daniel is obviously. Not to mention that it was literally a love-at-first-sight scenario, in which we’re talking about teenagers.
First of all, the way that Tyler and Eva bonded as like a “love-at first sight” was awful. It had me cringing and felt so cheesy and cliche, not to mention they’re 16 (eva) and (~)18 years old (Ty).
Eva in the beginning is claiming how she is a loner and just wants friends like her brother has. She wants a hockey jacket like Madison’s because it signifies that they all support and care for each other. Then, when Tyler goes up to her after a game, for the second time, she is a complete bitch and blows him off. The first time was understandable due to the heat of the moment feelings she had as being seen as another “girl to conquer”, I know I wouldn’t be in a chippy mood either. However, the second time, there was really no excuse.
Also, the fact that she assumes all the guys on the team are just using her for her title, after her so-called “best-friend”, Madison, warns her that the first guy that came up to her has an awful reputation and to watch out— but there are other good ones on the team. Does she take the advice? No. Then she over hears some of them talking about how they just want to sleep with a queen. Automatically, she assumes that all of the rest of the guys are douche bags— ignoring Madison, but wanting her advice later in the book?
Then when Tyler actually walks up to her to tell her the truth, she ignores him & treats him like garbage before walking away. What a good image for a queen. Not only that, but then she has the audacity to be mad at him? And Tyler believes he just didn’t have enough courage to tell her ?
Now, I don’t think he should have let her walk away but he was still in his skates— which if you know anything about ice skating, you shouldn’t be walking on concrete with skates on because they will dull them. Not to mention that Eva actually liked the real him and he felt accepted, so of course he thought that to keep those feelings he should keep pretending to be someone else. **not condoning it, just saying I understand it**
Then there is Tyler. As much as I do have empathy for what he is going through, and I understand that he is showing signs of depression which can put a character into an awful mental state, he had this attitude that he has nothing in life going for him. He has a group of friends that love and care for him— but they all have new cool hockey and he can’t afford it, woe is me (he literally is on one of the best teams). He can’t read because he “may have” (he does) dyslexia — there are things out there that can help with learning to read !! He can draw — but can’t leave his family to go to college, much less can’t afford it, once again, woe is me to the fact that he could apply for scholarships ESPECIALLY for hockey &/or go to community college near home if he doesn’t want to go far. He has a really supportive community around him that loves and cares for him.
Tyler should have told Eva earlier on about himself and who he really is. When he goes to Madison and confesses, she is all like “oh boy, I can’t keep this from Daniel! We all know how much of a mess it is to lie about who you are”, but by the next page she was scheming with Ty about how to keep hiding his identity until the perfect time comes up to tell her. Well 1. Madison already said she knows how that goes and yet wants to do it again? 2. Yeah what happened about being honest and truthful to your boyfriend?
Not to mention, the whole fake-persona thing is super repetitive from the first book in the series (which I actually really enjoyed).
Overall, there was no character development from what I saw, Eva was a bitch, Tyler is an idiot, Madison is just in it for the drama, and Daniel is obviously. Not to mention that it was literally a love-at-first-sight scenario, in which we’re talking about teenagers.
November 3, 2018
https://celebrityreaders.com/2018/11/...
I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.
4 stars — After my mixed feelings on Daniel and Madison’s book, I was wary of what this book was going to be like for my adorable Tyler and Eva….but I need not have worried, I was sucked right in and feeling all the feels! I will admit, there were still times I *really* had to suspend my disbelief (mostly when Tyler was playing Tiberius), but as long as I did that I was fine.
I was half in love with Tyler in the previous 2 books, but he just confirmed my love in this story. Which is not to say he didn’t behave like an idiot…he did. And more than I was expecting. But my heart just ACHED for him. Reading his POV parts just always got to me. He really honestly felt like a nobody, like nothing. And even though he was wholeheartedly wrong, I got why he fell into that trap. It’s funny, b/c I was empathizing with him so hard (even though I don’t specifically have anything in common with him), that when Daniel starts giving him some hard truths, my back got up automatically. But Daniel was right. And I so appreciated that Tyler had someone in his life that wasn’t afraid to call him on his bullshit. Tyler really went through a journey in this story, but the core of who he was was totally swoonworthy: a genuinely sweet and good guy. And I loved all the little aspects of his character that we learned, from his artistic talent to his struggles with dyslexia.
I will admit that I found I didn’t *quite* connect with Eva as closely. Like, I did, but her story seemed overshadowed by Tyler’s in this one. Which was okay, because I think much more and it would have been too much in one book, but I do feel sad that I never really got down and dirty in what it was like for Eva as a newly appointed Queen. I wonder if part of the reason I felt like her story got lost is that I just finished reading another story about a young Queen, and so I could see the difference between what we learned about that other Queen’s struggles vs Eva’s. But I did appreciate her struggle with being liked and *seen* for who she was.
As for the romance — it was both sweet and hot at the same time. The sweetness I expected. But damn, some of those kisses got steamy! Not graphic, this is still YA…but definitely steamy. The whole paint scene was…wow. I really felt their connection, and it made my heart hurt when Tyler kept mucking things up. I got it to a degree, but there did come a point when I was ready to smack him. Luckily Daniel was there.
All in all, this was a solid conclusion to the series. And while they can be read as standalones, I think if you enjoy any one of them, it’s worth seeing what the other Falcons are up to. I also really appreciated that we got an epilogue that nicely wrapped things up and gave closure. Otherwise I was worried I was going to have to beg for a bonus novella… 😉
I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.
4 stars — After my mixed feelings on Daniel and Madison’s book, I was wary of what this book was going to be like for my adorable Tyler and Eva….but I need not have worried, I was sucked right in and feeling all the feels! I will admit, there were still times I *really* had to suspend my disbelief (mostly when Tyler was playing Tiberius), but as long as I did that I was fine.
I was half in love with Tyler in the previous 2 books, but he just confirmed my love in this story. Which is not to say he didn’t behave like an idiot…he did. And more than I was expecting. But my heart just ACHED for him. Reading his POV parts just always got to me. He really honestly felt like a nobody, like nothing. And even though he was wholeheartedly wrong, I got why he fell into that trap. It’s funny, b/c I was empathizing with him so hard (even though I don’t specifically have anything in common with him), that when Daniel starts giving him some hard truths, my back got up automatically. But Daniel was right. And I so appreciated that Tyler had someone in his life that wasn’t afraid to call him on his bullshit. Tyler really went through a journey in this story, but the core of who he was was totally swoonworthy: a genuinely sweet and good guy. And I loved all the little aspects of his character that we learned, from his artistic talent to his struggles with dyslexia.
I will admit that I found I didn’t *quite* connect with Eva as closely. Like, I did, but her story seemed overshadowed by Tyler’s in this one. Which was okay, because I think much more and it would have been too much in one book, but I do feel sad that I never really got down and dirty in what it was like for Eva as a newly appointed Queen. I wonder if part of the reason I felt like her story got lost is that I just finished reading another story about a young Queen, and so I could see the difference between what we learned about that other Queen’s struggles vs Eva’s. But I did appreciate her struggle with being liked and *seen* for who she was.
As for the romance — it was both sweet and hot at the same time. The sweetness I expected. But damn, some of those kisses got steamy! Not graphic, this is still YA…but definitely steamy. The whole paint scene was…wow. I really felt their connection, and it made my heart hurt when Tyler kept mucking things up. I got it to a degree, but there did come a point when I was ready to smack him. Luckily Daniel was there.
All in all, this was a solid conclusion to the series. And while they can be read as standalones, I think if you enjoy any one of them, it’s worth seeing what the other Falcons are up to. I also really appreciated that we got an epilogue that nicely wrapped things up and gave closure. Otherwise I was worried I was going to have to beg for a bonus novella… 😉
November 3, 2018
Romance skates into a magical, fairy tale, where the dreams of finding true love touch upon a dab of Cinderella fantasy.
Eva is sixteen and a queen—a position she loves but sometimes notices how much it keeps her from a usual life. When she visits her brother in Chicago, her hopes of having at least a few days of 'normality' disappear when her mother insists she escort a prince around town. But duty calls. Little does she realize that this prince isn't going to be what she expects in many, many more ways than one. The so-called prince gets pulled to the side as one of her brother's hockey friends accidentally takes over the role and soon finds himself in a bigger mess than he can handle.
This book is so charming and sweet! Fans of romances between royalty and 'commoners' are going to love this book. Eva is a wonderful queen, knows her position and maintains all which is expected of her. Although she does have the usual teenage hopes, she's extremely mature (perhaps too much so?) and deals as best she can. But she's missing experience, and that's what makes her easy to like. On the other side, Tyler—a friend of her brother—is a very average guy who is trying the best he can to keep his family and friends satisfied. He's got a heart of gold, although he stumbles from one mistake into the other.
The side characters are like shining spots which add the right zest at the right times. Each one has a fun personality and keeps the tale light-hearted and fun. Especially Tyler's younger sister added humor and spice, which had me smiling more than once.
The romance in the book is as a young adult romance usually is. From Tyler's side, it's full love right away. Eva needs a little more time but tumbles in quickly too. It's missing a little more build-up, but I didn't read the first two books in the series where Tyler had already seen Eva before (although this doesn't appear to be the case visa-versa). The first two books do not have to be read before diving into this one, but it might have made the relationship between the two more interesting. (My guess.) As it was, there wasn't a lot of build-up in this direction. Rather the story hangs on the trouble the mistaken identity causes, which is fun and holds a lot of humorous moments.
The tale fits well for a younger YA audience (12 to 16), although the characters act a little too mature much of the time. I wish there had been more to the plot than the mistaken identity as it did loose spark in the second half of the book and was easy to see where it was all headed. Still, it's a heart-warming read which will have romance fans fuzzy inside and dreaming of the day they might meet the 'prince' of their dreams.
I received a complimentary copy through Netgalley and found it so sweet that I wanted to leave my honest thoughts.
Eva is sixteen and a queen—a position she loves but sometimes notices how much it keeps her from a usual life. When she visits her brother in Chicago, her hopes of having at least a few days of 'normality' disappear when her mother insists she escort a prince around town. But duty calls. Little does she realize that this prince isn't going to be what she expects in many, many more ways than one. The so-called prince gets pulled to the side as one of her brother's hockey friends accidentally takes over the role and soon finds himself in a bigger mess than he can handle.
This book is so charming and sweet! Fans of romances between royalty and 'commoners' are going to love this book. Eva is a wonderful queen, knows her position and maintains all which is expected of her. Although she does have the usual teenage hopes, she's extremely mature (perhaps too much so?) and deals as best she can. But she's missing experience, and that's what makes her easy to like. On the other side, Tyler—a friend of her brother—is a very average guy who is trying the best he can to keep his family and friends satisfied. He's got a heart of gold, although he stumbles from one mistake into the other.
The side characters are like shining spots which add the right zest at the right times. Each one has a fun personality and keeps the tale light-hearted and fun. Especially Tyler's younger sister added humor and spice, which had me smiling more than once.
The romance in the book is as a young adult romance usually is. From Tyler's side, it's full love right away. Eva needs a little more time but tumbles in quickly too. It's missing a little more build-up, but I didn't read the first two books in the series where Tyler had already seen Eva before (although this doesn't appear to be the case visa-versa). The first two books do not have to be read before diving into this one, but it might have made the relationship between the two more interesting. (My guess.) As it was, there wasn't a lot of build-up in this direction. Rather the story hangs on the trouble the mistaken identity causes, which is fun and holds a lot of humorous moments.
The tale fits well for a younger YA audience (12 to 16), although the characters act a little too mature much of the time. I wish there had been more to the plot than the mistaken identity as it did loose spark in the second half of the book and was easy to see where it was all headed. Still, it's a heart-warming read which will have romance fans fuzzy inside and dreaming of the day they might meet the 'prince' of their dreams.
I received a complimentary copy through Netgalley and found it so sweet that I wanted to leave my honest thoughts.
October 31, 2018
I received this eARC from NetGalley. This is my honest review.
Eva is now Queen of her people, and she couldn't more more thrilled about it. But let's face it, she is still a teenager and she wants to live a normal life for a brief moment. When she gets the chance to go visit her brother in Chicago, Eva is over the moon about it. But it seems that Daniel is determined to keep her extremely busy doing touristy stuff and not just roaming around and having fun.
Tyler met Eva once, and thought she was an amazing person, so he was excited to see her again. But their first meeting didn't go too hot, and then Tyler was doing a favor to Daniel by picking up Prince Tiberius from the airport, when Eva mistook him for Tiberius! Now Tyler is a fake prince, but he is finally finding the connection with Eva that he had the very first time they met.
Tyler knows he needs to tell Eva the truth, but honestly, a poor motherless boy like him isn't going to see Eva, a Queen, again, so what's the harm in pretending?
Well a lot when he ends up falling for her, and then gets dragged to her home, her castle, for Christmas...
Now the cat is going to be out of the bag, and life is going to change dramatically for everyone...
This was a cute novel. I haven't read the first or the second book, but from what I can guess, each of these books have the common denominator of mistaken identities.
I didn't really connect with the characters as well as I would like, but I feel like if I had read the other books I may have had a better connection. I can't imagine being a Queen at only 16, but Eva seems to know what she is doing. She just wants to be a teenager too, which sadly doesn't always happen all of the time.
And Tyler has had a rough go lately, and I really do feel for him for his condition. But I feel like he was struggling for no reason because he could have told his dad or a teacher and gotten the help that he needed.
Overall this was a cute novel and I'm glad I got a chance to read it.
Eva is now Queen of her people, and she couldn't more more thrilled about it. But let's face it, she is still a teenager and she wants to live a normal life for a brief moment. When she gets the chance to go visit her brother in Chicago, Eva is over the moon about it. But it seems that Daniel is determined to keep her extremely busy doing touristy stuff and not just roaming around and having fun.
Tyler met Eva once, and thought she was an amazing person, so he was excited to see her again. But their first meeting didn't go too hot, and then Tyler was doing a favor to Daniel by picking up Prince Tiberius from the airport, when Eva mistook him for Tiberius! Now Tyler is a fake prince, but he is finally finding the connection with Eva that he had the very first time they met.
Tyler knows he needs to tell Eva the truth, but honestly, a poor motherless boy like him isn't going to see Eva, a Queen, again, so what's the harm in pretending?
Well a lot when he ends up falling for her, and then gets dragged to her home, her castle, for Christmas...
Now the cat is going to be out of the bag, and life is going to change dramatically for everyone...
This was a cute novel. I haven't read the first or the second book, but from what I can guess, each of these books have the common denominator of mistaken identities.
I didn't really connect with the characters as well as I would like, but I feel like if I had read the other books I may have had a better connection. I can't imagine being a Queen at only 16, but Eva seems to know what she is doing. She just wants to be a teenager too, which sadly doesn't always happen all of the time.
And Tyler has had a rough go lately, and I really do feel for him for his condition. But I feel like he was struggling for no reason because he could have told his dad or a teacher and gotten the help that he needed.
Overall this was a cute novel and I'm glad I got a chance to read it.
September 21, 2022
Reading through, each book would be good as a standalone as long as you're positive you won't read the previous ones - it's not confusing or lacking information in any sense, but it certainly spoils what happens in the books before this one.
I know this series was written by sisters but I'm not convinced. Eva keeps calling Daniel (her brother) "Dan-Dan", even though she's sixteen. There were several other circumstances that made me a little confused by their relationship and how it didn't seem realistic at all, but for the most part it was okay.
I liked how neither author shied away from a disability, and continued to present Tyler as-is, not changing him to make him better but helping him work with it while slowly accepting it. I struggled with Tyler's constant belittling of himself, to be honest.
I didn't understand why Tyler was constantly invisible to Eva when he was "Tyler". For a Queen who keeps complaining no one sees her as "Evangeline" and "who she truly is", she acted very cruel and dismissive to Tyler- both in the last book and this one. I'm not sure she ever apologized/did anything to shift her snap judgments of others.
I loved the Falcons constantly coming together to defend their own in each book, but I think I felt a better sense of "chosen family" from the previous ones. Daniel is meant to be the overprotective brother (though he took it too far sometimes) but I never felt the same sense of familial bond between him and Tyler. Not like I had between the other characters in the first couple of books.
I know this series was written by sisters but I'm not convinced. Eva keeps calling Daniel (her brother) "Dan-Dan", even though she's sixteen. There were several other circumstances that made me a little confused by their relationship and how it didn't seem realistic at all, but for the most part it was okay.
I liked how neither author shied away from a disability, and continued to present Tyler as-is, not changing him to make him better but helping him work with it while slowly accepting it. I struggled with Tyler's constant belittling of himself, to be honest.
I didn't understand why Tyler was constantly invisible to Eva when he was "Tyler". For a Queen who keeps complaining no one sees her as "Evangeline" and "who she truly is", she acted very cruel and dismissive to Tyler- both in the last book and this one. I'm not sure she ever apologized/did anything to shift her snap judgments of others.
I loved the Falcons constantly coming together to defend their own in each book, but I think I felt a better sense of "chosen family" from the previous ones. Daniel is meant to be the overprotective brother (though he took it too far sometimes) but I never felt the same sense of familial bond between him and Tyler. Not like I had between the other characters in the first couple of books.
November 6, 2018
Leah and Kate Rooper scored a hat trick with the third and last book in the Chicago Falcons series, JUST PRETENDING. This is Evangeline Harwell’s and Tyler Evans’s story. Eva is Daniel Sacachelli’s (from book two, JUST ONE OF THE ROYALS) half-brother and teammate of Tyler. Eva is now the Queen of Eldonia. She is visiting Daniel in Chicago. While there, she mistakes Tyler for the prince of Perienza, as Tyler gets wrapped up in the charade. This hockey romance is suitable for young adults.
JUST PRETENDING is an entertaining and heartfelt read. I like that in each book in the Chicago Falcons series, there was a person pretending to be something else but ending up discovering themselves in the process. I appreciated that Eva and Tyler shared a love of art. The two could relate to one another. While it was not smart that Tyler to pretend to be someone else, it gave him the confidence to get to know Eva.
It is understandable why Tyler lacked confidence. I’m glad that he was put in a situation where he could eventually better himself. I love his little sister. Millie. She is sweet and adds to the story.
I enjoyed the plot. The story has some interesting twists that develop into the perfect ending. I would love to see a spin-off series or a reunion book in the future to discover what happens to the characters. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.
JUST PRETENDING is an entertaining and heartfelt read. I like that in each book in the Chicago Falcons series, there was a person pretending to be something else but ending up discovering themselves in the process. I appreciated that Eva and Tyler shared a love of art. The two could relate to one another. While it was not smart that Tyler to pretend to be someone else, it gave him the confidence to get to know Eva.
It is understandable why Tyler lacked confidence. I’m glad that he was put in a situation where he could eventually better himself. I love his little sister. Millie. She is sweet and adds to the story.
I enjoyed the plot. The story has some interesting twists that develop into the perfect ending. I would love to see a spin-off series or a reunion book in the future to discover what happens to the characters. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.
January 24, 2019
Just pretending is the final book in the Chicago Falcons series. A book series based on the bond of three male best friends; Hayden, Daniel and Tyler. The three boys whom turned to men when playing ice hockey and navigating through life. They always have each other’s backs because they are a team, a family and best friends. The first book follows Hayden when Al joins the team disguised as her brother. The second book is Daniel and Madison the hidden prince. Now it’s Tyler and Eva’s story. A tale of falling for your best friends sister.
Tyler and Daniel have been friends for many years. Fought together but probably never each other. Then Tyler meets Daniels sister Eva (the queen to be). He’s smitten with her and he hides this from Daniel. Plus hiding his real life from Eva. Secrets and lies but with some truth.
My favourite cute bro moment was when Daniel rides up to help his friend win the girl then gives him the your a good guy speech. It’s those cute moments that makes sports books. The emotional moments between the team. Such a massive theme throughout all three books. Also to stay loyal to your friends, family and team mates!
Tyler and Daniel have been friends for many years. Fought together but probably never each other. Then Tyler meets Daniels sister Eva (the queen to be). He’s smitten with her and he hides this from Daniel. Plus hiding his real life from Eva. Secrets and lies but with some truth.
My favourite cute bro moment was when Daniel rides up to help his friend win the girl then gives him the your a good guy speech. It’s those cute moments that makes sports books. The emotional moments between the team. Such a massive theme throughout all three books. Also to stay loyal to your friends, family and team mates!
October 16, 2018
Third book in the series and super cute. I actually still haven't read the first one but I will soon! The second was adorable and so was this one. Tyler Evans is another player on the Chicago Falcons and he lacks confidence in himself in a big way. His two best friends are a prince (Daniel) and brother to an NHL player (Hayden) so he really has a hard time building his self-esteem up in their presence even through they are a super nice guys. Accidentally Tyler is mistaken for a prince by Daniel's sister, Eva, who is the Queen of Estonia. He goes along with it because he really likes her. Their romance is sweet but eventually the whole situation, as expected, blows up and Tyler's real identity is found out. Super quick read and no real surprises but well-written and the main characters, Tyler and Eva and super-likeable. Def a feel good fast read!
November 6, 2018
I was provided an ebook copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 1 star
First of all, this book took me extremely long to read. Two weeks, when usually a book of this size will only take 3-5 days, tops. There's one reason for this: I was bored. The plot was boring, the characters were boring, and since I didn't read the first book in the series, I didn't get a good grasp of the relationships that had clearly been established already. I didn't care about Tyler or Eldonia or Daniel or anyone else. This book definitely feels more 13 to 16-year-old age group.
Okay, so, I have many things to say, and none of them are good. I only give 1-star ratings to books that are either TERRIBLY written or that piss me off.
The entire premise was bullshit. Obviously, this plot isn't an original one. We've all read at least one variation of the she/he-pretends-to-be-someone-they're-not story. But usually, the person pretending has a very good reason. They're being blackmailed, or if they tell, their loved ones will be harmed. Something along those lines. But not in this case. Tyler had plenty of opportunity to tell Eva the truth, but he never did. So many instances he could've opened his mouth and blurted it out, but he "just wanted to live in a fantasy" for a little while longer, which is cowardly. I can't get over the fact that he lied SO elaborately and for SO long, way past the point of no return, and then he's easily forgiven. Bull. Shit.
Tyler was a total douchebag. I hated him by the end of this novel. I could tolerate him and his blatant lying for about sixty percent of the book, but then it went MAJORLY downhill. He BLAMED EVA for HIS lies: "Is that why you ignored me every single time I tried to talk to you as just me, Tyler?" Here he is actually saying that part of the reason he couldn't tell her the truth was because SHE IGNORED HIM. What the ACTUAL fuck.
Plus, when Eva defied her bitch of a mother and flew back to Chicago after Tyler was found out as a fraud, when she brought presents for his family, when she told him she FORGAVE him even though she had absolutely ZERO reason to do so.... he literally kicks her out of his house, insulting his sister and father as he does. He yells at her, sneers at her, is basically an ugly, manipulating son-of-a-bitch.
Not to mention he "pushes Eva away" because of some stupid "oh-woe-is-me" victim bullshit. He thinks, "Oh, I have no future, I'm so poor, I live in a garbage place and my father doesn't make any money and I can't read and oh, everything's so awful!!!!!!!!" even though a fucking QUEEN of a European country, a queen who has SO MANY OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS TO BE DOING, has chased after him - HIM, a commoner, a very poor commoner - and proclaimed her forgiveness and love. And what can he do? Say "You cAn'T lOvE sOmeOnE LiKe mE!!!!!" Being poor = being undesirable, apparently. Never mind that he has lots of friends, is a great artist, has a fantastic, badass younger sister, and plays on a famous hockey team. Nope, he's poor and sad and can't read or write, so fuck everything else.
Eva is Queen of Eldonia and yet lets her mother and brother push her around and tell her what to do. Lame. I hate pushovers.
Daniel's "big brother" overprotectiveness was NOT cute. Aside from it being totally overused in stories featuring a girl who's trying to be independent, it was disgusting at times and fucking irritating. Eva's not ten years old. She's queen of a goddamned country and can do as she pleases.
Tyler's self-hating behavior was not cute, either. To me it speaks of that good ole toxic masculinity, not to mention manipulation, as inadvertent as it may've been. Still can't get over the fact that he actually had the audacity to blame Eva for the mess his secret created. Cool motive, still manipulation.
Even after all their lovey-dovey, special, soul-bearing moments, Tyler didn't trust Eva enough to let her give him and his family Christmas presents. Instead he freaked the fuck out and accused her of giving his family "charity." How romantic....
I almost stopped at 82% because I was so fucking done with Tyler's bullshit and this entire story as a whole. But I wanted to finish because 1) I was so close anyway, and 2) I wanted to see what other ridiculousness I had to read through.
Daniel, Madison, and all the rest of the characters EASILY forgive Tyler for his elaborate lies. In fact, Daniel even encourages Tyler to "go get the girl." Like, Daniel is Tyler's best friend, and he's totally fine with the fact that Tyler lied to him for so long about his relationship with his sister? Mmmmmkay.
So Tyler can act like a victim, manipulate Eva with his lies, conceal the truth from her and all his friends for weeks, treat Eva like dirt when she - A QUEEN, need I remind you - offers him forgiveness, but everybody forgives him quicker than a snap, he gets a full-ride scholarship to the Univeristy of Eldonia, the Falcons win the championship, and Eva swoons right into his arms without so much as a fight? Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, coo-
They fall deeply, passionately in love after knowing each other for like...two months? And not even really knowing each other - Tyler pretended to be Prince Tiberius for, like, 75% of that time.
Oh, and it was never once mentioned that, um, if Eva and Tyler get together and stay together and eventually marry, he becomes the King of Eldonia???? Like, that wasn't important enough to mention? That could've been a legitimate reason for Tyler to push Eva away: he's too young and inexperienced to be king. But nope, that was never brought into the story. Neato.
Rating: 1 star
"Just Pretending" (Chicago Falcons #3) by Leah and Kate Rooper comes out on November 5th, 2018.
Rating: 1 star
First of all, this book took me extremely long to read. Two weeks, when usually a book of this size will only take 3-5 days, tops. There's one reason for this: I was bored. The plot was boring, the characters were boring, and since I didn't read the first book in the series, I didn't get a good grasp of the relationships that had clearly been established already. I didn't care about Tyler or Eldonia or Daniel or anyone else. This book definitely feels more 13 to 16-year-old age group.
Okay, so, I have many things to say, and none of them are good. I only give 1-star ratings to books that are either TERRIBLY written or that piss me off.
The entire premise was bullshit. Obviously, this plot isn't an original one. We've all read at least one variation of the she/he-pretends-to-be-someone-they're-not story. But usually, the person pretending has a very good reason. They're being blackmailed, or if they tell, their loved ones will be harmed. Something along those lines. But not in this case. Tyler had plenty of opportunity to tell Eva the truth, but he never did. So many instances he could've opened his mouth and blurted it out, but he "just wanted to live in a fantasy" for a little while longer, which is cowardly. I can't get over the fact that he lied SO elaborately and for SO long, way past the point of no return, and then he's easily forgiven. Bull. Shit.
Tyler was a total douchebag. I hated him by the end of this novel. I could tolerate him and his blatant lying for about sixty percent of the book, but then it went MAJORLY downhill. He BLAMED EVA for HIS lies: "Is that why you ignored me every single time I tried to talk to you as just me, Tyler?" Here he is actually saying that part of the reason he couldn't tell her the truth was because SHE IGNORED HIM. What the ACTUAL fuck.
Plus, when Eva defied her bitch of a mother and flew back to Chicago after Tyler was found out as a fraud, when she brought presents for his family, when she told him she FORGAVE him even though she had absolutely ZERO reason to do so.... he literally kicks her out of his house, insulting his sister and father as he does. He yells at her, sneers at her, is basically an ugly, manipulating son-of-a-bitch.
Not to mention he "pushes Eva away" because of some stupid "oh-woe-is-me" victim bullshit. He thinks, "Oh, I have no future, I'm so poor, I live in a garbage place and my father doesn't make any money and I can't read and oh, everything's so awful!!!!!!!!" even though a fucking QUEEN of a European country, a queen who has SO MANY OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS TO BE DOING, has chased after him - HIM, a commoner, a very poor commoner - and proclaimed her forgiveness and love. And what can he do? Say "You cAn'T lOvE sOmeOnE LiKe mE!!!!!" Being poor = being undesirable, apparently. Never mind that he has lots of friends, is a great artist, has a fantastic, badass younger sister, and plays on a famous hockey team. Nope, he's poor and sad and can't read or write, so fuck everything else.
Eva is Queen of Eldonia and yet lets her mother and brother push her around and tell her what to do. Lame. I hate pushovers.
Daniel's "big brother" overprotectiveness was NOT cute. Aside from it being totally overused in stories featuring a girl who's trying to be independent, it was disgusting at times and fucking irritating. Eva's not ten years old. She's queen of a goddamned country and can do as she pleases.
Tyler's self-hating behavior was not cute, either. To me it speaks of that good ole toxic masculinity, not to mention manipulation, as inadvertent as it may've been. Still can't get over the fact that he actually had the audacity to blame Eva for the mess his secret created. Cool motive, still manipulation.
Even after all their lovey-dovey, special, soul-bearing moments, Tyler didn't trust Eva enough to let her give him and his family Christmas presents. Instead he freaked the fuck out and accused her of giving his family "charity." How romantic....
I almost stopped at 82% because I was so fucking done with Tyler's bullshit and this entire story as a whole. But I wanted to finish because 1) I was so close anyway, and 2) I wanted to see what other ridiculousness I had to read through.
Daniel, Madison, and all the rest of the characters EASILY forgive Tyler for his elaborate lies. In fact, Daniel even encourages Tyler to "go get the girl." Like, Daniel is Tyler's best friend, and he's totally fine with the fact that Tyler lied to him for so long about his relationship with his sister? Mmmmmkay.
So Tyler can act like a victim, manipulate Eva with his lies, conceal the truth from her and all his friends for weeks, treat Eva like dirt when she - A QUEEN, need I remind you - offers him forgiveness, but everybody forgives him quicker than a snap, he gets a full-ride scholarship to the Univeristy of Eldonia, the Falcons win the championship, and Eva swoons right into his arms without so much as a fight? Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, coo-
They fall deeply, passionately in love after knowing each other for like...two months? And not even really knowing each other - Tyler pretended to be Prince Tiberius for, like, 75% of that time.
Oh, and it was never once mentioned that, um, if Eva and Tyler get together and stay together and eventually marry, he becomes the King of Eldonia???? Like, that wasn't important enough to mention? That could've been a legitimate reason for Tyler to push Eva away: he's too young and inexperienced to be king. But nope, that was never brought into the story. Neato.
Rating: 1 star
"Just Pretending" (Chicago Falcons #3) by Leah and Kate Rooper comes out on November 5th, 2018.
July 11, 2020
Hockey?
This book had the same problem as the previous one - too little scenes about hockey!
On a side note: I also don’t like when series change the main characters from one book to another. I can accept it though if, e.g., the story is as good or better than the first one, but since the second book and this one (the third) is completely different from the first one, and not for the better in my opinion (since the series is supposed to be about a hockey team, which the first book was, but the following two are not) I can’t accept the “new” characters’ relationships and problems since the overarching story about hockey is forgotten. Wow, I’m rambling. I hope some of this craziness makes sense. 😑
I will just reread the first book over and over and forget about the fact that any “sequels” exist.
This book had the same problem as the previous one - too little scenes about hockey!
On a side note: I also don’t like when series change the main characters from one book to another. I can accept it though if, e.g., the story is as good or better than the first one, but since the second book and this one (the third) is completely different from the first one, and not for the better in my opinion (since the series is supposed to be about a hockey team, which the first book was, but the following two are not) I can’t accept the “new” characters’ relationships and problems since the overarching story about hockey is forgotten. Wow, I’m rambling. I hope some of this craziness makes sense. 😑
I will just reread the first book over and over and forget about the fact that any “sequels” exist.
December 13, 2018
First off, I love the way this book was written. The story flows so easily and before you know it you're caught up in the drama, eagerly waiting, watching and hoping for Eva and Tyler to find love.
I love how the book went back and forth between Eva and Tyler, showing the reader both of their worlds and how they perceived each other. I felt this added a great dynamic to the story.
This book reads like a romantic comedy, with plenty of heartfelt moments. I did find myself sometimes annoyed with how down Tyler could be on himself but was easily able to look over this fact due to the drama that is created early in the story.
If you like a fast romantic read, young adult, or any story with a queen/royalty in it, pick up Just Pretending now!
I love how the book went back and forth between Eva and Tyler, showing the reader both of their worlds and how they perceived each other. I felt this added a great dynamic to the story.
This book reads like a romantic comedy, with plenty of heartfelt moments. I did find myself sometimes annoyed with how down Tyler could be on himself but was easily able to look over this fact due to the drama that is created early in the story.
If you like a fast romantic read, young adult, or any story with a queen/royalty in it, pick up Just Pretending now!
November 5, 2018
Move over Prince Charming cause Hockey Players are coming to steal that “dreamy future significant other” spot.
This book definitely had it all; far off places, a hockey player in disguise and a teenage Queen who just wants to have a normal life and friends as well as ruling her country as she’s dreamt of doing so her whole life.
This was my first time reading anything by this author and though it would benefit you to read the rest of the Falcons books, this one was definitely a stand alone that could be enjoyed on its own.
Loved loved loved it and I’ll definitely be coming back for more from this author!
This book definitely had it all; far off places, a hockey player in disguise and a teenage Queen who just wants to have a normal life and friends as well as ruling her country as she’s dreamt of doing so her whole life.
This was my first time reading anything by this author and though it would benefit you to read the rest of the Falcons books, this one was definitely a stand alone that could be enjoyed on its own.
Loved loved loved it and I’ll definitely be coming back for more from this author!
November 17, 2018
I picked this book up at the perfect time. I was traveling and I needed something light that I could fly through, and that is exactly what this book is. It was very easy to get into, and once I had gotten into it, it was hard to put down. That being said, there were things about it that wore on my and got on my nerves near the end, the main being the insta love. The insta love was definitely present at the beginning, but it did not bother me until the second half, and once it started bothering me, it didn't stop. I wasn't totally blown away by this book, but it was an entertaining read.
Thank you to netgalley for providing an arc or this in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you to netgalley for providing an arc or this in exchange for an honest review!
April 6, 2019
3/5 *
This was a really cute story! It moved a bit too fast for me (I honestly felt like I barely knew Tyler, so it was hard to connect with his troubles too much), but overall this was a fun and easy read.
I like books like this when I'm stressed because I know they won't have too much drama and that it will finish with a happy ending!
**I should also mention that I didn't realize this was part of a series, so I read this without reading any of the other books. About half way through reading, I realized (based on all the inside jokes and mentions of other couples) that I was definitely reading this in the wrong order (*face palm*). But I still enjoyed it!
This was a really cute story! It moved a bit too fast for me (I honestly felt like I barely knew Tyler, so it was hard to connect with his troubles too much), but overall this was a fun and easy read.
I like books like this when I'm stressed because I know they won't have too much drama and that it will finish with a happy ending!
**I should also mention that I didn't realize this was part of a series, so I read this without reading any of the other books. About half way through reading, I realized (based on all the inside jokes and mentions of other couples) that I was definitely reading this in the wrong order (*face palm*). But I still enjoyed it!
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