Playing Pretend

by Bradley Nyx, Simon Strange

An alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here.

When we were kids, my step-brother and I used to play 'pretend'. It was how we got to be so close, and they were the most incredible years of our lives. We kept it a secret, of course, but even now that he's in college and I'm out in the world living my awesome life abroad, we still talk about it, still miss those days; and I miss him like you wouldn't believe...

So when we both head home on one of our rare coinciding breaks, of course we have to relive old times. Except, there's something different now. Kaden must be ready to move on, because it sounds like he's got a new friend at the university. I can deal with that, as long as we have one more amazing weekend together.

What happens, though, will change both of our lives forever in ways I didn't think were possible.

If you can't tell this is an explicit M/M story from the cover and description, then Bradley Nyx can't help you.

Genres: M M Romance, Erotica, Novella, College, Short Stories, Romance, Contemporary

33 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 13, 2016

Reviews

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 4 stars ⭐️

Short but hot stepbrothers erotica, with an unexpectedly sweet ending.

No complaints here.
This delivered exactly what I expected it too. Great smut, a nice layer of taboo, a pinch of yummy kinks, and a cute ending to top it all off.

Tropes and NSFW info (spoilers):
- Stepbrothers
- CNC roleplay
- Somnophilia
- Strict top/bottom

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick fun, sexy read

This was a quick sexy read about two step brothers who have spent years secretly having sex. This was fun and hot. I would have loved to have read about the conversation that had to have with the parents tho. Really enjoyable.

[Trio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yummy step-brother love and these two are so good together. Simon Strange crafts such amazing relationships, and in less than 40 pages he pulls out a happily-ever-after every time.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant bite sized tale

I loved this happy stepbrother romance. It worked so well. None of the angst or uneven feelings. The ending left me smiling from ear to ear.

[W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot quickie

I enjoy reading this type slightly taboo, sexy , fun and smutty short stories like Playing Pretend; specially, after reading long, angsty and emotionally draining books ; as it clear my mind and relax me. It's like a bit of yoga after an intense workout.

Playing Pretend is about two new adult men , Kade and Bucky. Kade's mother married Bucky's father when the boys were teenagers.

The boys read Sfi - Fi Graphic Novels , the very sexy and X-rated ones, and bonded over their enjoyment of those stories but over time, they did a little bit more than brotherly bonding.

Now, one of them wants more than just Playing Pretend.

Simon Strange is a new to me author and his books were recommended to me by a book friend. I liked his writing style and offbeat wit.

I read this book through my Kindle Unlimited membership.

[Laina Gruver · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

Spicy, quick read. This is only the second book I have read by this author and I enjoyed this one more than the other one.

Bucky comes home for a visit and to see Kaden, his stepbrother. Unbeknownst to their parents, they have had a sexual relationship for years. They love to role play/ pretend they are other people/ animals/aliens. This time Bucky is an alien ‘spider’ that injects his prey with venom, making them submit. Kaden twists their story a bit this time and declares that his species excretes a venom that makes their partners horny. It’s silly but also cute.

*****
POV… first person (Bucky)

Standalone or series… standalone

Hangover… no

Recommend… sure

Reread… sure

[Clari · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars
The role play was pretty fun but I felt like the older brother’s affection wasn’t as authentic given he slept around. Smh do better haha

[Courtney Bassett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't want it to end

I knew going in that this was a short story, but I was still disappointed when it ended. I loved the rapport and chemistry the two main characters - step-brothers - had, and it made for a quick but very fun read. There were some typos, but nothing too egregious.

[Blu3 Tuip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this!!

It’s a true stepbrother taboo story; our two leads have been “brothers” since they were 10 and 12, so they were practically raised as siblings despite being unrelated by blood. But their relationship feels incredibly special in that they are perfectly in tune with one another. The role-play here was such a blast. So fun to see them literally improvising and playing off of each other. And there’s something so wholesome about the non-con monster role-play that alluded to their childhood stories. The sex was incredibly hot, and despite how the role-play theme was meant to be scary and depraved, it was surprisingly tender and cute. I particularly found the moments when they broke character to be particularly endearing. It’s incredibly easy to root for these characters from the get-go; you just understand very quickly why these two are meant to be together, and even before their formal love confessions you can already tell through the small ways they adore each other.

Really liked this 💓 I will say, calling the rectum a chute is a new one for me tho 😕

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant piece of writing

I was bored with romance novels and just happened to click on this book… short story… why not… so glad I did! Creative writing at its best, kept me engaged in the story for the hour it took me to read it. Would recommend to anyone who can look outside the box.
Cheers

[Rozanna's fantasy romance & smut corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

okay stepbrothers that role play monster/ sci-fi abduction or non con sex scenes is just the best trope ever. !! also the prey becoming the hunter is just such an awesome part..
its a first time i read about it and it cracked me up and instantly fell in love with the cute crazy couple.. I wish we had a whole book about them..

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simon Strange is an expert at these hot, kinky, taboo, sweet short stories. It's amazing how much he can pack into so few pages. Here we got the backstory of the brothers, the current story of the brothers, a couple of very hot scenes and then a sweet ending. Perfect.

[Pamela Raglin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of Monsters and Men

Dad's barbecuing, Mom's bragging, and the boys are...what? Littlr bro and big bro and stories of venomous monsters galore. Fun for (almost) the whole family.

[Sali · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really fun and hot and sweet to read!!

[Jaimed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

This was fun. I liked how they guys had fun with their sex. I would like to see more of these two and I want to know what happens with their parents after the shocking reveal.

[Jennifer]

Really, great short story

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it ❤️

My only complaint is that it was so short 😢

[M's ☆~HEA~☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started out very strong. Love the HEA. Wish there was more substance in between.

[Chandler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating:
2 ⭐

Review:
Fun short story, goofy, cute.

[Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my favourite of the three Nyx books I've read by a significant margin.

However, the same issues I had with the others apply - the use of unappealing words like "tube", "rod" and "prick" during sex scenes which only serve to pull me out of the mood, and typos such as "A made a questioning sound", which I assume was intended to be "I".

Other than that, a significant step up. The ending was also very sweet.

Favourite character: Kaden
Happy ending?: Yes
Trigger warnings: Psuedo-incest (stepbrothers), CNC (roleplayed non-con)

[Rhonda Caston · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unexpected Great Read

This short story is just Great! Lots of Hotness! Humor, and Love! It was very enjoyable, now I must go so I can read it again...and again...