Two best friends. One decision that changes everything...
When yet another publisher rejects Hannah’s most recent book due to poor love scenes, she concocts a fail-proof plan to increase her creativity… spine-tingling, no strings attached sex. How can she write about love and lust if she's never really felt it? As the only man in her life she truly trusts, Logan is the perfect one to help her find this new side of herself—and stand in as her pretend boyfriend at an upcoming reunion.
For Logan, a Broadway actor by trade and passion, Hannah’s proposal is both outrageous and intriguing—especially since he's fought for nineteen years of friendship to avoid thinking of her in a physical way. Against all reason, Logan takes the bait and agrees… then ups the ante by turning their pretend relationship into a pretend engagement in front of her entire family.
Now, they just have to navigate their new situation while playing house… and somehow remember this is all Just Pretend…
Author J.P. Nicholas writes contemporary romance brimming with passion, heart, whimsy, and often times, family. His stories are known for their chest-squeezing plotlines, sexy, heartwarming moments, and hilarious heroes that will both melt your heart and make you swoon. His characters are known for their sizzling chemistry that J.P. enjoys capturing on the page. When J.P. isn’t tapping away at his laptop, he can be found in his home state of Florida, binge-watching TV shows, or devouring tons of Italian food with his family. Get in touch with the author via Twitter, Instagram, or his website.
Below is an exclusive Goodreads excerpt of Just Pretend (Sandy Heights #1):
I'm just about to put the key into the ignition when Hannah slaps my hand, causing the keys to fall onto the floor.
"What the hell?" I inquire, as I raise my brow and turn my head toward her.
She sighs.
"Let's get this over with."
Hannah hops over the gear shift and plops onto my lap. Her tight ass presses against my cock. She digs her hands into my hair, twisting it between her fingers. She smashes her lips against mine, nibbling on my bottom lip. I can already feel my cock growing rigid in between the cleft of her ass cheeks. I place my hands on both sides of her face, cupping it, as I open my mouth to give her better access.
She delves her tongue into my mouth, searching every nook and cranny. She yanks my hair, causing a groan to erupt from deep inside me as our tongues entangle themselves together. I move my hands downward and squeeze her ass. She moans into my mouth. Hottest fucking sound ever.
My heart starts hammering in my chest when her tongue retreats from my mouth; she breaks the kiss. She hops back over to her side of the truck.
"Sure, this will work," she says through gasping breaths. "You can take us to the hotel now."
I raise a brow at her and flash her my signature are-you-fucking-kidding-me look. "What the fuck was that about?" I choke out, still trying to catch my breath.
She shrugs. "Just putting your acting skills to the test. You adapted and played the role exceptionally well."
“It’s official, I'll never be able to sleep again. I can't stop thinking about her. The way she felt, the way she smiled, the longing look in her eyes, all of it. I can't stop thinking about all of it. I love her. There is no other explanation for it.”
Just Pretend is the first installment in a very promising series. If you're fond of friends-to-lovers stories, this book is made for you.
Hannah and Logan have been friends for more than 15 years. Having the hots for each other all this time, none of them was brave enough to admit it, well...until Hannah took the plunge (thanks women). Disappointed from her previous love relationships and having a frustrated writer-block she came to Logan with an incongruous proposition. She bluntly asked him to have sex with her and pretend to be her boyfriend in front of her family. Will the professional player act his best part so far or will he get lost in the game? Above all, will they get over their fear of supposedly losing their friendship to give themselves a chance?
Read along a funny, sexy, cute story with a bit of drama, where two long time best friends succumb to their mutual attraction in an explosive way.
After all, don't all the best love relationships start with a good friendship?
PS: I LOVED the Newlywed Confessional and The Pregnancy Journal!! *earlier copy kindly provided by the author*
***Received an Advanced Readers Copy during blog tour hosted by InkSlingerPR in exchange for an honest review***
What do I love more than anything? Oh man, the list is long but I will tell you one thing that gets my goats like no ones business - Friends to Lovers tropes. And what makes them even better? When an author puts more depth into the characters who are friends to lovers without someone on the connection realizing one day 'whoa my bestie is hot' kind of deal. That's right, I like a backbone babes. I like connections that have always been there but never acted on, so when an author does it right I am head first deep dive into that book to gush like no ones business. That is what Nicholas did for me. Hot damn!
Seriously, I have never been an avid reader of male authors in the romance world, mostly because they are not as dominant in the genre which is damn near a shame if I ever saw one. Nicholas, hands down has gripped me by a choke hold and he is now officially a top author of mine. His writing style is absolutely stunning, the dynamics he created was breath taking to say the least.
Oh my gosh did I absolutely fall head over heels for the characters. Everything about them was endearing, adorable, and drop dead lovable in every aspect. Logan is the main perspective we get, and I liked this. I am a sucker for two way perspectives in romance novels but very rarely do you get a more male perspective in romance novels - it was really refreshing blend of events. Logan. Oh man firstly I love the name Logan. I always think to Veronica Mars' Logan Echolls, so immediately I always think troublemaker, cocky lover boy.... I cannot help it. Honestly, I think this describes our fictional Logan to a T. Not only is he an openly cocky womanizer of sorts, not that he uses women he just knows his sexual strengths, but he is a closet sweetheart. This especially coincides with his friendship with Hannah.
Speaking of our beautiful Hannah. She is probably my favorite fictional female. I connected with her a great deal. I loved her father-daughter relationship, I loved her personality as well. She was a fun character from Logan's perspective. Which brings me to another factor - do we get her POV? Well yes we do comrades but in a really interesting way. There are flashbacks of her and Logan from Hannah's perspective, I LOVED this. I mean I flipping LOVED it.
This of course brings me back to what I was saying earlier, there was a depth to Logan and Hannah's friendship, one that helped the backbone of their Friends to Lovers Trope seem more believable. They had crushes on one another, they had this connective history where they kept it in friend-zone but secretly had more feelings. Nicholas did a phenomenal job on closing this gap in the plot development. Again just made their chemistry more believable as it progressed.
And that chemistry?! Oh my lanta was it delicious. I am pretty sure my thighs are still steamrolling from those scenes.... whoa. Everything from their quirky banter, their diehard protective shell they hold for one another to the overall sexual connection they start to blossom, it was just perfection.
And I cannot leave you hanging without mentioning that I absolutely LOVED the secondary characters. Because Hannah and Logan were childhood besties, the secondary characters were family members. I really enjoy when these types of tropes really Incorporated these types of dynamics. It aided in their chemistry, their drama and overall happy ending.
Bottom line - go and follow, add everything and anything of J.P. Nicholas. If you don't you are truly missing out. If you love Friends to Lovers trope like I do and you love to see more depth invested in the characters personalities and dynamics towards one another than I promise you are in a real treat if you allow this peer pressure to consume you and read Just Pretend. It was adorable, sweet love story with such amazing conflicts that added just depth to the characters that made me swoon until I was crying, and laughing until I was giggling like a school girl. He took my breath away with each heart pounding moments.
Add it now. Read it. Tell me what you think because I have officially decided to stalk this author... and I am a very good stalker.
Broadway star Logan Lance has been half in love with his BFF Hannah Montgomery for years, but he's too afraid to mess up a good thing, not to mention the whole 'repressing his feelings' thing. When Hannah, a writer, propositions him with sex to try and help her with sex scenes, he's horrified! How could he possibly take a midnight jockey ride with his bestie? The friends to lovers scenario never ends well. As the two of them spend their vacation together playing boyfriend/girlfriend at her parents' house (another favor he was helpless to deny her), things start changing. Could they possibly get away with having the best of both worlds?
Ooooh, this is a good one y'all! Logan is a kick-ass character…he's funny, sexy, charming and irresistible and I just want to eat him up! There wasn't a ton of chapters from Hannah's POV, but given Logan worshiped her, one must assume she's pretty fabulous too. The buildup to their romantic relationship kept me interested (even if it wasn't exactly groundbreaking), and when they finally got together…WHEW! Hannah's sex scenes will be dull no more! And JUST PRETEND was funny, super funny! Witness:
This way, he might assume I have a boner, but he won't know for sure. That will save me from the constant mockery that comes along with seeing another man's erection. It's classic bro-code. If you see another man with a boner, every time you see him, who shall tease him about it for the rest of your life.
LOVE! Pick up JUST PRETEND, stat…it's the perfect addition to your summer reading list!
Bottom Line: No OM/OW or sharing; no condom use; no BDSM/kink; no sexual assault; no violence/murder.
In Just Pretend, Logan and Hannah find themselves in a situation that's weirdly out of their friendship zone. For one, Logan's been wrangled by Hannah to be her pretend boyfriend during her family reunion. And on top of that, it seems she needs tutoring in the sex department to be able to write credible love scenes to avoid getting another manuscript rejected. Enter her bff Logan, self touted Sex King extraordinaire who seems quite eager to help. Logan has had feelings for Hannah since they first met but he's never told her. She will always be his Hannah, so being fake boyfriend and sex tutor is nothing as long as it helps her. So when he finds out her dad is dying, it was clear that the next step in the pretend dating was of course, a pretend engagement! This pretend business just keeps getting complicated. But then when things get real, can these two navigate that road of friends to lovers without problems? Just Pretend has funny, sexy and quite sweet. Logan and Hannah's romance will surely make you laugh and sigh with all the shenanigans these two get themselves into all in the name of love!
it was a really sweet story. it's about two best friends who secretly love each other only they are scared to find out if it would work out. Logan is an actor, he's kind loving and sweet and also very protective of the people he loves especially Hannah. Hannah is a writer trying to get her book published only it's lacking in the sex Department so she comes up with an idea for Logan to help her spice it up. they tell each other. It's only for the book but of course it's never that easy will they fall for each other and stay together or would it all fall apart? get the book and find out it's a really good story.
I love the bantering between Logan and Hannah and the chemistry they share. it's Sparks like no other. I need a best friend like him who can also become the person I fall in love with. LOL
This was my first book by this author and I enjoyed it so much I'll definitely pick up more books by this author! Hannah is a writer and her latest book had been rejected did to get bad love scenes. But how can she wrote love and lust when she's never experienced i it.. That were her best friend Logan comes in. Self proclaimed sex king he's perfect to teacher her. She also needs him to be her pretend boyfriend for her family reunion. Logan is pleasantly shocked but intrigued by Hannah's request. But for 19 years of there friendship he's been hiding his true feelings as not to ruin their friendship. But being a Broadway actor he can pretend to be her boyfriend but he up it a notch by telling her whole T family there engaged. This was a sweet funny ride and I loved every mind as these two navigated there feelings!
First, normally I shy away from the male romance authors - nothing against them but when I had read some previously, it's normally the written porn. That being said, this first book by new author J.P. Nicholas is NOT that written porn. This is a true romance, friends to lovers, written primarily from Logan's perspective but not completely.
This was such a great start to a series! Yes Logan is cocky but he also has feelings and we get to experience and learn about why he feels them. The story is fully developed and believable. You can actually see Hannah and Logan being best friends and the feelings they both have, as friends and as more.
I can't wait to see what's next for the people of Sandy Heights!
Just pretend Logan and Hannah have been friends most of their life, being there for each other through thick and thin. As a teenager Logan has had a crush on Hannah but in adulthood He had let those feelings diminish. Although those feelings return when his sister reminds him of a letter he wrote to Hannah at the tender age of 15 which was never sent. Hannah is an author and after having her manuscript rejected several times because of the lack of passion in her love scenes, she speaks to the one person she knows she can trust the most in the world. What will happen to the relationship when “ benefits” are added to the arrangement. This was such an endearing story I would recommend it and give this book 4.5 stars. #books2blog
I love friends-to-lovers stories, especially when the friends have a long history. Logan and Hannah have been friends forever, but neither of them realize that the other has thought about being more. It made for great chemistry both in and out of bed as all the pretending starts to feel real. Of course, as is with these stories, there is the fear that being lovers will lead them to lose their friendship if it does not work out. They hit some speed bumps along the way, but I was glad to see that they were able to work it out in the end.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book. I was not compensated for this review, all conclusions are my own.
Super cute friends to lovers romance! It's told mainly from Logan's POV. I am surprised Hannah and Logan were able to stay "just friends" for as long as they did since they were obviously meant for each other. ❤
A laugh out loud, fun ride. BFFs Logan, the actor, and Hannah, the aspiring novelist, decide to fake it for her family reunion. These two have been friends for a long time...since grade school even though they're now in their 30's. They hadn't recognized how well they would work as a couple until they fake it. Yep, there's a lot of simmering longing from both sides. Yet, they value their friendship. The premise sounds fairly cliché friends-to-lovers, but the story has some fun twists before they get their HEA. The blurb promised a no strings attached sex in the name of research for a book, a premise of many a story that leads into a failed friendship-relationship. But it didn't exactly deliver on this premise Instead, I found the story focused on the evolution of their relationship than her need to do some sex research to boost her novelist career, which I must say was a relief. The story is in first person and most is written from Logan's POV. We only get a few glimpses into her thoughts. It works, although his character becomes more emotional, almost out of character at times, as the book progressed. There were a few chapter-long flashbacks in her POV, which I must admit I skimmed since I'm not a huge fan of long segments on what already happened. Overall, enjoyed this book tremendously.
A friends to lovers romance. Logan has been in love with Hannah for as long as he can remember, but he never acted on it. Hannah is just trying to move through life and she is happy with her best friend, Logan, by her side. When she returns home for a family reunion with Logan in tow, he has to play her boyfriend. I think you can figure out what happens next.
Here's the thing. I liked it, but I didn't. I am sad to say, Logan ruined this book for me. I liked Hannah, but I couldn't get over the way Logan acted in the first few chapters. The writing is ok. The story is fine. I just would have liked it better if Logan wasn't well.... Logan.
I enjoyed this book so much! It's books like these that ensure that the friends-to-lovers romance trope remains my all-time favourite. I love stories where there's a solid friendship forming the base of a beautiful romance, and 'Just Pretend' is one of those.
If romantic comedy is one of your favourite genres, you will laugh out loud at Logan's antics, his no-filter way of speaking and his 5-year-old cock-blocking wing-man.
I can't wait to see how the rest of the series plays out, and I recommend you read this book! You'll enjoy it - especially the epilogue.
I voluntarily read & reviewed an ARC of this book.
J.P. Nicholas sure knows how to spice things up and Logan poor man. The chemistry they have together is more than friendship which pains him. I loved that even though he knows how it will end he wants the chance to finally gets his dreams real. Hannah now seemed a little crazy at times but man she shines with Logan by her in every way. JUST PRETEND is one that will make you root for the underdog yet want more of the passion.
"I received an eBook copy from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own."