Firing my sassy, smart-mouthed assistant should have solved all my problems. Right?
Wrong. Turns out we'll need a fake marriage for that. Oh boy!
I should have fired Eliza Jenkins the night she overstepped her qualifications in a high-profile client meeting.
Or the time she called me stuffy, uptight and grumpy to my face.
But it's her luscious mouth, her chocolate eyes and her voluptuous curves that really drive me crazy.
So I send her packing, pink-slip in hand.
My company is better off without the mouthy firecracker anyway. At least that's what I've been trying to believe.
Except now, a multi-million dollar deal is on the line and she's the only one who can help me save it.
I've got a new assignment for Ms. Sassy. Be my fake wife. Or else.
But if anyone is up to the task, it's her.
I mean—Eliza Jenkins is an overachiever. Smart. Headstrong. Full of great ideas. Looks great leaned over the fax machine.
Um...Forget I mentioned that last one.
I'm Liam Kline. Focused. Ambitious. Master of self-control. I can resist Eliza.
My sole focus is closing this deal. I'll work her hard, putting in long hours in the bedroom.
Err, boardroom. I mean, boardroom.
Eliza is the ultimate distraction. With her, I've met my match.
So when she suddenly quits me for good, I'm not willing to let her go.
If I don't get her back as my secretary? This whole deal will fall through...
If I don't get her back as my wife? Psht. I'm not even willing to consider that.
Playing Pretend is a steamy, witty, laugh-out-loud, grumpy boss, fake marriage romance. It is set in small town Iowa and is book two in the Playboys of Sin Valley series.
I'll admit it... I wasn't expecting to like Liam at all. To be honest I didn't like him for most of the book? It literally bothered me that Liam refused to acknowledge his feelings like a normal person. He equated everything to lust and it was honestly tiring.
The banter between Liam and Eliza was entertaining. I thought that was done well. They had chemistry for sure. But I liked that they actually grew to know each other.
I like Eliza, I think she was a good lead. The only thing I didn't like about her character wasn't really her per say... it was the way her back story was hinted at. It was in such an obnoxious "look at me, I'm mysterious but not really" way that just bothered me.
Liam and Eliza - a grumpy boss marriage of convenience romance
This is book 2 in the Playboys of Sin Valley series. Liam Kline is a self-made millionaire real state developer. He believes his business is everything and relationships are an unwanted distraction. Eliza is his executive assistant who is trying to fly under the radar because she is running from her past. Due to an unfortunate innocent night involving wet clothes and a unexpected morning visitor, Eliza agrees to a marriage of convenience to Liam in order to bring a business deal to fruition. On their path to their HEA, like any marriage of convenience trope, Liam and Eliza have to figure out how to navigate from the fake wedding to the true marriage and partnership. The book does a good job of taking us on the journey of Liam and Eliza as they struggle to transition from their fears and insecurities to learn to jump together without a parachute. I liked Eliza much better than Liam in this book. I would have liked to see a softer more pliable Liam (at least in terms of Eliza) before the very end of the book. That made it a 3.5 star read for me. The story has plenty of steamy scenes, sweet moments, angst, stupid choices, simmering and overwhelming feelings, all wrapped up in swoony heart squeezing love. I’ll definitely keep reading this series.
The main male character, Liam, is a gigantic idiot. Seriously. He wants to fire his assistant because she's gorgeous, sassy, and mysterious. Just looking at her makes his body tingle all over. Adding to his stupidity is his need to make his father, a former businessman himself, proud. Because nothing says "let's make my dad proud" than convincing a super sleazy investor to go into business with him.
Sleazy investor agrees under two conditions: tear down a well-beloved community center that caters to kids and senior citizens (because the building is dated and ugly apparently) and Liam's assistant, Eliza, should be present at the time of signing the contracts. Just from the first condition, every reader knows (or at least should know) the turning point for Liam.
At this point, every reader knows the most ideal parent will be proud of their kid for moral values and integrity instead of the millions of dollars in the bank. Even with the direction of the story fairly obvious, I could've quit reading and called it a day. But I'm not a quitter and read the rest of the story. I kind of wished I hadn't because even though Liam's heart changes, I still found him to be incredibly dumb. I probably should've quit when I had the chance.
This was so much fun to read. Eliza and Liam have the best banter and the love/hate relationship between them is riveting. I wasn’t a huge Liam fan while reading Jace and Sera’s story but I loved him here. Sure, he’s a cranky jerk at first but you warm up to him pretty quickly. Eliza is a very sympathetic character with a terrible burden to hide, alone with no support and far from everyone she loves. Liam is awful to her initially, but quickly realizes he needs her in his life and works to make things right.
Their chemistry is off the charts but they both fight the attraction since he’s her boss. When a judgmental investor questions their relationship and Liam’s principles, putting a huge deal at risk, they start a fake relationship to salvage the project. It doesn’t take long for Liam to realize there’s nothing fake about the way he feels but Eliza’s secret prevents her from getting close to anyone.
This story is laugh out loud funny, with some hilarious quotes and it’s also super steamy. The characters pulled me in immediately and I couldn’t put this book down so I highly recommend it.
Playing Pretend is an entertaining read with outrageous witty banter and some rather interesting characters. It was a good story to read that gives you a great escape from reality. I really rather admired Eliza for the way she tries to do her utmost for her family. I also felt the sizzling chemistry between her and Liam. Oh boy these two were so hot and cold to each other and at times there was alot of tongue in cheek behaviour. Liam is essentially her new boss and when a client requests Eliza to be there every step of the way for the contract to happen, well, you really don’t expect the things that happen. Liams family are quite something and Liam wonders if Eliza is hiding something. The secrets, the truths that come out and the overall storyline was amazing. This was a fun book to read. Im looking forward to reading more in this series.
Holy mother of Thor! CA is getting better and better with her writing. I was so sucked into this book. I love the sass, the grumpiness, the mysteries and the oh, hot damn, the sexy times! Whew!
"And side-note, not to deflect responsibilities from last night's behavior or anything, but for a billionaire he really should have stronger sheets and sturdier furniture."
My favorite quote of this book.
Jeez, Liam was such a jerk. It was his way or the highway. Eliza found out the hard way that Liam's attitude can change on a dime.
I absolutely loved that CA brought back some of our favorite boys from other books and series. What fun!
This book is a total must read. Don't put it on your TBR list, read it right now!!
This is a cute book just not a whole lot in it that grabbed me. Could be my mood, PMS, or need for a vacation, no idea but for me it was just ok.
Liam is the big bad real estate developer of Sin City trying to lure a big resort away from Vegas. He's an alpha asshole. He gets caught in a compromising position, that I just didn't buy, leading to his need for a marriage of convenience to his hot assistant, who is hiding secrets of her own. Eliza is a sassy girl whose mouth gets her in trouble but she's definitely bowled over by Liam. The usual hijinks ensue and Liam is faced with his greatest battle, his conscience will he do the right thing? Overall I just wasn't invested in the story, maybe you'll love it?
I generally love this author and will read the next installment of this series.
Eliza and Liam are perfect for each other, just not at working together as she gives as good as he does but Liam does a douche canoe move of firing her because she distracts him!!! But now he needs her help so she is going to make him work for it not only to get back at him for how he treated her but she has a secret and really needs the money he offers to help him. This has plenty of loves, frustrations, steamy attraction, caring families, distrust as well as the chance of a HEA as long as the secret (which fyi shocked me and was not what I thought she might need the money for) that Eliza has doesn't pull them apart and Liam finally actually understands why his Dad stepped away from his dream.
Liam is a billionaire with one goal, to make the strip in Sin City better than the one in Vegas and to do that he needs a premiere resort contract. Eliza is his assistant and when caught in an innocent but very compromising position in Liam's penthouse suite by the owner of the resort Liam blurts out that they are married. Now they actually have to get married, but it's all pretend right? This was the second book in this series and it was very entertaining. Liam is Alpha male all the way and Eliza is just the girl to take him down a peg or two. The sexy scenes were very sexy and the way their relationship bloomed kept me glued to my kindle
Playing Pretend by Cassie Anne L Miller is an unforgettable game changer of a romantic comedy . . . the holy grail of romantic comedy perfection in my opinion!! A pure exuberant delight. I loved this book... Exactly what a romance should be! The author's charm and wit sings off the page in this delightful fake-marriage romance fare! Clever, sweet, sexy, brilliant and funny as hell. Will leave you smiling for days! Super excited to read the next book in this fantastic series. Go grab your copy today, you definitely want this one in your library and on your TBR list too. Happy reading everyone!!
I don't do this very often but 5 Stars are not enough for this book, I give it 10 times that if not more. I enjoyed the laughter, intrigue and the tears involved with Eliza's life. Sympathy, compassion, anger but understanding for Liam. Their lives were so different but actually ended up combined into one big beautiful family. I never guessed Eliza's secret and that Liam would actually help her. Read this book you'll enjoy it too. I really enjoy Cassie-Ann's books but this one is my favorite (until the next one comes out wink wink). :)
Can you give a book a 10 stars rating? I would if I could for this story!!!! Witty, funny, sooo sexy and fun to read! Liam is a rich real estate developer who wants to accomplish his father's unfinished dream for Sin City. Eliza is his assistant, but she has a secret? Liam fumbles with an excuse to a future client that he is married to Eliza. This lie soon will takes us down the rabbit hole and a journey to an HEA. Nothing comes easy to our two main characters but in the end is worth it! I volunteered to review this amazing story.
It was a good book but not a great one. There were times that I found myself drifting off plus most of the book I didn’t really like Liam. That’s saying a lot because I usually always like the hero more than the annoying heroine. I loved Eliza because she was willing to sacrifice everything for her family and she had a sharp witty tongue. The book had it’s funny moments and not to mention the sex scenes were deliciously sexy. I liked playing house in the series and I will read them all because I’m invested in the group of friends. Until next time y’all happy reading.
While there were a few things that weren’t perfect, this book earned 5 stars!!! It was steamy, sexy, and sweet! Liam told a good portion of the story, which I really loved, and brought an perfectly imperfect male perspective to the storyline. The way he seemed to worship Eliza for both her beauty and her brains was so much fun to read.
You don’t need to read book 1 in the Sin Series to enjoy this story, but it is nice to have the backstory of a few of the supporting characters.
Didnt like it. There was too much power play and Eliza looked to be very weak.(Surprising because she was introduced as a sassy heroine in book's starting) I understand that she had unfavorable circumstances but the way it was portrayed in book,all the power was with Liam and he treated that as a license to do whatever he wanted. Liam as a hero was not likable.His redemption came too late in the story (3rd last chapter) and by then I didnt care for anyone in the story.
Liam and Eliza have electric chemistry that sparks off the chart whenever they are around each other. I loved watching Eliza bring him to his knees as he realizes what he really needs. And watching Liam takeover anything that threatened Eliza to prove he was hooked. Wonderfully written and filled with humorous moments alongside steamy one on one action. I received an advanced copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Liam Kline is a grouchy billionaire who trying to close a big deal and he can’t be distracted. Eliza is his assistant and is a major distraction with her beauty and being sassy. They end up being fake married but with a time limit. Can they keep there hands and hearts to themselves? Great characters and storyline Highly recommended. Amazing book. I’m totally loving these standalone series.
It's not only Eliza keeping a secret, hers is selfless and his is selfish. Only she could land in jail. It's slow going and not very interesting. At 20% there's a small part that peaked my interest. Half way through that's when things start happening. At 80% is when things finally get rolling. Some authors grab your interest from the beginning and keep it going and some don't. That small part that peaked my interest was just barely enough.
This was a great story she didn't put up with crap. The way he fired her well that was overboard I would of sure his ass. But she would come back to home on the snap of his finger she put up a fight . I glad they had a big wedding at the end. That all for the guy but it put the 2 together .it was funny in the place banging into everything that was pretty funny and it's his house. I kinda knew her secret except her sisters . What we will do for family family first
I enjoyed this book. The characters generated lots of sparks and sizzle with their attraction and their banter. The story was engaging and had a very upbeat feel to it. You can expect a steady flow of feels and laughs as these two take you on a romantic romp that will leave you with a smile on your face. I am posting an independent, impartial review.
Loved Liam and Eliza, they were a great match for each other. Helping Eliza out of a jam, Liam steps in and fixes the situation, but to really fix it they have to get married, fake married. Is that even a thing? In our world, yes, yes it is. Their story is fun, sexy, great banter and we get to see what happens when fake really isn’t fake anymore.
Even if like me you thought Liam was a real arrogant pain, he definitely held your attention throughout the story. While Eliza is a smart, sassy, easy to get along with character. Together sparks fly, mistakes are made and eventually secrets unfold. Don’t miss this drama filled story it’s a quick fun read. This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.
An entertaining office romance read. Liam and Eliza had great chemistry that made him very afraid and he does something that creates more problem. I enjoyed how their story unfolds, she has a secret that I didn’t guess correctly and he redeems himself eventually. Enjoyable storyline with characters that you will learn to love.
I honestly didn't think Liam had it in him. I thought he'd be this big, mean shut down grump. Oh, he was a grump alright. But Eliza flipped him on his head. I had a feeling he would fall faster than Eliza. It ended up being a really cute story! I love how the author combined other characters from her other series. It made me super happy!🥰
I started this book a couple of times before I really got interested. I don't know if that was due to the way the book unfolded or maybe to my frame of mind at the time. Anyway, I really enjoyed this book and will read it again. I really liked the characters. It isn't just a HEA ending, it's a story that leaves you with a positive feeling.
It was OK. Got it as part of a boxed set, and it ties all the books of the set together (from three different authors), which was a nice easter egg. Liam wasn't a Playboy, and even though everyone calls him grumpy, when we actually see him on the page, and when we're in his POV, he doesn't seem grumpy at all.
What a story..loved everything about it..from the characters to the storyline..the writing which always flows beautifully..love Cassie-Ann L. Miller and she has a great proofreader!!
This book was amazing. Who knew 2 people in trouble (in there own ways) would make each other better? Liam and Eliza are an amazing couple. I really enjoyed this book. It's got alot of seaming parts. This book was definitely hard to put down.
Love the book, story line was great, but the length of the book made it tiresome at different stretches, it probably could have chopped off 10-15 chapters with least repetitive useless jargon. I am looking forward in following this author hopefully a shorter read.
Pretty immature effort. Dialogue was painful and awkward. I would have DNF’d but I was really bored on a Saturday night. Don’t expect to read any more of her books, although the first book in the series wasn’t bad.