Rating: 4🌈

After the high bar set by Like I Needed, any following book has a good chance of not meeting the expectations that story laid out. Like I Pretended doesn’t but it’s not because it doesn’t try hard.

It’s got Alex, tattooed, grumbly younger brother to Spencer and co-owner of the marvelous shop Novel Tea (say that fast), a cozy place to drink coffee, tea, and read books.

As with all the romances, hints about this one have been embedded in the other books. The tv show being filmed up at the castle, famous film stars in the village, Alex’s strange behavior lately. Everything gets revealed here.

Alex has been a notoriously prickly personality throughout the series, with only some background explanations. He and his brother were basically abandoned by their parents and he’s got high walls around him. I have enjoyed watching him and his interactions with the found family of friends over the series.

No , it’s Henry Lu that’s problematic. I’m not sure what my expectations were with a famous film star in this scenario but Novak’s Henry Lu stuck pretty much to the selfish, handsome, and pandered to famous actor personality that’s very hard to connect with.

This is familiar territory. The stuck up actor who gets shot down by the grumpy hot storefront owner or whoever the local person is. So an author needs to work on writing this story and relationship between them out with new depths and elements. Novak only partially does this.

The best part is letting her created location of Heather Bay and its sublime locals do their part in carrying their narrative heft here. They charm the book pants of the reader and Henry Lu every chance they get. Whether it’s the book club or the members of that fabulous found family that’s been finding their own HEA, or just the breathtaking scenery of the Yorkshire countryside and coast, that’s where you’ll find the heart here.

It’s where Henry himself eventually becomes someone they and the reader can accept as well.

But before then, it’s the elements in the story that just don’t get a follow through or are treated like a less than meaningful aspect of the story when it’s indicated they are meant to be much more.

Examples.

◦ Fake boyfriend aspect that disappeared immediately. There’s all this angst over this scenario but it disappears without almost a trace and further discussion.

◦ The deep, dark secret that Alex has been hiding and his been the source of his pain and bitterness at the other couples. Boom! Gone , revealed, dealt with in a couple of sentences.

◦ Ditto for Henry.

If an author writes about a subject as a major topic, then don’t then dismiss it as being something that can be done with minimal page time.

What does work is the awareness that one doesn’t throw away a career and home to run away with a person who’s concentrating his job. There’s a need for communication for any relationship to work here. That’s the adult part that makes me love this book , Alex, and the series.

Henry and Alex also have wonderful intimate moments of joy, laughter, and of course, they get their own special gift from Theo at the end.

If you’re reading this and the series, make sure to get your free stories about each couple from the author. Definitely a “Cherry on the top” offering!

Are they my favorite couple? No. But did I enjoy the story? Absolutely. It’s Heather Bay after all.

Adore the series and this found family of grand characters! Join in the experience and journey. I’m recommending them all, read them in the order they are written.

Heather Bay series :

✓ Like I Promised #1

✓ Like I Wished #2

✓ Like I Needed #3

✓ Like I Pretended #4

◦ Like I Wanted #5 – Sept 28,2023

Buy Link:

Like I Pretended (Heather Bay Book 4)

Blurb:

Pretending to be in love never felt so real.

Henry Lu hates being a superstar. Action movies have left a sour taste in his mouth and filming a queer period drama on the Yorkshire coast sounds like the perfect antidote. Meeting grumpy coffee shop owner, Alex, is the cherry on top.

Alex isn’t impressed with the appearance of Hollywood royalty in his life, especially because Henry refuses to accept that Alex doesn’t like him. But when rumours about the production draw the attention of stuffy streaming service bigwigs and the ire of Henry’s superhero franchise, Henry and Alex must put on a show and fake a relationship to smooth things over.

Alex doesn’t want a relationship, and Henry isn’t good at them, but their arrangement is only supposed to be for a few months, then they’ll both be free to go back to their lives. The only problem is that pretending to be in love never felt so real.

Like I Pretended is a slow burn contemporary MM romance featuring a sunshine Hollywood superstar whose never been told no, a grumpy coffee shop owner who wants to be left alone, bad attempts at flirting, terrible catering, and finding home.

It is book four in the Heather Bay series and while it can be read as a standalone, it’s best enjoyed as part of the series