Now this is the way to write a beautiful romance! Pretending in Paradise by M. Ullrich had me smiling almost from the first page, and I don’t believe I lost the joy of reading this novel as I voraciously consumed every word.
The story is what many call a fake (or faux) romance where two unlikely characters are put together and have to pretend to be a loving couple. That is what happened to Emma Morgan and Caroline Beckett who end up pretending to be a loving couple as they spend ten days at a couples resort for their work. This happened in spite of the fact that the two just met and definitely have nothing in common. They don’t even like each other. Of course, this leads to a pretty wild ten days in a gorgeous setting.
I absolutely loved how Ms. Ullrich developed these characters. She lets us see how beautiful they are, both inside and out, but shows us their flaws and insecurities at the same time. In other words, she makes them human. It was amazing how she put two such different characters together. Watching these two grow together in spite of their differences was delightful.
There was some angst in the story, mainly caused by the two characters’ outlook toward life. One character has a little more trouble overcoming past life lessons. I felt it was just the right amount of angst for this type of story.
Another plus is the author’s descriptions of the setting. She had me feeling, seeing, hearing, and tasting everything with the characters. That is not easy to do. Excellent descriptions!
Pretending in Paradise is a lovely romance that is going in my favorites folder.
I received this as an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.
Rainbow Reflections 