Not Pretending Anymore

"Disappointed. Bland, simple story with predictable outcomes. The steaminess was in the background for the first 75% of the book. Annoying watching them pinball with their love interests that are not each other when you know that they’re going to end up together. "

"Not Pretend Anymore by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward ****/*****<br/>#AudibleCredit # Review<br/><br/>Triggers: Death, Depression<br/>Troupe: Roommate to Lovers, Fake Relationship<br/>Spoilers Possible<br/><br/><br/>This month I am reading most of Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward’s books. I rated the last few pretty poorly because I just didn’t like them all that much. I don’t like to think of myself as a harsh critic but there is just something in most of their books lacking. Take Not Pretending Anymore, I really wanted to only give it 3 stars but the epilogue nearly made me cry so I went ahead and bumped it to a 4, it really deserves 3 stars but I'll give it 4 for effort.<br/><br/>This is one of those books that could have been great but just wasn’t. I took nearly a week between reading this book and the last Vi Keeland book so I know it wasn't just bingeing it that is the problem with my connection to this book. As with most of their books I felt a distinct lack of emotional investment in the main characters. The closest I got to a real connection was the father in the end but that is only because I wish I could have those memories of my deceased mother, it had nothing to really do with the main characters. Also this book had a far more chaotic feel to it than any of their other stuff, leaving me at a loss most of the time. I just feel that this was one of those books going through the motions, nothing real about it. One of my favorite things to read is an imperfect character, which Declan is but even his inner thoughts felt fake or forced. <br/><br/>I think that the thing I hate the most about Vi Keeland books is that there is such potential but consistently lately they have fallen short of what they could be. I really like the ideas of the stories but they need more detail work and more research. I'm just disappointed. I think now that I am done with all of the books I could afford to get my hands on it will be a while before I pick up any of their new releases that will come out this year. Maybe I'll try them next year but for now I'm kind of fed up with Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward disappointing me. <br/><br/>Vi Keeland's Website: https://www.vikeeland.com/<br/>Penelope Ward's Website: https://penelopewardauthor.com/<br/>"