Pretend for Me

Morning Madison #4

by Ian Finn

A Morning Madison Fake Boyfriend Romance.

Wes:

My boss’s son has been hitting on me at work. I devise the perfect scheme to politely turn him down, by saying I have a boyfriend. Unfortunately, my loud-mouthed cousin happens to overhear me. She says I just have to bring my new boyfriend to the family reunion this weekend. The boss’s son seems skeptical, and says he can’t wait to see photos on her social media accounts.

Okay, so maybe it isn’t the perfect plan after all. Now I have to come up with someone to be my pretend boyfriend. I randomly name my neighbor, Flynn. We have nothing in common, and I don’t even know if he’s gay, but I think he’s hot.

Can we manage to pull off the perfect fake relationship all weekend to save my job? And, perhaps more importantly, can we manage to keep our hands off each other while we share a room, to save our hearts?

Flynn:

Who does my next door neighbor think he is? That he can just ask me to play the role of his boyfriend in front of his rich, uppity family? I’m a blue collar kind of guy, and I don’t even know what we’d talk about all weekend. But he’s cute, in a spoiled rotten kind of way, I’m always down for a challenge, and I need a favor of my own.

When I find out we both play music, things get more interesting than I thought. Perhaps that favor I had in mind can turn a little more physical. I know he’s just using me for his own purposes, so why not use him to satisfy my own raging libido?

There’s just one little problem – in the midst of pretending to be his fake boyfriend, what if I’m falling for him for real?

Pretend for Me is an opposites attract, rags to riches/ blue collar to billionaire, bad boy next door, fake relationship male/male romance. It mixes humor and steam, with everything from family reunion treasure hunts in the woods to sneaking off to have private man on man action in the leaves; a friendly game of tug-of-war to bedroom games involving a very different sort of tugging. In addition to a happy ever after, it also features plenty of unique musical numbers, but no cheating and no cliffhangers. It’s a standalone full-length novel of over 65,000 words in the Morning Madison series, which can be read in any order but are best enjoyed together, and with a big glass of water nearby due to so much heat in addition to all those feels!

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, LGBT, Gay, Ebooks, Fiction

218 pages, ebook

First published September 18, 2018

About the author

Ian Finn is a male/male contemporary romance author who writes books full of heat and feels.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. This is the male/male romance author.

This is Ian^^Finn, where ^=space.

Reviews

[Fabi NEEDS Email Notifications]

DNF @ 39%

Fake boyfriends is one of my favorite tropes but this story is told kind of bluntly. I wanted more subtlety. At best it was going to end up a 3 star read. No rating since I'm not willing to invest the time in finishing.

[Meep · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 17% it seemed pre-teen at the start, the two women present very OMG. Then I quickly started to dislike Wes, the switch to Flynn's pov made him a lot less appealing too. Wes looks down on Flynn. Flynn thinks Wes uptight but maybe good for a...

Yeah, not feeling any romance blossoming here. But then the story telling became very info-dumpy over irrelevant things, possibly something to do with this being forth in a series. Anyway it's not for me, I don't want to spend any more time with either of them.

[namericanwordcat · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are wanting a fake relationship read, this one will do. A piece of trope filled candy with a strange family and a really awful co worker.

[Coco.V]

💝FREE on Amazon today (12/12/2018)!💝

Blurb:
Wes:

My boss’s son has been hitting on me at work. I devise the perfect scheme to politely turn him down, by saying I have a boyfriend. Unfortunately, my loud-mouthed cousin happens to overhear me. She says I just have to bring my new boyfriend to the family reunion this weekend. The boss’s son seems skeptical, and says he can’t wait to see photos on her social media accounts.

Okay, so maybe it isn’t the perfect plan after all. Now I have to come up with someone to be my pretend boyfriend. I randomly name my neighbor, Flynn. We have nothing in common, and I don’t even know if he’s gay, but I think he’s hot.

Can we manage to pull off the perfect fake relationship all weekend to save my job? And, perhaps more importantly, can we manage to keep our hands off each other while we share a room, to save our hearts?

Flynn:

Who does my next door neighbor think he is? That he can just ask me to play the role of his boyfriend in front of his rich, uppity family? I’m a blue collar kind of guy, and I don’t even know what we’d talk about all weekend. But he’s cute, in a spoiled rotten kind of way, I’m always down for a challenge, and I need a favor of my own.

When I find out we both play music, things get more interesting than I thought. Perhaps that favor I had in mind can turn a little more physical. I know he’s just using me for his own purposes, so why not use him to satisfy my own raging libido?

There’s just one little problem – in the midst of pretending to be his fake boyfriend, what if I’m falling for him for real?

[Fani *loves angst* · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had the bones of a good romance, but there were many awkward moments and dialogues. Also, it was very unbalanced, going on in detail about the various games the family played or the food they ate, yet not a single glimpse on Flynn's and Wes' daily routine, after they became a couple. To be honest, the book seemed to stop after they came together, and the rest of the pages added nothing to the story. There was something missing here :(

[Line]

Freebie at the zon.com right now: https://smile.amazon.com/Pretend-Me-M...

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Matthew Angelo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my thing

I couldn't finish this book. Both character's personalities geared on my nerves. No depth and the dialogue was weak at best.

[M L R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed feelings

So the first half is fun and sexy....going along as Wes and Flynn get together. After the weekend and they decide to be a real couple I was like whoa! Everything happened at lightening speed which can work but we, the reader wasn't really a part of their relationship...we got generic synopsis of large chunks of time with major events briefly told to us but with no detail. I love opposite attracts, friends to lover, fake boyfriend...all of those themes but we never got to really see their relationship. We got chapter after chapter about family competitions during their first weekend but not one glimpse at making their relationship work when they move in together. Sweet lovable guys, obviously in love...but man, I wanted to read more of their true relationship. Another thing, I'm not trying to be overly critical but I have to call out some of the cheesy lines...Such as his "white and creamy seed filled his anal cavity." There are some true sexy times written so I was really caught off guard and turned off with those questionable lines. Also typos with incorrect names here and there that took me out of the story a bit. I'm going to read another by this author as this one had potential so maybe next book will hit more of my marks.

[Fran · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review of this book is actually split. The first half I rate a 4 out of 5. The second half seems almost written by someone else entirely, someone not as talented and honestly is only worth a 2. So I am giving this a 3 out of 5 overall. Let me explain why.

The characters, in the beginning, were great. So different but exactly the type to bring out the hidden attributes of the other. One was smart and so put together seeming to live inside of his head (Wes) but had a fairly carefree side once the other man (Flynn) drew it out of him. Flynn seemed so down to earth and prejudice against Wes and his family because of their money but soon discovers not all rich people are the same and Wes is not as stuck up as he thought. Wes brings out Flynn's serious and protective side and Flynn brings Wes out of his shell. We get to see both sides and see them open up to one another and the people around them and its great. We also see them acknowledge their attraction, not just physically but verbally. They talk to one another, they talk about developing feelings and becoming serious. That is so rare in any romance book I applauded.

The supporting characters are funny and/or infuriating. I love Candy and grandma. Wes's parents are wonderful and Scott was a good little villainous man to show how prejudice rich people can be, it was a good hurdle for Flynn to overcome.

Now comes the issue. The second half of the book. Once Flynn and Wes decide to have a relationship the writing went downhill. Suddenly they moved in and that was kind of it except for sex. We don't get to see any of their living together. None of it. Not the discovering differences and how to overcome them, not the habits that drive you insane when you are a newly living together couple. Nothing actually couplish happens. It's so disappointing because I imagined epic flirting, frustrating arguments, and heartfelt makeups. None of it happened. In fact, it was suddenly fast-forwarded weeks. Then months. Then almost a year. It gets so choppy and jumps from one event to the next with none of that daily falling in love stuff that it felt forced.

Not only that but in the second half Grant's name was replaced with Flynn's name, Wes's name was replaced with Fynns so Fynn introduces himself to his own friends. It gets confusing and becomes a lot of work to enjoy. Add in random sex scenes from every event and I honestly got so bored with those I started skipping over them because it was too much. In the beginning, it was woven in with the emotional aspects so it was fine but the second half skipped the emotion so it got repetitive.

There was obviously not a legit editor for this book (likely the author and spell check or something like the free version of Grammarly) but the second half name swapping made it hard to overlook the other smaller mistakes I could have overlooked. It was just a whole lot of nails in the coffin, especially when combined with the time skipping and missing plot.

[Julianne Macneil · Rating 5 out of 5]

i read this book as part of an arc program. I loved this book. This is the fourth book in the Madison Morning series. This book features Flynn and Wes. Wes is being harassed at work by the bosses son who keeps hitting on him and refuses to take no for an answer. Wes finally tells him he has a boyfriend, only to have Wes's cousin overhear and tell him to take him to the family reunion this weekend. Wes agrees, only now he has to find someone to pretend to be his boyfriend. When asked his boyfriend's name, he tells them Flynn (his neighbor was the first person he thought of). When Wes goes home that night, he goes next door to talk to Flynn and ask him if he will play along with the ruse. Flynn thinks Wes is attractive, but not his type, but he agrees to go along with it, thinking it will be fun, but tells Wes he has to return the favor. Flynn is more blue collar than Wes who grew up very wealthy. Flynn takes Wes to a scrap yard to help lift an engine as a joke, causing Wes to be really out of his comfort zone. When they get to the reunion, Flynn is shocked at the mansion and the fact Wes's family is so wealthy. They have to pretend in front of everyone they are in love and when the reunion gets competitive with games, Flynn begins to admit he feels more for Wes and Wes hopes they can date for real when the weekend is over. They have a great time and Flynn fits in very well and everyone seems to really like him. I really loved this book. I loved Flynn and thought he was very funny. I loved Wes's family, especially his grandmother. Wes and Flynn developed feelings for each other and both wanted more. I think they were good for each other, Flynn helped Wes relax and not be so serious and Wes helped Flynn realize he was worthy of love and a relationship. Another great one from Ian, i hope to see more from him soon.

[DC · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this is the 4th in the series, it is the first I’ve read, and I have to say, I am somewhat disappointed. Ok, the storyline is cute but I don’t think it was executed well. For about two thirds of the book, I found the writing to be choppy and disjointed. I’m not sure what criteria the author was using for chapter breaks, but for every chapter that was Flynn’s, Wes has two or three in a row; each one mostly a continuation of the current scene followed by some quick jumps forward. Perhaps this even confused the author a bit because there were quite a few instances where the character names were mixed up (Wes becoming Flynn or vice versa, Grant suddenly becoming Flynn, etc.). It wasn’t until the last third, in which the timeline just starts jumping forward rather quickly, that the writer seemed to find a good rhythm.
Where I really have issues is with some of the characters. Wes came across as rather immature and flakey and I took a really really long time to warm up to him. I really had to cringe when he let a man (Grant) who had been first, sexually harrassing him, and second, sexually assaulting him (yes, unwanted groping is assault) have a free pass because he didn’t want to cause trouble. And then when Flynn stepped in, I thought Grant still got off way to easy. As for Candy, I didn’t find her funny or endearing at all. She was the clueless cousin who didn’t know when to shut up. And lastly, what the F! was wrong with Wes’ parents? The whole family hears cousin Scott being downright rude to Flynn and they essentially shrug it off. NO! He should have been thrown out! Why would anyone continue to host those family games when half the family lies and cheats to win? Some fun!
I may give the other books in this series a chance....not sure.

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC edition of this book from the author.

3.6 stars

This book works well as a stand-alone. There is some overlap with the other books, but not enough to make you feel like you're missing anything by reading this one first.

Wes and Flynn were cute together. Their relationship, though starting out as fake, wasn't drama filled, but more discovering that given the chance they work well together despite their different backgrounds. I liked Wes's family (or at least the immediate family!), they have such a nice, loving nature. I did feel the relationship was a bit too insta-love at times , but the cuteness between Wes and Flynn made up for most of it.

Grant for me was a bit of a sore spot. He proved himself to be more that just an annoyance and I'm not sure that I buy the solution as a long-term solution. While I'm glad that Flynn didn't wait to find the dirt on Grant, I'm not sure that blackmailing him really serves as a long-term solution. Also, while it may solve the problem for Wes, so that Grant can't threaten him, it doesn't stop him from doing this to someone else later. Grant clearly has a history of this, but as it stands now there is nothing to stop him from doing it to someone else. Also, to me the blackmail was a bit too uncomfortable for my taste.

[Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I complain that this author needs to write faster. I keep a watch for when his next book is coming out. I just love this series and this story is a great addition to the series.

Wes is so funny. I laughed at his antics for getting away from Grant. His ability to be anything but mean seems too much for me. When he gets in a corner and uses Flynn, together they are heartwarming. I enjoyed how the author put Flynn in a uncomfortable situation and how he had little talks with himself while handling things perfectly. I also appreciated the secondary characters. They added so much to the story. Candy should probably have her own book. I think everyone know a Candy. Then there is Wes’s immediate family. I felt I’d really like to know them.

I had to laugh all through the section on the “games”. I felt I could have been right there.
And I really appreciated that the characters from the previous books had a part of the story.
The ending which to me, can make a book or ruin it, just made me happy. Everything got answered and tied up. I felt the author took the time to keep track of all the little things I’d want addressed in an ending and he did it.

Now I just have to be patient waiting for the next book

[Nicole Henderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book this was. But I loved that there seemed to be a bigger story going on in this book with the idea of you cant judge a book by its cover. And that was proven correct with this wonderful couple. In this story we get to meet some colourful characters like Candy (Wes’ cousin) man that girl was a hoot, Darla (Wes’s grandma) but don’t call her that she may have been old and everyone thought a little crazy but she was smart. There was also Wes’s parents who were very loving and accepting people and welcomed Flynn into their family with open arms. We also had the not so pleasurable experience of meeting Grant man that guy was the crazy one, although I think Wes and Flynn’s attempt to get him to pull his act into gear I think it may have only worked for them and some other person is now enduring some hardship because of him. But the stars of this book where Flynn and Wes a weekend that started out fake turn real very quickly when the blinkers came off and well Flynn gained the most from this couple as he was welcomed and accepted into a very loving family.
Although this book is part of the Morning Madison series it can be read as a stand-alone book with out missing a beat as there is only a very tiny cross over and that wont leave you lost.

[Magali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite simple story in the scenario, but very well written, so that I did not let go of the characters. In the end, it's pretty cute, hot, and the story could work well with a couple hetero, or lesbian.
There is still a little tension because of the social gap between the two main characters, as well as the problem of blackmail that Wes undergoes by a newbie at work (the son of the boss), but the whole remains really pretty cute.
Wes does not manage to get rid of the son of the boss who flirts with himt, but he is not interested at all. He's cerating a boyfriend named after his neighbor, Flynn. However, his cousin hears the information and asks him to bring Flynn with him for the family weekend. The son of the boss took the opportunity to insist that he will look at the photos of the weekend. Wes being stuck, he must ask this favor to Flynn who accepts. However, this one is bar owner and he is far from suspecting that Wes' family is billionaire. This social gap is difficult for him.
Despite this, his false relationship with Wes quickly becomes real and he will have to face Wes family (they are rather supportive) and the son of the boss who does not want to let go.

[Miss · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's just too long!

This felt like it would never end and I was ready for it to be over at 25%. There's a few grammar issues here and there, but it's the plot contrivances that drive me nuts. There are too many of them and nothing in this feels organic or realistic.

The chemistry between Wes and Flynn is just meh. Sometimes it's there, sometimes it isn't. Mostly it's forced. The interactions with Flynn and Wes's family are just all over the place. Sometimes he's awed and overwhelmed by their obvious wealth, sometimes he doesn't care about the disparity in their finances. Often he's notably resentful of "the rich/wealthy" yet he cares so much about their opinion and hates to be deceiving them?

There are so many over the top scene and unnecessary lines. I'm playing Mary J Blige's No More Drama on repeat through much of this because it is all too melodramatic for me.

And then it Just. Keeps. GOING! Things jump forward by days then months then more months and more months and are we done yet? Before, finally, an epilogue and the end. They're happily ever after but I am long past caring at this point. 50-100 pages of this could be cut out. Easily.

[Manfred · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Wes and Flynn was a nice read, it had some flaws, but it was also interesting and sweet.
The writing was not very fluent and felt constructed, as did the story.
Wes, who is stalked at work by his bosses son, asks Flynn, his neighbor to play his boyfriend for a family gathering. Everything was a little too much to be realistic or even plausible. The opposite attract trope worked and I liked that it was not exaggerated. I also loved that the transition from fake boyfriends to real ones went quite smoothly.
Wes and Flynn talked to each other and behaved like adults, something that is rarely found in a gay romance. Unfortunately that was the highlight of the book and what came afterwards was not very interesting after all.
The added drama with the stalker was ridiculous and unnecessary.
The end was good but not great, so all in all this was an okay story with the potential to be really good. 3 stars for the story and the writing and an extra half one for the way those 2 guys communicated.

[Patricia Hoffstaetter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a heartwarming, emotional journey of two men (Wes & Flynn) finding their way to happiness and love. The journey starts with Wes trying to avoid his boss’s son (Grant) who is hitting on him. In desperation Wes asks his next door neighbor (Flynn) to help him by pretending to be his boyfriend.
There is: some intrigue, drama, persistence, avoidance, lies, disbelief, humor, plans, awkwardness, shock, family get-together, games, attractions, dirty stunts, insults, a meddling Grandmother, good intentions, work, harassment, threats, bribery, blackmail, emotional feelings, happiness, love and steamy scenes.
I found the characters quite complex & well-developed with different traits to their individual personalities. The story-line was interesting & entertaining. I truly enjoyed reading this MM romance and would recommend it.

[Anita · Rating 2 out of 5]

So initially I quite liked this book about Flynn and Wes, neighbors in a condo. Wes needs a date for a family event and though he and Flynn are "hi and bye" neighbors, Wes decides to ask Flynn to be his pretend boyfriend. Started out strong but then the writing grew tiresome. There are LOTS of inner musings from Flynn and Wes that go on and on. The smexy bits are plentiful however they are a bit coarse, in my opinion "...his white and creamy seed is filling my anal cavity and making me feel warm inside." Anal cavity??!! I also didn't quite connect with Flynn and Wes. Their attraction was there but I didn't get a sense that they really wanted to be together. I see that this is book 4 in a series. I'll try one of the others in the hopes that my lukewarm feeling about this book is a fluke.

[E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great M/M relationship!

This is the fourth book in the series featuring M/M couples finding love. this book has no cheating, cliffhangers, just a wonderful romance with steamy scenes.

When the boss's son kept flirting with him, in desperation Wes proclaimed that he has a boyfriend. And this begins the start of a fake-turned-real relationship between neighbors Wes and Flynn.

This is a great read, filled with a sweet relationship in which the couple actually falls in love during the farce and some steamy scenes, too. It has a wonderful set of secondary characters and cameos from the previous four books of this series. I loved this Was and Flynn are together as well as strong enough to be individuals. It has a nice epilogue, too.

I would recommend this book for its sweet couple and steamy scenes.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is sweet, romantic and entertaining. Flynn is interesting, considerate and cheeky. Wes is sweet, caring and charming. When Wes has finally had enough of constantly being hit on by the boss's son he tells him that he has a boyfriend, a guy named Flynn. Flynn just happens to be the name of Wes's hot neighbor. Wes's cousin then jumps into to the conversation and tells Wes that he needs to bring Flynn to the family reunion. So Wes sucks it up and asks the neighbor to pretend that they're dating, Flynn says yes. Over the course of the weekend the two get close and get to know one another, and start to fall for each other. It's a funny, romantic and sweet weekend.
I received a copy of this book from the author and am honestly and voluntarily reviewing it.

[Evelyn Wark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great read. The journey that Wes and Flynn find themselves on is captivating. We met Flynn in the previous book and when he joins up with Wes for a weekend with Wes's family as a favour neither of them expects it to turn into an event that will change their lives. We also get to catch up with all the characters from the previous books in the series which I always find its like catching up with old friends and love. Wes and Flynn's journey is not without hiccups but with their love for each other, great friends and family they get everything they could hope for by the end.
I was lucky to receive an ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review which I happily give.

[Gavin Stephenson-Jackman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I want to ask you for a favour. Those few words ignite so much when the favour is to pretend to be my boyfriend for the weekend. Wes is being harassed at work by the boss's very pushy closeted son. In an effort to put him off he says that he's got a boyfriend. He wasn't counting on his cousin hearing his declaration, now she's insisting they come to the family reunion on the weekend. Flustered Wes names his neighbour Flynn as his boyfriend. Now he has a favour to ask. Can they pull off the fake relationship or will it backfire or turn into something real? A very fun read of acquaintances to lovers. Lust and love at first sight.

[Julia Murdock · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you read a good story you just have to tell the world about it. This story is about finding love no matter what side of society you are on. Here we have two beautiful men that are complete polar opposites. One is kinda uptight and staight as a crease. The other is free flowing and worldly. Well when they collide it is nothing but fireworks and shouts. This is an intense story that shows love comes in all shades and types and can endure. A perfect story. And I must say the best in the Madison Morning series.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book I've read by this author and I am getting hooked. I am looking forward to being able to go back and read some of the earlier stuff by him. The story of Wes and Flynn was heartwarming and emotional, sweet and sexy, a little bit of drama, and an overall good time. Wes and Flynn were great together. I enjoyed their interactions and seeing their relationship progress over time. This story was entertaining and I liked it.
*I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. This is my honest review.*

[Rachel Blomberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wes and Flynn's story shows that no matter your background and how you grew up, love always finds you. They started out as a fake relationship and as unlikely couple but as time goes by they find out that their differences is really good and compliments the other. It's really nice to read how these two slowly fall in love with each other.
I voluntarily review this Advanced Readers Copy of this book.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

True Romance

Flynn and Was are neighbors. Wes comes from a bit of privilege and Flynn has not had it easy. Wes's family every summer have a family the every summer. One of his co-workers keeps hitting on him but he's not interested. His cousin Candy works with also. He lies and tells Candy & Grant that he's been dating Flynn for 5 months. Now he needs to bring him to the reunion. And the rest is a beginning of a great relationship.

[AlitaConejita · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was the written equivalent of combining a Hallmark sentimental movie with a Pornhub rough porn. It literally went from grandma telling an MC they should get married on one [kindle] page to a series of "f-ck yeah!"s on the next. It's tone whiplash.
There was unnecessarily fleshed out convos that didn't add anything to the story. I got really bored of reading some of them. I don't need a transcription of everything said in their conversations, I just want to see how the relationship develops and transitions from pretend to real.

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'll give it a 2.5... Some parts are ok but it feels too sugary, too instalove, and too HEA... There is some minor drama but it's solved quickly and without issues... The rest is just 'how much I love you' or 'how happy I am' without any development of the relationship... I like my HEA but this book was a HEA since the second chapter... Also, the editing is awful... They keep misplacing the character names and it is very annoying... I don't think I will read more on the series... Not for me...