This is very much a romance novel, so I advise you to just chill out and enjoy these two as they stumble their way through dislike to fake relationship; from misunderstanding to communication; from what-the-hell-people? to aww-shucks-that’s-cute. It’s predictable and doesn’t break any expectations.

Tyler is presented as a troubled boy, who although he deserves our sympathy and our help, refuses to be seen as weak or needy. His dyslexia has an up side and down side–on the positive, we see how clever Tyler has been to hide his disability and to show that with enough determination, he can pretty much function and achieve. On the negative side, his fear of discovery means he is very sensitive and defensive, which makes him impossible to really know. How can anyone else like him when he barely likes himself?

Also? The fact that he is ashamed of his family makes him harder to like. So it’s easy to see that Tyler has lots of growing to do throughout the novel. I found that at least he was honest with himself, even if he couldn’t give others the same courtesy.

Eva was also a fairly stereotypical character. Being Queen of her country at only 16 means she is bound by obligation and honour. It’s not ridiculous to imagine that she would sometimes want to take a break and enjoy some ordinary teenage pursuits. Her mother is unfortunately a complete (horror) trope, and Daniel (who had his own book last year) is entirely too over-protective, and I desperately wished someone would call him out on it. So annoying that he was cast in this role.

Tyler pretending to be someone else in order to spend quality time with Eva was unrealistic, but it was fun to see them connect. That Eva forgives him works in the context of the novel’s expectations. Tyler does grow up a lot, and seeks forgiveness, not only from Eva, but also his family and friends. They display much surprise about his lack of confidence, which only serves to makes us more aware of how little attention they paid him.

But I went along for the ride, despite my misgivings, knowing that the target audience will love it and enjoy the wish fulfillment elements. After all, who among us here, didn’t wish that we could be a princess and be swept off our feet by a fit, hunky, tall all-American boy who loves only us? I mean, when we were younger of course, not now. (cough cough).

Thanks to publisher and Netgalley for advanced copy. Just Pretending was released in the US on November 5.

the chicago falcons series comes to a close with just pretending. this time focusing on queen eva of eldonia and tyler evans, daniel sacachelli's sister and best friend respectively. the whole fake kingdom of eldonia angle kind of record scratched the series for me, but i did enjoy this book much more than just one of the royals.

both tyler and eva are super appealing characters and when poor ty gets caught up in the pretense that he's prince tiberius of prienzza you know that their entire relationship is going to fall apart like a house of cards. and it does, but it's also kind of eva's fault for refusing to talk to ty. when she finally does go to him to right that wrong, he's worked himself into a tizzy of insecurities and is a huge jerk.

for a while you wonder if these two will get their acts together, but the truth is tyler and eva together are stronger, braver, better people. and that's pretty amazing.

**just pretending will publish on november 5. 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of entangled publishing (crush) in exchange for my honest review.

Rating 5/5

Seriously cannot get enough of any royal romance. This was no exception. Eva and Tyler is the picture perfect romcom contemporary couple - complete with trials and tribulations. Their relationship goes through so many obstacles and secrets that their HEA is well deserved. Absolutely loved this and can't wait for more!

3.5*

Just Pretending was a cute story with a lot of heart. Eva and Tyler both want to be “seen” for who they really are, not just as a queen and a poor jock. Eva, as the young Queen of a small country, wants nothing more than to have friends and belong to the Falcon family her brother Daniel has created for himself and his friends. Tyler just wants a shot at being something more than who he thinks he is.
Although for all Eva’s posturing about how she wanted to fit in and not have people judge her for being queen, there were a couple of times that she sure was quick to judge Tyler, without knowing him or even giving him a chance.
When the opportunity presents itself to Tyler to become someone he’s not, he jumps at the chance, just to spend time with Eva. Before long he’s in deeper than he expected and unfortunately things implode on him.
I’m kind of embarrassed to admit to the tears I shed for Tyler towards the end of the book, but he pulled at every single one of my heartstrings! Yes, he made some questionable decisions and dumb choices, but I honestly can't fault him for it, even with the fallout from his behavior.

Overall I thought this story was very sweet. Eva and Tyler both came to some realizations about themselves, and I liked that there was an underlying message of accepting yourself woven in.

This was the first book I read in the Chicago Falcons series- I hadn’t realized it was part of a series when I requested to read and review it. Although it can be read as a standalone I do think it would have been better if I had started at the beginning, especially with Eva and her ascension to the throne.

This book was pretty good! The book is told in alternating view points between Eva and Tyler. Eva is queen of Eldonia, but is visiting her step brother, Daniel, in Chicago. Eva is feeling a little lost. She has tons of responsibility and feels very lonely. It took me a little while to warm up to Eva. She tends to get mad and then takes it out on other people. While I do feel bad for her, she comes off as a little mean at times. Tyler is a senior hockey player. He struggles in school due to his dyslexia that he has hidden from everyone except for his younger sister. It obviously affects him greatly. Between his disability and his lack of money, he struggles with self-esteem issues. With that being said, he is such a sweet character and I liked him right away especially seeing how much he cares for his little sister.

Eva and Tyler are really cute together. Tyler brings out the more sweet caring side of Eva and Eva helps build up Tyler's confidence. Tyler lying about being a prince was cringe worthy and I dreaded the part where Eva finally finds out the truth because it obviously couldn't end well! Every time there was an opportunity to tell Eva, I wanted to yell at Tyler to tell her already!

Since this book is part of a series, some familiar characters are brought back from the previous books and it was nice to see them again. This book tied in the previous two books very nicely. Another character I loved in this book was Millie, Tyler's younger sister. She's funny, sweet, and such a great addition to the book!

Overall, Tyler and Eva had a sweet romance and this book was really enjoyable. They complimented each other well and I liked their story greatly.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from Entangled Publishing via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a very fast read for me. Once I started, I couldn't put it down.
I wanted Tyler to get his happily ever after the second I met him. Having him find someone like Eva, who understands him, just made it even better.
I loved the "prince in disguise" theme in the book. It was a nice change that the girl was the queen and the guy didn't feel like he could measure up to royalty.
I found myself not wanting this book to end.

Tyler is a shy hockey player, a close friend of Daniel, who has a crush on Eva, Daniel's sister and queen of Perienza. Because of his low self-esteem and dyslexia, he believes that will never have a chance with the girl, but he takes full advantage of a chance that comes up and ends up finding himself refreshed next to Eva.
Eva in turn is feeling the pressure of governing and the eternal dissatisfaction of her mother.
She ends up approaching the supposed prince Tiberius and being enchanted with the sweetness of the boy.

I loved the light and dynamic writing of the book and was impressed to discover that one of the writers has this problem. I really enjoyed the participation of the characters of the other books, only Daniel seems to have not learned to trust his friends yet.

I loved the pretty cover and the sweet ending. I will miss these characters.

Move over Prince Charming cause Hockey Players are coming to steal that “dreamy future significant other” spot.

This book definitely had it all; far off places, a hockey player in disguise and a teenage Queen who just wants to have a normal life and friends as well as ruling her country as she’s dreamt of doing so her whole life.

This was my first time reading anything by this author and though it would benefit you to read the rest of the Falcons books, this one was definitely a stand alone that could be enjoyed on its own.

Loved loved loved it and I’ll definitely be coming back for more from this author!

I was provided an ebook copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 1 star

First of all, this book took me extremely long to read. Two weeks, when usually a book of this size will only take 3-5 days, tops. There's one reason for this: I was bored. The plot was boring, the characters were boring, and since I didn't read the first book in the series, I didn't get a good grasp of the relationships that had clearly been established already. I didn't care about Tyler or Eldonia or Daniel or anyone else. This book definitely feels more 13 to 16-year-old age group.

Okay, so, I have many things to say, and none of them are good. I only give 1-star ratings to books that are either TERRIBLY written or that piss me off. 

The entire premise was bullshit. Obviously, this plot isn't an original one. We've all read at least one variation of the she/he-pretends-to-be-someone-they're-not story. But usually, the person pretending has a very good reason. They're being blackmailed, or if they tell, their loved ones will be harmed. Something along those lines. But not in this case. Tyler had plenty of opportunity to tell Eva the truth, but he never did. So many instances he could've opened his mouth and blurted it out, but he "just wanted to live in a fantasy" for a little while longer, which is cowardly. I can't get over the fact that he lied SO elaborately and for SO long, way past the point of no return, and then he's easily forgiven. Bull. Shit.

Tyler was a total douchebag. I hated him by the end of this novel. I could tolerate him and his blatant lying for about sixty percent of the book, but then it went MAJORLY downhill. He BLAMED EVA for HIS lies: "Is that why you ignored me every single time I tried to talk to you as just me, Tyler?" Here he is actually saying that part of the reason he couldn't tell her the truth was because SHE IGNORED HIM. What the ACTUAL fuck. 

Plus, when Eva defied her bitch of a mother and flew back to Chicago after Tyler was found out as a fraud, when she brought presents for his family, when she told him she FORGAVE him even though she had absolutely ZERO reason to do so.... he literally kicks her out of his house, insulting his sister and father as he does. He yells at her, sneers at her, is basically an ugly, manipulating son-of-a-bitch.  

Not to mention he "pushes Eva away" because of some stupid "oh-woe-is-me" victim bullshit. He thinks, "Oh, I have no future, I'm so poor, I live in a garbage place and my father doesn't make any money and I can't read and oh, everything's so awful!!!!!!!!" even though a fucking QUEEN of a European country, a queen who has SO MANY OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS TO BE DOING, has chased after him - HIM, a commoner, a very poor commoner - and proclaimed her forgiveness and love. And what can he do? Say "You cAn'T lOvE sOmeOnE LiKe mE!!!!!" Being poor = being undesirable, apparently. Never mind that he has lots of friends, is a great artist, has a fantastic, badass younger sister, and plays on a famous hockey team. Nope, he's poor and sad and can't read or write, so fuck everything else. 

Eva is Queen of Eldonia and yet lets her mother and brother push her around and tell her what to do. Lame. I hate pushovers. 

Daniel's "big brother" overprotectiveness was NOT cute. Aside from it being totally overused in stories featuring a girl who's trying to be independent, it was disgusting at times and fucking irritating. Eva's not ten years old. She's queen of a goddamned country and can do as she pleases. 

Tyler's self-hating behavior was not cute, either. To me it speaks of that good ole toxic masculinity, not to mention manipulation, as inadvertent as it may've been.  Still can't get over the fact that he actually had the audacity to blame Eva for the mess his secret created. Cool motive, still manipulation.

Even after all their lovey-dovey, special, soul-bearing moments, Tyler didn't trust Eva enough to let her give him and his family Christmas presents. Instead he freaked the fuck out and accused her of giving his family "charity." How romantic.... 

I almost stopped at 82% because I was so fucking done with Tyler's bullshit and this entire story as a whole. But I wanted to finish because 1) I was so close anyway, and 2) I wanted to see what other ridiculousness I had to read through. 

Daniel, Madison, and all the rest of the characters EASILY forgive Tyler for his elaborate lies. In fact, Daniel even encourages Tyler to "go get the girl." Like, Daniel is Tyler's best friend, and he's totally fine with the fact that Tyler lied to him for so long about his relationship with his sister? Mmmmmkay. 

So Tyler can act like a victim, manipulate Eva with his lies, conceal the truth from her and all his friends for weeks, treat Eva like dirt when she - A QUEEN, need I remind you - offers him forgiveness, but everybody forgives him quicker than a snap, he gets a full-ride scholarship to the Univeristy of Eldonia, the Falcons win the championship, and Eva swoons right into his arms without so much as a fight? Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, cool, coo-

They fall deeply, passionately in love after knowing each other for like...two months? And not even really knowing each other - Tyler pretended to be Prince Tiberius for, like, 75% of that time.  
Oh, and it was never once mentioned that, um, if Eva and Tyler get together and stay together and eventually marry, he becomes the King of Eldonia???? Like, that wasn't important enough to mention?  That could've been a legitimate reason for Tyler to push Eva away: he's too young and inexperienced to be king. But nope, that was never brought into the story. Neato.

Rating: 1 star

"Just Pretending" (Chicago Falcons #2) by Leah and Kate Rooper comes out on November 5th, 2018.

I didn’t realize this book was part of a series when I requested it. It was enjoyable to read, but may have been better if I had read the other books first.

3.5 stars

Having been introduced to Eva in Just One of the Royals, the second book of The Chicago Falcons series I’ve been eagerly awaiting Eva’s story. Just Pretending has a case of mistaken identity and mix up that was hilarious at first, but then it got somewhat frustrating when Tyler just kept going on with it. And while I can understand why he kept the masquerade going as Eva was always dismissive of him overtime she met him as “Tyler” it just didn’t feel right. On the other hand, Eva was also too quick to prejudge him just because he happened to be a hockey player. That being said, I’m glad Eva and Tyler got their happily ever after. Just Pretending was a perfect, heartwarming conclusion to this series and I loved seeing the other Falcon characters again in this book, especially because it's always nice to see them all come together to help one of their own. I loved how in the end they even adopted Eva as an honorary Falcon as it served as a nice ending for her character who felt like she never belonged anywher

I've really enjoyed the Chicago Falcons series and I'm sad Just pretending is the last book. Each story can be read as a standalone but the characters feature in the books. This is queen Eva's and Tyler's story.

Eva wants a taste of a normal life. She is visiting her brother in Chicago and wants to see more than the tourist's attractions. She visits the ice rink to watch her brother practice hockey. Tyler meets Eva in the last book while her brother needed help. When she bumps into Tyler at hockey practice they get off on the wrong foot. After a mix-up, Eva believes Ty is a prince and feels they are on even ground. They have lots in common and Ty is very sweet but what's going to happen when Eva realises he didn't tell the whole truth.

Tyler has had a thing for Eva since he met her. His own life is complicated and he's trying to find his way. When Eva comes to visit her brother, Tyler wants his chance with her. He gets roped into meeting a prince at the airport but finds Eva instead. When he's pretending to be someone else he gets the chance to show her the real him.

Just pretending is a sweet story with a mix up in identity. 4 stars out of 5.

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The first book was my favourite but the others are worth the read. I can't wait to see what these ladies come up with next.

Romance skates into a magical, fairy tale, where the dreams of finding true love touch upon a dab of Cinderella fantasy.

Eva is sixteen and a queen—a position she loves but sometimes notices how much it keeps her from a usual life. When she visits her brother in Chicago, her hopes of having at least a few days of 'normality' disappear when her mother insists she escort a prince around town. But duty calls. Little does she realize that this prince isn't going to be what she expects in many, many more ways than one. The so-called prince gets pulled to the side as one of her brother's hockey friends accidentally takes over the role and soon finds himself in a bigger mess than he can handle.

This book is so charming and sweet! Fans of romances between royalty and 'commoners' are going to love this book. Eva is a wonderful queen, knows her position and maintains all which is expected of her. Although she does have the usual teenage hopes, she's extremely mature (perhaps too much so?) and deals as best she can. But she's missing experience, and that's what makes her easy to like. On the other side, Tyler—a friend of her brother—is a very average guy who is trying the best he can to keep his family and friends satisfied. He's got a heart of gold, although he stumbles from one mistake into the other.

The side characters are like shining spots which add the right zest at the right times. Each one has a fun personality and keeps the tale light-hearted and fun. Especially Tyler's younger sister added humor and spice, which had me smiling more than once.

The romance in the book is as a young adult romance usually is. From Tyler's side, it's full love right away. Eva needs a little more time but tumbles in quickly too. It's missing a little more build-up, but I didn't read the first two books in the series where Tyler had already seen Eva before (although this doesn't appear to be the case visa-versa). The first two books do not have to be read before diving into this one, but it might have made the relationship between the two more interesting. (My guess.) As it was, there wasn't a lot of build-up in this direction. Rather the story hangs on the trouble the mistaken identity causes, which is fun and holds a lot of humorous moments.

The tale fits well for a younger YA audience (12 to 16), although the characters act a little too mature much of the time. I wish there had been more to the plot than the mistaken identity as it did loose spark in the second half of the book and was easy to see where it was all headed. Still, it's a heart-warming read which will have romance fans fuzzy inside and dreaming of the day they might meet the 'prince' of their dreams.

I received a complimentary copy through Netgalley and found it so sweet that I wanted to leave my honest thoughts.

The final book in Leah and Kate Rooper's Chicago Falcons series features Tyler and Eva.

I have liked but not loved all of the previous books. However, I definitely loved those one! It is definitely YA romance with a teenage queen, but the struggles Tyler and Eva experience felt so realistic. My heart especially felt for Tyler and how he felt about himself, his dyslexia, and his future after high school.

All of your favorite characters from the previous books make appearances, and this is a great ending to the series. I can't wait to see what the Roopers write next!

I received a free copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

4 stars — After my mixed feelings on Daniel and Madison’s book, I was wary of what this book was going to be like for my adorable Tyler and Eva….but I need not have worried, I was sucked right in and feeling all the feels! I will admit, there were still times I *really* had to suspend my disbelief (mostly when Tyler was playing Tiberius), but as long as I did that I was fine.

I was half in love with Tyler in the previous 2 books, but he just confirmed my love in this story. Which is not to say he didn’t behave like an idiot…he did. And more than I was expecting. But my heart just ACHED for him. Reading his POV parts just always got to me. He really honestly felt like a nobody, like nothing. And even though he was wholeheartedly wrong, I got why he fell into that trap. It’s funny, b/c I was empathizing with him so hard (even though I don’t specifically have anything in common with him), that when Daniel starts giving him some hard truths, my back got up automatically. But Daniel was right. And I so appreciated that Tyler had someone in his life that wasn’t afraid to call him on his bullshit. Tyler really went through a journey in this story, but the core of who he was was totally swoonworthy: a genuinely sweet and good guy. And I loved all the little aspects of his character that we learned, from his artistic talent to his struggles with dyslexia.

I will admit that I found I didn’t *quite* connect with Eva as closely. Like, I did, but her story seemed overshadowed by Tyler’s in this one. Which was okay, because I think much more and it would have been too much in one book, but I do feel sad that I never really got down and dirty in what it was like for Eva as a newly appointed Queen. I wonder if part of the reason I felt like her story got lost is that I just finished reading another story about a young Queen, and so I could see the difference between what we learned about that other Queen’s struggles vs Eva’s. But I did appreciate her struggle with being liked and *seen* for who she was.

As for the romance — it was both sweet and hot at the same time. The sweetness I expected. But damn, some of those kisses got steamy! Not graphic, this is still YA…but definitely steamy. The whole paint scene was…wow. I really felt their connection, and it made my heart hurt when Tyler kept mucking things up. I got it to a degree, but there did come a point when I was ready to smack him. Luckily Daniel was there.

All in all, this was a solid conclusion to the series. And while they can be read as standalones, I think if you enjoy any one of them, it’s worth seeing what the other Falcons are up to. I also really appreciated that we got an epilogue that nicely wrapped things up and gave closure. Otherwise I was worried I was going to have to beg for a bonus novella… 😉

Sorry, I DNF'd this book (Did not finish....) I got 1/4 of the way in and I just couldn't do anymore. It seemed to fake, and too forced. It just wasn't for me.

This was a quick and fast read, felt the ending was okay but could have been better. Really goes to show you how much confidence and believing in yourself will really make you a different person both inside and out. I was intrigued by the other characters in the book and I'm definitely interested in reading the first two in this series. Great read!

I have a feeling that I’ve read this somewhere before… Honestly, I think that the ‘charade’ trope is so overused in today’s Young Adult Literature that I have started to give up just a little. However, Just Pretending did impress me more than I originally thought. There were plenty of twists and it was extremely amusing to watch Tyler try to act like a royal and to watch Eva fall for him.

I found the Rooper sister’s writing very pleasant to read and felt that I didn’t have to force myself into reading another book. It was easy to sit down and get lost into this amazing world, and lost in Chicago. The plot was a really fun read, but if you are someone who tends to avoid the ‘fake royal and charade’ trope in YA, such as ‘The Undercover Princess’, or ‘Mirage’. If you aren’t fussy, however, then hopefully you will thoroughly enjoy this light-hearted, contemporary royal story. As a part of a non-connected series, I think that this is a really good instalment and that since you don’t need to read the others in order, this will be good for someone who just wants a light book series, but isn’t into commitment.

Just Pretending was very entertaining to read. It is easy to connect with Evangeline and the struggles she has being royalty and having an overbearing/overprotective brother watching her every move. The rebel inside of me loved it when she met Tyler and starts to fall in love with him but later fizzled out when he plays along with the royal card of letting Evangeline know the truth. While reading this book, I could not help but think that one day this will turn into a Disney Channel/Hallmark movie and everyone will grow to fall in love with the story.

Thank you Netgalley and Entangled Publishing, LLC for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. We will definitely consider this title for our YFiction collection at the library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I really liked this book, it was my first by these authors snd I would recommend it to everyone