Title: The Art Of Pretending
Series: The Art Of Fine Pretending
Author: Rachel Harris
Publisher: Spencer Hill Contemporary
Release Date: 30th September 2014
BLURB supplied by Inkslinger PR
According to the guys at Fairfield Academy, there are two types of girls: the kind you hook up with, and the kind you're friends with. Seventeen-year-old Alyssa Reed is the second type. And she hates it. With just one year left to change her rank, she devises a plan to become the first type by homecoming, and she sets her sights on the perfect date—Justin Carter, Fairfield Academy’s biggest hottie and most notorious player.
With 57 days until the dance, Aly launches Operation Sex Appeal and sheds her tomboy image. The only thing left is for Justin actually to notice her. Enter best friend Brandon Taylor, the school’s second biggest hottie, and now Aly’s pretend boyfriend. With his help, elevating from “funny friend” to “tempting vixen” is only a matter of time.
But when everything goes according to plan, the inevitable “break up” leaves their friendship in shambles, and Aly and Brandon with feelings they can’t explain. And the fake couple discovers pretending can sometimes cost you the one thing you never expected to want.
With 57 days until the dance, Aly launches Operation Sex Appeal and sheds her tomboy image. The only thing left is for Justin actually to notice her. Enter best friend Brandon Taylor, the school’s second biggest hottie, and now Aly’s pretend boyfriend. With his help, elevating from “funny friend” to “tempting vixen” is only a matter of time.
But when everything goes according to plan, the inevitable “break up” leaves their friendship in shambles, and Aly and Brandon with feelings they can’t explain. And the fake couple discovers pretending can sometimes cost you the one thing you never expected to want.
PURCHASES LINK
EXCERPT
An exhale of breath leaves Brandon’s lips, almost like a
laugh, and he scoots closer to me on the blanket. I twist my legs under myself,
sitting tall as I face him. He cups my chin and tilts it toward him, drowning
me in the now dark-green depths of his eyes, the cologne I gave him for his
birthday filling my head. It’s
woodsy and yummy and I always loved how it smelled on the store testers, but on
Brandon, it’s even sexier. My eyes flutter closed, and I inhale again, this
time slowly. Goose bumps prickle my arms, and my head gets fuzzy.
Brandon
slides his hand down the column of my neck and brings the other up, threading
his fingers through the hair at my nape. His breath fans across my cheek, and
everything south of my bellybutton squeezes tight.
When his mouth first meets
mine, it’s hesitant, questioning. But as I move my lips with his, he quickly
grows bolder, coaxing them apart.
Desire,
pure and raw, electrifies my veins as his tongue sweeps my mouth. A whimpering
sound springs from my chest, and instinctively, I wrap my arms around his neck,
tugging him closer. Needing more. My teeth graze his full bottom lip, and I
pull it, sucking on it gently.
He
moans and knots his fingers in my hair, and a thrill dances down my back.
Brandon
is an amazing kisser, just as I knew he would be. I have no control over my
body’s reactions. I lose myself in his lips, his tongue, and his strong arms,
forgetting time and space and even my surroundings—until Gabi’s snicker brings
reality crashing around us, reminding me we have an audience.
And that I’m kissing Brandon.
We
break apart, out of breath, and stare into each other’s eyes.
That was unexpected.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
An admitted Diet Mountain Dew addict and homeschool mom, she gets through each day by laughing at herself, hugging her kids, and watching way too much Food Network with her husband. She writes young adult, new adult, and adult romance, and LOVES talking with readers.
AUTHOR LINKS
Website: http://rachelharriswrites.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachelHarrisBks
THE FINE ART OF PRETENDING Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17696131-the-fine-art-of-pretending