Leigh's review posted on Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews 
 3.5 STARS 
 Only Pretend was dark, twisted and oh so wrong. And despite that (or maybe because of that!) I fell under its spell. After a somewhat rocky start where I doubted that I could get into a book where the heroine seemed so weak willed and, frankly, too stupid to live, I found myself turning page after page to see where it would go next. 
 Celeste began the book as a pathetic heroine to me. She was unceremoniously dumped by her boyfriend, so therefore lost her job working on his food truck. She had no family, no friends, apparently no real ambition, and nowhere to go. With nothing to lose, she tries to shed the boring image that her ex-boyfriend beat into her mind. She gets her nails done, dyes her hair blonde and heads to Vegas with no plan, no direction...and apparently no common sense, as she goes to a stranger's hotel room and accepts a drink from Leonide, the first man she sees, simply because he's handsome and suave. 
 Hello? Has no one ever heard of Ted Bundy?! 
 This risky behavior aside, I had a little trouble with the fact that "boring" was harped on as the ultimate death knell from which Celeste tried so badly to escape. There really are worse things than being called boring. Like, oh say...being abducted. But once the book proceeded to the point when we found out why she was stolen and Leonide's plans for her, I found myself liking Celeste more and more as she became sure of herself and her worth. 
 Leonide is not a likeable hero. He is cultured, powerful and handsome. He is also cruel and demanding. But as he begins to understand Celeste and her need to defy him, he begins to have an admiration for this woman that is under his control. 
 I would hesitate to call it a romance, but Only Pretend certainly fell into the category of dark erotica. Although I had trouble at times trying to figure out what it was that Celeste saw in Leonide beyond the handsome face and the dominant manner (think Stockholm syndrome), Only Pretend was a satisfying read. Sufficiently dark, erotic and disturbing (most of all because I eventually wanted these two to get together!), I would recommend this book to anyone looking to wade into the dark end for a while.