Pretend You’re Mine

The perfect fake marriage romance! Crystal Kaswell knows how to bring it with heat, emotion, and plenty of surprises.

Ryan & Leighton’s Friends-to-Lovers Story Is About Trust, Betrayal, & Moving On. Together They Learn How To Spread Their Wings & Open Their Hearts. Don’t Forget To Download The Free Bonus Epilogue!

This is book three of eight in the Inked Hearts series. Each book reads as a standalone, though they are best enjoyed in order.

Book one, Tempting, is Brendon and Kaylee’s moving story. It is tender and patient. Broody with a dose of kink, Brendon falls for his little sister’s best friend, whose secret crush isn’t so secret.

Book two, Hooking Up, is Walker and Iris’s hookup turned friends with benefits story. Star Wars nerds will love it! Their romance dives deep into the issue of addiction. On the surface they are opposites – he is the bad boy and she is the good girl – but neither lives up to that image.

Inked Hearts is a tattoo parlor in Southern California that sits about five blocks from the beach. Brendon, Ryan, Walker and Dean are like family. They are tattoo artists and the heart and soul of the shop, along with Leighton who runs the front desk. Manning, who had been an absentee owner for the past few years, recently sold the Venice Beach shop to the four tattoo artists, who somehow manage to get things done despite their lack of coordination. Together they all serve a variety of clients – to include some rather well-known celebrity types.

Don’t forget to download the free bonus epilogue! Sign up for the newsletter then scroll down to the bottom of the email for the link.

Book Three:

This story opens in July, one month following the end of Walker and Iris’s story in book two (epilogues aside).

Ryan Maddox, twenty-seven , loves black. His wardrobe is entirely black. His outlook is black. He decorated his apartment in it as well. He also loves tattoos. He loves running Inked Hearts, which he does for the most part with some help from Brendon. He never wanted to follow in his parents’ footsteps. He and his younger brother Dean, twenty-five, grew up in luxury in Beverly Hills. Their parents have MBA’s and wear suits to work, but that never appealed to Ryan, nor to Dean who always looked up to him. Nevertheless, Ryan went on to earn a business degree, strictly to appease his parents.

It was when he began apprenticing during college that Ryan really knew what he wanted to do with his life. As a tattoo artist, he makes a connection with the client. It is a somewhat spiritual experience, learning more about them and then finding the inspiration to design a tattoo that really speaks to their soul. It is gratifying. And as much as he hates to admit it, that business degree he got has been helpful, especially since he and the guys bought Inked Hearts from Manning.

Besides ink and running the shop, there was one more thing that Ryan wanted to make his life complete. Something he thought he had until last summer – twelve months ago. That was when everything fell apart, when Penny took hold of his heart and ripped it out. Ryan isn’t great with words, and doesn’t like a lot of change. He has intimacy issues, too. He hates being touched too much – he isn’t big on passing out hugs. But the hole is his chest left him afraid to get close emotionally now, too. Finding Penny in their bed with someone else after nine years together completely shredded everything he thought he knew about love.

He had been seventeen and she sixteen when they fell deeply in love. Their fathers worked together. And they both swore they would never sell out. Her only apology had been for falling out of love with him. Nowadays Ryan lives a rather vacant existence. Everyone knows him as the eternal pessimist. He comes and goes to work with a scowl on his face and little say. He and Leighton have become closer over the last year, though. She is probably his best friend. She even makes him smile sometimes. He may not understand what love is anymore. He may not understand how he drove Penny away. He may not be worthy of receiving love. But he does know one thing. He doesn’t want to do anything ruin his friendship with Leighton.

Leighton Black, probably about twenty-seven, is a punk rock princess who loves rocking her purple hair. She is also secretly in love with Ryan. It isn’t a well-kept secret, though. Everyone seems to know except for Ryan himself. She fell for him when she first started working the desk at Inked Hearts two years ago. She and Dean went way back, and Dean had hooked her up with the job. Leighton had been bartending at Rock Bottom for four years, where Dean had been a regular. Even though it meant a loss in income, she had needed a change. Inked Hearts was now the closest thing she had to home. It was like family. She couldn’t imagine leaving, but that was the problem. Her job was too easy. She enjoyed graphic design, and had even signed up for a class at Santa Monica College thanks to Ryan’s encouragement. But pursuing a new career would mean leaving Inked Hearts and Ryan behind.

Leighton had declared that she was taking a break from dating after a string of bad choices. She hasn’t been with a guy in quite a while. She is tired of being the second choice. She is tired of dating losers. When she first met Ryan he was with Penny, and her crush had been innocent. He is now single, though, and a year has passed since his breakup with Penny. Their friendship has grown deeper, and their lives have become entangled. Leighton’s love for Ryan has only grown stronger, but Ryan sees her just as a friend. She has been happy to have him in her life any way that she can. He is now pressuring her to spread her wings, but she stubbornly delays the inevitable in the hopes that her friendship with Ryan will evolve into something more.

When Ryan receives a wedding invitation, it is a shock to his system. Penelope Winters is marrying Francis Hobbs – Frank – the same man that he caught her in bed with one year ago. Their parents are friends, which may explain the rather awkward invitation. He toys with the idea of having a fake girlfriend at the event to help save face – he doesn’t want to look like the pathetic mess he really is – but he isn’t sold on it. Leighton volunteers and finally gets him to reluctantly agree. They will help each other. She will stand in as his girlfriend, and he will help get her new career as a graphic artist launched. He knows from the outset that they are putting their friendship at risk, so he makes her promise to speak up before that happens.

Ryan and Leighton’s friends-to-lovers story is about trust, betrayal, and moving on. It is about rebuilding self-confidence. Both have scars from their past that have changed them. Their innocence has been lost, stolen by those closest to them. Neither wants to be vulnerable like that again, so neither wants to take that first step. Still, Ryan’s scars are much more fresh, and his inability to work through his feelings about the past prevent him from opening up to anything more than friendship with Leighton. The pair faces several challenges in the six weeks leading up to the wedding. As their relationship begins to change, the stakes get even higher. The couple eventually earns a happy ending.

For fans of the series, book four will feature Ryan’s younger brother Dean, the jokester and shameless flirt. He and Walker are best friends, and Dean is the last of the four co-owners to couple up. He plays a role in Ryan and Leighton’s story. More is gleaned of the man beneath the façade in this book. At the end of this story, Emma – Brendon’s sister – finally steps in to spend some time behind the desk at Inked Hearts, and Chloe – a new hire – is introduced.

Ryan and Leighton’s friends-to-lovers story is patient and tender. Together they learn to spread their wings and open their hearts. After a horrible breakup, Ryan struggles with trust; Leighton has never experienced love, but finds herself hopelessly in love with Ryan, who is clueless about her feelings for him. Both are too afraid of rejection to take things to the next step. The story is well-written. In the conversational passages, it is occasionally a little hard to follow who the speaker is. The plot is fairly simple. The characters are rich and carefully crafted. They feel real. Leighton and Dean have a great camaraderie that lightens the mood – and stands in stark contrast to Ryan’s extreme broodiness. The story is written in first person. The POV alternates between Ryan and Leighton. I rate this book 4.5 stars.

I dont want it to be over.
I read the last couple chapters very slowly, just so it wouldnt end.
Crystal writes perfect books for me. This book was no different. I have zero complaints. Ryan has intrigued me from the very beginning of the series. I am so glad to see him finally put his demons in the past.
Now, I need Dean’s book ASAP. I will of course wait as patiently as possible. Which is not patient at all.
I would highly recommend.
Happy reading!
Rating 5 stars

I’m completely loving Ryan and Leighton! I’ve been waiting on Ryan’s story and was not disappointed. They have such a strong, amazing friendship and I loved every minute of their journey. Sweet, deep connections and lots of heat! A must read book in a must read series!

Ryan is a tattoo artist who dated his girlfriend Penny for years. He thought she was the one until one day, she betrayed him. This betrayal has stunted him emotionally and he can’t move forward. Leighton is his best friend but she wants to be his more! Penny is getting married and being the selfish person she is invited Ryan. Ryan and Leighton decide to go and pretend to be in a relationship. Can Leighton show Ryan he can move on and turn this fake relationship into a real one?
This story is well written with the characters well developed especially if you have read the previous books. Ryan even though is closed off emotionally, you can still feel what he is going through. Leighton is a great friend and all the guys in the shop have a good dynamic

Loved it . Can’t wait to read the next one now

Loved Leighton and Ryan’s story. It’s just a favor for your best friend, right? The depth and feels in this story is off the chart and the sparks once they acknowledge them are hot. Another great Crystal Kaswell read!!! I couldn’t put it down. I received an advanced copy of this manuscript and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

I received an ARC of this book through Hidden Gems. In return, I’m leaving my honest opinion in the form of a review.

First, I loved the steam in this book. The parts that I would term “erotica” were written very well. Add to that – I love bad boys and I really love tatted up bad boys who have no clue. The steam was rising from my Kindle, when the story finally got there.

The pacing of the book left a lot to be desired. In places it dragged so that I was tempted to skip over spots, which I hate to do. If I start skipping spots in a book, I usually stop reading and review what I’ve read. In this case, I kept reading because the steam was drawing me in. I felt that the book could have been a little bit shorter and the story would have had the same impact. That said, the combustible nature of Leighton and Ryan’s relationship somewhat made up for the drag in the story line. I will read this author again and I’m hoping the pacing is better the next time.

Crystal Kaswell examines romance from all angles and finds humor in the tragic, hope in the hopeless and redemption in love. She humanizes the love genre without fictionalizing the romance. Pretend You’re Mine begins with a lie and quickly becomes an irresistible reality. With fresh eyes and an open heart, she keeps me in love, with love.

Ryan and Leighton were the perfect couple. I actually think they’re my favorite couple from this series. Ryan is so brooding and moody and he really needed to get over his ex. Leighton was so sweet. She let him take care of him because she loved him but wouldn’t tell him. I’m actually shocked that he didn’t figure it out sooner. I’m happy these two got their HEA, even if they had some obstacles to climb in order to get there. Loved this story, loved this couple! Hated the ex and glad she’s gone and Leighton has her man!