I don't know where to begin. So much is just plain wrong with this book. No...not book...short story. Pretend I Do is a really short mess and then the author throws a lot of other equally lacking romance stories into the mix. Why couldn't she be honest and tell readers that the book is more of a marketing anthology.

The titled story is definitely terrible at best. Both characters Amelia and Brent are not convincing on any level. Amelia is supposed to be a successful attorney, yet she is portrayed as a woman so insecure every move she makes needs to be validated by someone, usually her best friend.. She's like Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde. One minute she's self assured and demanding (in a good way) but usually only when it comes to sex, then the next she's a sniveling, dog-in-the-manger mess.

Brent supposedly has a secret. It's really not that much of a secret though, since Brent's mouth runs more than a leaky faucet. At one point, Amelia mentions that she works with her ex-fiance. Later in the book the subject comes up again as if had never been revealed earlier in the story. The ending is far from believable. In fact, it's down right UNbelievable, given Amelia's actions prior to the ending and the couple's past histories with their exes. The story doesn't come anywhere close to living up to the description presented to interested readers. Sad because I think if the author had taken her time and truly worked on this, it could have been good solid romance book worth reading.

The other short stories included are kind of crappy too. Since the author didn't feel the need to mention them. Beyond letting you know what you are in for...neither will I. ( )