Tamsyn BesterReseñas

It's okay.
I had a few issues.
She's let her memory, her best friend encourages her to date even though she knows she was secretly in love with the Hero but doesn't help them get together.
The Hero just gives up and starts something with someone else.
They both sort of date other people.
Kiss others etc but no sex but attempts at it.
Abrupt ending.
HEA. But no real explanation.

To see more of my reviews, and some teasers from Playing Pretend, check out my blog Carlene Inspired.
I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Putting her family and wealth behind her hasn't been easy, but Kadence isn't one to take the easy route. After finishing her degree, she is determined to move back to Manhattan and start life anew, even if it means working for her family's enemy. Caleb Callahan isn't just the enemy though, he was also her first kiss, and when he lends her a helping hand she can't help but fall back into those old feelings. Caleb's reasons for helping Kadence aren't all out of kindness however and when the truth unfolds Kadence will have to decide if she can love someone who only knows how to play pretend.

Talk about strong female characters, with only one leading man and no real male secondary characters, this book takes the cake for having some awesome girls in empowering roles. That's not to say they aren't idiotic at times, but I liked the almost all female ensemble. Kadence is a fantastic heroine, she takes blow after blow and holds her ground. She's got her flaws and can be a bit annoying, and sucks at picking friends, but she's headstrong, always determined, and has the kind of confidence I wish I could have. Then there's Caleb, who looks like McDreamy and is a total jerk with an agenda. Doesn't it always work that way? Their chemistry is hot, you can feel it coming from the pages, which is why, just like Kadence, I could forgive every dumb move Caleb made. Their relationship is intriguing, because with only insight into Kadence's mind we know there's reason to be wary, just not why. There's a lot of background between them that is given over time, so even though the reader knows things could heat up between them we always know there's something holding both back. I love being on the edge of my seat like that.

The overall story itself is just like another reviewer said, very Romeo and Juliet. The main character's families have major beef with one another and 5 years of hatred stewing. While Kadence is estranged from her father and sister, she still lets them rule her life by making herself such a private person. I really enjoyed watching her come into her own as that part of the story finally revealed itself. Then there's the whole Caleb aspect of it, because their relationship can't be all rainbows, butterflies, and hot sex. I really enjoyed how immersed Caleb was in getting revenge that he couldn't even see right from wrong anymore. It brought twists and turns into this book that I wasn't expecting and kept the book from being predictable. I loved all the emotions in this book, all the love and angst, then Tamsyn Bester delivers a stunning epilogue and I was one happy reader.

What the writing lacks, the emotional story makes up for. There are a lot of grammatical errors, I'm sure many were fixed in the final version, but it pulled me away from the story a few times. Then there's the deja vu I felt while reading it. This book feels like something I've read before, I just can't put my finger on it. It isn't necessarily original, but it is a good story and as I said, I like the characters. I cannot get behind the baby scenario 100%, but mostly because it's ridiculously unbelievable, no celebrity could publicly get away with ditching their own child and continue to see fame, the world would tear them to pieces.and I didn't really love how Kadence gets played by even her friends, but even Tamsyn makes that work right. In reality, I think this book deserves 3.5 stars, however I am letting my personal enjoyment of it bump this up to 4.

If you're on the hunt for a standalone New Adult Romance, look no further than Playing Pretend by Tamsyn Bester. I loved the romance, the drama, and all the angst, I couldn't put this book down.

Kennedy Monroe and Dane Winters have known each other since they were children. Their families have an on-going feud that the current generation really don't know much about or how it got started. All they know is that they were raised to hate each other. So things don't come easy for Kennedy as she not only struggled with normal things every girl goes through growing up but also all of the pranks and rumors that Dane spreads about her. She hates every moment of growing up with him around and it is only made worse when a tragedy strikes both families simultaneously, causing the hatred to deepen and the pain to increase.

Kennedy is a character that starts out weak and then grows and becomes a little stronger. It was good to see her expand but some of the scenes had me wondering if they would happen in reality based on the circumstances we read about in the book. Some of them seem plausible, like her standing up for herself finally, but others just didn't have me fully believing. Dane is a complete douche to Kennedy and the things that he has said and done, not to mention the things while growing up, should have made Kennedy hate him and never give him a second thought. But the drama kicks in and both Kennedy and Dane find themselves falling for each other yet unable to commit as they know their family history is just too twisted to allow them to be together.

Overall, this is a very steamy read filled with drama, lust, love, hate, and loss. It was a highly emotional read that had me engaged and wanting to know what would happen next. I did find myself feeling connected to the characters one moment and totally disinterested the next. One minute the characters are fighting and the next they are in bed together. One moment there is a sweet scene and just when we think that things will work out, they are back to fighting. It just wasn't a healthy dynamic with them knowing what they wanted and then changing their minds on the next page.

Definitely an 18+ only read due to mature sexual content.

I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received an arc via Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review


This book is one hell of an intense read, as story of two young people that have hate in their lives due to an age old feud between their families that no one now understands the reasoning's behind.

Dane is a mixed up young man, that resorts to unimaginable lengths to in fact bully Kennedy and make her life hell, but he is struggling with his feelings deep down that he has towards her.

Kennedy life is made a living hell by Dane, and she really doesn't understand why, but deals with it everyday.

What we have here is a read that you will be hooked from the first pages, the scenes are sizzling hot, the writing is fantastic and the plot easily followed.

A definite must read.

This is the first book I have read of Tamsyn’s and it will not be the last.
Cassey Emerson did not have the best childhood. Once She graduated High School she packed her bags and left the trailer home she had known her whole life. Since she left 3 yrs ago, she has worked herself into a career she loves as an Publishing Assistant at Knight Media. She is loving her job. Her life is slowly coming together with the dreams that she had for herself.


"He became my drug of choice, and I'd gone so far out on a limb with my feelings that I didn't know I was out there alone."


Cassey, even though she did not have the best childhood, she is one strong independent woman. She has her head on her shoulders and knows what she wants out of life. After being raised by parents who could of cared less that they had her. She vowed to never settle for any less that what she deserved out of life. That is until the day that Kyler Knight Son of her boss walks into the company.

Kyler Knight, is young, rich and the heir to the multi-million dollar fortune that is known as ‘Knight Media’ – the biggest and most successful media company in Chicago. When his dad decides it is time for Kyler to learn the ropes as successor, he didn’t think it would include working with someone like Cassey Emerson.

Kyler was sex on a stick. He was not looking for a relationship. He lived his life and the woman he chose to be with knew right up front what was going to happen with no strings attached. He knew what he wanted from the moment he set his eyes on Cassey and he was going to stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

Is Kyler trying to win Cassey over to become another notch on his bed post? Or did Kyler think Cassey was different from all the other girls he had been with?

Will Cassey cave into Kyler? Can she have a no strings attached relationship? Or will Cassey want more?

I liked how the attraction between these two was tested. I loved how Kyler’s parents were so involved in the story as well. This was a fun quick read. It definitely kept me turning the pages, because I had to find out what was going to happen next.


"Every once in our lifetime, we meet someone who sets us on fire, and the only thing that will douse that flame is if we give in even if it's just for one night."

Cute story of broken hearts healing each other. Grayson, super hot football star senior and Huntley, super hot new in town broken girl meet and fall in love. They both have tragedy, death and cheating exes in their pasts. They have one friend each. Bad things happen when their friends realize they are in love and start sneaking around on Demi's boyfriend. I won't spoil the details here but this book is nothing if not predictable. This book could have used an editor. There any many wrong words used (heal/heel steal/steel) and several grammatical errors.

The Prologue at first peeved me off because I was thinking "now I know how it ends" but as the book went on the prologue events popped up again and I was not what I thought it was.
Huntley & Grayson are two damaged souls that have more than they realize in common. Huntley opens up to Grayson and Grayson seems to be dragging his feel about opening up to Huntley. This just gets my all in knots because I know that it's going to explode in his face. Things go from Fabulous to Ugly in a matter of pages. Some hot steamy sex scenes. Fantastic ending.
There is also another couple throughout that their story unfolds so you get 2 stories in one.

Quotes:

"I had to catch a whiff of her vanilla and strawberry scented bath products. It was a sensory overload of epic proportions and had me throbbing in my jeans."

"Just don't picture her naked. Whatever you do, do NOT picture her naked. Goddammit. I'm picturing her naked."

"You're my missing puzzle piece, the air in my lungs, and the blood in my veins. You're my everything."

"being broken doesn't mean you can't be loved. It just means there are more pieces of you for me to love."