Synopsis:
Mackenzie “Max” Miller has a problem. Her parents have arrived in town for a surprise visit, and if they see her dyed hair, tattoos, and piercings, they just might disown her. Even worse, they’re expecting to meet a nice, wholesome boyfriend, not a guy named Mace who has a neck tattoo and plays in a band. All her lies are about to come crashing down around her, but then she meets Cade.
Cade moved to Philadelphia to act and to leave his problems behind in Texas. So far though, he’s kept the problems and had very little opportunity to take the stage. When Max approaches him in a coffee shop with a crazy request to pretend to be her boyfriend, he agrees to play the part. But when Cade plays the role a little too well, they’re forced to keep the ruse going. And the more they fake the relationship, the more real it begins to feel.
Review: Surj
OK so this book really didn’t turn out how I thought it would!!!! I was expecting something light hearted and funny but these authors keep doing it to me. Cora Carmack… you lulled me into a false sense of security with the synopsis and the first few chapters and then bam…. There it was!!!! The past she just couldn’t move on from!!!! I tell you what… these books are going to either give me raised blood pressure, give me a heart attack or both and send me to an early grave!!!!! Lol. But I’m an addict. I just can’t keep my head out of a good book.
“Faking It” fits into the new adult genre of books and could be read as a standalone. Knowing this, I didn’t read it because I wanted to see whether Max and Cade got their Happily ever after. That was a given really. For me it was more about the journey they took to get them to that happy place.
Upon meeting Cade and Max, they couldn’t have appeared more different both in looks and personality:
Upon meeting Cade and Max, they couldn’t have appeared more different both in looks and personality:
Newsflash! This was the kind of guy libraries should use in their
advertising if they wanted more people to visit.
Cade was the wholesome, all American kinda guy. And to go with it, he had the personality. He was a gentleman, he had manners and he was polite but do you know what? It kinda turned me on. Maybe it was the fact that with all of that came wit and charm. The guy was funny… like really funny and he could charm the pants off a donkey. And he did:
"It was so nice to meet you Mrs ....."
I put on my best smile and said, “You know, I’ve heard so much about you from
Mackenzie that I feel I should just call you Mom.”
And that was within the first few minutes of meeting her mother. Lol. But behind all of that, there was still a part Cade that hadn’t moved on from Bliss. He knew it himself and was trying really hard to move forward but she was still under his skin. As much as I loved Garrick and Bliss in “Losing It,” I really wanted them both to just leave him alone. When they met in the coffee shop at the start of the book, it was painful to read because I knew just seeing them together was hurting him. And when they started talking about their lives, I had one of those moments where I was quietly ranted, “For god’s sake just leave the poor man alone. Stop being so selfish and rubbing it in his face!!!!)”
But Cade was determined to move forward… or so he tried to convince himself and lucky him, because that’s’ exactly when Mack entered his life. Mack came across as strong, feisty, cocky and determined… the polar opposite to Cade and she wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. Unfortunately her personality didn’t stretch as far as her parents and in front of them she became this totally different girl. Her tattoos got covered, her piercings got hidden, the make up toned down and the red lipstick removed. Even her personality changed. Upon further reading, I discovered that the personality most people saw was just a cover for the broken person she was inside… a girl still haunted by the past, unable to look to the future and struggling to live in the present.
The songs were all different, but they were honest. When we finished the first run through,
we took a quick break. I headed to the bathroom because I needed a second. I always
needed a second to get the last of the emotion out, to bring the walls back up.
The devil made me do it. And by devil, I mean my uterus.
Then he nodded, and my uterus did the butterfly or possibly even the running man.
So let’s talk about their relationship. Despite the fact that Max had a boyfriend, I honest to god kept forgetting. I kept thinking “just get it on and put me out of my misery will you!!!” But then Cora Carmack would add in that little sentence that would bring me back with a thud. The Boyfriend. The really rubbish boyfriend who I wished would just disappear. The banter between Cade and Mack was fantastic (Angry girl, Golden boy). He just found it so easy to wind her up like a set of chattering teeth and let her go. It was great to read and this just added to the chemistry they had. Unfortunately both because both characters had suffered losses in their lives, neither seemed ready to move forward, something still holding them back. I was praying that Max would just let go because Cade was able to elicit feelings from her that had been locked away for so long. But fear would always make her run:
This was his world. All laughter and good deeds and sunshine. This was exactly the
reason I’d left. My life was dark, depressing and decaying in comparison.
This frustrated me because I could see in her heart of hearts, she knew he was good for her. He was the kind of guy that she’s needed in her life. Someone who made her feel loved, accepted her for who she was and understood her:
I’d needed a friend like him all my entire life.
He called me on my bullshit and made me less afraid.
But there’s would not be an easy road and it was this that got me so emotionally wound up. Despite my initial thoughts on this being a light read, it was definitely far from it. Don’t get me wrong, there were so many moments where I laughed really hard, either at something they said or the games they were playing and where I was grinning like a Cheshire cat because I felt all warm and fuzzy for them. But trust me, I got my fair share of “heart being squeezed” moments too… you know … those ones where your stomach drops and your heart feels sad and you wish you could go back a couple of pages and change things around:
She knew I wouldn’t go after her. She knew I didn’t chase people. And she’d left anyway.
But Cora Carmack definitely got the balance right between the humour and the serious side of the book.
I loved the writing style of “Faking it.” It was easy to read and the story not difficult to follow. I always enjoy reading books with dual POV and “Faking It” was no different. This really helped me to get a better understanding of the characters, why they behaved the way they did and why, perhaps they did some of the things they did. Don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t mean I was any less frustrated or angry, it just gave me the “why.”
Despite the story not being particularly original, it didn’t mean I enjoyed the book any less. It still had me engrossed and still managed to get me feeling a whole host of emotions.
Favourite quote: (it made my heart do a silly happy dance!!!!)
"I'll remind you every day how amazing it feels when your body touches mine.
I'll remind you of the good times, and help you forget the bad.
I'll remind you who you are when life has beaten you down and made you doubt it.
I'll bust down your door in the middle of the night and kiss you until you remember
that your fears are just that, and they can't control you. I'll take my
chances against your fickle heart if it means it's mine."
Thank you so much for this one Cora. It got 4 Hearts from me. I’d definitely recommend clicking and buying.
No comments:
Post a Comment