Reviews

Pretense by Tara Grayce

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4.5 stars. Don't let the covers put you off. The first ones were gorgeous but the last few are.. Oh well.
This novel was a lot longer than most of the rest of the series. I felt like it went a bit on and on even though all of the things it covered were needed and interesting. On the other hand, two shorter novels would not have been any better.
The story was a Rollercoaster. It gets dark, it gets light, it's like three people's worth of love stories. Thank goodness it has a happy ending or I would have been pissed.

kebreads's review

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5.0

I loved this story!

Content: clean - mild violence

what_ella_reads's review against another edition

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3.0

My rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

After reading "Troll Queen," I was super excited to read "Pretense". One of the things I was most excited about this book was that it focused on Edmund and Jalissa's romance. Sadly, I didn't love their romance as much as I did Tarrendel and Essies' romance or Melantha and Rharreths' romance.
I should have loved it. Their romance contains two tropes I enjoy, second chance romance and fake relationship turns into real romance. Despite that, I ended up finding their romance to be lackluster. I think it was because their romance really played up the "will they, won't they," until the very end, which was a bit annoying.

Thankfully, Essie and Farrendel's sections in the book made up for what Edmund and Jalissas' sections lacked. I so enjoy seeing how Essie and Farrendel have grown over the last five books. They have ups and downs, but through it all they strive to put each other first. There were so many super sweet moments in this books, especially after a certain revelation (if you know, you know;)

Though I didn't love everything about this book, I did still enjoy it! I'm interested to see how the next book plays out!

annaaugustineauthor's review against another edition

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5.0

I started this series back in 2020 (nearly a year to this date) and I became absolutely obsessed. Farrendel and Essie have stolen a piece of my heart and their families and their stories are no exception.
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If you had to ask my to pick my favorite book out of this series, I would honestly have to say Pretense. While not as action packed as Troll Queen, nor as adorably awkward as Fierce Heart, it hit on two subjects very personal to me: forgiveness and trust. Jalissa just connected with me. Her struggles, her insecurities, and her inability to be open and herself except with Edmund made me feel so seen and understood. Her fight to forgive those who’d wronged her is something I’ve struggled with too and to see it so beautifully captured (along with the freedom that comes when we do) just...mmm I don’t have the words to express how much I loved this book.
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All that being said...PLEASE TARA WRITE BOOK 6 NEXT! That teaser at the end wasn’t nice.

bluebelle46's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

leahegood's review against another edition

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4.0

Yes, it is perilous to follow the whims of your heart without listening to your head. But it can also be just as dangerous to listen entirely to your head without regarding the warnings and wisdom of the heart.

Alas, a cold, my work schedule, and the length of this book finally conspired to knock me off my book-a-day pace with this series. All good things must come to an end. On a brighter note, I'm not at the end of the series yet!

In [b:Pretense|105677619|Pretense (Elven Alliance, #5)|Tara Grayce|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1675794026l/105677619._SY75_.jpg|89941898], Edmund and Jalissa struggle to untangle the past and present to figure out who they are and who they are to each other. Can they find truth and happiness beneath the layers of complication?

Meanwhile, life continues to throw challenges at Essie and Farrendel. Their foundation as a couple, and Farrendel's ability to manage his PTSD and anxiety, is growing, but there are plenty of people in the world who would love nothing more than to see them crumble.

If you're interested in this series, I recommend you visit my review of book one and start from there. Information on Romance, Language, Violence, and Religious content can also be found there.