Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:
Other books planned to be in the series:
Synopsis for Just Pretending (from Goodreads):
It’s not easy being royal. Sixteen-year-old Evangeline wears her crown proudly, but between her duties and her overprotective big brother, the idea of romance is just a dream. But a chance encounter in Chicago changes all that….
Sure, seventeen-year-old Tyler Evans loves playing hockey, but he’s more concerned about providing for his dad and little sister. Then he meets Eva–and falls head-over-heels in love—and he has two more problems. One, she’s his best friend’s little sister. Two, she wears a crown.
But then Eva accidentally mistakes Tyler for a visiting prince, and for the first time, Tyler doesn’t feel like a nobody. He knows he has to tell her the truth…but not yet.
His plan? To keep up the royal charade as long as it takes to convince Eva he’s the guy for her. Even if he’s lying to everyone…including himself.
Disclaimer: May cause disillusionment. Those girls looking to find their Prince Charming might consider scouting out hockey rinks.
SERIESous’ Top Picks: Canadian Author(s)
Series: The Chicago Falcons
Author: Leah and Kate Rooper
# of Books: 3 (Full Reading Order Here)
Book Order: Connected but Chronological Events
Complete?: Yes
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Sports, Hockey, Royalty
Heat Rating: warm
Point of View: First Person, Alternating
Publication Dates: October 2017 – November 2018
Source & Format: Netgalley–eARC
**This is review of book #3, Just Pretending, only**
Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:
I sort-of knew this was part of a series when I requested it but it wasn’t clearly stated. But I just couldn’t resist that premise: a regular boy pretending to be a prince falls in love with the queen…adorable!
The Concept / The World:
I think the fact that I hadn’t read the previous books gave me a bit of a disadvantage. Yes, you can definitely read this as a standalone and not be completely lost. But in the same breath, I think I could have really benefited from reading the other novels in the series, especially book #2, Just One of the Royals because I think it really sets up Eva’s character background a little more. I had so many questions about how she became queen and why she wanted to be queen in the first place and I felt like this book just didn’t answer them; mainly because she is already queen and this novel showcases her struggle finding that independence as a result.
The Plot:
I thought the whole plot of this novel was fun yet heartfelt. The fun comes from Tyler impersonating the prince and how he just gets himself deeper and deeper into the scheme.
But the touching moments come from the interactions Tyler and Eva share when they let their true selves show when they’re together. These two have a great connection with plenty of shared interests to make you fall for them as a couple. I couldn’t get enough of their chemistry!
The Characters:
Tyler instantly won my heart the moment we met him. He’s just a sweet boy with a massive crush on a girl he thinks he can never be with. But he was also a layered character as well. His learning disability and the struggle he has with it was so genuine and real. I loved watching him grow as the story progressed.
Eva I had a harder time with on occasion. As I said above, I could have benefited from getting her backstory that I think is provided more in the previous novels. She seemed a little all over the place (understandable really when one is a monarch at the at of 16) but I think knowing her full story could have helped me reconcile her somewhat wish-washy convictions.
The Romance:
I thought these two were adorable together! I just loved how they meshed on so many different levels. The heart of this story is loving yourself and finding someone who can see the true you beyond titles and I think the romance helps exemplify that throughout.
Will I Pick Up the Previous Novels in the Series:
I plan on it! From what I saw of the other couples, this seems like a super cute series so I’m excited to see how it all began.
Rating: 3/5
Just One of the Boys TBA | Just One of the Royals TBA | Just Pretending 3/5
If you love sweet YA contemporaries–especially ones with sports (hockey) and royals–this is right up your alley!
Read if You Like: sport romances, YA contemporaries
Avoid if You: want deeper plot-lines
- Off the Ice by Julie Cross (Juniper Falls Series #1)
- Offsetting Penalties by Ally Mathews
- The First Kiss Hypothesis by Christina Mandelski (The First Kiss Hypothesis Series #1)
- The Heartbreakers by Ali Novak (The Heartbreaker Chronicles #1)
You are write, Eva plays kind of a big role in book 2 of this series. I actually read book 2 before book 1 and felt a little lost at times, too. I like the books well enough, but wasn’t really sure if I wanted to pick this one up. I’m glad to see you enjoyed it, even if it didn’t blow you away.
I’m glad I wasn’t the only one to feel a little lost coming in halfway through the series 😛 My library only has book 1–which kinda sucks because I wanted book 2 a tad more but I’ll maybe pick it up in the future.
This is a cute read; it doesn’t have the depth I usually want in my romances but it definitely entertained me.