Charade

by Nyrae Dawn

[Angie]

I am in shock. I have read a New Adult romance that doesn't contain an unnecessary, dramatic fight that only breaks the couple up for one chapter. And it made me cry. Charade is definitely a winner! I was iffy about it at first, since Cheyenne's narrative was a little annoying, but soon enough I was sucked into the story. I almost always love stories of people falling in love while pretending to be together, and this one was no exception. Cheyenne wants to show her exboyfriend that she doesn't need him, and Colton needs the money and a distraction from his life. Their relationship is just a game, but eventually it becomes the only real thing either of them has.

Charade opens with Cheyenne walking in on her boyfriend in bed with another woman. She's caught off guard and is trying to hold off a panic attack. She has worked hard to make herself into someone that no one will leave, and now she's trying to project this image of being able to easily move on. She hires Colton to be a her fake boyfriend as part of her facade, but she doesn't anticipate opening up to him. He believes she's a stuck up princess, but she makes sure he knows that's not the case at all. I liked how they found out about each other's issues early on, rather than having them be some huge reveal later on. She was abandoned by her mother, and he's watching his own mother die before his eyes.

Colton is of course the misunderstood, bad boy, with a tragic past. He's tattooed and sells weed to the frat boys, but there is much more than meets the eye. His mom is his world and watching her fall apart is taking its toll on him. He acts like everything is fine when people are around, but for some reason his walls come down with Cheyenne. His story made me cry. Twice. The situation with his mom is very sad, but I wasn't expecting it to get to me like that. Thumbs up to the author for bringing the waterworks.

I really enjoyed Charade. Sure, it's basic plot is almost identical to most other NA novels, but for me it does stand out. The only thing about NA that annoys me are the fights, and luckily Charade doesn't have one. Cheyenne and Colton are dealing with problems bigger than their relationship, and that brings them together rather than pulling them apart. There are several super sexy scenes scattered throughout as these two damaged people find comfort in each other, and eventually come out the other side as better and more whole. My one complaint is the major overuse of the words "game" and "charade."

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.