Blog Tour Review & Giveaway: Playing the Perfect Boyfriend by Julie Particka

Hollywood romances are one of my guilty pleasures.  Add in a fake romance and I’m all over it.  But PLAYING THE PERFECT BOYFRIEND fell flat to me…mainly because Jade, the heroine, wasn’t very likable.

Jade is a woman who is comfortable in her skin and not afraid to go after what she wants, without strings attached.  For someone who was a bit of a polar opposite to me, I could appreciate her living her life the way she wants.  But when she decides she needs to start changing her life, not because she feels she needs to change but because her friends are all settling down, I started having issues.

For someone who was supposedly so in charge of her life, I didn’t see how her friends settling down made it imperative for Jade to do the same.  And then I had to wonder why she thought her ex-boyfriend was the one that got away when she didn’t really want what he was offering.  It seemed like she was only going along with the life change to keep up appearances with her friends, rather than something that she really wanted.  And the fact that she would quickly use her one night stand to play off as her fake boyfriend when moments before she couldn’t push him out the door fast enough.  None of it sat right with me, mainly because of

None of it sat right with me, mainly because of Jade.  I knew why Dean had decided to play along.  He felt a connection to Jade immediately and was willing to go along with her little plan because he was hoping to change her mind.  But I just couldn’t understand Jade sticking with her plan to win back her ex, when she had definite feelings for Dean.

I’m sure others will like this story.  It is very sexy, which showed just how compatible these two characters are.  But Jade turned me off, which made it hard to like the story.

“I wanted to surprise you, and when you weren’t home, I came here. I guess I should have known you were entertaining.”

Or maybe Dean would stay after all. The emphasis on Isak’s last word got his ire up and made all his muscles tense. He had no intention of leaving Jade to explain on her own. Something about this felt like she was going to need backup. “Look, buddy—”

“Oh. I apologize if we gave you the wrong impression.” Jade wrapped her arm around Dean’s waist like it was the most natural thing in the world. “We were doing a shoot yesterday, and Dean made a wisecrack about feeling like he wasn’t good enough for me since I’d never let him stay over at the studio. So…we stayed.”

What. The. Fuck? Dean was good at improv, but this wasn’t anything he’d been prepared for when they walked out of the building. Or when they’d woken up this morning. Or…ever.

But something about her words clearly struck Alfredsson, considering the way his expression shifted to one of surprise and a hint of wariness. “The two of you are…together?”

“Of course,” Dean said, hoping like hell he was reading the situation marginally right.

“What did you think?”

The way he stared almost longingly at Jade without even meeting Dean’s eyes made two things very clear. One, Alfredsson came expecting her to be available. And two, when he found a guy here, he assumed it meant exactly what Jade had said their interlude would be—a one- night stand. He’d seemed disgusted by the second possibility but disappointed at the idea the first was wrong. Who the hell was this guy to her?

Jade nestled close, and Dean instinctively put his arm around her shoulders. He wasn’t protecting her exactly, but part of him felt like he should. She smiled up at him and said, “I have to assume Isak expected me to be exactly who I used to be, but people change.”

“Clearly,” Alfredsson said. “It is good to see you so… grounded.”

“Thank you. There have been times I’ve regretted how things ended between us, but it simply wasn’t the right time for me.”

They’d been a thing—not just a one­nighter, but a thing. Based on how demure she was acting, Dean had a tough time believing that life with Alfredsson could ever have been what Jade really wanted. He pulled her closer. “I’m glad timing worked in our favor, kitten. I’d hate not having you in my life.”

Jade smiled up at him, but it was tight, forced, like he’d said exactly the wrong thing.

“Ditto.” She turned to Alfredsson and added, “Dean and I have to get going, but we really should catch up while you’re in town. How long are you staying?”

Isak nodded, disappointment disappearing behind a mask of professionalism. “That sounds wonderful. I’m in town for about two months. Obviously, it’ll be a busy visit, but I’m more than happy to make time for you.” His eyes shot to Dean. “The both of you, of course. I’d love to get to know the man who stole your heart. Call me. My number hasn’t changed.”

“It was good to see you again, Isak.”

Dean stood there with his arm around her until Alfredsson was out of sight—and hearing. Finally, he was able to let the illusion drop. “Well, that was awkward.”

Jade sagged against the hood of her convertible and buried her face in her hands. “This is a disaster!”

“Not for me.” Dean sat down next to her and nudged her with his hip. “The hottest woman in all of Hollywood is apparently my girlfriend. I couldn’t be happier.”

She snorted a laugh—seemingly back to a shadow of the woman he’d spent the night with. “I am not your girlfriend.”

“Sure you are, kitten. I heard what you told Mr. Tall­ Blond­and­Swedish. Also, I should probably know how long we’ve been a couple before we get together with him again.”

Julie Particka was told to get serious about her future in Junior High. Several years after getting a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, she realized being serious was over­rated and went back to her first love–writing. Now rather than spending her days in the drudgery of the lab or teaching science to high school students, she disappears into worlds of her own creation where monsters sometimes roam, but true love still conquers all.

She can most often be located in the Detroit area with her favorite minions (the ones who know her as Mom) where she is currently hatching a plot for world domination. It involves cookies for everyone, so she’s pretty sure there’s no way it can fail…except the minions keep eating the cookies.

Social Media Links (Twitter, Facebook, etc.):

Website: http://julieparticka.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/selestedelaney

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Julie­Particka­188238667871397/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/selestedelaney/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4629119.Julie_Particka

a Rafflecopter giveaway