Review - - Is This Real or Just Pretend?

Is This Real or Just Pretend?

by Emily Sullivan

Publisher: Forever

Release Date: September 9, 2025

Reviewed by PJ

 

Alexandra Atkinson prides herself on being in control. It’s why she’s such an asset to her father’s investment firm—along with her utter lack of a social life and her talent for spotting successful ventures for investors. But with her father nearing retirement and the board unwilling to have a female head, Alex could lose everything . . .

After his business partner burned him, Lucien Taylor is determined to start over. But he doesn’t know how until his childhood friend’s sister, Alexandra Atkinson, comes to him with a most unusual proposal: She’ll help Lucien find the funding he needs if he pretends to court her long enough to secure her claim to her father’s company.

But Alex and Lucien soon realize they didn’t quite account for all the details in their arrangement—like how they can undo each other with just a look. And the more time they spend together, the more the intensity shimmering between them can’t be controlled. Not even by Alex. And if they give in? Well, she’s not sure which of them will be in more trouble . . . but she’s willing to find out.

PJ's Thoughts:

Emily Sullivan's historical romances are fast becoming auto-buy books for me. Her newest is book two in a series featuring the Atkinson sisters. It can be read as a standalone though I enjoyed it more for having read Duchess Material first as the Atkinson sisters and parents are key characters in both books. 

I was immediately intrigued by Alex in book one and wondered if there might not be hidden layers to this financial wizard who keeps the family business afloat without any credit from the outside world. Turns out there are. She guards her emotions tightly but there are deep feelings rumbling within. Who knew it would be the coachman's son who would bring them to life?

I enjoyed this gender-flipped, Victorian romance inspired by the movie, Sabrina. It was fun to watch the newly-returned Lucien sort through his feelings while attempting to overcome the disaster his former business partner had created. He goes through quite the evolution from beginning to end, which he needed to in order to be the right partner for Alexandra. Of course, there needs to be growth for Alex too and I was pleased with how her personal evolution played out. 

Alex's family have key roles in this story with youngest sister, Freddie, the most prominent. I can't quite decide how I feel about her (you'll understand once you read this book) but I'm looking forward to discovering where her book's journey takes her. As with Alex, and Phoebe in book one, I have a feeling there may also be hidden layers within Freddie that are waiting for the right moment to be revealed. 

If you enjoy fake courtship, cross-class romance, age gap (she's five years older), virgin heroes, buttoned-up heroines, and complex family dynamics, you might want to give Is This Real or Just Pretend? a try.