Review: Act Like You Love Me (Accidentally in Love #2) by Cindi Madsen

Act Like You Love Me

Author: Cindi Madsen

Series: Accidentally in Love

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Pages: 242

Publisher: Entangled Bliss

Puchase: Amazon
Release Date: 10th June 2013

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

All’s fair in acting and amore…

Brynn McAdams isn’t the awkward drama geek she was in high school—she’s grown up and confident, or at least she likes to think so. But when her old crush, the impossibly handsome and impossibly unattainable Sawyer Raines, comes back to town to direct her community play, Brynn finds herself determined to be someone other than the girl he doesn’t even recognize. Good thing she’s an excellent actress.  

After his bad breakup in NYC, the last thing Sawyer wants is to get involved with another actress. But the glamorous and beautiful Brynn draws him in, even though as her director, he knows she’s off-limits. There’s just something about the woman that feels…familiar. Like home.  

As Brynn’s lies start to snowball, she struggles to stop acting and come clean. But what if Sawyer is already falling for the fake Brynn, not the Brynn she truly is? 

Reviews: 4 ½ out 5 Stars

Cindi Madsen first came to my attention when I stumbled across her Young Adult novel, All the Broken Pieces. I didn’t realise Act Like You Love Me was a part of a series but it didn’t feel like a second book to me and I don’t think I missed out on anything by not reading the first book, Falling for her Fiancé although I will be grabbing a copy sometime very soon.

From the onset, I found myself really liking our main heroine Brynn McAdams, a lover of drama and working with her brother in her parents bait shop; her quirky habits were endearing and notions about true romance really sweet; but her school years were tough and as a result she is quite wary.

When her high school crush and the boy who shattered her heart, Sawyer Dodd returns to town to renovate his parents old home and take over directing the local production he never expected to meet and slowly fall for Brynn; he has no idea they went to school together and believes certain things about her that just aren’t true and she doesn’t fix up the lies, she goes with the flow to save her heart and to not remember her humiliating senior years of school knowing he is only in town for a few short weeks. I really loved reading about Sawyer, he was smart and charming and I appreciated the way he trusted Brynn despite her evasiveness; they had some really cute moments together.

Madsen’s engaging writing and believable dialogue captured me instantly; I loved the chemistry and banter between Brynn and Sawyer and the way their romance developed. You could see from the onset of the book Sawyer had been hurt so when Brynn’s revelation came out it really hit a sore spot and caused a great deal of pain; I liked the way everything was dealt with and how the characters came together.

The plot is humorous and fun with a great cast of characters, it is a light-hearted read that kept me engrossed from the first to the very last page; you couldn’t help but hope for love and a HEA for this wonderful pair.

Overall, a really cute, entertaining and quirky read. I highly recommend Act Like You Love Me to all fans of contemporary romance and adorable relationships.

Thank-you kindly to Entangled Bliss for the opportunity to read and review Act Like You Love Me.

Favourite quotes:

“I have seven kissing figurines and I’m obsessed with love stories and the reason my birds are named Lance and Guinevere is because I always wanted those two to find a way to be together.”

“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, and I guess I deserve to have my heart ripped out of my chest, stomped on, and put back in all mangled”

About the author: Cindi Madsen sits at her computer every chance she gets, plotting revising, and falling in love with her characters. Sometimes it makes her a crazy person. Without it, she’d be even crazier. She has way too many shoes, but can always find a reason to buy a new pretty pair, especially if they’re sparkly, colorful, or super tall. She loves music, dancing, and wishes summer lasted all year long. She lives in Colorado (where summer is most definitely NOT all year long) with her husband and three children. She is the YA author of DEMONS OF THE SUN & ALL THE BROKEN PIECES, and the adult author of FALLING FOR HER FIANCE and CINDERELLA SCREWED ME OVER.