Act Like You Love Me

I really enjoyed reading Act Like You Love Me, especially since it took place where I live. That part really caught me off guard, but made me even more excited to continue reading it! It is always so cool to read about places you visit on a regular basis.

Brynn is such a fun main character. I feel like everyone can relate to her in some way or another, especially when you look back to those awkward high school years. As for Sawyer, he is absolutely swoon worthy. And I just loved the tension between the two of them and the growth that you see as they both learn to tear down the walls they've formed around themselves for so long.

I didn't read book #1, but now I definitely want to go back and so. And truthfully, Act Like You Love Me could easily be a standalone. It was such a quick and fun read. The flow and pace of things was perfect and kept my full attention. I would love to read more about Brynn and Sawyer!

For as much as the first book in Cindi Madsen's Accidentally in Love series is a friends-to-lovers story, Act Like You Love Me is the opposite. Brynn McAdams may have worshipped Sawyer Raines in high school, but they're hardly friends. As a matter of fact, when Sawyer returns home from NYC to help with the play Brynn's starring in, he doesn't recognize her AT ALL. Still aching a little bit from his past rejection, Brynn decides to play it cool, hide her true identity and be who she thinks Sawyer wants her to be. I mean, she is a talented actress after all. The problem is it doesn't stop with one or two little untruths...pretty soon it's snowballed into something so big there's no going back. For either of them.

I always love Cindi Madsen's quick, witty writing style, and she uses it to her advantage to convey each character's personality through thoughts and words. I feel like I can connect with them and always have a clear understanding of emotions and motives. The nature of this story screams anxiety, and man did I have it. I knew Brynn was getting in too deep in a lot ways; the further involved she & Sawyer got, the more I wanted her to come clean. The suspense and build up to that ultimate moment of truth kept me on edge and when it hit, it was just as tumultuous and rewarding as I expected. By that I mean totally ripped my heart out, stomped on it then wrapped it up in a shiny gold box.

I was glad to see this book included characters from the first book while focusing on a new main couple. I loved Dani and Wes from Falling For Her Fiancé, so I was ecstatic to see them again and enjoyed the way their story entwined with Brynn & Sawyer's. It was fun to piece together the ties between the main characters - Brynn's brother Paul is the jilted guy who loaned Dani & Wes the ring for their fake engagement. That was an AHA! moment for me. I know, I know, it's silly but sometimes when you're reading it's the little things.

While this may be a very sweet romance series, it's not without hot moments. Act Like You Love Me gives you a lot of chemistry between characters and totally gratifying sexual tension. Another thing I give Madsen kudos for is her ability to write tender love scenes- the kissing! - but never leave you feeling unfulfilled. Her use of suggestive language gets the point across nicely without graphic details.

This story is so similar to me- a tomboy, nerd that boys didn’t look at twice. I had 3 guys from my younger years ask me out when I was an adult and I “politely” told them they had their chance and screwed it up. 🤷🏻‍♀️
I’m really starting to think I should write my husband and my story. He was my childhood sweetheart even during my ugly awkward phase. He liked me then and through no fault of our own lost contact for nearly 15 years. When we came in contact years later, we found that we were still perfect for each other. Still married with 4 kids now. :)