South Dakota: 1975. Eighteen-year-olds could order 3.2 beers in a bar and loaded guns were kept under the counter. Frankie Valli sang My Eyes Adored You, and American soldiers returning from Vietnam struggled with their new reality.
There’s a new Danielle Steele in training. Ta’Mara Hanscom
I spent much of this book cheering on Tillie and Noah. They’ve made big mistakes, but they were also trying hard to make things right, and they were yearning for good things – except the book ended before I got the resolution I wanted.
That’s the biggest problem I had with The Pretender – I didn’t want the soap-opera cliffhanger but a happy ending, and there really isn’t one here. At least, it’s not the one I hoped for. Maybe it’s coming in one of the future books, because there are more on the way, and I’ll want to read them to find out about that ending.
Those two characters were, by far, my favorite part. At times events were a little too black and white, and sometimes monologues launched that were a bit preachy, albeit well-intentioned. I would have liked to have seen those parts smoothed out.
As it was, despite those issues, I couldn’t help cheering for Noah and Tillie. I enjoyed their families, their characters, and their general likeability.
I also want to know more about Marquette and Tara – I can tell there’s something brewing on the horizon for them.
I hope the sequel will be out soon – these cliffhanger endings are hard on readers! – but if sweeping sagas are your cup of tea, you’ll love The Pretender.
Despite just meeting each other, Tillie and Noah’s lives have been mysteriously intertwined for many years in Ta’Mara Hanscom’s The Pretender. From the moment they met, Tillie and Noah wanted to spend the rest of their lives together, but a deliberate omission will keep them apart-and that same omission will be responsible for the escape of a murderer, and a bride’s deception.
Join Ta’Mara in celebrating the release of the second printing and new covers by entering to win her $75 prize basket giveaway!
One grand prize winner will receive:
- A copy of The Pretender
- A $75 Amazon gift card
- A decorative box containing measuring cups, ten recipes from the book, a potholder, a kitchen towel, pepper and salt grinders, kitchen utensils, and an olive oil dispenser
Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on October 11. The winner will be announced October 12 on the Litfuse blog.
I received a free copy of this book from LitFuse Publicity. All opinions are my own.
What are your thoughts?