Pretend We Are Us is the first book in Claudia Burgoa’s new series, The Timberbridge Brothers. In this first book readers can expects a small-town romance where emotions run high, and a fake relationship slowly becomes real.
Title: Pretend We Are Us
Author(s): Claudia Y. Burgoa
Series: The Timberbridge Brothers #1
Narrator(s): Erin Mallon, Aaron Shedlock
Published by Cyburg Ink LLC on March 18, 2025
Pages: 356
Length: 7 hours 5 minutes
Genre(s): Contemporary Romance
Source: Author
Format: ALC, eArc 
Purchase: Amazon|Audible
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From USA Today bestselling author Claudia Burgoa comes a small-town romance where a marriage of convenience to a former hockey player might be her only shot at keeping her family’s legacy—and maybe finding love along the way.
I never expected to inherit a sprawling estate in a small town I’d never even heard of.
To claim it, I have to outmaneuver my scheming cousin and fulfill one impossible
Find a groom.
Enter Ledger Timberbridge—the infuriatingly charming stranger I crossed paths with on my solo ( canceled) honeymoon.
Now, he’s here in Birchwood Springs, fighting to save his family’s struggling logging company.
And somehow, he’s probably my only shot at keeping my inheritance.
A marriage of convenience between us seems like the perfect solution.
But between small-town secrets, high-stakes family drama, and the undeniable spark between us, nothing about this arrangement feels simple.
As the lines between convenience and something real begin to blur, I have to
Can I trust Ledger with my heart, or will this small town end up costing me everything?
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
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Meet Galena, a strong, determined and brilliant female professor. When the story begins readers learn that she was jilted at the alter by the man she thought she would spend the rest of her life with. However, instead of wallowing in self-pity she decides to take advantage of the honeymoon which her ex has paid for. While there she met Ledger Timberbridge , a hockey player. They shared a connection; however, Galena didn’t stick around to explore the depth of their connection.
Fast forward eighteen months later their paths crooked again. This time around Galena is in need of a husband to claim her inheritance and Ledger makes the perfect candidate.
Galena and Ledger’s chemistry burned through the pages. Their relationship evolved nicely throughout the story. Their back stories provided insight into their personalities which portrayed them as likeable characters.
In addition to the romance Burgoa introduces drama, mystery and suspense. While the romance was tied up nicely, the mystery and suspense left the reader hanging. Despite this the Pretend We are Us was fun and engaging.
Erin Mallon and Aaron Sherlock’s narration gave the characters life and brought authenticity to the story. They captured the essence of who Galena and Ledger were and they also did a wonderful job with the secondary characters. Their interpretation and pacing made listening to the audiobook a great experience.
Overall, a good start to the series and I look forward to the next book.
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About Aaron Shedlock
Aaron Shedlock is a passionate and highly versatile voice artist with a broad range of styles and character voices in his repertoire. Known for his engaging and deep, resonant tones, he is the voice of several national and international commercial brands and a rising star in the world of audiobooks. A huge fan of classic and modern literature, he spends the majority of his time buried in a good book, either in print or audio, being inspired by his favorite authors and audiobook narrators with a hot cup of coffee close at hand.
About Claudia Y. Burgoa
Claudia is an award-winning, USA Today bestselling author. She writes alluring, thrilling stories about complicated women and the men who take their breath away. She lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband and her youngest two children. She has a sweet Bichon, Macey, who thinks she’s the ruler of the house. She’s only partially right. When Claudia is not writing, you can find her reading, knitting, or just hanging out with her family. At night, she likes to binge watch shows with her equally geeky husband.
