I loved everything about this from the chance meeting to the HEA!

Marriage of convenience is like catnip to me, and this one did not disappoint! This book was funny and sweet and poetic, all the things I’ve come to love about Bellefleur’s writing. Nothing about this story was too out there or had me scoffing at the notion that such a thing would ever happen in real life. And I mean, come on…a book store owner and a romance cover model? 😍

I loved every word, and I can’t wait to see what Bellefleur does next!

Read if you like: Sapphic romances (both bi), fake dating, marriage of convenience, fluffy reads, Taylor Swift references, anxiety disorder representation, steamy 🔥

Firstly, I thought it was historical romance from the cover, so when they started talking about Instagram, I was like what.... 🤣 The cover doesn't match to me, but I do like it. This read was really good. It's a very low angst fluffy Sapphic romance. Both Tansy and Gemma are bi. The characters are so well-developed. I love Gemma's bluntness. There were too many side characters, but that's okay. Tansy and Gemma had so much chemistry. I loved the story. I highly recommend this!

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5 stars

The Fiancé Farce is a fun marriage-of-convenience romance with Gossip Girl vibes and plenty of Taylor Swift references. The story follows Tansy, a bookstore owner who invents a fake girlfriend to get her family off her back. The “girlfriend” is inspired by the cover model of a bestselling book. This lie catches up with her when she crosses paths with the cover model. Gemma is the black sheep outcast of her wealthy family. She needs a wife to meet the terms of her grandfather’s will and finds the perfect solution in Tansy. The farce is working out great until real feelings get involved.

This was a very fresh and breezy read that was great on audio. Bellefleur writes a believable marriage-of-convenience and has fun with the high society aspect. The characters are all multidimensional and the romance is swoony. Overall, an entertaining romcom.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I freaking loved this book! I had no idea how Alexandria was going to pull off a convincing marriage of convenience in 2023, but she absolutely nailed it. I loved these characters so much and I totally felt all of their heartache. The angst and the banter were on point!

I absolutely ate up the dynamic between Tansy and Gemma in The Fiancée Farce. Every moment - from their first, accidental meeting to the happily ever after - found me willingly strapped in on the rollercoaster that was their romance.

Marriage of convenience usually seem a bit far-fetched to me, like the stipulation would never happen in real life. But The Fiancée Farce truly seemed like a plot that could happen, and I didn't have to spend the whole novel suspending my belief in order to enjoy the story. I mean, of course a bookshop owner would make up a girlfriend who resembles a romance cover model. What both Gemma and Tansy stood to gain from the marriage made plausible sense; Gemma has money that Tansy needs for her bookstore, and Tansy is more than Gemma could ever hope for in a wife, all stipulations aside. Nothing in the plot seemed too outrageous, too out there, and it didn't take much to imagine that such a story could truly happen.

I enjoyed Bellefleur's Written in the Stars books, and I was glad to see her signature writing carried over into this new adventure. Bellefleur's prose is poetic and beautiful, steamy and poignant and funny. Love is love, and I loved the fact that none of Gemma's horrible family ever once brought up the fact that she was marrying a woman as a reason to fight the grandfather's will.

Gemma and Tansy were cute, and funny, and romantic, and even the usual third act relationship issues didn't bother me because I enjoyed their relationship arc so much. They brought so much to each others' lives, and Bellefleur brought so much to this story. As much as I loved all the couples in the Written in the Stars series, Tansy and Gemma might just be my new favorite Alexandria Bellefleur couple.

From beginning to end, I adore this book.
The two main characters are vivid, funny, engaging, and dynamic people who propel this story as much as the fun and beautifully written plot. This is one of those books that every aspect is so well written and charming, from the main characters and plot to the friend group side characters, backstories, and setting, that I didn't want this book to end.
The banter, romance, and relationship in this book perfectly balance the light airy fun parts with some more serious moments and backstories that give this book some depth. The only (very minor) thing I would change is the 3rd act break up, but it was handled well and doesn't detract from the many reasons I loved this book.
I love a fake dating book, and when the characters talk and communicate through their issues instead of lying and ignoring? Perfection.

I recommend this book to anyone and everyone and I can't wait to get my copy in my hands to loan to everyone.

When cornered by friends at a wedding, Tansy declares that she has been dating a Gemma, the name of her favorite romance cover model, for months, only for the same Gemma to walk into the wedding a few minutes later. Turns out Gemma needs to be married so she can inherit her grandfather’s company so she goes along with Tansy’s story and declares them to be engaged. The two agree to a quick and easy court house wedding, but their complicated families get involved and drag out the process. As the two spend more and more time together, the feelings become real, but so does the risk of their lie being found out.

I’m still not a huge fan of fake dating books, but this one worked for me, which speaks more to Alexandria’s writing skills than me changing my mind about the trope. I loved both Tansy and Gemma. Both were complex and well rounded characters which entertaining personalities. I am very jealous of Gemma’s apartment and Tansy’s book shop. I loved all the Taylor Swift references and the glitter practical joke resulting in Tucker being called Edward Cullen. What can i say, this was a book written exactly for me to enjoy a trope that isn’t my favorite.

I adored Alexandria’s Written in the Stars series and am excited to see what she writes next (from what she’s teased on socials it also looks delicious). Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC!

Now this was cute. I’ll admit that I struggled with the beginning. I fully understand that fake dating and marriage of convenience tropes rely on a lot of coincidences, but this had so many that I was (momentarily) distracted by how unlikely it all was. Sometimes I just have to remind myself “this is fiction, enjoy it” and move on. I did and this was pretty adorable.

This book is full of characters that are easy to love and villains that are easy to hate. Each of the MCs had some past traumas/issues to deal with and I was as invested in those storylines as I was the romance. Bellefleur did a great job weaving all of the storylines together to create a really cohesive story. I appreciate that most of the conflict originates from outside the relationship and while, yes, there are misunderstandings, they are generally worked out by (doing the thing often absent in romance novels) talking to each other. The inevitable third act breakup feels less like an unrealistic miscommunication and more of a natural extension of the way the characters’ care for one another. The story absolutely benefits from dual perspectives.

The Fiancee Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur
Narrated by: Lauren Sweet
Rating: 3.5 stars
Steam: Open door: 2 chilis
Pub Date: 4/18

I will read anything by Alexandria Bellefleur and couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book! This was a quick, light, sapphic marriage of convenience romance that was entertaining and fun to read.

Tansy and Gemma enter into a fake dating/marriage of convenience situation after a misunderstanding that turns out to be beneficial for both of them. Tansy needs money to buy her family’s bookstore, and Gemma needs to get married to inherit her grandfather’s company. Seems easy enough until feelings get involved, and things get much more complicated.

This book is super sweet and very steamy! Bellefleur keeps things light while also tackling a few difficult topics. I loved the friendly banter and the opposites-attract aspect of the story. I mostly listened to this on audio, and I was really impressed with how well the narrator, Lauren Sweet, handled all the different voices and accents. It was tough to distinguish the two female lead characters at first, but it didn’t take long to get used to it.

As much as I enjoyed this one, I also struggled with a few things. Gemma and Tansy have an instant attraction. And while I don’t mind insta-love, they start dating a few pages into the story, and there isn’t enough buildup to establish a connection or any chemistry between them. Also, there are a LOT of characters, and it was difficult to keep track of them all, especially when you have names like Katherine and Kat as some of the more important side characters.

Overall, this was a good read, and I can’t wait to see what Bellefleur comes up with next!

Read if you like:
*Fake dating
*Marriage of convenience
*Sapphic romance
*Open-door scenes
*Tons of family drama

Thank you so much to Harper Audio, Libro.fm, Avon, and NetGalley for my ARC and ALC.

5 freakin stars!!!! Alexandria Bellefleur can really do NO WRONG! The Fiancée Farce is the bisexual f/f narrative that the sapphics truly deserve!

Gemma and Tansy’s relationship oozes with chemistry from the start. This story reads like candied almonds and I simply could not get enough. This book has so many of the tropes that we all know and love: marriage of convenience/fake dating, they both fall first, found family, etc.

The pacing of this book? Perfection. The dash of spice? Also perfection. Bellefleur really crafted such a smooth narrative with Gemma and Tansy. And THE BANTER! It was so good. I was smiling and giggling and kicking my feet so much. The bisexual representation was so beautiful to read about. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.

Thank you to Negalley and Avon for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

After several meh and DNF books, I flew through The Fiancee Farce and enjoyed every minute of it.

Tansy is a shy, anxious bookseller who concocted a fake relationship with romance book cover model Gemma in order to avoid gatherings with her dreadful family. When she and Gemma are thrown together at an event, fate takes over: Tansy needs Gemma to pretend to be her girlfriend so she’s not embarrassed in front of her family, and Gemma needs to get married in order to inherit her late grandfather’s newspaper empire. They agree a marriage of convenience would benefit both of them, with the added bonus of Tansy getting the money she needs to buy her family’s bookstore, which is the only true home she’s ever known. There’s nothing fake about the feelings both women develop for each other, but with obstacles in the form of both their families, it’s hard to believe a happily ever after is in the cards.

This book is a real charmer; it’s funny, romantic, and steamy, with great characters, just the right amount of drama and angst (that is to say, not much, which is how I like it these days!), and a friend group I’d love to be part of. I loved how Gemma saw Tansy and how she was determined to make Tansy see how amazing she was, despite the poor treatment she’d always received from the people who were supposed to care about her. The pair had great chemistry, and I loved watching their relationship blossom into something truly beautiful and moving. Gemma’s friend group was (mostly) incredible, and I loved that they took Tansy in and accepted her as one of their own. I’m a sucker for the found family trope, and this was done so well.

Sweet, steamy, and fun. This is the fake dating trope done at its best, and I loved both Gemma and Tansy as characters, along with Gemma's group of borderline over the top friends and her evil family. Plus, a bookshop is always a bonus as a setting!

This is my first time reading Bellefleur and I had high hopes but unfortunately this book was not for me. I wanted to like it more than I did but there wasn't anything fresh or new about this story. Tansy and Gemma were polar opposites and so extreme in their personality types that I had a hard time believing they would actually be interested in each other. The chemistry was completely lacking for me. As for the supporting characters- Gemma's friends and family and Tansy's family- they felt super exaggerated, just like super evil people with no redeeming qualities. The whole book felt like stereotypes and caricatures, though I do appreciate the attempt to take a traditional marriage of convenience storyline and give it a Sapphic vibe. This might have played out better as a movie.

Fake dating or marriage of convenience are tropes that I really love, so I was so excited about The Fiancee Farce. This book met all of my expectations and then some. It has humor, character development, fun side characters, a fake relationship (that we all know won't stay that way), and a few spicy moments.


Both of our characters definitely have reasons to want to be in a relationship. Tansy wants her family off of her back and Gemma actually needs to be married to inherit her family's company. Tansy accidentally says that she's in a relationship with Gemma and she ends up going along with it. One thing I really want to praise this author for is that these characters communicated!! There wasn't a miscommunication trope that caused issues. I really appreciated it.


Tansy and Gemma are definitely different. Tansy runs a family bookstore and Gemma is a book cover model who wants to take over her grandfather's business. While they're both ambitious and want to succeed they both have different things they're after. Watching these two grow closer was so fun and heartwarming. Their banter was amazing and their chemistry jumped off of the page.


While this book is lighthearted it also tackles some more serious things and we see both characters have conversations with family that aren't easy. I really believe that them being together and supporting the other really made that possible. We all know this relationship will get messy, but it wasn't over the top. All in all, The Fiancee Farce was amazing and I hope that Alexandria Bellefleur writes a new book soon!

Honestly I don't think there's a book by Alexandria Bellefleur that isn't amazing, and The Fiancee Farce is by far my favorite of hers. The banter between Tansy and Gemma is top notch, their chemistry is explosive, and their story is so sweet! I loved this so much

This author in my eyes can do no wrong. She kills it every time. This is just another fine example of her wonderfully enjoyable work. I will buy everything that this author writes. The romance was great. The characters were lovely. I had such a great time.

In this sapphic romance with a slight nod to Cinderella, Bellefleur gives us a unique take on the fake relationship trope with booklover Tansy Adams and her crush, romance book cover model Gemma West. When an engagement between Tansy’s step-cousin Madison and Tucker Van Dalen (an ex-boyfriend who hurt her badly) is announced, Tansy avoids family events by using the excuse that she has plans with her girlfriend, Gemma (who she’s actually never met). At the wedding reception six months later, her wicked stepsister Ashleigh snidely implies that the girlfriend is made up, and Tansy is certain her lie is about to be exposed; that is until Gemma crashes the wedding and turns out to be the estranged cousin of the groom. When Madison’s younger sister Jackie recognizes her from a photo on Tansy’s phone, she announces that Tansy’s girlfriend has arrived.

So imagine Tansy’s (and everyone else’s) surprise when Gemma not only acknowledges the relationship but announces they’re engaged. Gemma, who has just inherited her late grandfather’s shares and presidency in the family’s publishing empire, must marry by the annual board meeting in a couple of months and Tansy needs millions to buy her family’s bookstore before her stepmother sells it out from under her. It’s a win-win situation for both of them as long as they can keep the secret from Gemma’s evil family and pesky feelings from developing. When the ultimate act of betrayal surfaces, will it spell the end of their dreams and their relationship?

As seemingly opposites on the surface, Bellefleur does a convincing job of getting readers to recognize that these characters can’t be judged by their covers. She also gives us villains we love to hate, a brief glimpse at a second-chance mature romance, colorful and funny secondary characters in Gemma’s roommates, and a believable love story between a Princess Charming and a Cinderella with a heart of gold. Recommended.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Avon through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Sapphic marriage of convenience written by THE Alexandria Bellefleur? Say less.

The setup of this book is fantastic. Tansy makes up a girlfriend to get her family off her back, a lie that she's dating the woman on the cover of all her favorite romance novels. Lo and behold when the very same model waltzes in and discovers Tansy's lie, she uses it to her advantage to inherit her grandfather's newspaper company. The fact that Gemma proposed within the first three minutes of meeting Tansy--and in Chapter 1 no less--had me squealing with glee.

I absolutely adored this book! Gemma and Tansy captured my heart from their very first interaction. The tension--the CHEMISTRY!!! Unmatched. I swear I had to fan myself at a few points, that Gemma has a mouth on her. If I were Tansy, I'd be just as tongue tied. Also, it was such a satisfying reversal when Gemma found herself unwittingly falling for Tansy and she became the speechless/tongue-tied one. UGHHH I love them so much!!!

Romance aside, this book very much felt like a love letter to my two favorite things: romance novels and Taylor Swift. Tansy works at a book shop and bonds with Gemma over romance books, which was super fun to see. While the superstar herself might not be mentioned as much, best believe my Swiftie heart caught every single lyric reference. It was like a fun little scavenger hunt that only made me love this book even more.

Alexandria Bellefluer continues to be one of my favorite authors writing Queer romance right now. I look forward to her books every year now, and I can't wait for the next one she comes out with!

I always have a blast reading Alexandria Bellefleur’s books, and this one was no different. With a lovable cast of characters, this dual-POV romance will have you hooked from the first page.

Tansy Adams is tired of her stepfamily’s inquiries into her love life. All she cares about is keeping her late parents’ bookstore afloat, and when she needs an excuse to stop going to family events, she decides to tell a small fib. Using romance cover model Gemma West as inspiration, Tansy spins a tale about a woman named Gemma that she’s been dating. Imagine her surprise when Gemma West crashes into her life, introducing herself as Tansy’s fiancée, and that she’s not Gemma West, but Gemma Van Dalen, outcast and wild child of a wealthy family. Gemma Van Dalen needs to get married to claim her inheritance, and she’ll be damned if she loses it to her asshole cousin. So she strikes a bargain with Tansy; marry her, maintain the ruse for two years, and Gemma will help save Tansy’s bookstore. But what happens when their relationship starts feeling less of a marriage of convenience and more like the real thing? And will they be able to survive the nefarious schemes of the rest of the Van Dalen family?

I loved Gemma and Tansy’s relationship. They had such a strong connection from their first interaction, and their sarcastic and flirty banter was so much fun to read. I’m a sucker for a good marriage of convenience, and I love how seamlessly their relationship went from a farce to the real thing. The progression of their love story felt natural, and I loved how much honesty there was between them.

The only thing I wish I got more of was Tansy working at the bookstore. I would have loved to see the dynamic between her and the other employees, giving her a friend group like Gemma’s.

Overall, I definitely recommend this book, especially if you love a rom-com filled with humor, heart and all the best tropes.

I absolutely ADORE Bellefleur's writing and The Fiancée Farce is Bellefleur at her best. I loved Tansy and Gemma and their "relationship of convenience" turned lovers. I loved the high society types that Gemma grew up with that she gave absolutely "zero effs" toward pleasing and how well Tansy complemented her. Another winner from this talented voice!