Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am, admittedly, a pretty big fan of the marriage of convenience trope, and making it queer/sapphic will never not win me over, so I was exactly the right audience for this book. If you’re not a big fan of romance in general, and find them too predictable, then maybe this won’t be the book for you, but damn did I love it. Seeing queer characters live out these tropes and conventions will never not make me warm and gooey inside. Yeah, it’s predictable and occasionally borders on sappy, but seeing sapphic ladies get such a great HEA? I am here for it and always will be.

Also loved all the meme references in the dialogue. Even when the memes are gone and no one gets the references, the way they’re written in won’t make the text feel dated, and I appreciate that. Nicely done.

I absolutely adored Alexandria Bellefleur's last trilogy, and was eager to dive into her latest work. Unfortunately, from the get go, I found the premise too unbelievable and convenient. Bellefleur redeems herself with her signature wit and sparkle, but ultimately, this one just fell a bit flat for me (3.5 stars).

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
The Fiancée Farce is my favorite Alexandria Bellefleur novel yet. I’m a sucker for a well-crafted modern take on marriage-of-convenience, and this book hit all the right notes in that regard. From the colorful cast of characters to their messy relationship dynamics, I couldn’t put this book down.
Despite coming from very different backgrounds, I love how Bellefleur illustrates how Tansy and Gemma relate to each other. Both are kind of the black sheep of their families, albeit for different reasons: Tansy’s father died not long after remarrying (her mother had previously passed on) when Tansy was young, and her stepmother, Katherine, while not outright mean, was a bit too preoccupied with her own grief to notice what was going on with Tansy; Gemma is considered a pariah by her philandering father and uncle, who prefer her equally scummy cousin, Tucker (who also happens to have a bit of a sordid history with Tansy). Both are deeply impacted by their upbringings, affecting how they pursue romantic relationships and leading them to make the choices that brought them together. But in spite of their own protestations of their own inadequacies, especially on Gemma’s part, I love how they actually model some good relationship behaviors for the most part. They don’t let small, petty misunderstandings fester between them, and despite things beginning as a practical arrangement, they never hold back from pursuing the “benefits” of their relationship, or second-guessing things, until after things blow up, due to no fault of theirs. And the direction of the book veering away from the tradition MOC setup allowed me to remain invested as they had to fight for each other once things veered away from their plan.
I love that, despite the Van Dalen family, and even Tansy’s stepfamily, being from high-society, their snobbery didn’t extend to homophobia. The villains’ underhandedness came across well without having to resort to that for one. And given the stipulation Gemma marry was based on her late grandfather’s will, and it was done to reinforce a message of love, I like that he did not make further stipulations either, which made it feel even more sincere.
While some of the family members are truly awful (including Gemma’s own father!) she’s not without allies within her family. Uncle Brooks, who is also a bit of a black sheep, is an absolute delight, and I love how he immediately takes to Tansy, becoming the biggest supporter of Tansy and Gemma’s relationship. Gemma’s mother, Lena, is also wonderful, even if their mother-daughter relationship is not without its own complexities. And while Katherine was oblivious to what Tansy was going through growing up, I like that they too had their moment to have a heart-to-heart.
I absolutely loved this book, and I’d recommend it if you’re looking for a lighthearted sapphic romance.

I ended up listening to an ALC of this book rather than reading the ebook. I did have it open and read along at some parts but mostly I listened.

I enjoyed the book, it’s sapphic fake engagement. Tansy has a bit of Cinderella vibes as well.

Good book and I would recommend it!

Firstly, thank you to Harper Collins for providing me with an opportunity to read and review an early copy.

I enjoyed this book so much. The amount of times I laughed during my reading has got to be the most I have for any sapphic book I have read this year. If you are a book lover this is THE book for you. There are so many moments in the book where the appreciation for books is showcased. I found this way more enjoyable then I probably should have.

The spice was well done and started around 39% of the book if anyone is curious about this. The chemistry between Tansy and Gemma was perfect. This book has made me appreciate the marriage of convenience trope much more. At one point one of the main characters buys the other cinnamon rolls . Now if that is not love, I don't know what is . Also, the love of providing food continues throughout the book. Don't worry though because the miscommunication trope is practically non-existent in this book.

Most of the characters were enjoyable with the exception of Tucker I could not stand him. I completely understand why this character was written the way they were and the emotions they were supposed to elicit.

I highly suggest you add this to your sapphic romance TBR asap! If you're an annotator like me your going to want a physical copy. Actually scratch that you are going to NEED a physical copy.

The Fiancee Farce is a sapphic marriage of convenience story featuring a bookseller and an newspaper heiress/romance novel cover model. Tansy is a bookseller who works at her late father's bookstore that is in danger of being sold to media giant Scylla. Gemma is the heiress to her grandfather's newspaper, but with one stipulation: Gemma must be married in order to inherit the company. Gemma and Tansy meet at a wedding and Tansy agrees to fake-marry Gemma in exchange for $6,000,000 to buy the family bookstore and save her family legacy. What could go wrong?

I had heard mixed reviews of this book before picking it up, so I was a little bit scared -- after all, Bellefleur's <i>Count Your Lucky Stars</i> was the very first spicy sapphic novel I ever read, and I was worried that I wouldn't like Bellefleur's writing after having branched out and read other things. But I had nothing to worry about -- this was exactly what I was looking for. <i>The Fiancee Farce</i> was a light and fun romance with a heaping teaspoon of lusty longing and a dash of spice.

The main thing I appreciated about this novel was the communication between the characters. This is one of the main things I look for in a romance, and Bellefleur got it right. There are moments when characters make mistakes, overhead things they aren't suppost to, or misunderstand things, but they talk about things within 24 hours. MORE OF THIS IN ROMANCE, PLEASE! There was enough conflict here between competiting family members and businesses in jeopardy that it wasn't necessary for the romantic leads to mad at each other for silly reasons.

If you are looking for a super spicy book (such as, say, <i>Mistakes Were Made</i> by Meryl Wilsner), then do be aware that this is not it. Gemma and Tansy certainly have an immediate physical attraction to each other and there are many sexually charged moments throughout the story. But the on-page sex was actually more limited here than I was led to believe by my fellow bookish friends on TikTok. This was perfectly fine with me, but I did want to note it here for anyone who wants to know what level to expect going into a book (I think there were two sex scenes in the book, and one of those is cut short).

I enjoyed this book, but it did not quite rise to the level of a 4.5 or 5 star read because I didn't enjoy the characterization of both Tansy and Gemma. I did feel like Tansy was a bit of a Mary Sue character and Gemma was more of a fantasy lover. Tansy was the bookish, cardigan-wearing, curvy, middle class sort of girl and Gemma is a beautiful, blonde, rich cover model for romance novels with strong top energy and an insatiable appetite for Tansy. I didn't really *quite* buy their almost instant attraction to each other. However, I didn't <i>not</i> buy it, either, I just felt it was a weak point in the novel.

Overall, though, this was a light, fun romantic read that I enjoyed! I'm pretty forgiving in sapphic romance because I love it so much -- I just wish there were more books like this one. My gut feeling is that Bellefleur might have more books up her sleeve set in this same universe (yes, there were mentions of the characters from her Written in the Stars books in this one, which was also set in Seattle!) so I will definitely read anything else she writes!

This was a really fun Sapphic marriage of convenience romance!! I loved the celebrity/bookstore owner* pairing in this slow burn, steamy and dual POV love story. The characters were so great together and the audiobook narration by Lauren Sweet was excellent (especially since she voiced both women). Plus the MEET CUTE = Epic. Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon for an early digital copy and Librofm for an ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Okay I LOVED this!! The perfect fluffy, low-angst, sapphic rom-com where most of the conflict is external to the couple. AND it has some of my favorite tropes with a modern marriage of convenience and a fake relationship. It was absolutely delightful and while it doesn't have a ton of steamy scenes, the ones it does have are excellent.

Tansy is a quiet bookseller who made up a relationship with Gemma, a romance cover model to get her family off her back. So no one is more surprised when said model actually shows up to her cousin's wedding! But as it turns out, Gemma is in need of a wife to gain her inheritance so she goes along with the farce. They agree to a marriage of convenience that will allow Tansy to save her family's bookstore, but of course they catch feelings along the way...

I loved this so much. It was sweet and sexy and funny. Clearly I need to read more from this author! I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Content warnings include sexual exploitation of a character in her past and threatening interactions with her former abuser.

EXCUSE ME WHILE I RAVE ABOUT THIS BOOK FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF MINUTES!

"The Fiancée Farce" was a breathe of fresh air, modelling healthy communication despite the unconventional situation Tansy and Gemma created. Then add in a plethora of witty banter, an absurd amount of pining, intense sexual tension and a multitude of Taylor Swift references–you'll find yourself with an incredibly delightful contemporary sapphic romance.

Alexandria Bellefleur DELIVERED a romantic comedy that zoomed its way into my favourites. Fans of marriage-of-convenience, strangers-to-lovers and fast-burn tropes will trip over themselves with this book. Everything from its incredible setup, searing family drama, impeccable range of side characters (heroes, villains and everything in between) and an emotional conclusion, screams perfection. It's chaos layered on chaos with no faults.

Our bisexual protagonists are flawed, but so endearing. I can't express how much I enjoyed Tansy and Gemma's swoon worthy relationship. They make the sweetest couple and I don't know who I want to date more??? (Okay, fine, it's Gemma). Also the dirty talk *fans self*

I'll pay anyone who can convince me Gemma van Dalen was not inspired by Lena Luthor. The comparisons were endless and I think Supercorp stans, specifically, will spot them. A lot of this played out as an alternative universe story and I have no complaints. No wonder I was in love with Gemma's personality. I would very much like her to step on me.

And I know I said strangers-to-lovers earlier, but I'd include idiots-to-lovers too because I love these two idiots. PLEASE READ IT!

DNF @ 20%.

Honestly I could've probably finished this since I blinked and somehow got to 20% through...but I think it was pretty obviously going to be yet another mediocre book for me where I didn't really enjoy anything so I'm just going to call it now. Not for me, might work for others, etc.

A marriage of convenience, MC who runs a bookstore, Taylor Swift references, and some nods to Cinderella? Truly, say less. This book was full of tropes I absolutely love, and the joy I felt reading them all here makes this my favorite Alexandria Bellefleur book to date. Tansy and Gemma both have reasons to enter into a fake marriage, and neither of them are planning on love. Their immediate spark and building chemistry really made for a good time. Although there is a lot of family drama and toxicity trying to distract the two, they somehow are able to block everything out and form a real bond. The item that would’ve made this a 5-star read for me is completely personal preference of having more quality time with just the two MCs. We see them most often around others, at events and talking with their respective friends/family, and I would’ve loved to see them go on a date or really have the times they talked about via text be shown in more detail. Overall, a fun romcom that I would definitely recommend!

Thank you Avon and NetGalley for sending this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I’ve been wanting to read Alexandria Bellefleur for a couple of years, so I was delighted to get an arc of The Fiancée Farce. It is an engagement of convenience story with shades of a Cinderella retelling. I really enjoyed it.

Tansy’s only remaining family is her step-mother and step-sisters. She manages the bookstore her parents owned, which her step-mother now owns because her father died suddenly when Tansy was still a minor. The bok opens at the wedding reception of one of Tansy’s step-sisters and the man who, when they were in high school, took nude pictures of Tansy, spread them around and then claimed she was obsessed with him. So those two are terrible people.

To get out of family dinners and make her life look less pathetic, Tansy has been telling people she is dating Gemma West, a romance cover model. Things get weird when Gemma West walks into the wedding reception and is the black sheep cousin of the horrible groom’s family. when she learns that she has been “dating” Tansy for 6 months, she not only goes along with it, she proposes marriage. Gemma needs to get married to fulfill the terms of her grandfather’s will and take over the family newspaper business, and Tansy needs money to buy the bookstore from her step-mother. The romance that blossoms between them is sweet and tender.

Gemma comes with a group of close friends who are always happy to join in on possibly illegal shenanigans. The friends kept reminding me of the mice from the Disney movie who are turned into footmen, and one of them, possibly in a nod to Cinderella’s French origins, speaks mostly French. There isn’t a fairy godmother, Tansy and Gemma rescue themselves.

I’m really looking forward to reading Bellefleur’s backlist. This was delightful.

CW: death of parents and grand parents in past, toxic families, distribution of nude pictures of a minor in past, humiliation, betrayal.

I received this as an advance reader copy from Avon and Harper Voyager and NetGalley. My opinions are my own, freely and honestly given.

I am a big of fan of Alexandria Bellefleur and was excited to dive into her newest marriage-of-convenience romance! I always love book-related stories within a novel so having our main character Tansy work in a book store and fight to save it was very endearing. I thought the romance between the two was very sweet, if not somewhat rushed. I also appreciated the spice and personality of our other main character Gemma. She was my favorite to read from and I liked her story of finding her own voice within her family and company. While this wasn't the most memorable romance I've read, I still enjoyed my time reading it and think it was a fun story!

**Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

With every book she writes, Alexandria Bellefleur secures herself as one of my all-time favorite authors. I loved her Written in the Stars series and was afraid that her other books wouldn't come close but I was worried for nothing. This fake dating, marriage-of-convenience story is full of great tropes, likeable characters, and a hefty dose of family drama. I can't recommend this enough.

I go back and forth about bellefluere and want to like her books but ultimately something was missing from this one, it just didnt grab me and felt contrived.

Alexandria Bellefleur is an automatic read for me, ever since Written in the Stars, I have been in love with her books. The Fiancee Farce did not disappoint! A marriage of convenience trope with a sapphic storyline?!? Sign me up!!!

I absolutely loved this book. I gave me all the feels and just ugh the romance was everything. There were a few points near the middle and beginning where I thought this book dragged a bit and it started to loose my interest but overall I absolutely adored this book. It was cute adorable and funny, everything I look for in a book.

*4.5

I had a really fun time with this book. Gemma and Tansy are adorable and I loved watching them fall in love. I like that they decided to start dating for real so early on, it really showed how strong they felt about each other. My only thing is I don't necessarily think this needed a third act break up. I think there was a way to do away with it but I still enjoyed it.

I received an arc through netgalley.

Alexandria Bellefleur is my go to author for fun and flirty sapphic romance!!

Did anyone else get Gossip Girl vibes?? And the TSwift references??? LOVE!! The Fiancee Farce is a MUST read!

The Fiancee Farce is a top book of 2023! Bellefleur brings her signature wit to her latest novel about a newspaper heiress and a bookshop owner who need to get married. The Fiancee Farce is a steamy marriage of convenience sapphic romance filled with witty banter, an absurd amount of pining, and adorable text exchanges. I dare anyone to possibly read this book without a smile on their face! I am a huge fan of Bellefleur's novels so I was so excited to receive an early copy of The Fiancee Farce in exchange for my honest review. Thanks so much to Avon for the ARC and please preorder this one if you haven't already-- you won't regret it!