Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

I adored the previous book "The Long Game" and this one shines with our new couple, who were side characters in that book. Matthew is the best friend of Adalyn and Josie is her recently discovered half-sister. We have small town, fake engagement, slow burn. While Matthew signs on to the fake relationship quick, he fakes it well. I loved the banter and support between our lovebirds. Grandpa Mo is a hoot! I also wanted to BOO Andrew (grrrr!) and Bobbi whenever they crossed the page.

I am all for the sweet romance and watching our couple get real feelings...I honestly had to skim over most of the spice. I enjoy intimacy without having to "watch all the intimacy!"

It was nice to see both our couples together! Matthew was so supportive and patient with Josie.

4 stars

I have been trying to finish this book for weeks… I was going to try and finish it before it was released but I have struggled!

I don’t know what my expectations were but they were obviously too high. I can’t stand Josie. She might be my least favorite FMC that I have ever read. She interrupts her own thoughts and doesn’t ever answer questions. She will answer questions with a question. And then will proceed to have so many questions for MMC but never asks the important ones.

This wasn’t a true romance to me. There was no excitement or tension with their relationship. The MCs acted like middle schoolers and then talked dirty. It was jarring and made me more uncomfortable than anything else.

Also who would ever try to protect the absent rich father that you didn’t know about but still hasn’t treated you like a daughter, let alone a real person, since your existence was discovered by the world?!? And just decided to go along with whatever his PA says after she talks over you constantly? It is just so unrealistic, in my opinion, that this story shouldn’t even exist. It’s too far fetched. How does the MC believe that by picking a wedding date, she can avoid getting married?!?!

Josie doesn’t want to be seen as an idiot but honestly…. Her actions have not proved that she isn’t crazy. Her crazy doesn’t translate to quirky.

I also don’t think the cover is fitting. She talks about her previous love interests but only one appears in the book… why are they on the cover?

I should’ve just stopped reading this book but after it was released and received such positive reviews I continued reading, hoping to enjoy the book. Unfortunately it never really happened. I’m holding out hope that I will like Elena’s books in the future!

1.25 stars

She just discovered her dad is famous, but she doesn't want the limelight. She just wants to stay in her small home town with her small business and mayor duties. And that's precisely what she is doing when a Shark of a woman shows up on her doorstop and says that she needs to fix her image for her father's reputation. 
One of the problems is that Josie is a runaway bride. Yep, she's her small town's own Julia Roberts. Four engagements, four runaways. Due to a few perfectly times coincidences, Josie finds herself announcing her fifth engagement to none other than her new found sister's best friend, Matthew.
One small hiccup. She's actually not engaged to Matthew. Once she convinces him to play along the games really begin. Only problem is that her heart may be what she is gambling. 
This book was a bit slow to start, but once it hit it stride I was hooked. I loved everything about this book. From the quirky characters to the perfect ending. Speaking of perfect ending that last chapter... perfect. I loved how to showed another side of Matthew that made me love him even more. Definitely recommend.

Loved The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas. If you are a lover of a good throwback 90’s romcom you will love this updated and sexier nod to Runaway bride.
Highly recommend

Matthew is the epitome of "if he wanted to he would," which is one of my favorite micro tropes in romance novel men. I loved how he showed up for his woman and how true their love was. What started out as something fake, became something so pure. I enjoyed how the author wrote their love story. These characters will always hold a special place for me. Elena Armas writes such great banter, and this is something I enjoy about all of the books I have read by her. The only reason I rated this a 4 star and not 5 is some parts in the middle felt a little drawn out to me and I wish the ending was a little bit longer (less time with the middle and more time with the plot at the end). The ending didn't feel rushed, but there were a lot of ends to tie up and I wish there was a little bit more time spent on that part. Overall, I did really enjoy this book and plan to read more of Elena Armas' books.

I loved this book so much! I’ve loved all of the books by Elena Armas so far and this one was no different! They make such a cute couple and the way he supports her is so sweet!

Fantastic storyline. With a great audio production. I really liked this storyline. Of the author’s four books, this is my second favorite.

This was a fun and cute book. A bit predictable. It wasn’t anything special, but it was enjoyable, and a fun quick read.

I LOVED this story so much!

The Fiancé Dilemma follows Josie and Matthew. Josie has had four failed engagements and grew up with an absentee father, who just decided to announce her presence to the world and Josie becomes a PR issue. Josie panics when dealing with this new pressure and introduces Matthew as her fiancé. Matthew is staying in Green Oak, North Carolina for a while and after some hesitation agrees to go along with Josie, leading them to work together to get through PR events and convince everyone they are in love.

I adored The Long Game and was really excited for this story, and it did not disappoint. I loved Matthew so much! He was an amazing fiancé and was so supportive and attentive and simply perfect. I also loved his bromance with Cameron, it was so funny. I felt so bad for Josie when she had to suddenly deal with people commenting on her life because her dad dragged her into a PR mess. But despite all that she dealt with, she stayed strong, and I loved watching her stand up for herself. Josie and Matthew had an amazing slow-burn romance, and it was so enjoyable watching their feelings go from fake to real. Per usual, the small town setting was another highlight of the story, I loved all the side characters and their quirks. I do wish there were a bit more of Adalyn and Cameron in the story and that there was more of Matthew's POV, but other than that the story was great!

If you have not read any Elena Armas books yet, you definitely should. The Fiancé Dilemma was the perfect fake-dating romance and a wonderful read!

Although I LOVED Matthew *big heart eyes* and enjoyed the slow burn between him and Josie, there were a couple things that didn’t quite work for me. The beginning felt a bit rushed. I know we were introduced to Josie and Matthew in the previous book, but I would have liked a little more build up to their relationship. They just kind of seemed to be super into each other right off the bat and the fake dating trope starts literally a few pages in — it was a bit jarring. And the trope itself was a bit confusing; the whole time, I was just wondering what their plan was cause they never really established HOW they were going to get out of the fake engagement… That being said, Elena’s books are always fun to read and this one had some really snappy and witty writing.

Josie and Matthew’s romance is one of my FAVORITE stories! Matthew’s unwavering support of Josie in any situation is my favorite part of this book- love a man who knows what he wants! Josie undergoes a great character arc and really learns who she is and what she wants, especially after giving up herself to make different exes happy, and I loved watching that develop on the page. Highly recommend this book! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the early copy!

The first book i read from Elena was the cheat sheet on audio and once i found out that this book involved fake dating..i was SET. i loved the banter between the two main characters and how they were with each other and how they were there for each other.

The Fiance Dilemma is the latest novel from author Elena Armas, and unfortunately this one was a miss for me. While I've read and enjoyed all of Armas' work, I have to say this one was my least favorite thus far.

Despite Josie and Matthew having been introduced in The Long Game, I had a hard time connecting to the characters and their story this time around. To me, they lacked chemistry together and there wasn't enough depth in their backgrounds to relate or root for their characters.

The plot, side characters, and writing also fell flat this time around for me. It all felt quirkier and sillier, but yet the jokes and fun didn't quite land with me. I wish I had enjoyed this more, especially since I liked her previous novels. I hope this was a one-off and that her future books will better resonate with me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Elena Armas never fails to amaze me, I have followed her writing since the spanish love deception and every book just keeps getting better and better.

I want to thank berkley for the arc, I absolutely enjoyed this

3/5 - Armas has been hit or miss for me lately but I enjoyed this story far more than the first in this series! The premise is a bit over the top - as are some of the characters - and I found the world to be a bit cheesy, but I liked the MMC a lot and was rooting for Josie to find happiness. The ending surprised me a bit, too! Thank you to @netgalley and Atria Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This book was a great read! I loved Josie she was such a quirky character. Matthew whew I have a new book boyfriend, he was such a great character throughout this book right up to the very last word. Andrew was an awkward dad, but it felt right with his character being who he was.

The scenes were so well developed that I could see the book in my mind. The characters as stated were very well developed as well. I felt like I knew them personally.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for giving me this advanced reader copy and this is my honest review.

I’m sorry to say, but I was pretty disappointed with this one. I really wanted to love it, especially since The Spanish Love Deception is one of my top favorite books. (Elena Armas in general is a great author). Unfortunately, this just didn’t measure up. The plot felt a bit off, and the writing lacked depth. I couldn’t connect with the main character, Josie—she came across as basic and a bit annoying. The whole story felt a little too far-fetched, leaving me confused at times. It aimed for a small-town vibe but missed the mark; compared to other small-town romances, it felt mediocre. The side characters were bland and didn’t add much to the story. On the bright side, the spice was decent, and I did enjoy the male main character.

𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ★★☆☆☆
𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐠: thank u next by Ariana Grande
𝐬𝐦𝐮𝐭/𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞: 2.5/5
𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬: fake engagement ~ small town ~ runaway bride ~ her sister's best friend ~ slow burn
𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: romance

"𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙨𝙤 𝙛𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙞𝙜, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚'𝙨 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪."

OVERVIEW
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IM SORRY BUT I WAS BORDERLINE disappointed. I realllly wanted to like this one because I ADORE the Spanish Love Deception. In fact, it's one of my top 10 favorite books. But this book was NOT on the same level. The plot was a little odd, and the writing kind of hollow. I didn't really like the fmc Josie, and thought she was kind of basic and annoying. I was super confused throughout the book because I just felt like the whole plot was a little far fetched. The book was trying to have a small town vibe but there was no pizzaz . Compared to other small town romance like the Chestnut Springs series by Elsie Silver, this book and the vibe was mediocre. The side characters were pretty plain and unoriginal. However, the spice was pretty good and I liked the mmc. That's probably the only reason I'm giving this book the two stars.

CHARACTER REVIEW
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As I mentioned above, I thought Josie wasn't the best fmc. She was really annoying and I don't like the whole plot of a "runaway" bride (just my opinion). She has been engaged like, was it 5 times? Also part of the plot is supposed to be that she "found her voice" and "stood up for herself" but it's like girl... you should have done that 10 chapters ago. Then you wouldn't have to force this poor man to pretend to be your fiance to impress people and "fix your reputation". She's A huge pushover, and I get that that's part of the whole character plot but it wasn't for me. Matthew was a good character. He was less quiet and mysterious than Aaron, instead he was a bit more of a golden retriever guy. He was just going with the flow and cracking jokes along the way. But the main part that confused me about him was why was he doing this whole pretend to be engaged thing? I mean it made a little more sense down the line, but still the answer that was given was feeble. I mean he lied to his whole family and played the role of a fake fiance. Give me more of an explanation on why.

PLOT + WRITING REVIEW
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As I mentioned in the overview the book was disappointing. Fake engagement/marriage is my favorite Romance trope but this book didn't do the trope justice. I would rather reread a favorite of mine, King Of Wrath, then read this book. The spicy chemistry was good between the characters but other than that there was not a lot of deeper connection between the two. The book was kind of surface level, almost like playing it safe. Also some parts were a little cringey like the line "I was a messed up girl who was giving trauma." GIVING? I was giving trauma? What? Anyway, the whole engagement piece was so confusing I feel like it was never totally explained why this was Josie's only option. The whole point they did this was to "fix" her and her dad's reputation. But like Josie's reputation wasn't even that bad, people just thought she was a serial bride, which she is. It's hard to explain without reading it but the whole engagement seemed kind of unnecessary. Like why was this their only option?

ENDING THOUGHTS
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I really wanted to like this one but sadly it was not a fave. Still liked Matthew though and the whole goat yoga thing. But then again this is just my take, and unfortunately this book wasn't my cup of tea.

THANKS!
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Special thank you to NetGalley and Atria for letting me read this book ahead of the publishing date in exchange for an honest review.

xoxo ellie

I absolutely loved the concept of this book! I love me a marriage of convenience/fake dating trope!

I found it easy to pick up, it was a very fast paced book and I enjoyed most of it! The characters were fun to follow around and their stories were interesting!

The podcast sections in this book fell flat to me. It was very cringey and not well done (journalism wise). The final section at the end with the MMC gave me major ick. I pretty much skimmed through it.

The spice in the book was another thing that I didn’t necessarily love. Most of the scenes were very unrealistic and awkward. 😬

While the main focus seemed to be the dad and the PR situation, I also felt like it was not as developed as it could be!

This was my first book from this author so I’m didn’t connect much with the writing style, but it seemed pretty easy to follow! However — and take this with a grain of salt — I was reading an unedited edition, so that could factor into this!

I will admit, I did not read the first book of this interconnected series because I didn’t know there was one! I was sent this ARC and only found out after starting reading it!

Overall, it was somewhat an enjoyable fast paced small town romance!

“So you do believe in magic. Fate. Gut-feelings. Soul mates.”

Josie Moore is a 4x fiancée but 0x bride; she has never made it to the altar. When PR strategist Bobbi Shark shows up at her door (on behalf of her non-existent father), Josie has an old engagement ring stuck on her finger, leading Bobbi to believe Josie is once again engaged. And, what better person to pass off as her fiancé than Matthew Flanagan, who just so conveniently happens to be walking up her driveway after he got fired from his job in Chicago and decided to visit his best friend in North Carolina, vehicle breaking down in the process.

Josie could have simply said that Matthew is her sister’s best friend, but instead Matthew becomes her fiancé, a stunt they promised would come to an end once they finish helping Josie’s dad. What happens instead is that the two of them end up falling IN. LOVE. (and also, IN. LUST.). I mean, lusty spicy kind of love. The banter between the two of them made me giggle; Josie is sweet, yet sarcastic, and Matthew is caring, yet mysterious.

What I loved the most about this one was just how smitten Matthew was for Josie. Admittedly, I am a sucker for head over heels in love type of relationship, especially when a man is all, oh honey you are perfect to me. Any time she beat herself up for something, he was right there making her feel better, but also just making her feel incredible about herself overall. Ending this with the final chapter being in Matthew’s POV was chef’s kiss, because dang, every time he called Josie Baby Blue, I died a little inside.

While the concept of Josie being engaged 4x, married 0x, and now “engaged” again but having this one WORK amidst a PR stunt - since Matthew is a perfect human being, duh - seemed a little far fetched, I don’t doubt that somewhere in the world this has happened before. And, truly, the fact that they fall madly in love despite the chaos around them is just a testament that love always wins. If you love steamy love, that at times will make you laugh out loud, this one is for you!

Tropes:
🌶️ Fake dating
🌶️ Marriage (engagement) of convenience
🌶️ He falls first
🌶️ Best friend’s sister
🌶️ FMC nickname

Thank you Net Galley, Atria Books and Elena Armas for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. This was the first Elena Armas novel that I read after hearing wonderful things, and it certainly won’t be my last!