DNF @ 22%

Was The Spanish Love Deception this... cringey? Because I loved that book and I can't believe this was written by the same person. I feel bad not finishing this because it was an ARC, but I don't want to force myself into a slump.

Matthew Flanagan, can you report for book boyfriend duty. This man destroyed me. I was kicking and screaming and was so giddy while I listened to this book. It was so cute. This is really such a beautiful story. I cannot deal with the perfect characters that Elena writes. Just a PS I related to Josie‘s life being a mess to my soul.

Matthew and Josie were amazing MCs, both as individuals, and for each other 😭 This book had me laughing out loud pretty much throughout the entirety of the read! When I tell you Matthew was the PERFECT MAN??!?!! No notes, literally the best small town fake engagement story, I loved that you could just tell they were meant for each other every step of the way 🥹

Honestly, I should have readjusted my expectations with this book. I truly thought that I was going to love it as much as I loved the first book in the series. And I just didn’t love it. 

There were a few things that I enjoyed reading, but I mostly didn’t like the main character, Josie. I find Josie a bit annoying and pushy at times. Like she honestly pushed Matthew to fake date her even though he told her multiple times no. Excuse me, but you need to respect boundaries. That annoyed me the most with Josie. And don’t get me started with her daddy issues. 

Thankfully, Matthew held this book up with his funny self. He was too cute and adorable. I understand why Josie starts to fall for him. 

In my honest opinion, you can either read it or not. If you enjoy reading romance stories with a bit of an annoying main character, then give it a chance.

I was very hopeful to start what seemed like a light read romance and even though I do consider it a light read, I struggled with it. It took me longer than usual to finish and I considered giving up a few times. With most romances, the storytelling can be quite predictable. But what makes a predictable book enjoyable for me, is the execution of the story. Unfortunately, I found the character development lacking. As I was reading the book, I kept waiting to get to the “meat” of the story and sadly, that just never happened for me. Everything read as if it were all on the surface. I did appreciate the humor and found myself laughing out loud at some parts with Bobbi, the PR agent/wedding planner.

The main characters were just too blah for me. Josie’s thought process was frustrating and the sudden changes in Matthew’s demeanor were off-putting. Some chapters would end in a small “cliffhanger” and didn’t always get back to that unresolved issue. That threw me off from the flow of the story.

I really wanted to like this book, I really did. Although this is a stand-alone book, this is book two in a series. The first book centers on characters that made a “cameo” in this one. I may or may not give that one a shot and hopefully, it will be a better reading experience.

Contemporary Romance ♥ Small Town ♥ Fake Marriage
Slow Burn ♥ Golden Retriever ♥ Wedding Planning
Published ♥ 30 July 2024

Thank you @atriabooks for giving me this complimentary review copy! #atriapartner

This one is for my small town fans, my fake marriage lovers, anyone who is here for the slow burn but steamy filth-talking-yet-supportive men. For those who love farm markets, little coffee shops, and furry animal friends who may or may not do yoga with the townsfolk. And those that may have a dysfunctional family saga to unpack.

This was my first book from Elena Armas and although it is technically book 2 of the Long Game series, it can be read as a standalone which is how I read it.

This is a cute, small town romance about leading lady Josie: quirky coffee shop owner and baking connoisseur, who also happens to be the town’s mayor and unlucky in love. She is like the unwed bride fate from the Caravel/OUABH series — she’s been engaged 4 times but never made it to the I do’s. Maybe the fifth time will be the charm.

The only problem is that fiancé #5 is a fake, who Josie bamboozles into getting engaged to her when he turns up on her doorstep at an inopportune moment. Or maybe it was an opportune moment when Matthew Flanagan (who happens to be Josie’s sisters best friend) suddenly finds himself thrust into the middle of Josie’s crazy family dramatics and the rush is on to plan and execute a wedding in mere months.

The first half moved at a slower, cozier pace and took me a bit to get through. I found myself enjoying this book most in the final acts after the spice started spicing. Matthew is that sweetheart supportive guy who you’d never expect to have a filthy take-charge bedroom attitude, getting frisky in public places. Finally, much appreciation for the ending which I found incredibly realistic.

Originally I had hoped to post my review before @steamylitcon but decided it might be nice to wait until after meeting Elena Armas in the flesh. She was so sweet. What an unforgettable experience.

A big thanks to Atria/Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced (e-)reader copy and a chance to rate and review this book! First off, Matthew and Josie are adorable together, (even though they start out fake dating), once things start finally heat up, they heat up! The spicy scenes were so good! The Andrew (Dad) was a little too forced for me, and I wish we got more Grandpa Moe scenes, he was adorable! Overall, I really enjoyed this sexy romance, and I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!!

Oh. My. Matthew. Elena Armas writes a great book boyfriend. That remains a constant book to book. It took me a LONG time to like our FMC though. She grew on me but the first quarter of the book was a little rough as she basically word vomited every other paragraph. This wasn’t a new or unique concept by any means but boy oh boy did I enjoy nearly every minute that we were reading about Matthew. He was just so steadfast and wonderful to Josie that you couldn’t pay me to wipe the smile off my face. Definitely recommend and will continue to read anything Elena Armas writes!

I loved this book! The two main characters were so lovable and I was obsessed with the male main character in particular. I loved the slow burn and build up in this book. The spice was super sexy even before they really got together! Elena Armas knows how to write depth to her characters while still making it fun and spicy. I also loved the sister dynamic in this book and found it super interesting to have two adults find out that they have a sibling so late in life and how they navigate that new relationship. Overall, this book was a solid romance for me.

Really sweet story!
I did miss the dual POV that we had in The Long Game and The American Roommate Experiment but the ending made it all worth it!
I’ve really enjoyed my time in Green Oak so far.
#netgalley #atriabooks

Cómo siempre Elena Armas nos envuelve con sus novelas románticas, me encantaron estos personajes.
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the copy

Josie, the fun-loving mayor from The Long Game, and Adalyn’s BFFL Matthew team up in this fake-engagement, friends-to-lovers story set in small-town Green Oak. Amid a PR crisis with Adalyn's (and now Josie’s) father, Andrew Underwood, Josie, and her people-pleasing tendencies, agrees to help fix Andrew’s image by throwing a wedding. The problem is that Josie is a serial runner and has been engaged four times before. Enter Matthew—the right place at perhaps the wrong time after leaving his job in Chicago for the very same tabloid coming after Josie and Andrew. Now, with the wedding only a couple of months away, Josie and Matthew navigate their attraction for each other “backward,” like the Claddagh ring she wears as his fiancée.

Fake dating is such a trope. I have to suspend disbelief the entire time I read it because it is just so unrealistic. What wasn’t unrealistic? How freaking amazing Matthew was. And he’s blond. With glasses. He would do anything for Josie (including get married to her!) and was a closet dirty talker. I was a little confused about their character arcs during this story, but I’m glad I stuck with it. Josie has Daddy issues, and Matthew seems to not believe in himself as much as he lets on. They both help each other out and there is resolution at the end, but it was hard for me to piece together. There were times when Josie was so mad at Andrew and allowed him to do crummy things. It was confusing. The “plan” at the end – while it was sweet, I still am not sure I get it! Perhaps I need to read it again?

This book has just the right amount of spice—I can’t deny getting it on in public! Elena did this in TLG and TSLD, and I am here for it! I also loved hearing about Cameron and Adalyn’s continuation of their love story. I knew the whole time what was happening—it wasn’t much of a mystery!

Thank you so much to Atria/Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced (e-)reader copy and a chance to rate and review this book!

4 ⭐️ 1 🌶

Thank you so very much to NetGalley and Atria books for this eArc!

I have to say, I was afraid that Elena Armas had lost her touch for me after I read the first book in this series, The Long Game. This book began with a lot of the same issues I had with book 1: forced chemistry, overuse of nicknames in lieu of actually building tension, antics for side characters that felt over the top instead of charming in the way many small town stories are. However; at about the 40% mark that just… all changed. And I fell hard for Josie and Matthew.

Once we got past that first almost half, these two had really adorable tension and chemistry. Their banter made me actually laugh out loud (something that had fully disappeared for me in book 1), and more than anything I just found myself really enjoying these characters both together and on their own. The build up to their physical connections had me positively swooning and squirming, and I loved that they felt like firm and stable supports for one another even amidst the “what are we” tension.

Ultimately I am giving this a 3.5/5. If the whole thing had been like the last 60%, it would have been an absolute hit. One final thing I didn’t end up enjoying as much was really the whole premise for their fake relationship, ie. The scandal with her father, the podcast that for some reason is interested enough in this to make a whole season about her & her family, etc. it just felt wildly unrealistic to me and took something away from the story. If you love a funny, charming couple, fake dating / engagement, and small town antics, you probably will enjoy this one!

I am sorry to say (especially because I loved the Spanish Love Deception) I could not get past the 30% mark of this book. I found there to be too much random chatter/many random anecdotes rather than character development or plot movement. If I manage to finish the whole book I will put a complete review up on my Substack.

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Elena armas really crushes the fake dating game. I loved how Josie captured anxiety in an indirect way and just loved Matthew in general.

I loved how the previous characters came in to really make this all come together.

The Fiance Dilemma is a slow-burn, fake-dating rom-com with a bit of small-town, sibling's best friend thrown in for good measure. The plot of this book was completely ridiculous but I don't think anyone is reading rom-com books for their true-to-life plots. While this book did have some issues, the pros far outweighed the cons. Here is what I did like. The characters. Josie was such a relatable protagonist. The overachiever, independent, people-pleaser perfectly illustrates what can happen when a child is abandoned by a parent. Her inability to connect this with her father abandoning her and her denial of her "daddy issues" is so typical of this as well. Matthew is the perfect book boyfriend. He's gorgeous, he wears glasses, he's willing to completely upend his life to help Jose, he not only falls first but he falls harder. I loved that Matthew supported Josie when she was dealing with her father and his people but never tried to take over. He let her lead the way and decide how to respond. The side characters were also a delight. Grandpa Moe, Otto, Bobbi Shark and of course Adalyn and Cameron from the first book were nice foils for the main characters and each served their purpose to move the story along without introducing a lot of side plots that needed resolving. Now for what I didn't like: the premise. The idea that a woman who is getting a lot of criticism for breaking off four previous engagements, deciding that the solution is to enter into a fake engagement to then break it off at a later date is utterly ridiculous. No sane person would think this was a good idea. Overall it was an enjoyable read and I recommend it if you like romantic comedies or any of the above listed tropes.

Unfortunately this was not a book for me. The only character who I enjoyed was Grandpa. Josie was incredibly annoying and I know she was supposed to quirky with daddy issues but it just got annoying. I also just can’t stand when a male character calls another sweet heart and the chemistry just wasn’t great. The whole premise was a little too out there for me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. the Fiancé Dilemma is out August 6,2024!

This was a nice twist on the "fake relationship" trope. It was extremely funny at times and a sweet romance throughout. The MMC was emotionally mature and that's a nice change for a romance book. This is a sequel but can easily be read as a stand alone.

This was cute, funny, and a fast read. While a slow burn, I struggled with pacing. Not of the romance but of the plot. I enjoyed the characters and would read more of the series.

Read this if you like:
✦ RomComs
✦ Fake Engagements
✦ Small Town Romance
✦ Daddy Issues✨
✦ Slow Burn
✦ Runaway Brides
✦ He Falls First

┈ MY THOUGHTS ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈
- I love how well Matthew can read Josie. I’m not sure if Josie has really expressive facial expressions or if Matthew is just really in tune with her, but either way I loved their connection!
- Matthew’s personality, confidence, and dirty talk🙌🏼🤤💯
- Josie’s father, Andrew, really comes off as the bad guy (for obvious reasons) and I really hated him for the first book and most of this book. I’m glad we got to see his softer side as the end of this book though.
- Is it just me, or is anyone else secretly hoping Bobbi Shark gets her own book?! I’m thinking something along the lines of Bobbi getting forced to come back to Green Oak for something and she keeps running into sweet, widowed Robbie Vasquez and she falls in love with all of his animals (that she hates at first) and his family meanwhile he falls in love with her bossy and driven personality …. Anyone? 😂
- Positives: Matthew and Josie’s friendship and chemistry, how sweet he was to her, how he would drop anything and run to her when we thought she needed him, the way they both believe in magic and soulmates, all of the cute/funny nicknames he came up for her, their playful banter, and how compatible they were for each other 🥰
- Negatives: This felt really really long, I don't know if it was because it was a slow burn or if it was just a very slow pace. Luckily, it did pick up around 65-75%, plus I really enjoyed the ending!
- Overall: I really enjoyed these characters and their story! Plus, it was great to read more about Adalyn and Cameron.

┈ OVERVIEW ┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈
Emojis: ☕⚽💍🐖🐐🌼
Pacing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Spice: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Overall:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Cover Art: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Format: Audiobook
POV: One
Would I Recommend? 👍
Read Again? 👎
Setting / Location: Green Oak, North Carolina
Hero/MMC: Matthew Flanagan
〰️Characteristics: Blonde, glasses
〰️Occupation: Writer
〰️Age: N/A
〰️Nickname(s): Mattsie-boo
Heroine/FMC: Josephine "Josie" Moore
〰️Characteristics: Baby blue eyes, brown hair
〰️Occupation: Town Mayor, Coffee Shop Owner
〰️Age: N/A
〰️Nickname(s): All of them 😂 (sweetheart, shortcake, baby cakes, sugar snap, sugar plum, snuggle bear, baby blue, good girl)
H/h virgin? No
First kiss💋: 65% (84%)
First time they have sex: 86%
First time they say "I Love You": 91%
Noteworthy Chapters🔥: 14, 20, 23, 25
Kinks: dirty talk, praise
OW/OM Drama? No
H/h cheat? No
Time apart? No
Did I cry? No
Ending: HEA 🥰
Standalone/Series? Yes to both
Epilogue? Yes

⛔️ My reviews can sometimes contain spoilers.

Thank you to NetGalley, Elena Armas, and Atria Books for a digital reviewer copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.