I loved Josie and Mathew’s love story. I’m a big fan of the man falls first. Mathew helps her with her abandonment issues . A modern day runaway bride , Josie crates a fake engagement that Mathew goes along with. Having had known each other through group texts there was already a familiarity there. I really enjoyed this story and I’m going to read their backstory in the Long Game, Adelyn and Cam’s story! Thank you to NetGalley for this free advanced copy. I’m leaving this review voluntarily

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC of The fiancé dilemma, by Elena Armas.
So, this was for me the case of "it´s not you, it´s me"...At firts, I couldn´t connect with Josie, I´ve find other characters a little bit of enoying.
Still, I´ve keep reading it at a very low pace and I´ve started to like it. Sadly, it´s a little bit to late, cause, tomorrow it´s PUB day.
I´m gonna give it another try and write a review on Goodreads, I don´t want this book on my DNF list of the year.
I´m very sorry, it just wasn´t a good timing for now.

This is the second book in this small town series, with The Long Game as the first. While you don't need to read the first in order to enjoy the second, it is fun to know who the side characters are as they pop up.

Josie finds out the identity of her father, a famous sports team owner, which causes a social media swarm. A PR agent comes to her small town and questions Josie about her life and the fact that she has been engaged four times in the past. Matthew gets caught up in it and Josie and him end up with a fake engagement on their hands. We spend the majority of the book with talks of Josie's past, wedding planning, and the building relationship between Josie and Matthew in this picturesque small town.

Elena Armas always has the cutest characters (and side animal characters Pedro Pigscal and goat yoga) Her books always have a SLOW burn, so keep that in mind! Her writing style flows easily. What didn't work for me as much was the dual sunshine personalities and the fact that Josie let the PR agent and her father walk all over her. I also wished for Matthew's POV, I think it would have added more to building their relationship! Check this out if you're an Elena Armas fan looking for your next summer romance.

Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books, and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Thank you @atriabooks for the digital advanced copy!

This was my first book by Elena Armas but it won’t be my last, especially since characters from The Long Game are mentioned, which made me want to read their story, too!

It took me a few chapters to get into this book; at first it felt a bit rushed, and the “PR nightmare” that leads to a fake engagement didn’t feel like that big of a deal. I was like… “this is a lot of uproar over nothing.” But then again, I’m not an influential billionaire with a reputation to uphold.

But that aside, before long I found myself really enjoying Josie and Matthew’s story and the rest of Green Oak’s residents (especially Grandpa Moe! I love a curmudgeon). And yay for a blond MMC! — towheads deserve love too 😊.

The way Matthew looks after, and becomes protective of Josie is heart-melting. He knows how to turn up the heat, but he’s also sweet. I loved his search for the perfect pet-name, as well as his gestures — like baking her an apple pie (What can I say? Food is a love language).

“But no one never bakes for me.”
“I do.”

Josie’s character is somewhat chaotic in a good way, and although I felt like there were instances where she was a bit *too* flighty — on par for someone who ended four engagements though — I found her funny and likable.

ahhhhhh i’m obsessed with them!!!!!!!!!

this is the best book elena armas has written. i am in love with this world and these characters and everything. i love a marriage of convince and she did it sooo well.

i will continue to read and buy everything armas writes, especially if any of it even remotely compares to this.

thank you netgalley and atria for the advanced copy of this book!

This book is funny, sexy, and has great banter. It also tackles some serious subjects while remaining light hearted. It was a bit too long, otherwise I was charmed.

Highly recommend and can't wait for more from this author.

Josie Moore’s five failed engagements, including her absentee father, complicate her love life. When her dad's retirement becomes a public affair, she’s forced into a fake engagement with Matthew Flanagan, her sister’s best friend. Stranded in Green Oak, he becomes her temporary fiancé, turning her romantic history into a small-town spectacle.

I went into this sqeaking about the plot. I mean, a naturally sweet-natured glasses wearing man forced to wed the perky small town mayor? Let the giggling and feet kicking begin. But this one didn’t quite capture my attention the way I hoped.

☺️What I adored:
-his sexy glasses
-he knows how to make a girl feel special + protected
-no third act breakup
-podcast that I swear is literally @thetoast

🫤What I scrunched my nose at:
-the slowest of burns that somehow made their romantic tension feel like it came out of nowhere
-Matthew felt fake (I know, I know, all book boyfriends are fake. But I felt the exaggeration while reading)
-daddy issues drama (I wish it had come from the small town shenanigans of her being a mayor)

I really enjoyed The Spanish Love Deception, but her writing since then has felt flat. If you’re looking for a lengthy romcom filled with lighthearted cliches and a golden retriever man who knows what she wants to hear, you’ll enjoy this spin on fake-dating.

Thank you @atriabooks @netgalley for the eARC 💖#netgalley

Perfect for you if you like:
Soft male leads that are ruggedly protective
Family drama
Perky, small town settings
He falls first and HARDER

Similar to:
Love You, Mean It by Jilly Gagnon
Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison
The Game Changer by Lana Ferguson

⛔️chapters 14, 20, 23 & 25 contain explicit romance scenes (open door)
⚠️explicit language, father abandonment, ending of previous engagements

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC of The Fiancé Dilemma!

The Fiancé Dilemma is the sequel to The Long Game (TLG) and it features Josie, the beloved mayor of Green Oak, and Matthew, best friend of Adalyn (the MC of TLG). Josie's plan to welcome Adalyn's friend to town don't go to plan as she accidentally reveals him as her fifth fiancé, despite never having met him in person. Matthew goes along with her "proposal" as he is a nice guy and she doesn't seem to have any other choice.

I enjoyed this one a lot more than I enjoyed TLG. At the beginning Josie is almost too ridiculous to be believable but her character does even out as the book goes on. I remember Matthew being funnier in TLG whereas in this book he is mostly just a generic love interest whose only purpose is to love Josie. He has no job and his family doesn't get brough in until the end of the book. His only two friends are the MCs from TLG and they are not in this book that often. The quaint town setting and humorous situations made this book really engaging. I wish Matthew would have had more personality because there was some witty banter. Overall I enjoyed it but it did have some faults.

The Fiancé Dilemma is an interconnected standalone in The Long Game universe.

💜 fake engagement
💜 engagement of convenience
💜 best friend’s sister
💜 small town romance
💜 slowwwww burn
💜 spicy

This was a slowwww burn indeed, but Josie and Matthew’s relationship made it worth it. I loved Josie and her realness, her anxieties and inner thoughts made her so relatable and likable.

I hated how Andrew controlled his daughters’ lives so easily, and how Josie became a pawn in his games, however much he says he wasn’t aware. It just felt so strange and over the top, and I can’t believe Josie actually went so far with the fake wedding just to appease someone she barely knows.

There are several peeks into Adalyn and Cam from The Long Game as well. I loved seeing Adalyn and Josie together, and was so happy for Adalyn and Cam.

Overall super cute and made me want to keep reading, and loved Matthew and Josie.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Atria and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so beautifully written, it's a pleasure to see how much Armas has developed since TSLD .

Josie and Matthew embark and an epic fake engagement - Matthew having already been half in love with her after the disastrous meet cute and Josie slowly allowing herself to fall in love with him. Armas writes MMC like no one's business, and Matthew was no exception. He loves, protects and is so loyal, he doesn't look to change Josie - he meets her where she is and loves all of her.

📚 Read if you like: fake dating/engagement, small town romance, contemporary romance, spicy books, banter

All in all, I thought this was a very cute fake dating romance with fun spice and plenty of meddling from the small town! There’s plenty of that Elena Armas laugh out loud banter. I adored Matthew and thought he and Josie were good together.

That said, it felt like internal monologuing more than plot a lot of times. It also feels like the author just forgot to include some scenes. There’d be a build up of we’re going to the place or event but then the chapter would just end and then the next one would start later in the story, just skipping over plot and events.

I still enjoyed the read and do plan on reading more Elena Armas in the future! Thank you @netgalley @atriabooks @simonandschuster for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion! The Fiancé Dilemma will be out tomorrow: July 30!

When I originally asked for this book, I did not realize it was part of a series that had already been established. So I read this book without reading the first book in the series. I honestly was a little bit thrown at the beginning but quickly fell in love with the characters and their story development. It was definitely a slow burn with some really good spice towards the end but overall I enjoyed it. I will definitely be reading the first book in the series after this!

I delighted in main characters, Josie and Matthew, and their love story and individual journeys throughout the book. Matthew is Elena's most "swoony" leading man and I greatly enjoyed his patience, his confidence, and his blunt nature. Josie was a total sweetheart and it's easy to see why Matthew was head over heels for her...and why she had four previous (albeit failed) engagements in her past.

I did not particularly enjoy the setting or overall storyline of this book and it did take me a long while to get into the story and resonate with the main characters. Once I did, I really enjoyed Josie and Matthew <3 I also found the humor in this story just wasn't hitting for me, but I don't doubt that not being the case for all readers.

Matthew and Josie are each working through the lies (or omissions) we tell those closest to us to spare them from what we believe to be our shortcomings and that was extremely wholesome and relatable. I love that they wanted to protect each other, but ultimately didn't try to fix each other.

Loves:
- Josie's big heart and her resilience! She's stronger than many people give her credit for. People really do mistake kindness for weakness and Josie is anything but weak <3
- The flirty banter between Josie and Matthew :') So good!!
- Matthew is intuitive, even early on, in identifying what Josie needs. He doesn't hesitate to step into a conversation to protect her when she's uncomfortable, but committed to being kind. Also, he is a dirty talker and he is good. at. it!
- The sweetness of the story - the nicknames, the protective nature they feel towards each other, the small town setting, soul mates, etc.

Quotes:
- "You're memorable enough already. You don't need to resort to violence."
- "Maybe I would help any stranger. But it's you I'm going this far for. Josie."
- "Perfection is subjective."
- "It was his dream to get married in a place like that." "His dream should have been getting married to you."
- "I don't care about firsts when I have you."
- "You have a life. You don't have a reputation. You have a heart that chose to believe in love. A beautiful mind that singled out every bad or ugly thing that came at you and stayed hopeful."
- "More of you that's just for me."
- "I deserve a reward. Even if small. Preferably from you. Ideas?"

This was a sweet and fun read!

I really enjoyed this, though it did take me some time to get into it at the beginning. I had a hard time relating to Josie but she eventually grew on me.

Matthew was adorable! I loved his humor and how he was obviously such a goner for Josie very early on. He also had a bit of a mouth on him, loved it!

Also, I loved every single glimpse of Adalyn and Cam, all loved up and happy!

Grandpa Moe was another great character, but I almost felt like the rest of the town kind of disappears into the background, no one else was particularly memorable.

Overall, this was a cute read and I definitely recommend if you read and enjoyed The Long Game (Adalyn's book)!

ELENA FREAKING ARMAS! She killed it with this one. I have loved all her other book and this was no excpetion!

Overall I'd definitely read this book again and I would recommend this book for fans of other romance books.I have received this ARC for an honest review, all thoughts/ opinions above are my own.

The Long Game #2, The Fiance Dilemma, is a truly swoon-worthy love story featuring Irish heart throb, Matthew Flanagan. This man makes the story, you'll be obsessed with his ability to make a women feel special. He's mastered the insight into a ladies heart. Armas has written the perfect man.

Josie, anxiety ridden, coffee shop owner and Mayor, meets man that gives her the room to shine. Matthew, along with his glasses, leaves her breathless at the sight him. Secretly he's obsessed over her, knowing one day she'd be his wife.

I'm throughly addicted to this series, this small town and its characters. This couples dynamics rival those from the first novel. Back-to-back five stars for the books in this seres.

Thank you Atria for the free ebook.

This authors just isn’t for me, and I have to accept that. I keep trying her books but they’re either bad, boring or annoying. It’s totally a me thing and I need to stop requesting them!!

I received a free ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.,

When I was approved for this book I was excited. I immediately got the first book and just ate that one right up. It was so good and the characters were great. Then I started this book and was like um did two different authors write this. Josie was soooo cringe at the beginning. To be honest I am rating it 3.5 stars rounded down because I did not feel her character was written at all like her character was in the first book. It was like she was completely different person. She finally became the Josie from the first book like 50% of the way through but for half the book to be just weird was well weird. Matthew was amazing. Now the writing......I felt like paragraphs and chapters were missing. I would literally page back to make sure I didn't accidently skip a page or something. Like when her sister is all upset all of a sudden its days later and you don't get any information on that until chapters later. There was no segway. That being said this was the first Elena book I didn't love so I will continue to read her though.

Such a cute romantic story!

I really enjoyed this one! I liked this one more than book 1 for sure. Matthew was my favorite of the whole book by far. He is so sweet, such a gentleman and so caring. He’s also goofy, funny, loving and very steamy book boyfriend. I really liked the aspect of fake marriage and how it brought them closer together.

Even though this story has been done tons of times, this one left me feeling happy and I would recommend this!

Thank you Atria for the advance copies. All opinions are my own.

The Josie depicted in The Long Game and the Josie depicted in The Fiance Dilemma are not the same character which I found to be so disappointing. I was really looking forward to a strong female main character. Instead I got a character that is an absolute mess that doesn't stand up for herself. Personally, I am tired of reading romances that feature women like this. Can women not be put together?

Unfortunately, The Fiance Dilemma is a DNF for me.