💜 Small Town Romance
💜 Sister's Best Friend
💜 Fake Engagement
💜 He Falls First and Harder
💜 Quirky FMC
💜 Golden Retriever MMC
💜 Swoony Nickname
💜 Complex Family Dynamics
💜 Cameos from the leads in The Long Game

This was such an adorable small town, engagement of convenience romance! Josie is has been engaged 4 different times and for *reasons* has never gotten married. After a PR issue arises due to her famous father, she pretends to being engaged for a 5th time. This time, it's to her sister's best friend, Matthew.

Josie is a quirky and caring female lead who does it all for the small town she loves. Literally, as she's the small coffee shop owner, mayor, and events chairperson. She has a complex relationship with her father who suddenly thrusts her into the spotlight and her life gets turned upside down. After a comical start, Matthew comes in to help save her from the social media pariahs. I absolutely adore Matthew and he became a major book boyfriend contender! He's compassionate, loyal, and not afraid to stand up to people. He falls first and hard for Josie all the while keeping composed and having the patience of a saint, especially with some of Josie's off the wall antics. This is a slow burn romance but Matthew is a KING at flirting and edging. And when the spice hits-🥵. Just the right kind and amount of dirty talk!

Note: This is a spinoff from The Long Game but can be read as a standalone.

Thank you so much to Atria Books and NetGalley for my advanced copy in return for my honest review!

The Fiance Dilemma is the exact type of book I'd expect from Armas these days. It's fun and quirky with a miscommunication trope that doesn't lean too hard into the lack of communication we see so often. Josie was an endearing character we met in The Long Game and getting more of her backstory was a treat, and to mesh that with Matthew, who had previously also only had a supporting role, was a blast. I think if you go into this book looking for quirky fun you won't be disappointed. I'm also a sucker for the nickname "sweetheart".

A huge thank you to Atria books, Simon & Schuster, & NetGalley for the #gifted eARC 💛

Ratings (out of 5):
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25 & 🌶️🌶️.5/5

“He was my sisters’s best friend. A person with a life, that I’d pulled into my mess.”

The Fiancé Dilemma was my first Elena Armas novel and it did not disappoint! This story is an interconnected standalone with The Long Game, and while you don’t have to read that story before reading the Fiancé Dilemma, I’d recommend it. There are some spoilers for that story that directly connect to the Fiancé Dilemma. You can definitely enjoy this story on its own (I did!), but I’ll probably go back and read The Long Game at some point.

“Beautiful things shouldn’t be boxed. It eventually dims their light.”

Elena Armas’ characters are absolutely DELIGHTFUL! Josie is this sweet, innocent mayor of a small-town who through miscommunication and error ends up fake-engaged to her sister Adalyn’s best friend Matthew. Matthew is this sexy, nerd who has Josie’s back throughout this crazy plan. He was nothing like I expected (he has QUITE a way with words 🥵😂👀). The fact that Matthew becomes Josie’s biggest supporter throughout the story was such a treat to see. It’s a slow burn, BUT WORTH IT 👌🏻🔥

Romance aside, the author’s writing style is a breeze to read, and I enjoyed how she balanced both the romance with Josie’s journey to self discovery. Josie has a complicated relationship with her estranged father and goes from being passive to embracing her life and her past. I always love reading stories that balance both characters with good arcs and romance!

💍 I cannot wait to read Elena Armas’ other books! I had so much fun reading The Fiancé Dilemma—it was like watching a Hallmark movie. If you love small-town romances and the fake dating trope, you should check out The Fiancé Dilemma! 💍

I can’t tell you how much I was looking forward to Josie and Matthew story. I love Josie’s quirky awkwardness that had me laughing out loud!! Matthew is the sweetest most understanding man that I couldn’t help but getting caught up in their fake engagement and the craziness then ensues!!

I’ve enjoyed a lot of Elena Armas’s novels and know many of the characters in this book. Despite that I had kind of a tough time grasping and believing the connection that was developing between Matthew and Josie. Friends definitely, but the chemistry felt a little forced and the pace of the story a little too quick.

I do love a small town romance with quirky characters and fun gossip but the feeding frenzy established by the paps and bloggers kind of left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I didn’t enjoy this one as much as I thought I would but still like this author a lot and look forward to a new setting and new characters to get to know.

SO FREAKING CUTE!!! everything a fake engagement book should be. Matthew is so freaking swoon. the slow burn is everythinggggg!

Josie learned that she had an unknown sister when Adalyn came to town, forcing their father to recognize her as well. But for him, having a secret love child he's never acknowledged is a PR nightmare, especially when Josie's had not one but four broken engagements. Enter Bobbi Shark, PR consultant and Josie's worst nightmare when she catches her wearing an ex's ring. She just needs a fake fiance to get Bobbi off her back.
Recently fired and ashamed to tell his family, Matthew arrives in Green Oak to visit his best friend Adalyn only to make a wrong turn and get his car stuck in the mud. When he tries to find help, a crazy woman in a bathrobe covered in jam and bleeding claims that he's her fiance. She seems desperate so he agrees to go along with it. Things get complicated after he realizes she's his best friend's sister and he's starting to have real feelings for her. But how can they find something real when they started this relationship all backward?
If you like the Julia Roberts movie Runaway Bride, you'll love this book. Josie even sarcastically references the movie when describing her fiance situation! Despite their whirlwind wedding planning and crazy meet cute, this is a slow burn romance where you can tell Matthew is falling easy before Josie ever does. Matthew had issues with her narcissistic father in the previous book with his best friend Adalyn, so I loved how protective he was of Josie right from the start.
I've loved this author ever since I discovered The Spanish Love Deception on Booktok, so I was so excited to get an early ARC. Matthew Flanagan is no Aaron Blackford with his sexy silent smolder, but Matt's goofy cheer, sarcastic jokes, and dirty talk are a close second. And those glasses...pheeww! Looking forward to whatever she writes next.
Thanks to Atria Books through Netgalley for the advance copy of this book. The opinions in this review are my own and given voluntarily.

I DNF’d this book at 20%
From the very beginning, the FMC was kinda offputting, but I thought it would get better and in the 20% that I read she didn’t. Then on top of that, I feel like in a story like this dual point of view would have been better because when we meet the MMC, and the FMC is essentially pushing this marriage of convenience scheme on him, It would’ve been nice to hear his point of view. Especially because he was so against it. The FMC was so desperately pushing this marriage of convenience scheme when the MMC said no multiple times. He didn’t allude to being uncomfortable, he was uncomfortable. He was very clear that he did not want to do it and the FMC knew that and she put him in a position he clearly did not want to be in. It was very uncomfortable. And then, with the lack of dual point of view from the MMC’s character once the scheme gets a bit underway, There’s this tension between the two and these lusty feelings that feel like they came slamming out of nowhere, the lusty feelings that she was having toward the MMC honestly didn’t make any sense. They came on so fast and not in an Insta love kind of way, but just weirdly intense feelings with no reason behind them and since the story is only told from one perspective, it feels one sided. I read a lot of reviews and all the issues that I have don’t seem to get better as you read so I didn’t bother.

This book is my new favourite of Elena Armas and that says a lot because I loved The Spanish Love Deception so much. The Fiancé Dilemma changed my favourite trope from enemies to lovers to fake engagement/fake marriage. This book was EVERYTHING! I loved the sexual tension between Josie and Matthew. And what's even better? There is no third act break up which is so refreshing to see. Both characters grew so much and it was so nice to read a book that I looked forward to reading every day when I woke up. Huge FIVE STARS for The Fiancé Dilemma! Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC in an exchange for an honest review.

"Fiance Dilemma" by Elena Armes is a GEM in the world of romance books. What truly stole my heart was Matthew—he’s not your typical romantic male character. His kindness and understanding set him apart, and the way he TECHNICALLY falls for Josie before even meeting her is both endearing and refreshing. Elena Armes crafts a narrative that's as much about emotional depth as it is about love. The story isn’t just about romance; it's about genuine connection and the beauty of finding someone who understands you completely. "Fiance Dilemma" resonated with me on so many levels, and Matthew’s character will stay with me long after the last page.

This was giving 2024 small town, meets social media, meets runaway bride.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Ohhhh Matthew 🫠🥵 I’ve added a new book boyfriends (and he is blonde!!! 😱) The slow burn for this was deliciously torturous 🔥 The wine tasting, the butcher shop, the real first kiss 🤯

If you love:
🌸Fake Engagement
🌸Second chance
🌸SLOWWW burn
🌸Sisters best friend
🌸Small town
🌸Newfound family

Give this one a try!

This was a full cast of lovable (and not so lovable characters.) I envision her estranged father (who has now popped back into her life) to look like Chuck Bass’s dad.

A classic Romcom that just hit the spot 🌸

#fiancedilemma #elenaarmas #romcom #romcombooks #bookreview #arcreview #arcreviewer #booklover #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #booksta #bookish #atriabooks #simonandschuster #netgalley

This was so good.

The side characters. The setting. Everything about this was so enjoyable.

Can we talk about Matthew? I am a sucker for a MMC that wears glasses 😂 and one that has a dirty mouth is 🔥

His and Josie’s chemistry was so electric. I loved how he helped her grow and see her worth. And she was just flat out funny. I loved how awkward she was.

Another hit from Elena Armas (even though slightly too long)

thank you Atria, Goodreads, and NetGalley for the digital and paperback ARC's.

I like how close Adalyn and Josie were the entire time, and how much they cared about each other's feelings. I'm obsessed with how Josie and Matt's story progressed, and the way that they eventually caved and professed their love towards each other. It took me a long time to finish this book because I genuinely didn't want it to end, I'm sad that it's over now. I hope book five is in the works, I need more of Elena's writing in my life.

I’m so glad I read this even though the author’s past releases haven’t been the best for me since The Spanish Love Deception. However, this book brought back all the feelings I felt during her debut. The Fiancé Dilemma is wildly different, of course aside from the fake dating, but I was so enjoyable. I was just what I needed during a book slump.

The characters are so fun to read about, and honestly the whole romance was top tier. I had a hard time figuring out why I was having such a hard time getting into romances recently, but now that I read this, I know I needed some lighthearted fun with characters I could relate to and swoon over.

The pacing was wonderful and but the third act, I knew that this was five stars.

Welcome back to Green Oak! I knew for a minute they popped up in The Long Gam that Matthew and Josie would be the main couple in the next book. As always Elena Armas writes delightful banter between our couples. That’s what keeps me coming back to her books. Quick summary – Josie, who’s been previously engaged four times is now pretending to be engaged to Matthew in her attempt to reconcile with her long lost father. I have to say the only thing I didn’t like about this book was the emphasis on Josie‘s father, considering he was an absolute jerk to her her whole life. He didn’t deserve any of her care. But I did like how the shenanigans brought Josie and Matthew together!

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

Absolutely loved it! Such a cute story! I was giggling so much! The story was very interesting and I loved the characters. I could hardly put it down

I love love loved this book it was such a great read I thoroughly enjoyed it very much!! such an awesome read!!

Thank you so much for this wonderful book! I loved Josie and Matthew story!! The book was so good I couldn’t put it down! I enjoyed every chapter, the characters were amazing and very transparent. They felt so real. Josie and Matthew truly have my heart! I have to confess I have read TSLD and TARE but I haven’t read The long game so all the characters were new for me. But I have to say that I ended up loving Cam and Adalyn too. This whole town was so cozy and peaceful, I could live there, I really would laugh at every gossip in town.
Josie and Matthew are beautiful together I love them so much! I knew it from the beginning that they would have a beautiful love story. I am so excited for Elena’s next book! I’m already excited cause I love her books and her beautiful characters <3 this book was truly amazing. So thank you again for providing it for me!!!

The Fiancé Dilemma (Book #2 The Long Game)

By Elena Armas-an auto-buy author for me

📅Publication 7-30-24, Read 7-29-24

📄E-book 428 pgs.

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for this ARC💛 ! I voluntarily give an honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Rom-Com, Adult/Women's Fic

Tropes: fake engagement, small town, slow burn, sister's BFF, found family

🌎Setting: Green Oak, NC

Summary: Josephine "Josie" Moore is the voluntarily mayor of Green Oak, NC, but she's most known for her four failed engagements. Her estranged father Andrew Underwood, a multimillionaire business mogul, announces his retirement via a magazine piece about his family, His PR strategist Bobbi Shark comes to visit Josie to clean up her romantic failures, but she mistakes Matthew Flanagan as Josie's fiancé 5#.

Matthew Flanagan is Josie's sister Adalyn BFF. He has just been fired from his job and wrecks his car in Green Oak, North Carolina. Looking for a place to stay, he's drawn into Josie's drama.

A misunderstanding turned into an arrangement, Matthew agrees to be Josie's temporary fiancé , but as they grow closer will they be able to break things off so easily?

🤔My Thoughts: I loved the interactions between Josie, Matthew, and Bobbi-the no nonsense executive hired by Andrew to manage Josie's wedding. Josie told Matthew about the other grooms-to-be and what went wrong, while Matthew kept his job a secret. Josie had daddy issues, but she just wanted someone to care about her. Her mother died when she was 17 and she was raised by Grandpa Moe-not her real grandfather-but close enough. After about 200 pages things go on a weird tangent with a rooster named Sebastian Stan, a Josie/Matthew deli hook-up, and advice from 11-year-old Maria -a random guest at her rehearsal dinner. The story really lost me there because things could have been resolved around the 200-250 page mark. I didn't see why Josie was so worried about embarrassing her father who hasn't reached out to her. His involvement with her was only to keep his reputation intact.

Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I don’t remember being a Josie fan in The Long Game but I can say for sure I was not a Josie fan at the beginning of The Fiancé Dilemma. I know she is supposed to be charming in a messy way but I’m just not a fan. Andrew is completely awful but there wouldn’t be a story without him so he’s a necessary evil.

Matthew really confused me for most of the book. He was very (reasonably) reluctant to go with Josie’s crazy scheme but somewhere along the way he’s all in. This arc was redeemed by the end but it left me skeptical most the journey. I know this is typical of the genre to stretch realism which is why I tried not to be overly skeptical.

This is a pretty good take on a runaway bride story. Some of it is over the top but there’s plenty of warm and fuzziness to make up for it.