💐The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars

General Thoughts:
Wow, I genuinely have no words. I love all of Elena Armas’ books, but The Fiancé Dilemma quickly became my favorite. This book was sweet, spicy, hilarious, and such a fun read. Let me tell you, it got me right out of my reading slump. All of the characters are to die for, and I really loved the storyline. And Mr. Matthew Flanagan… Whew. That man is so hot and literally the sweetest ever. Moral of the story, please read this book!!

Tropes:
🌷Fake dating
🤍No 3rd act break-up
🌷Small town
🤍He falls first and harder
🌷Slow burn

What I loved:
🌷The entire book. I seriously was into it by the second chapter and my attention didn’t waver until I finished. I thought about t constantly even when I wasn’t reading 😂
🤍Matthew Flanagan. This man is blonde, wears glasses, and he’s literally the sweetest ever. What more could you want?
🌷Seeing Josie and Matthew’s relationship progress through the story and seeing them learn things about each other the entire time.
🤍Sort of a new twist on fake dating! It really isn’t my favorite trope, but Elena Armas put a fresh new spin on it I personally haven’t seen before, and I loved it!

Spice: 🌶🌶 2

Thank you so much to Elena Armas and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review <3

I have loved her writing since Spanish Love Deception. Her books are consistently good but they are missing growth in my opinion. They are fun, light hearted reads but nothing that will stay with me past the end. I want to feel a little more emotionally attached to the plot but this was more surface level fun.

You have to earn a reader’s trust early on - and, unfortunately, the Fiancé Dilemma just didn't do that.

I think many of us, myself included, gave this book more leeway because Armas had already earned our trust with another novel. And, before I go any further, you should know I gave The Spanish Love Deception 5-stars and it's still one of my top romance reads -- years later.

Having adored her other work, I am confused by this release. I wanted to love this one, but there was no amount of mental gymnastics that made the premise of this book plausible. Yes, it’s fiction - but, in the contemporary romance genre, there has to be something realistic that a reader can connect to (or at least understand the motivation behind). Not everything, but something we can understand.

Throughout the first few chapters I kept thinking, “exactly no one behaves like this" for both the FMC and MMC.  When the dialogue continued to make me cringe and neither of the main characters' motivations were clear, I had to DNF.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc. 5⭐️. This book was soo good i’m obsessed with anything Elena writes at this point. The fake engagement trope had me on the edge of my seat. One thing i do wish we got was an epilogue showing how Josie and Andrew fixed their father daughter relationship, besides that this book was perfect. The way she wrote Matthew in this book is amazing he’s those super sweet hopeless romantics from romcoms and i loved it. I also really liked that we got to hear what Cam and Ada had been doing since the book Long Game. This book quite literally had me giggling and kicking my feet. I can’t wait to read more of her books!

Your honor, I fell in love with Matthew and Josie and I fell hard!

“The Fiancé Dilemma” follows Josie Moore after a big messy misunderstanding results in Matthew Flanagan, her sister’s best friend, playing the role as doting fiancé to resolve a complicated PR issue. Despite the ring on her finger and Matthew not seeming to mind, Josie knows this is only temporary, even if the rest of the small town believes that the fifth times the charm.

This book found me when I needed it most! Having been introduced to Josie in “The Long Game”, I was excited to read from her point-of-view. Armas adds so much depth to her character and unsurprisingly I found myself connecting with Josie on a deep level as a result. I saw so much of myself in the way she prioritized the needs of other people over herself and overextended herself as the mayor of Green Oaks just because it is in her nature to lend a helping hand. Seeing her raw emotions laid out on the page as she grapples with her failed engagements becoming the topic of conversation in the media, her absentee father wanting to be a part of her life, and her mother’s passing is gut-wrenching, but also extremely validating. I think what makes her character so powerful is that she has the ability to make anyone who is struggling feel less alone and I love that about her.

Matthew truly showed up on Josie’s doorstep when she needed him most. Let me tell you…my heart belongs to this glasses-wearing man!!! He is not shy at all about how attracted he is to Josie (he practically worships the ground that she walks on) and I adore that about him. More than that though, I love how he makes sure Josie comes first. He has her back throughout their stunt, shows up for her in more ways than one, bakes for her, keeps her company, and, most importantly, loves her for who she is. He is perfect for her and watching Josie come to that realization on her own made my heart so full!

I am not kidding when I say that Matthew and Josie are my new favorite couple and that Green Oaks will always be my happy place. The array of characters and animals feel like home to me.

I enjoy a good Rom-Com!
From GR:
Josie Moore has given the opposite sex—and love—plenty of chances. Four exactly, if you count all her failed engagements, and five if you include the absentee father who kept her existence a secret until very recently. So when her father decides to announce his retirement with a splashy magazine piece about the family, Josie realizes her romantic history is a complicated PR issue.

This is #2 in the Long Game series.

I appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of the ARC. My review is based on the plot, and I look forward to providing more details on this review later.

This book is hot nonsense. There is absolutely no way any of this would happen. BUT I enjoyed the hell out of it. The characters were lovable, the small town setting is so fun, and Elena Armas always writes a great love story. Join me in suspending disbelief and enjoy some steamy silly gossip.

4 stars.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was pretty average. I have read many (all?) of Elena Armas books since the Spanish Love Deception and this was among my least favorite. I am not a fan of small town romance, so that may be why this and the previous book (The Long Game) were not as good (IMO) as her first two. Fairly interesting take on fake fiancé, but I found the female main character too oblivious and "quirky" and the book a bit too long overall. I probably won't read another small town romance by this author, but would be excited for a book with a plot more like the author's first two books.

"Beautiful things shouldn't be boxed. It eventually dims their light."

Tropes:
🐐 small-town romance
💍 engagement of convenience/fake dating
🥧 he falls first AND he falls harder
☀️ sister's best friend
🌼 slow-burn
🍓 no third-act breakup, HEA

I'm convinced that with each novel, Elena Armas' stories continue to get better and better. You will find yourself kicking your feet, smiling, and giggling- but most importantly falling in love right alongside the characters.

The Fiancé Dilemma is a spin-off book in The Long Game universe that can be read as a standalone. Josie Moore is the mayor of Green Oak and the secret sister of Adalyn, from TLG. She doesn't know that her father is actually a multimillionaire and now the whole world knows who she is... and the fact that she's been engaged four times. To maintain her reputation and protect her father's as well, Josie fakes an engagement with Matthew Flanagan, Adalyn's best friend, and Matthew has no choice but to go along with this fake engagement.

This romance novel is so refreshing. Josie is such a likable female protagonist, always looking out for those around her. She radiates love and joy like the sun. She's quirky and rambles adorably when she's nervous. Matthew is charming and hilarious. He was definitely my favorite character. He gives off golden retriever energy but man can that boy talk dirty too. I found myself heaving with laughter and blushing with every word that came out of his mouth.

So get ready to swoon and smile through every page:
"You're breaking my heart," Matthew murmured, his nose almost brushing my temple.
My body stilled, my mind quieting. "Why?" I whispered.
"Because I'm trying to flirt and you're not paying attention to me."

I love how these two connected with their humor and vulnerability. As cheesy as it is to say, these two are perfect for each other. Matthew's supportiveness, playfulness, and possessiveness will have all the readers swooning.

All I can say is prepare yourself for an enchanting romantic read! From the first page to the last, The Fiancé Dilemma will sweep you off your feet with heart-stopping one-liners, unforgettable characters, and a love story that lingers long after the final chapter.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars for The Fiance Dilemma. I didn't find anything wrong about this book, it was just 'average' for me and won't stand out to me for 2024. Those who like this author should definitely check it out.

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books and Elena Armas for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. The Fiance Dilemma publishes on July 30, 2024.

At first I was a little unsure about this book. There was a side character I didn't care for in a lot of the scenes. Plus it was a bit slow to start as they set up the fake engagement. But once it hit its groove, I was all in! I mean the chemistry between Josie and Matthew was absolutely insane. Like the smallest touch or look they shared gave me butterflies. Matthew was so dreamy with his flirty ways and constant attentiveness towards Josie. The guy would put his hand on her leg and I swooned. The nickname he gave her, ugh more swoon. His flirty and sweet one liners moved that man right up the book boyfriend list. Oh and she loved when he wore glasses. I really adored these two together!

For those of you like me who didn't love The Long Game, I definitely recommend reading this one. It's got Runaway Bride vibes and again....the chemistry was so good!

I have to say this is my favorite compared to the long game! So much palpable tension and a unique story line.

I loved A Spanish Love Deception, and this book did not disappoint. It starts with a fake engagement, then slowly the lines begin to blur. Josie and Matthew have wonderful chemistry and I enjoyed every swoon worthy moment of their banter: a wonderful summer read!

I SQUEALED when I received this arc because I am an Elena Armas STAN! I want to live eat breathe Green Oaks everyday! Loved this slow burn fake dating romance & can’t wait to add it to my bookshelf!

This was a super cute, quick and fun read. TSLD is still my favorite Armas book but this is a close second. I loved following Josie and Matthew’s story. Think runaway bride plus cinnamon roll and soul mate vibes.

I really really enjoyed the first in this series - the Long Game. So, I was super excited to receive an ARC of The Fiance Dilemma. I definitely felt more chemistry between Adalyn and Cameron than I felt between Matthew and Josie, but it was still a super fun read. I loved getting a more first hand account into Josie's quirkiness. I was also super happy to finally learn about Josie's four engagements that were briefly mentioned in book 1! Overall, I am now a big fan of Elena Armas and will be sh0rtly diving in to The Spanish Love Deception.

Great revisit of characters from the Long Game. It was a very slow burn. Loved Matthew and Josie together.

It took me a minute to get in to the story initially, but I grew to love and grow emotional with the main characters. Matthew and Josie were adorable and I felt all the things. That being said, it was definitely too domineering for my taste. Certain scenes took me out because I didn’t feel like it fit with the Matthew we knew out of the bedroom. But that’s all subjective. It wasn’t bad, those scenes just weren’t for me.

3.5/5

This book wasn’t perfect, but I did really like it. Honestly, I usually always like Elena Armas books! I also did like this a little more than The Long Game. Not to say I didn’t like the first book! However, this gave me MORE somehow than book one.

I think the beginning was great. The way Josie and Matthew first officially meet is just hilarious and I loved it. I really liked Josie’s character. She was so kind, down to earth, and hilarious. It was great seeing her work through her abandonment issues, but I also would have liked to have known more about what turned her into a Runaway Bride. I also liked seeing her work through finding out about her father. I feel like we got more of that with her than we did with Adalyn in the first book. I liked that we had more of the feelings fleshed out in this book.

Matthew was also so great. I liked him in the first book, but loved him in this. He was so supportive and protective of Josie. I loved that when no one else was putting Josie first he did. I also really loved the banter between him and Josie, and I felt like there was more chemistry between the main characters that I was really looking for in this book that I didn’t get as much of in the first book.

My main complaint was I really wanted more of Matthew’s POV. I kept expecting to get his POV since the first book was dual POV. I would have loved to know about what he was thinking and feeling.

Overall, this book was a really cute story and a quick fun read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this, but it fell short.

Armas is a gifted writer, but this is missing the spark that her books usually have. It felt a bit shallow.