Fake Engagement at Its Best!
5
The Fiancé Dilemma Book Cover The Fiancé Dilemma
Elena Armas
Contemporary Romance, Romantic Comedy
Atria Books
July 30, 2024
Ebook, Paperback, Audiobook
432

A fake engagement, second chances, and newfound family members come together in this new romance from the New York Times bestselling author of the “swoon-worthy” (Business InsiderThe Spanish Love Deception.

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 her no-longer-absentee father. Nonetheless, when the influential man decides to announce his retirement with a splashy magazine piece and Josie learns that her romantic history isn’t great PR for the family, she jumps at the chance to offer a solution.

Matthew Flanagan is in the mud. Literally. Not only has he been fired from his job, but after taking a wrong turn on his way to Green Oak, North Carolina, his car is stuck. So, he grabs a duffel bag with his essentials and goes in search of a place to crash until he gets his life (and vehicle) back on track. But instead, he stumbles upon his best friend’s sister, Josie, greeting him as her fiancé.

What starts as a big misunderstanding quickly turns into a fake engagement, with Matthew playing the role of the doting fiancé as he and Josie are swept into a PR whirlwind. The ring on Josie’s finger makes her stomach turn, but she knows this is only temporary. They have rules in place, and one of them is that no matter what, there will be no exchange of “I dos.” But that’s easier said than done, as lines soon start to blur, and the rest of the small town comes to believe the fifth fiancé is truly The One.

A sunshine/sunshine, he-falls-first, small town romance

Elena Armas’ The Fiancé Dilemma follows her successful book, The Long Game, yet stands on its own as a novel. Reading Armas for the first time, I found myself quickly falling for her writing. The story centers on Josie, who juggles her roles as a mayor and coffee shop owner in a small North Carolina town and is the newly discovered daughter of one of the nation’s wealthiest and most prominent businessmen. Striving to maintain a low profile, Josie is thrust into the spotlight when her father’s PR strategist, Bobbi Shark, shows up on her doorstep. Daddy’s reputation isn’t looking great after some podcasters dug up Josie’s history of leaving four separate guys at the altar. But a wedding that finally reunites father and daughter (and addresses her so-called issues with commitment and abandonment) will fix everything, right? Except that Josie doesn’t have a new fiancé. Enter Matthew Flanagan, her sister’s best friend and a fresh arrival from Chicago. What we have next is a fake engagement that is both sweet and swoony.

Elena Armas is a delight to read. Not only are the characters relatable and the setting quaint, but the writing is just funny. I smiled throughout this book and laughed out loud multiple times. Armas writes Josie and Matthew in a quirky and witty manner that is not over-the-top silly.

An image of a baby pig in a barn
Photo credit Brett Sayles on Pexels.com

Based on how my lower belly had perked at the sight, I seemed to be into glasses-wearing men holding tiny farm animals. Which shouldn’t be surprising. I loved tiny farm animals. I’d just never felt this invested in a pair of arms holding them. Much less, arms belonging to a blond man.

I didn’t think I’d ever date a blond. Not that I was dating one now. I —

I was probably ovulating.

Plus, it’s rare to find a character as flirty and charming yet as genuine as this Mr. Sunshine MMC. Matthew might start as Josie’s sister’s best friend, but he soon becomes one of Josie’s dearest friends too. He invests time to understand her, to truly see her, and to show her she’s valued. Initially, his vulnerability and support overwhelm and unsettle Josie, who truly does think she is something broken to be fixed. But — boy — once they connect, the chemistry is undeniable.

But didn’t he understand? How terrifying it was for me to peek my head out? Especially when it was him on the other side. Especially when he saw so much, knew so much, was so deep into the tangle I was.

I give Elena Armas’ The Fiancé Dilemma an easy 5-stars. It was a great summer read or, in general, a great contemporary romance to indulge in at any time.

This book was provided in exchance for an honest review graphic