Review: When We First Met (Forever Yours #0.5) by Cara Bastone

School’s out for the summer and public school teacher, Cat LaFievre, is ready to blow off some steam. A few nights of no-strings, mindless distraction with a sexy guy is exactly what she needs. Lucky for her, the perfect specimen lives across the hall from her. He’s gorgeous, a little ridiculous, and, according to a neighbor, very good at sex.

Quentin Foster has had a thing for Cat since they hit if off a few months ago. She’s smart, funny, and loves exploring the neighborhood—just like him. He thought he had a shot…until she admits she’s interested in hooking up with his clueless chick-magnet roommate.

Cat thought she needed a fling. But as their connection deepens, Cat realizes Quentin might be the real thing. Thing is, she may have ruined her shot with him…

Title: When We First Met (Forever Yours #0.5)

Author: Cara Bastone

Publisher: HQN Books

Publication Date: April 1, 2020

Review:

This is my second read by this author and I really enjoyed it. It was a stand alone. I know it's part of a series and now I intend to read that one!

I loved the attraction between the two main characters. It was obvious they would end up together but I loved watching their chemistry grow and bloom. Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes.

Bastone managed to develop the characters well considering the shortness of this story. I see the FMC appears in the first book, so it will be fun to get to see her again when I read that.

My only qualm with this one is that it was not longer! If you're looking for a short story with heart and great characters, plus a fun time watching them finally figure it all out, pick this one up!

Author:

Hi, I’m Cara!
I’m a full time writer living and writing in Brooklyn with my husband, son, and an almost-goldendoodle. My goal with my work is to find the swoon in ordinary love stories.

I’ve been a fan of the romance genre since I found a grocery bag filled with my grandmother’s old Harlequin Romances when I was in high school. I’m a fangirl for pretzel sticks, long walks through Prospect Park, and love stories featuring men who aren’t crippled by their own masculinity.

 

ARC Review: Friends to Lovers by Sally Blakely

Always each other’s plus-ones, but never each other’s real dates, two childhood best friends have one last summer wedding to fall in love in this dual-narrative debut. Available while supplies last, this stunning edition features designed sprayed edges!

One of The Washington Post’s ‘8 Romance Novels to Read this Summer’!

“Left me feeling desperately romantic. Prepare for a book hangover—I loved it.” —Annabel Monaghan, New York Times bestselling author of Summer Romance

Best friends Joni and Ren have been inseparable since childhood. So when Joni moves across the country for her job, the two devise a creative way to stay in they’ll be each other’s plus-ones every year for wedding season, no matter what else is happening in their lives.

It’s a tradition that works, until a line is crossed and the friendship they once thought was forever is ruined.

Now Joni is back at their families’ shared summer home for her sister’s wedding, and she’s determined to make the week perfect, even if it means faking a friendship with Ren—and avoiding the truth of why they have to fake it in the first place. How hard can it be to pretend to be friends with the person who once knew you best?

But as sunny beach days together turn into starry nights, Joni begins to question what her life is without Ren in it. And when the wedding arrives, bringing past heartaches to the surface, she’ll be forced to decide if loving Ren means letting him go, or if theirs is a love story worth fighting for.

“Your heart will explode when you read this book. I defy you not to fall in love with Joni and Ren.” —Tessa Bickers, USA Today bestselling author of The Book Swap

Perfect for fans The Summer I Turned Pretty and People We Meet on Vacation Reunion romances Forced Proximity Dual narratives & Single POV

Title: Friends to Lovers

Author: Sally Blakely

Publisher: Harlequin Trade Publishing/Canary Street Press

Expected Publication Date: 7/22/25

Review:

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing/Canary Street Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

If I didn't know better, I would have never thought this could possibly be a debut for this author. But it is. And what a fabulous job she did with it. I loved every single minute of this book. It made me laugh, cry, and want to smack the characters at times but all in a good way!

Ren and Joni have been best friends forever. Always each other's plus ones for weddings and experiencing so much together. Until a falling out puts an over two year rift in their friendship. But their families have no idea there's anything wrong. When Joni's sister is getting married, and they are all together once again, it's all Joni can do to keep her walls up around Ren, to keep her distance and not allow him back in. But her walls are really not as strong as she thinks they are, and her heart has never really given up hope that they can heal from what they have suffered through.

This book is a roller coaster ride of emotions. I loved the flashbacks that gave us the build up of the friendship between Ren and Joni. It created such a rich picture of their relationship and how it had formed, progressed, and then finally broken apart. 

Joni always tried to be perfect and happy with her job and her move away from her family. Even though she never truly felt she fit after moving from Oregon to NYC. But she doesn't want her family to think she's anything more than holding herself together given her history of panic attacks that tore her apart. She lives her whole life to ensure others don't worry about her. But she never worries about herself and what she actually needs and wants. She closes herself off from her family and friends because she thinks it will save them from anything complicated in her life but it only. causes them to worry more. And, even though Ren has always been the constant in her life, she she shuts him out when she thinks it's best for him, as well. I will say there were so many times I wanted to yell at Joni in this book. To tell her to look at what was right in front of her. To tell her to open her mouth and let others know how she feels. That showing those emotions and having moments of doubt or moments where she might fall apart are normal. That a balance between job and life is so very important but nothing is more important than your mental health. I know she had to learn it throughout the story but I did want to shake her and tell her to snap out of it. 

We see Ren through Joni's eyes. I just loved him so much. He is tender and real. You see his love for Joni. You see how much he cares about her. I normally like my romances to be dual POV, but this book was not about Ren. It was about Joni and who she is around all those around her. Especially Ren, who has always seen her and knows her better than anyone else. 

I loved all the secondary characters in this book. It was fun to watch how they were important in Joni's life and how they supported her, even when she thought she wasn't worthy of it. Each character helped us see Joni's frustrations that can come with family/found family. But also helped to see the comfort they can bring. There was never an interaction on the page that didn't showcase a move forward for Joni.

The beach house setting in this book is probably one of my favorite settings for romance. And the fact that the two families who own it together continue to vacation their yearly makes my heart so happy. I love tradition and the role it plays in how our lives and personalities are formed. Blakely did a great job with framing the atmosphere and making me really feel like I was at the beach watching this story unfold. 

If you're looking for a second chance romance with some forced proximity that's filled with humor and nostalgia, pick this one up. I'm really looking forward to whatever Blakely writes next!

Author:

Sally Blakely studied theatre, media arts, English, and education at The University of Montana. When she's not writing, she's reading, or making far too many playlists. She lives in Montana with her husband.

 

ARC Review: Unloved (The Undone #2) by Peyton Corinne

 

The highly anticipated follow-up to Peyton Corinne’s “unputdownable and unforgettable” (Bal Khabra, author of Collide) TikTok sensation Unsteady follows hopeless romantic Ro and player—on and off the ice—Freddy as their feelings for each other grow from strictly friendly to so much more.

Matt “Freddy” Fedderic is all smiles—at least on the surface. On the ice, he’s the star left winger for the Waterfell Wolves with a stellar reputation in bed and a potential future in the NHL. But in the classroom, he’s barely scraping by on a 2.0 GPA, retaking dropped classes and struggling with a rough mix of dyslexia, dyscalculia, and ADHD. Freddy had plans to enter the NHL draft at eighteen, but then his estranged father added a “graduation” clause to his inheritance, and now, he needs help to pass Biology with a professor who’s already betrayed him before.

Ro Shariff is a hopeless romantic with terrible luck in love—and now, Freddy’s new tutor. She keeps telling herself that she’s very happy with her on again/off again boyfriend, but Ro is desperate for real affection. As her tutoring sessions with Freddy lead to friendship and late-night phone calls, an undeniable heat begins to simmer between them, which they’re both trying desperately to ignore.

Although they are too protective of their newfound friendship to cross that line, Ro can’t stop thinking about how Freddy was her first kiss her freshman year at Waterfell, a spine-tingling moment seared into Ro’s memory that Freddy doesn’t seem to remember, and Freddy is determined to protect Ro from his reputation at all costs. Meanwhile, Ro wants to prove to him that despite what others have led him to believe, he’s worth more than his body. But maybe, just maybe, together they can learn how easily the right person can love every part of you, even your flaws.

Title: Unloved (The Undone #2

Author: Peyton Corinne

Publisher: Atria Books

Expected Publication Date: February 4, 2025

Review:

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I was super excited to read this next installment for Undone. I loved Freddy in the first book and I needed to know his story. And Corinne did a fabulous job with his story! While you could read this book as a stand alone, I really do insist you read the first book to get more context on the characters from this book and relationships with their friends.

Matt Fredderic does two things well: hockey and sex. His future hangs on him graduating from college. But his learning disabilities, which have not been dealt with, have continuously haunted him. I really love Freddy's set up. It truly shows how people can slip through the cracks and get by with grit and determination. Corinne addresses the learning disabilities with truth and honesty. She also shows how men can struggle with their emotions. Freddy is a people pleaser who doesn't feel he's worthy of love. My heart hurt for him for this entire book. He had no one to turn to, despite having friends and family. His need to feel loved is extremely prominent in the book. I was absolutely invested in him and his future. I wanted to jump in and help fight his battles. I wanted to show him he was worth so much more than he has told himself. I don't think I've ever been so emotionally invested in an MMC in a romance book as I was with Freddy.

Ro Shariff is also a people pleaser and a romantic. Her on again, off again relationship with her boyfriend is toxic and a abusive. But she can't seem to break away from it, despite his gaslighting and treating her as if she is always the one in the wrong. She struggles to feel seen and wanted for just who she is. She's lonely and a bit lost. But her heart is just so big. I love how she fought for Freddy this whole book. She made him feel seen and loved. Add to that her ability to infuse great banter into her stories and it was just so amazing to read! Plus her characters are so well developed. There wasn't a time I didn't understand or find the characters believable. This really added to the plot development and kept the story moving forward.

Corinne infused into this book a rawness you rarely see in romance books. The relationships between the characters are emotional and relatable. She also writes grief and healing very well. She builds the relationship with Ro and Freddy on raw feeling. It's a slow burn that is wroth every word written to get there.

Do I need the next story now? Yes, yes I do. It's going to be hard to wait, I will be honest. But I know Corinne will give that story what it needs and I'm excited to see what happens. If you want to read stories with heartfelt emotion, strong character development, and relatable situations, pick up Corinne's books!

Author:

Peyton Corinne is a writer of romances with imperfect characters, angst and lots of heart. Her stories come with a healthy dose of swoon and angst, of hurt and comfort, and—though it make take them some time, they always end with a happily ever after.

She has been writing since she was young, but is finally letting those stories live further than her notes app.

If she's not writing, she's probably making another cup of coffee, rewatching Twilight and frantically reading through her own endless TBR.

Peyton loves to laugh, but her books might make you cry.

ARC Review: Accidentally Amy by Lynn Painter

 

IT STARTED WITH A CUP…

Isabella Shay is usually a very honest person.

But when she’s running late for her first day at a dream job and the barista yells for “Amy” 3x with no answer, she does the unthinkable.

Izzy takes that PSL.

It’s the exact drink she ordered and paid for, only waaaay further ahead in the line, so she mutters “I’m Amy” and grabs the cup.

But when she turns around and runs directly into the most attractive man she’s ever seen, spilling the drink all over his GQ shirt and tie, she ends up having the ultimate meet-cute. Sparks fly and things feel beyond promising until he says the words, “See you tomorrow, Amy.”

Uh, oh – she’ll definitely have to straighten him out the following day.

Only when she gets to her new office and meets the VP of her department, it is none other than Blake Phillips - the hottie from Starbucks. And the man might’ve been charming to “Amy,” but he is an arrogant grump to Izzy, an arrogant grump who dos not find her explanation funny at all.

MEET CUTE + GRUMPY/SUNSHINE + FRIENDS-TO-LOVERS = ACCIDENTALLY AMY

Title: Accidentally Amy

Author: Lynn Painter

Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group

Expected Publication Date: January 14, 2025

Review:

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this title to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I was excited to see this title had been picked up by a major publisher. I love when indie stories go to print and reach the larger audience and get the recognition for the great tales they are.

I'm a big Lynn Painter fan. She is a go to author for me. I love her YA but I think I like her adult books even more. The romance is always done so well.

This one is a light hearted and easy read. The build up of romance between the two main characters is fun and realistic. Painter infuses the story with humor that had me laughing out loud many times during my read. The story line is nothing new and very much reminded me of the movie Working Girl, which I really enjoyed.

I loved both Izzy and Blake. I enjoyed their differences. His grumpy to her sunshine. Their romance was cute as it blossomed, though I did feel there was that slight bit of insta-love I don't always meld with. But it worked well in this particular story. There was a bit of push and pull with their relationship given their circumstances, as well. 

Painter got the pacing and banter spot on in this one, though. She really knows when to infuse the story with the lightheartedness is needs to break up those more intense moments.

This one does have a bit of a third act break up type thing to it but it is resolved fairly quickly. The circumstances under which is happens are understandable. I'm not sure I would have done what Blake did had I been in his shoes. I don't think my heart could handle it. 

If you're looking for a fun feeling, funny, and entertaining rom-com with friends to lovers, workplace romance, and grumpy sunshine and characters that are quirky and relatable, I highly recommend this one.

If you're looking for a fun feeling, funny, and entertaining rom-com with characters that are quirky and relatable, I highly recommend this one.

Author:

Lynn Painter is the international bestselling author of Better Than The Movies. She writes romantic comedies for both teens and adults, and when she isn't reading or writing, odds are good she’s guzzling energy drinks and watching rom-coms. 

Obscure facts that might make her sound interesting (but probably don't): 

*She is the step-aunt to one of the actors on Riverdale, even though she's technically only met him once and he likely wouldn't remember her. Hint: He starred in a movie with Yara Shahidi. And another one with Will Smith. His name rhymes with Barles Gelton.

*She can fit an entire cupcake in her mouth. BOOM.

*She threw up all over herself on the first day of 2nd grade.

*She once saw Kelsey Grammar hailing a taxi in Manhattan, so she's pretty much an NYC native who is best friends with celebrities.

*She has a one-inch vertical.

*Her love for spaghetti is brighter than the sun, stronger than The Rock.

*If you see her doing anything crafty, it isn't her; she has literally set things on fire with a hot glue gun and has the motor skills of a preschooler. No offense, preschoolers.

*Her 4th grade teacher moved her desk out into the hallway because she wouldn't shut up. Like, ever.

*She held the record at her elementary school for finding the most bats (vampire, not baseball) in a single year. The little dork located - and alerted authorities to - four potentially-rabid bats.*

So technically, if you think about it, she might've saved hundreds of lives with her nerditude. #hero

*She was the only one to ever find any bats because everyone else had better things to do at recess.

ARC Review: How My Neighbor Stole Christmas by Meghan Quinn

A new winter holiday, enemies-to-lovers romance, from the undeniably funny and always spicy, USA Today bestselling author, Meghan Quinn.

Living in a year around Christmas town has it's drawbacks. The caroling, the decorations, the insanely cheery spirit, it never disappears. It's why I like to hibernate away in my cave--I mean house--keeping a healthy distance from the holly jolly spirits.

And all was going according to plan until my nemesis, Storee Taylor, moved in next door to care for her Aunt Cindy. Without blinking, she turned my simple world into a real nightmare-before-Christmas, especially when she decided to enter the town Christmas Kringle contest - which she was determine to win.

Well guess what? Over my cold-hearted body.

There was no way I was going to let her win, not after the history we'd shared.

So despite my promise to myself of never participating in the sickening Christmas season, I entered the competition as well. That's right, I planned on beating Storee at her own game by pretending this grump’s heart grew three sizes this season.

And it was working until feelings between us started heating up.
We pretended to date.
We kissed.
And well, sparks flew from there.

Which led to one explosive night involving Christmas lights, the competition, and a ladder. Don't let me convince you who stole Christmas, I think you need to find out for yourself . . .

Review:

Thank you to Sourcebooks Bloom Books and NetGalley for providing me with an egalley of this title to read and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

I will be truthful and say I wasn't really ready for a Christmas story until I read this. Now I'm in the mood for all the Christmas tales!

I'll start by saying I am in love with this cover. I love the play on the Grinch so much. It's one of my all time favorite Christmas stories and I watch it every year. The story varies a bit from the original but it has many of the key elements that put you in the Christmas mood!

The romance between Storee and Cold is cute. There are some sexy scenes that made me a little hot under the collar, in a good way! I enjoyed the enemies to lovers vibe that turns into a friends to lovers vibe a bit later. From their backstory it was nice to see they realized there was more to their friendship over the years than just being acquaintances. I will say I would have liked to connect with the chemistry more. It seemed a bit forced to me, like there needed to be sexy so the author took it to the extreme to make it feel like a connection. 

The relationship between Cole and his best friend Max was odd to me at times. Many of the actions made me feel like they were more of a couple as opposed to best friends. And it would have been nice to hear more about Storee's job to get more background of what her life is like outside of Kringletown.

The plot of a Christmas type of competition was also fun. I loved watching all the groups complete the tasks and how each team decided to go about completing them. It really brought the Christmas spirit to the book! I love a town that is Christmas all year round. It's so much fun! And Quinn infuses a lot into the story: competition, love, romance, rivals, craftiness, and a surprise at the end! Also, the names of the characters were great. I loved how they matched up with my knowledge of the Grinch!

This is my second Quinn book and like the other I enjoyed her storyline, her writing, and most of her character development. I did feel this story was a bit longer than it needed to be so there were times when it dragged. And I would have liked to see more interaction with the two main characters and the other competitors. That would have given the story a little more tension. And the addition of a third point of view for one chapter was a little odd. I get why it was done but I honestly thought it could have easily been worked into the MMC's and FMC's points of view.

My favorite part of this book was the outside narrator. I loved the interaction with Cole. Though I was surprised Quinn didn't have the same interactions with Storee. 

If you're looking for a cute rom-com reimagining of The Grinch that reads like a Hallmark movie to put you in the Christmas mood, this one will do it.

Author:

Like me on FB: https://www.facebook.com/meghanquinna...

When I was in high school I occasionally read books but was consumed by other teenage things so I didn't take the time to appreciate a good book on a cloudy day, wrapped up in a blanket on the couch. It wasn't until I received a Kindle for Christmas one year that my world completely flipped upside down. When looking for books I came across the Contemporary Romance genre and was sold and I haven't turned back since.

You can either find my head buried in my Kindle, listening to inspiring heart ripping music or typing away on the computer twisting and turning the lives of my characters while driving my readers crazy with anticipation.

​I currently reside in beautiful Colorado Springs where the sun is always shining and there is a trail waiting to be hiked on every corner. I share a lovely and warm home with the love of my life and my five, four-legged children.

 

ARC Review: The Break-Up Pact by Emma Lord

 

Two best friends who haven’t spoken in ten years pretend to date after break-ups with their respective exes go viral, in this delightfully fun and deeply emotional novel.

June and Levi were best friends as teenagers—until the day they weren’t. Now June is struggling to make rent on her beachside tea shop, Levi is living a New York cliché as a disillusioned hedge fund manager and failed novelist, and they've barely spoken in years.

But after they both experience public, humiliating break-ups with their exes that spread like wildfire across TikTok rabbit holes and daytime talk shows alike, they accidentally make some juicy gossip of their own—a photo of them together has the internet convinced they're a couple. With so many people rooting for them, they decide to put aside their rocky past and make a pact to fuel the fire. Pretending to date will help June’s shop get back on its feet and make Levi’s ex realize that she made a mistake. All they have to do is convince the world they're in love, one swoon-worthy photo opp at a time.

Two viral break-ups. One fake relationship. Five sparkling, heart-pounding dates. June and Levi can definitely pull this off without their hearts getting involved. Because everyone knows fake dating doesn’t come with real feelings. Right?

Title: The Break-Up Pact

Author: Emma Lord

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Expected Publication Date: August 13, 2024

Review:

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give my honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
What happens when your childhood best friend who you crushed on in high school suddenly reappears in your life? June is struggling to make her business work after her sister died and her boyfriend broke up with her very publicly shooting her into internet stardom. When her childhood best friend Levi has a similar experience with his girlfriend, they end up in each other's orbit and hatch a plan as revenge-exes to help Levi win his girlfriend back and June get her business where it needs to be so she won't lose it. Along the way, old feelings come back to the surface and June realizes she never truly got over Levi. And the fake dating is just showing her that her heart may be broken all over again. But Levi is holding on to a secret of his own about June. Fake dating doesn't mean falling in love, right?
This is my first Emma Lord book. I have always heard great things about this author and I was excited to jump in and see what her writing was all about. Plus, I love a second chance romance and a friends to lovers trope!
Right from the start I knew I was going to fall in love with these characters. Their chemistry shows through in the first pages of the book when their friendship is rekindled. And, of course, their past is crucial to how they act together while fake dating. There's no denying they both are holding on to the secrets of the past which, of course, they don't talk about.
June is a great character. She smart and not afraid to go after what she wants, or at least what she thinks she wants. But her heart is tied up in her business because it was the one she and her sister Annie, who died two years ago, built together. June is insistent on keeping the business just as Annie wanted it and is afraid to move forward or change things in a way that may help her business thrive. She holds on to the past because she feels if she lets go, she's forgetting Annie and not living up to what her sister would have wanted for her. I felt for June the entire book. She had such a hard time doing things that would make her happy because she felt beholden to the things of the past. At times, I wanted to give her a little nudge and a "snap out of it" smack so she could see what was right in front of her. She settled for so much with her ex and how they lived their lives. She never let herself live the way she wanted to. Always conforming and worrying about not being what others wanted her to be. Such a hard mold to break out of.
Levi was similar in how he was living his life. Doing things he needed to make sure his family was ok. Settling for someone he thought would make him happy. But he, too, was holding on to things from the past. Things he never told June. Annie was his best friend and that relationship was so special for him. But she was angry with him for choosing the path he took.
I did adore Sana, June's best friend. She pushed June to do better and be better. She helped June find herself a bit and wasn't afraid to point out June's flaws. She was the perfect BFF.
The pacing of the book is great. I will admit, the first few chapters are a little slow to build. But I liked that Lord didn't jump right into the meat of the relationship between the FMC and MMC. She gave us some background to help build it up. Lord easily transition from one chapter to the next as the relationships between the characters are revealed. I didn't want to put the book down because I was invested in how June and Levi would make their relationship work. Each chapter revealed more of their past together which helped shape their current relationship. Lord easily incorporates all the what ifs many adults face in life. What if I wasted my time with this person? What if I chose the wrong career path? What if you cannot find a place where you belong? These are all compelling and important aspects of being an adult and choosing a path that makes sense for you. While Lord does incorporate some rom-com into her book, this one is definitely has a more serious tone to it. The exploration of life and the questions that come with it are of great importance in how the story plays out.
So why did I not give this book 5 stars? A few reasons. First, I would have seen more build up of the relationships outside of Levi and June. I would have liked to see more flashbacks of June and Annie, considering how close they were, to solidify their relationship. Rather than June telling us how close they were. I also would have liked to see more of a relationship build between June and her brother Derrick. June touches on the fact that she doesn't really allow Derrick to get close to her. That even though one of her siblings has died, she neglects to see the other one who is standing right in front of her and going through the same struggles of grief she is feeling. My second reason this does not get 5 stars is I really would have liked to see Levi's POV. We get his whole personality and character development from what June tells us and I just feel like there could have been so much more to him if we saw things through his eyes. Finally, I'm not a huge fan of the miscommunication trope. I know it happens, that's life. But it was stretched through the entire book and it kind of annoyed me that these once best friends could not come to terms with how things went down in high school. Even after 10 years. They buried it under the rug and I felt like they almost refused to bring it back to the surface, even though they both know it's what has been holding them back for 10 years from being happy. They both know it but it takes until the end of the book for them to talk about it. I just felt this was a bit childish and would have liked to see it brought out into the open earlier and then worked through to help their characters heal through the story.
Overall, I truly enjoyed this. It made me laugh, cry, hurt my heart a bit. And I liked that Lord did not make it easy for the characters to be together. She puts many obstacles in their paths along the way that help show their growth and development. Readers who love Christina Lauren and Tessa Bailey and a solid heart-warming story will enjoy this title.

Author:

Emma Lord is the NYT bestselling author of YOU HAVE A MATCH and TWEET CUTE, a BuzzFeed market editor, and dessert gremlin living in New York City, where she spends whatever time she isn’t writing either running or belting show tunes in community theater. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a major in psychology and a minor in how to tilt your computer screen so nobody will notice you updating your fan fiction from the back row. She was raised on glitter, a whole lot of love, and copious amounts of grilled cheese.

ARC Review: The Fiancé Dilema (The Long Game #2) by Elena Armas

 

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 Insider) The 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.

Title: The Fiancé Dilemma (The Long Game #2)

Author: Elena Armas

Publisher:

Expected Publication Date: July 30, 2024

Review:

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me with an egalley of this book to read and give my honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Josie  Moore has given love a chance and failed, many times. When her estranged father decides to announce his retirement very publicly, she realizes she may cause him a PR nightmare. Matthew Flannagan is out of a job and trying to find himself. When he gets stuck in the mud, literally, he goes in search of his best friend's sister. But he falls into her orbit and gets drawn into a fake fiance scheme. Matthew doesn't mind helping Josie out by becoming her fifth fiance. But neither realize their fake arrangement might very easily turn into something very real.

If you read the first book in this series, The Long Game, you met both Josie and Matthew. It's no wonder Armas wanted to tell their story after introducing them to us!

I enjoy Armas's books. They are cute and fast reads. The romance is always fun with good chemistry and just the right amount of angst. Her pacing keeps me wanting to turn the pages and find out exactly what happens next. And her stories do not rely only on spice, there are emotional aspects that she always hits on that are important to the characters. She also knows how to weave in a good amount of comedy, making me giggle throughout the story. But she also has a knack for giving you realistic drama and characters that are relatable. 

Josie is definitely wounded when it comes to love. She's fighting abandonment issues which have lead her to leave a few fiances at the alter in the past. I really enjoyed watching her realize what her needs are when it comes to love. She's also fiercely independent. She's made her way in the world without a father, since he did not acknowledge she existed until recently, and essentially without a mother since she died when Josie was quite young. Matthew is our golden retriever main man. He's the perfect mix of sexy, smart, and protective. He is very tender and yet, underneath his good boy exterior lingers this seductive and spicy side that is brought out when he and Josie are together. And his patience, oh man does he have that when it comes to Josie. So willing to let her take the lead and give her whatever she needs to be comfortable with him.

One thing I will mention is Aramas's writing style. Even though I've read several of her books, I fell like every time I start one I have to get used to it. It comes across as just a bit choppy at times which is hard on a romance for me. I was happy she included a chapter from Matthew's POV at the end. However, I'm not really sure what the point of it was. I wish we had his POV the entire time. I feel like I would have gotten to know him much better if I were inside his head a bit.

The story was a delight to read. It's not my favorite by Armas but I'd would recommend it to anyone who loves a slow burn, quirky romance.

Author:

Elena is a Spanish writer, a self confessed hopeless romantic and a proud book hoarder. Now, she's also the author of International bestseller and soon to be adapted to film The Spanish Love Deception; and instant New York Times bestsellers The American Roommate Experiment and The Long Game. Her books are being translated to over 30 languages–which is bananas, if you ask her.

She hopes her stories make your heart skip a beat or two, your palms a little sweaty, and your cheeks flush in that rosy pink that makes other people want to peek at the page you are reading.