This is one of my favorite tropes and Ms. Simone did a great job with this book! That delicious push and pull, that banter..definitely all the elements are there. This book was a delicious treat! You can never go wrong with a Naima Simone Book!

Loved, loved loved this book, this was just super amazing Naima Simone did an amazing job with it, this is why I love all of the Harlequin Books!

Trust Fund Fiance is part of the Texas Cattleman’s Club: Rags to Riches series and like everything else from Naima Simone, it is a steamy delight.

Reagan Sinclair is the heir to receive of her grandmother’s trust fund money. Only problem is, she either has to wait one year or be married to receive the money. She works with a charity that supports pregnant teens and doesn’t want to wait another year to be able to commit to her work full-time. The solution comes to her in the form of Ezekiel Holloway, her long-time friend, with whom she arranges a marriage of convenience.

Zeke agrees to marry Reagan in the hopes of helping his family overcome a crushing scandal, so it’s a win-win for everyone, if only they can keep those pesky romantic feelings from threatening to tank their best-laid plans.

Reagan and Zeke both come from a place of deep hurt involving their families, especially Reagan, who has her own secrets that her family won’t let her forget. The emotional journey for these characters is to arrive at a place where they can share these traumas, leaning on their long friendship as well as their mutual feelings to achieve a happy ending that is deeply satisfying.

Naima Simone is one of the best at writing complex characters and sexy situations in the tight space of a category romance. While this novel reads well as a standalone, it’s part of a shared universe featuring contributions from multiple authors (The Texas Cattleman’s Club: Rags to Riches). Simone does a great job of incorporating compelling secondary characters and fusing her story with the larger storyline, and never leaves you wondering what’s happening.

ARC provided by NetGalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

FULL REVIEW ON FRESH FICTION
Naima Simone continues to be a refreshing and riveting voice in contemporary romance! TRUST FUND FIANCE, part of the Texas Cattleman’s Club: Rags to Riches continuity series, is a glamorous and emotional story about two friends unexpectedly falling in love. Their undeniable attraction is obvious from the start, but they both decide to fake an engagement and short marriage to get ahead in life--Reagan wants to be independent of the expectations of her family and Ezekiel wants to help a friend and the reputation of his family. Reagan has a well-developed backstory that adds depth to the high expectations set on her by her formidable father. Zeke’s motivations took longer to come into focus, but once he’s honest with himself and Reagan, he was a great romance hero. Their chemistry is off the charts, the elite and wealthy of Royal, TX, is fully on display, and readers will root for these two to get together--for real--in the end.

Meddling parents, an inheritance and a mistake from the past that Reagan can't escape will force her to do something she never imagined.

Naima writes stories about strong women overcoming their past, defying the odds and finding their happy-ever-after.

The romance sizzles and the writing is blissful.

3.5/5

Naima Simone is a talented storyteller. Her romance novels are always full of the best kind of angst and the emotional intensity hits all the right notes for me. When I discovered that Trust Fund Fiancé was a marriage-of-convenience, a god-tier trope, in my opinion, I knew I had to read the book. Zeke and Reagan were both beautifully written characters.

For such a short story, I was surprised by how much room the author had to explore the depths of their characters. Reagan has grown up feeling stifled by her father's expectations of her. She had dreams of her own that she was unable to pursue them because he was also controlling the inheritance her grandmother has left her. This was where the marriage-of-convenience came in and for the most part, I thought it was executed well. The chemistry between Zeke and Reagan was scorching and the emotional intensity palpable in every scene they shared. There was a comfort level that they grew between each other that made their relationship extra swoony. That being said, there were times when I felt like the emotional baggage the two characters came with often overshadowed the romantic arc. I think if this book had been longer, it would have potentially allowed the author to explore their baggage on a deeper level without taking away from the romance.

Ultimately, I still found Trust Fund Fiancé to be a good book and I definitely recommend it to readers who enjoy this trope.

I always know when I see a new release by Naima Simone, I'm gonna need a lot more coffee the next day, but the book hangovers are always worth it.
From the Rags to Riches series, Naima pens a saucy, friends to lovers story about two people who want freedom and are willing to help each other get their dreams come true.
Only pivoting where neither of them imagined: falling in lust then love before a family scandal rocks their plans.
Naima expertly helps the characters navigate the pitfall of an impulsive decision as they figure out not only their emotions, but if the original initial goals were truly what they each wanted.

I featured this book on San Antonio Living book picks: https://news4sanantonio.com/sa-living/spooky-reads-to-get-in-the-halloween-spirit

*I received a copy of this book for an honest review

The Story in 4 Sentences or Less: Reagan needs her inheritance to gain her freedom from her parents and the life they've picked out for her so her friend Ezekiel Holloway comes up with the idea of a fake engagement. Things go as planned until family scandals force Zeke to call the whole thing off, but Reagan isn't about to let her chance at freedom walk away so she manages to convince Zeke to not only renew the engagement but follow through with a trip to Vegas! But soon the line between fake and real becomes blurred and both need to decide if what they have is worth keeping or if their pasts are just too much to overcome.








Like It? Hate it? Love it? Why? I'm in the middle when it comes to Trust Fund Fiancé. There are parts of it that worked for me but others that didn't.


First off there are some triggers that need to be mentioned. There's mentions of miscarriage, death of a romantic partner, and quite a bit of emotional abuse from parents.


That said, there's plenty of angst and conflict in this book. Ezekiel and Reagan both come with A LOT of emotional baggage. Almost too much for one book to handle if it wants to be considered a HEA novel. Ezekiel took the Tortured Hero tag and ran with it. And if Ezekiel was a tortured hero, then Reagan was his Tortured Heroine. Reagan was so emotionally beat down by her parents that it wasn't easy to see who she was as a character. Almost everything she did was with her parents' conditioning in play. With all their problems and baggage, it was difficult to really get a handle on this story much less the romance. It just seemed like there was too much going on for them to even be in a good place to start a relationship. That's where my ability to believe in this couple took a big hit. It's one thing to have obstacles on the road to a happy ending but it was had for me to believe that these two were even in a healthy place to start a relationship of any kind.


That's not to say they didn't have chemistry. Physically Ezekiel and Reagan were off the charts when it came to the physical aspect of their relationship but because of everything they had going on in their personal lives, they didn't have much time for anything else, much less time to build a believable, lasting relationship.


Click It or Skip It? Depends. If you're looking for high level angst and emotions then Trust Fund Fiancé should suit you just fine. However, I feel that there was too much time spent on that angst and emotional baggage and not enough developing the relationship between Ezekiel and Reagan. There are too many loose ends or rushed endings.

I am a known sucker for both fake relationship and marriage of convenience tropes, and TRUST FUND FIANCE has both! A charming and sexy friends to lovers romance full of tropey goodness, this Simone read is a must-read for me.

I enjoyed this one. I liked the story and the characters.
This is one that I have already recommended to my friends who love Harlequin books.

RATING - A
REVIEWER - Shirley Fleming

Reagan Sinclair is weary of living under the restrictions her family has imposed upon her for the last ten years and decided to do something about it. She made a mistake when she was sixteen, and her family has never let her forget it. Reagan has an inheritance left by her grandmother that she can only get if she gets married or turns thirty. Reagan has no intention of waiting four more years to get what should already be hers. She decides to enters into a marriage of convenience with her friend, Ezekiel Holloway. Unbeknown to each other, Ezekiel and Reagan have always been attracted to each other but never crossed the friendship line. With the intense chemistry between these two, they not only crossed the line, they totally destroyed it. With opposition on every side, they travel a rough road to get to the love they deserve with each other. For Reagan and Ezekiel, it is worth the journey.

On the outside, Reagan Sinclair appears to be just another rich girl, but underneath she is so much more. Below the surface is a strong, independent woman struggling to emerge. All Reagan needs is a push from the right person. Ezekiel Holloway is part of the powerful Wingate family but feels as though he doesn’t belong. He has issues where the heart is concerned, but this strong alpha male has a sensitive, caring side that quickly endears him to the reader.

TRUST FUND FIANCÉ is a great ‘friends to lovers’ story. Ms. Simone never ceases to amaze me with her storylines and the characters between the pages of her books. This is another well-written story, as is her usual standard of writing. The characters are complicated yet relatable with personalities that clearly define their disposition. The plot and character development in this book alone will keep you turning pages. And the mystery surrounding the goings at Wingate is another draw to keep you interested. Reagan and Ezekiel's marriage of convenience takes a turn they didn’t expect but one they secretly yearned for, even though they tried hard to deny it. Their feelings are indicated strongly in all their interactions. They have no choice but to fall deeply in love. Reagan and Ezekiel burn together!

TRUST FUND FIANCÉ is a good read, and I would most definitely recommend it. Even though this story is part of an ongoing series, it can stand on its own. I look forward to reading more about the Texas Cattleman’s Club series. There is a lot more to discover.

Trust Fund Fiancé is the fourth book in Harlequin’s Rags to Riches continuity series. This is a completely standalone read.

For an outsider looking in, Ezekiel “Zeke” Holloway and Reagan Sinclair have a picture-perfect life. But looks can, and in their cases are deceiving. Each have known their share of unimaginable loss, grief, and loneliness. Each puts a smile on their face as if everything in their lives is fine. Zeke is the biracial son of Nina and Robert Holloway and the nephew of Ava Holloway Wingate. After the death of his parents, Ava and Trent took him and his brother Luke in. Zeke feels he owes the Wingate family, thus he works for Wingate Enterprises and has worked his way up to becoming VP of Marketing. Reagan is the socialite daughter of Douglas Sinclair, one of the few African American members of the Texas Cattleman’s Club.

Wingate Enterprises is in the midst of a PR nightmare and is bleeding cash after a series of questionable events. Zeke is upset by the fact that he is unable to protect his family and the company he loves. He also doesn’t like the behind the back whispers of the Royal elite speculating on the fact that his family is guilty of wrongdoings. A bright light appears in the form of Reagan. Zeke recognizes pain and he sees it in her. When he finds out that in order for Reagan to gain access to her inheritance she has to be married, he proposes a marriage of convenience. Reagan agrees but feels bad for adding to Zeke’s troubles. The two end up eloping to Vegas and the start of the true love affair between Reagan and Zeke begins.

Naima Simone is known for her sassy, strong, independent heroines. Reagan is no different. She just needed the right man to come along, see who she truly was, and help her spread her wings. Zeke is different from Naima’s other heroes. He doesn’t exude alpha male like a second skin. Zeke actually wears his heart on his sleeves and ultimately isn’t afraid to show how vulnerable he truly is. I loved that these two were friendly before their agreement, but became true friends afterward.

I LOVED Trust Fund Fiancé beyond words. This book truly owns my heart. By the ending, I wasn’t sure if my heart could take anymore. I really thought it was going to explode. I've loved Naima's books before, but Trust Fund Fiancé is next level. This story deserves more than 5 stars.

~ FAVORITE QUOTES ~

“Family loyalty is a bitch.”

“Family can be our biggest blessing and our heaviest burden.”

“Life is entirely too short to deal with regrets.”

“Because of--your life lessons, you are even more precious.”

“Struggle often shapes a person, makes them stronger. It helps us be better.”

An angsty, seriously steamy read that's in keeping with what I expect from Naima Simone's books. 

Marriage-of-convenience and friends-to-lovers are two of my favorite tropes in romance and Reagan and Zeke's story brings them to life in an emotional and sexy way.

At first, it's easy to dismiss the premise of their coming together as rich people problems. Reagan wants access to the millions in the trust fund her grandmother left her. Zeke needs to help out a friend to feel useful amidst his family's rapidly escalating financial scandal. Reading further along, one could see that the causes of their internal turmoil are real and relatable. Reagan chafes from a decade-long penance of living under the control of her parents for a teenage mistake. Zeke has closed off his heart after the death of a beloved. Their union, however temporary, changes their lives for the better. 

I especially liked Reagan's growth arc in this book. She takes control of her life even if it means losing the people she loves.  Zeke's turnabout could have been less sudden. Same with Reagan's father's change of heart. 

While Trust Fund Fiancé can be read as a stand alone, I'd recommend starting the series from the first book in order to fully appreciate the dramatic saga of the Wingate family.

Classic Naima Simone!

Angsty, steamy and everything in between!

Reagan is stronger than everyone thinks and the perfect one to knock down the walls Zeke has built around his heart. He never stood a chance!

Heat Factor: Deliciously steamy and well written
Character Chemistry: He’s the only one who supports her
Plot: Soapy nonsense
Overall: I would say your enjoyment of this book is pretty dependent on your tolerance for messy protagonists.

Since Trust Fund Fiancé is part of the Harlequin Desire line (which has the most delicious covers!), I knew that meant lifestyles of the rich and famous (check!) and steam (double check!) and soaptastic, tropey goodness (triple check! With some caveats.).

Point the first: Lifestyles of the rich and famous.

Maybe I am not in the right place for this type of romance right now, because here’s this line: “No one wanted to do business with a company so corrupt it would place profit above their employees’ welfare.” And I laughed and laughed and laughed. And cried a little, but only on the inside.

Moving on.

Reagan and Ezekiel have Rich People Problems, but they also have some deep-seated emotional stuff. The short version: they are extremely messy, angsty, characters who desperately need to be in therapy, like, yesterday. The long version: Reagan has some serious boundary and control issues with her parents, doubts her self-worth, and seriously needs to get a grip on reality if she thinks that she can’t live her life unless she has access to her squillion dollar inheritance. Ezekiel is still carrying a torch for his dead fiancée and has a major savior complex which manifests itself in some pretty toxic nonsense about “providing” for Reagan.

On the other hand, both Reagan and Ezekiel do eventually grow into themselves. Reagan, in particular, has an excellent moment when she finally grows a spine. And for most of the book, Ezekiel is a pretty yummy alpha hero who genuinely supports Reagan and clearly thinks she’s awesome and strong (a good trait in a partner, even if I have my doubts)

Point the second: Steam.

The sex writing here is top notch. Reagan and Ezekiel do a lot of fantasizing during the pining portion of the book, and those fantasies really work to ratchet up the tension so that when we get to the full show, I was ready. Plus, they have sex on the hood of his Jaguar.

Point the third: soaptastic, tropey goodness.

I must be honest, things fell apart for me a bit here. We definitely had a lot of delicious drama, but sometimes the narrative bordered on nonsensical. The basic premise: Reagan’s dad is holding her inheritance hostage. She can’t access her squillions until she gets married to a suitable man or turns thirty (and her life will basically be over then, because she’ll be a shrivelled up spinster, so obviously she can’t wait). Ezekiel, who she has known since forever, offers her a marriage of convenience so she can access her money but not have to marry a stranger. However, after some shenanigans at Ezekiel’s firm, her dad deems Ezekiel “not suitable” and declines to release the money. Solution? Let’s elope to Vegas!

So they’re in a marriage of convenience that is no longer for convenience, but are still both convinced that they’re just going to be married for a year and then get divorced. And Reagan is telling people they just got married for the money - even though the marriage won’t get her the money. Also, if you only got married for the money, but people have to believe it’s actually a real marriage to get the money, why are you telling people you only got married for the money? Get it together, Reagan! But I digress.

I did a lot of yelling “BUT WHY?” as I read. I get it. They’re lying to themselves and are actually perfect for each other. But given the external forces they are facing, their actions make absolutely no sense, and I didn’t quite buy the connection enough to think that marriage (as opposed to a hot and heavy affair) was the answer.

I love tropey / soapy books, but I want them to follow their own internal logic.

*CW: soft mentions of race and colorism (the male protagonist is biracial - black/white) death of a partner, parental abuse and mentions of a miscarriage.

Both Ezekiel and Reagan are characters that are finding it hard to live up to the "keeping with the Jones" vibe that is going on in the book. Both are from wealthy well-to-do families and both have their own separate issues going on. Ezekiel's family is caught up in a scandal that's causing rumors to spread like fire throughout town and Reagan is at odds with her parents. She can't (or more her parents won't) access the inheritance her grandmother left because of her past.

Story wise: We spend a good amount of time in both Ezekiel's and Reagan's head during this read. Ezekiel definitely comes off as a tortured savior because that's what he was trying to be (real hard) and Reagan's struggle to live up to the perfect daughter image her parents wanted her to be was...a lot. Their chemistry on page was magnetic but because they both imo were so tormented, most of the time...the time they were on page felt stiff and forced. And because of "all the other stuff" that was going on in the story, it was hard to believe them to be "a couple" by the end of the story.

Writing wise: I think the author gives you enough emotional pull within the story even if at times it felt a little flat. There is much information left out during and at the end of Trust Fund Fiance. Mainly, with Ezekiel's family trouble. It was like she ran out of time and couldn't give us the rest of the story...

All and All: Trust Fund Fiance' was a quick romantic read. It will wet your taste a bit but won't much quench your thirst.

*Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read/review.

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Trust Fund Fiancé is part of the multi-author Texas Cattleman’s Club: Rags to Riches series (a spin-off of the main Texas Cattleman’s Club series), and agile some elements stand alone, I did feel a bit disconcerted, even though I had read another book in another TCC subseries earlier this year (with much better results). While I did not detract overmuch from my enjoyment, I feel like I could have enjoyed it more if I had more insider knowledge.

But the romance aspect of this one was charming and sweet and sexy. I love seeing more marriages of convenience in contemporary, and the reasoning behind this one was solid. I like that Reagan’s motivation for wanting full access to the trust was for philanthropic reasons, not to mention that these reasons are rooted in her own past. As for Zeke, I loved his dedication to helping his family deal with scandal, inspiring his reason for agreeing to the marriage. And their history as friends easily translates into a passionate relationship that becomes a lasting love.

I really enjoyed this one, and will be seeking out more of both this series as well as Naima Simone’s other work, particularly her other Desire books. If you are looking for a sexy category romance with diverse characters, this is a great one.

I’ve been a Naima stan since I read Scoring with the Wrong Twin back in 2018, and Naima has brought the heat in every 👏🏼 damn 👏🏼 book 👏🏼 since!!! Theres so much Trust Fund Fiance that is just absolutely incredible (sexytimes on a car!! modern marriage of convenience!! family drama!!!) but for me, Reagan really steals the show❤️

At pretty much every moment, Reagan moves with power and autonomy!! Whether she’s navigating a complicated relationship with her father, proposing marriage to Ezekiel, or working to start a home for pregnant mothers, Reagan is exerting agency and I love it😍 She knows what she wants, is passionate about helping people, and will do the work to improve herself and the world around her. And Reagan is *incredible* at making relational boundaries— when people cross important relational boundaries, Reagan calls them out because she knows her worth!!! This is 1000% goals! Honestly not sure if I want to BE Reagan or DATE her

Trust Fund Fiance was just a damn delight all around, if you’re looking for a shorter, steamy contemporary with a dirty talking hero & a badass heroine, look no further👌🏼

There's something about seeing the Harlequin logo that has me one-clicking, ready to indulge in a great romance. And this author definitely brought me that.

Loved this short but steamy affair!

Reagan is being denied her grandmother's inheritance because of mistakes made a decade ago. Ezekiel, a man whose family runs in the same circles as hers, offers to marry her to meet the will's stipulations so she can pursue her dreams. Not everything goes as planned, of course, giving us an angsty drama that centers on issues of self-reliance and moving beyond grief.

I enjoyed the romance part of the book very much. Zeke and Ray are most themselves when it's just the two of them, and I loved how they found strength with each other, especially since they each had some serious storms to face in their lives. I wasn't terribly happy with the portrayal of her parents, but in a novella there isn't always room to fully develop every secondary character.

As the fourth book in this series but the only one I've read, the background drama surrounding the Wingate company is presented as though the reader already understands previous events, and it doesn't resolve any of those issues in this book. We do get a very satisfying, heartfelt HEA for Reagan and Ezekiel, though I was hoping for a bit more follow-through with her plans and his surprise windfall.

If you just want the romance, this book has the whole enchilada and works as a terrific standalone. If you want to follow the corporate drama that appears to be strewn throughout the series, you'll definitely need to read the rest of the series. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.