The Engagement Arrangement by Jaci Burton
Boots and Bouquets book #2. Contemporary romance. Can be read as a stand-alone.
Brenna wants a pretend engagement with Finn to get through a wedding she must attend that includes her ex-husband and his new girlfriend. Pretend turns to real feelings but Brenna ain’t sure that’s what she really wants.

A fast moving romance with some humor, some sadness, some roll-your-eyes setups and a bit of steamy heat.
I fell for the hero. He’s sweet, smart and totally in love with Brenna. With an Irish accent. Sigh.
Brenna made some decisions that I didn’t understand or agree with. Fortunately for both, the closeness of her family aided in the ultimate reconciliation and hea.
I love the colors of the cover. That what enticed me to read this book.

🎧 I listened to an audiobook version of the book narrated by Holly Chandler. She did a great job with voice variations and emotions and Irish accents for Finn and Brenna’s parents. The male and female voices were slightly different but mostly it was the accent that instantly switched you from person to person. I listened at my regular speed of 1.25.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. Thank you to #DreamscapeMedia.
3.5

Brenna is in her friends wedding. At the last minute, her ex husbands new wife is asked to fill in as the matron of honor. Still single after the divorce, Brennan asks Finn to ask as a fake fiancé during the festivities.
Finn has had a crush on Brenna since he moved to her family’s vineyard after his parents died. He hopes this time together will convince Brenna to give a relationship a go.
Opinion
I listened to the audiobook. The narrators were awesome. Finn’s narrator did an excellent job of his Irish brogue. It was very charming.
The book itself was fun. Brenna’s indecisiveness was quite funny and frustrating at times. Finn was a charming and loving character, very drool worthy.
Many thanks to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC of this audiobook.

An Irish cowboy with a secret crush on our heroine? Yes please!! I adored this fun friends to lovers/fake dating slow burn romance. The perfect sweet read for the summer. Recommended for fans of Nora Roberts and Robyn Carr. Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape media for my audiobook review copy.

This story of Finn and Brenna have always love each other but something was always getting in the way. But now Brenna wants someone to be her fake husband to be and Finn was the right guy for the job. Finn wants her to be his and is going to fight to prove it to her. Brenna on the other hand just wanted to keep everything how it was not want to fall in love again. One thing lead to another and they fell love. But then Brenna chose to put her foot in her mouth making him run away from her in anger and sorrow. But love helped them find each other. I enjoyed this book and though the spice in this book was rather nice. so I give this book out of 5 stars.

Brenna is getting ready to attend a wedding where she will have to be face to face with her ex-husband and his new woman, her high school enemy. Brenna can't bear the thought of having them think that she's not doing as well as them so she asks her long time friend Finn a big favor - to pretend to be her fiancé for the long weekend. Brenna doesn't see anything wrong with this, but Brenna and Finn both know that there has been an unspoken spark between them for years. Will the long weekend ignite the spark or will it ruin their friendship for good?

This book is your typical hallmark cheesy love story. That being said, what you see is what you get. Some of the characters feel a bit one dimensional for me (though I have not read the first of the series, so that could be less of an author issue and more of a reader issue). There also wasn't much mystery in the story for me - they pretended to be engages but had feelings for one another and it was quite clear how that was going to workout (even from the summary of the book). There was some smut thrown in here and there, which I'm not a fan of (especially when I'm listening to the book at work before hours and some raunchy words pop up out of nowhere. Overall, this was a decent read if you're looking for a light love story or a hallmark movie in a book.

This is the second book in the Boots & Bouquets series. This story is another sweet love story that revolves around the Bellini family in Oklahoma. We get to hear Brenna (another Bellini sister) and Finn story. It has taken 10 years for these two to get together it and we all have to learn from our past. The story itself was easy listening and the narrator did a pretty decent job. Thank you to Netgally and Dreamscapes for allowing me to listen to the ARC. My review and opinions are my own.

Contemporary romance/woman's fiction. Brenna Bellini married young and it lasts less than a year. Now she is content working in the family vineyard business. When she is going to be a bridesmaid to a high school friend where the matron of honor is married to her ex she asks Finn to pretend they are engaged. Finn Nolan lives and works at the winery but is branching out into the whiskey business.

I love fake engagement tropes but this one was only okay. Usually the engagement involves funny or awkward moments but in this case Finn and the family think it is silly and a reflection of Brenna's insecurities. It does allow for the two main characters to have a few dates and steamy nights. Finn is sweet as the supportive Irishman but Brenna's continual wishy washiness was tiring. This is the second in a part of a series and the whole family and friends are kind and supportive of each other. But with all that going on it just isn't very interesting. There is no big changes or growth in the characters. The reader is just there to follow the story but not invest themselves.

I listened to the audio book and the narrator did a good job. In addition to doing the voices of the four Bellini sisters there is Irish accents for Finn and Breena's mother and Italian for her dad. Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ARC audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Audiobook Review:
“The Engagement Arrangement” is a first time read/listen by Jaci Burton, new author to this reader. Brenna Bellini after a failed first marriage has resigned herself with never marrying. She is single, successful and loves helping her family’s vineyard business. It is not until she has been asked to be a bridesmaid in a friend’s wedding does she realize that her ex-husband and his troublesome new wife…an old high school problem that just won’t go away is also invited. Unable to deal with the situation, she enlists Finn Nolan as her fake fiancé for the four-day wedding duration.
Finn Nolan has been a fixture of the Bellini family since he came over from Ireland to work their vineyard. He is a handsome Irishman that has had a love from afar for Brenna for years and is delighted to get his chance to show her that he is Mr. Right in all ways.
Finn Nolan is thrilled to be offered the job as fiancé. He has had it bad for Brenna ever since he came over from Ireland to work at the Bellini family vineyard. After falling for Brenna from afar for years, this Irish cowboy is determined to show the woman of his dreams that he is her Mr. Right.
This was one story that was truly enjoyable and I loved that the author incorporated family, support and friendships throughout her characters. I did like the slow build in the relationship between Finn and Brenna once she got over herself which was a bit annoying at times throughout the story. I do love steamy intimate scenes and thought the coupling between the main characters was written very tasteful.

As for the narration, I thought Holly Chandler, new narrator to this reader also did an okay job. There were some parts that felt a little flat in the story. Looking forward to reading the other books in this series as I have not had the chance to do so. I do recommend this as a read and a listen if you would like a short friends to lovers story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this audiobook ARC in exchange for my fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

It was a cute book and I've always been a fan of Irish or Scottish characters. I definitely recommend this for anyone who loves romance with some humor. For a more in-depth look:

Brenna is a strong willed single woman who, after a disaster of a marriage, is determined to never touch it again. However when she's invited to a wedding that her previous husband will be attending, the last thing she wants is to show up single, where it will undoubtedly be rubbed in her face. In comes Finn Nolan, the man whose had it bad for her since he came from Ireland. While acting as her date, he has to convince her that a relationship with him will be different, that love isn't impossible for her.

It won't be easy, but he's up for the job. This is a sweet and funny contemporary romance and I definitely recommend it to anyone who desperately needs something nice in our dark and sometimes painful world.

Brenna had a bad 1st marriage and needs a buffer for a wedding she in. She enlisted Finn who agrees to be her fake fiancé so she can have a plus 1 during the wedding weekend where her ex-husband and his wife (her former best friend) are in. The story is about learning to trust yourself after a breakup. The author does a good job evoking the reader on feeling and family, their support, and friends. It is a feel-good story. The author captures what the reader would feel during the confusion of which comes at starting a new relationship and letting go of the past. The readers would be able to put themselves in Brenna's shoes. I did like this story and how the author had POV’s. I like the base of the story it was a slow build, but I did find Brenna coming across at times irritating which is why I gave this a 4 instead of higher. I started and finished this book in one sitting, and it went quickly. It kept me interested that I did not notice the time passing. This book is 2nd in a series but can be read on its own. I got this book as part of free audio for review. I enjoyed this book and now will read the 1st in the series. I would recommend this author and this book for a great summer read.

I really hate to say that this didn't really do anything for me.
I really liked the setting and the trope. The hero and heroine had no chemistry.
I listened to the audio

This book was just okay for me. It kind of dragged in the middle. I felt like there wasn’t anything specific that the characters were working toward. No concrete external goal. I also didn’t see a lot of character growth for either the hero or the heroine. There just wasn’t much of a story line to root for after the wedding ended. Yes, they realized they loved each other but no major visible growth/change throughout the book. I did love the family vineyard aspect of this series. Also, I loved Finn. He was a great hero!

If you’re looking for a sweet, fun, listen (or read) you have found what you’re looking for. Though this isn’t a new storyline, the author has made it new and endearing. Jaci was married once and that was more than enough for her. So much so that she finds fault with each and every person that comes her way. When invited to a wedding that her ex and his snarky new wife are going to be at she asks Finn, a dear family friend to be her pretend fiancé. With absolutely no intention of anything beyond the 4 day celebration let the festivities begin. You can’t help, but fall just a little enamored with Finn and hope that Jaci gets out of her own way. It’s a really lovely fun listen that leads exactly where it is supposed to and well worth the listen.

This was definitely one of my favorites. The characters are so easy to follow and the story line just sucks you in. Finn has got to be an angel in disguise his patience and kindness are so refreshing. He knew when to push and when to step back. LOVE IT! I will be checking out more for this author.

A cute fake (or in denial) love to real love. Very little external conflict with the requisite Happily Ever After.

The story was entertaining and the characters were cute.

The narrator was great, there was quite a bit of ~spice~ in this book, so I don't recommend forgetting your headphones.

*Thank you to the publisher for this eARC.