Usually I don't go for books with the fake dating/engagement/wedding trope, I've never really found one that I enjoyed. But let me tell you, this one takes the freaking cake! From the beginning, you are thrown into pure chaos. The ridiculousness of it had me hooked.

I absolutely loved the characters in this book. I loved the angst even though it almost killed me. My heart broke for Josie but I was so happy with how the story ended.

Thank you to netgalley and Atria books for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Dare I say that I loved this one even more than the first book in the series. There were so many moments in this book that had me giggling and kicking my feet. Matthew is such a swoon worthy MMC. I am sucker for a fake engagement and Matthew and Josie were so beautifully written in this trope. I loved the small town nosey vibes, which is what got them into this mess in the first place. I also loved seeing the previous couples make an appearance in this book, and play a part in it. I am looking forward to future releases by this author.

Goodreads review is live. Instagram review scheduled for 22-Jul-2024.

I really enjoy all of Elena Armas's books, and the Fiancé Dilemma was another good read. I really like the FMC, Josie, but I wish we got to know the MMC, Matthew, better before diving into the story. I enjoy the romance between the two of them, but it feels like it was a little rushed.

The Fiance Dilemma follows the relationship between Josie, the mayor of a small town, and Matthew, her newly discovered sister's best friend. Josie has had several broken engagements and is somewhat of a runaway bride. She ends up faking an engagement to Matthew as part of a misunderstanding and pressure to improve her image. Of course, real feelings eventually develop but things are complicated along the way.

So, I could not really get into this book. I don't think I'm a fan of really sweet FMCs who have cute nicknames for their fiances and substitute other words for cuss words. There was some charm to a few characters and I liked the small town vibe. Once the spice hit, it was great! Overall, it just was not for me but I'm sure others will enjoy it.

Thank you Atria Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Love Elena Armas! This is one of my favorite books by her! The banter between Josie and Matthew were some of my favorite. This book is hilarious but it is definitely a slow burn book. It can be a bit boring if you aren’t looking for a slow burn. But an overall enjoyable read.

3.5-4 stars

Let me preface this review with the fact I am a big fan of fake-dating tropes as well as the slow burn, so this book ultimately had two of my favorite romance aspects. This was the second book of Elena Armas's I have ever read and I did not read the first book of this specific series, The Long Game. I do feel that I might have benefitted from reading the first book to get extra background to some situations eluded to within this book. Although this book at least gave small recaps here and there.

Josie, our FMC, finds out in the first book that she is the daughter of a very wealthy and prominent business man. A few months after this reveal, suddenly everyone knows her affairs, specifically the fact she was not engaged just once, but four different times and got married to none of the fiancés. In order to "fix" the negative things being said in the media, Josie pretends to be engaged once again to Matthew, her half-sister's best friend. Solid plan that of course leads to many awkward or funny moments as well as Matthew and Josie spending more and more time together.

I enjoyed the slow burn of this novel and felt the relationship between Matthew and Josie progressed very naturally. I loved that Matthew really protected and stood up for her, something we find out she has been missing and makes her realize some truths. I'm also glad there wasn't a super dramatic miscommunication between the two, I felt the issues that came up they dealt with together and made for a better storyline.

I wish there had been a bit more of her mayoral duties as it is brought up many times but the true focus is the fake engagement and wedding planning. I think it would have added an extra layer to Josie to actually show her as the caring and helpful mayor versus having the town keep mentioning it. There were also a few scenes where something bigger was said or done and then the scene would completely fade to black. We'd get the characters sometimes several days later still thinking about that moment but I felt it didn't make sense to just abruptly end the conversation or scene. It was jolting and ruined the flow of the book overall. I also wish there had been more background to Matthew, we don't get very much of what has shaped him and left a bit to be desired at times.

Overall, I did enjoy Josie and Matthew together and the way they developed over the story. There were some funny moments, spicy moments and even touching moments that made for a wonderful story. There were just a few things I was wishing for and sometimes found myself getting frustrated at the writing versus the actual characters.

Thank you to netgalley and to the publisher! Elena Armas has done it again! I felt the connection between these two MCs and can't go wrong with the fake engagement trope! After 4 broken engagements, Josie is looking for her own happy ending. Unfortunately, this is a PR problem for her father and Josie must enter into a fake engagement with her sister's best friend. I always find these books make me laugh and cry which are the best kinds of romance reads :)

I loved this book. Fell in love with the characters from the beginning. I wanted to devour the book and read it fast but had to pace myself because I knew I wouldn’t want it to end.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

Admittedly, I did not enjoy the first one in this series, so I am not totally sure why I requested the second. I found my complaints about the first one equally valid here: the characters were somewhat selfish and uninteresting, and it didn't seem like an authentic connection. Oh well, onto the next!

Thank you again for the ARC!

After reading the first book in this series (The Long Game) which can also be read as a standalone. I never imagined Matthew and Josie would be the topic of book #2 but how delicious that Elena was plotting it all along.

This is a very, very, very slow burn, he falls first, fake engagement trope book that takes place in North Carolina. Josie is a small town girl, mayor of the town, with four failed engagements and a new (to her) rich dad from Miami. Matthew is her sister’s best friend who was previously in Chicago.

What happens when the dad hires PR to make his image better and ends up using Josie as a pawn? Matthew comes to the rescue that’s what!

The side characters were equally as fun, enter Grandpa Moe!

I’ll leave you with my favorite quote from the book:
“Beautiful things shouldn’t be boxed. It eventually find their light.”

Don't you just love a book that has great character development? I do!!! This ultimate slow burn, sisters best friend, small town, runaway bride book was extremely entertaining. This is Elenas best work. I love how our FMC is a simple character that is good natured and just wants to be loved. and Who doesn't love a golden retriever MMC? I loved Matthews playful side and the nicknames! I love nicknames so much. The chemistry was insane and I loved the spice in this one. I feel like I simply connected with the story. The scenery of the book was enticing and atmospheric in giving us the perfect small town charm. This is a must read!

The Fiancé Dilemma was a charming and lighthearted read that will have you smiling and swooning over a cinnamon roll hero.

While this is a standalone it is part of the interconnected series, The Long Game, so I would recommend just reading the first book in the series.

This was in the heroine’s POV only, with only one chapter in the hero’s POV. I personally would have preferred dual POVs though. There were some great tropes though, like an engagement of convenience, friends to lovers, sister’s best friend, and a small town romance.

The overall premise was entertaining. There were some heartfelt, swoon worthy, and laugh out loud moments. All the side characters were amazing as well. I absolutely just loved how sunny and positive the heroine was. She was a bit of a mess at times but completely relatable.

I will say though, there were certain subplots that I wished had been more explored or discussed like, the heroine’s relationship with her father and the hero’s career. As those felt very rushed at the end.

The romance between the main characters was very much a slow burn but so worth it. The hero was the absolute perfect book boyfriend, so I wished we’d had gotten his POV at times. Their chemistry, connection, and banter was just amazing. I loved how understanding, patient and supportive the hero was at all times.

There was no third act breakup, which I appreciated. But the conflict that did occur was quite rushed and resolved too quickly in my opinion. The ending was really sweet though.

Overall, just an enjoyable read that I would definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was lucky enough to receive a digital ARC of Elena Armas’ newest novel, The Fiancé Dilemma, and let me tell you... Matthew and Josie will now live rent-free in my head until further notice!

Elena Armas writes fake dating/relationships of convenience so well (as seen in The Spanish Love Deception) and I really enjoyed this story line. Josie is such a bright light for her little town of Green Oaks but, it is clear that she has dealt with plenty of loss and heartache between the loss of her mother, an absent (until recent) father, and the weight of multiple failed engagements. When Matthew shows up to Green Oaks and meets Josie in person for the first time, despite being in a group chat with her, her sister/his best friend, and her husband, it is so clear that he is enamored with Josie the second he meets her. Despite his confusion and hesitation to help Josie, he does it anyway and immediately steps into the protective fiancé role.

The love Matthew and Josie have for each other, despite their individual pasts, is so beautiful and Josie’s character growth is wonderful to experience throughout the book. Elena writes these characters with so much depth and details that make it impossible NOT to route for them throughout the entire story. Overall, I had such a fun time reading their story and can’t wait to see what else Elena Armas has in store for future novels!

Delightful! I really enjoyed this return to Green Oak. We follow Josie, small town coffee shop owner and Mayor and her complicated romantic history. When her sister’s best friend shows up in town at the same time that she could really use a fake fiancé, shenanigans ensure. With all of the heart and charm that Armas brings to all of her books, this was a great read. Highly recommend! Releases July 30.

The Fiance Dilemma is the story of beloved town mayor Josie. She has experienced four failed engagements and this lands her on the radar of gossip columnists when her famous absentee dad steps back into her life. Under this pressure, Josie agrees to a fake engagement with literally the first man she sees- Matthew. Matthew is best friends with Adalyn, Josie’s sister. As their lies begin to grow bigger, Josie starts to fall for Matthew more. Will this engagement end like all the others or will Josie finally make it down the aisle?

The Fiance Dilemma is a sweet rom-com! Josie is such a lovely character and it’s clear that she has given so much of herself to the town. When her father reappears on the scene, she is determined to form a connection with him. Fortunately for Josie, Matthew is more than willing to go along for the ride. This romance was surprisingly steamy and Elena Armas nails these scenes. I loved the cameos of Adalyn and Cameron and enjoyed seeing the town of Green Oak again. There is a cozy sense of town life and the supporting characters (Grandpa Moe!) are delightful.

Readers who enjoy sweet rom-coms, steamy connections, and the fake engagement trope will devour this!

Thank you to Elena Armas, Atria Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc.

2 stars ★

I enjoyed this book, but it felt so messy. Yes, it has some sweet and funny scenes, which I loved. But besides that? it was disappointing given the incredible tropes this book has and the potential to be so much better.

I really hated how the fmc allowed her father and his PR agent to “dictate” her life so easily and quickly. This girl barely knows her father, and that man has done absolutely nothing for her, not even to get to know her better. She let his PR mess take control over her. She didn’t want to be a burden or a bigger problem for him and his PR mess/reputation, given her reputation of getting engaged and leaving her fiancés at the altar. So, what does she decide to do to improve the situation? getting engaged again knowing she wasn’t going to make it to the wedding. Did she really think this would calm the situation? The joke tells itself.

Also, she kept the rings and wedding dresses from her previous engagements. That was so weird. I don't want to judge, but it really seemed like she was collecting fiancés. And there was never any deep reason why she left them. She had daddy issues, she was scared, and… what else? There was no further explanation. Maybe that is the author’s goal? That some fears don’t need to have some deep meaning? I honestly don’t know, but it felt messy and confusing in this book. I understand that the book needed a plot, but… the plot wasn’t plotting. It was lacking and needed more depth and development of everything, including the main characters and the romance. The chemistry and the whole falling in love felt so rushed. This was a slow burn that somehow took them about two months to realize they were each other soulmates. Huh? No further comments.

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Anyways💜🦋 thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion!

Minor spoilers!!!

When I read "The Spanish Love Deception", I enjoyed it and moved on. With this book though............I have ALL the feels!! Although I haven't yet read the first book in this series, I still was able to follow along super well and still really, really loved it. Josie is such a fun, crazy character and I ADORED Matthew for her!! She honestly deserved someone that loves her the way he does, we all really do if I'm being honest!! Seeing their relationship develop throughout this novel was so beautiful, and I'm hoping we will get to see them again eventually!! All of the side characters were super hilarious, especially Grandpa Moe and Bobbi Shark (side note: ADORE the cute Sharky name for Bobbi's coffee!). Maybe a Bobbi story next?!? Elena Armas....the ball is in your court! Seriously, if you enjoyed any of the author's previous works, you will love this silly, romantic, goofy book!

I really enjoyed this romance. You had me at fake dating. For some reason this trope has me in a chokehold and this author knocked it out of the park. The banter was perfect. I really loved the Spanish love deception and this one was a close second. Elena keep them coming!

Ever watched The Proposal with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds? Do you like the fake dating trope?

Then this is the book for you!

Josie has gone through four engagements, you could say she has had some bad luck. And the latest ring won’t even come off.

Matthew has also had a bit of bad luck. He’s been fired from his job and his truck gets stuck in the mud on the way to see his best friend. But his bad luck stops when he meets eyes with Josie and she panics, introducing him to her family as her fiancé.

Now the two have to keep this act up, but where is the line drawn?

This book was cute, it was fluffy, but it was also STEAMY. Baths will never look the same, nor will pies.

I gotta be honest, this book didn’t really click for me until about halfway through. And that’s a long time before I started to enjoy it. Maybe it’s because the first book was also not super impressive. I just keep hoping for another TSLD and keep getting let down.
However, once about halfway through it did get better. And I honestly think having his POV would have really helped. I’m happy with how it ended, I thought she’d give into the demands of everyone around her.
It just needed a bigger hook in the beginning to get me to want to keep reading.
I received this Arc from NetGalley and all thoughts are my own. Thank you NetGalley and Atria books.