The Fiancée Farce

4/5. Releases 4/18/2023.

For when you're vibing with... Modern marriage of convenience shenanigans, shy girl/bombshell, rich family drama, bi lady/bi lady rep, and bookstore romcom loveliness a la "You've Got Mail" but not... troubling.

Introverted bookshop owner Tansy made up a girlfriend to get her friends off her back--and took inspiration from Gemma West, the cover model for her favorite romance novels. But what happens when Gemma West turns out to be Gemma Van Dalen, the wealthy heiress to a publishing empire--who needs to marry in order to meet the terms of her grandfather's will. Tansy needs cash to save her store--and for confident, forward Gemma, money is no object. But Gemma's family isn't going to let her take her rightful place as head of the company without a fight, and they're not afraid to take Tansy down with her.

The author said she took some inspo from The Last Great American Dynasty with this one, and you totally get that sense as you read. Lighthearted romance meets family politicking for a sapphic romance that's both sweet and compelling.

Quick Takes:
--Tansy and Gemma are very much opposites attract, but never enemies to lovers, if you're looking for some "differences without anger" clashes. Tansy is shy and a bit traumatized by several different life events (understandably), while Gemma is bold and brash and reckless. What this gives way to is a really flirty, fun dynamic; I loved how Gemma came on to Tansy so confidently without ever pushing her limits. So often, you get this adoring "how could she be into me" vibe from this type of dynamic, but here I completely believed that Gemma was as into Tansy as Tansy was into Gemma.

--There is some "sorta ex" drama, which makes sense because Gemma is a bit of a messy in terms of her relationships. It didn't feel like there was meddling for the sake of plot contrivances, though; it felt like something that a person like Gemma would get into, to be honest. And I kind of enjoyed that. I liked that Gemma in particular wasn't just this mess-less wondergirl. It made her feel more real.

--The Van Dalen family, speaking of a mess, has a LOT going on. And personally, I enjoyed it. They were giving early 2000s romcom rich people drama, and I for one support that completely. If anything, I kind of feel like we could've used more drama? There was some last minute intensity, but the one critique I'd have of the book is that Bellefleur could've ratcheted up the tension between Gemma and Tansy a bit more. Have them be messier! Have them make bigger mistakes with each other! I loved the loveliness of their romance, I just could've used more angst.

--One thing I do appreciate about the book is that you do have a supporting cast that gets involved in a fleshed-out way. The good people take action, the bad people get called on their shit. They're not just there to be there.

The Sex Stuff:
There are two sex scenes, both of which are fairly explicit, one of which is DELIGHTFUL but interrupted before orgasm. The second one is really good. I wish that there'd been at least one more. Gemma talks a lot about wanting to get on her knees for Tansy, but we don't see quite enough of it. They have great chemistry and Bellefleur writes awesome sex scenes, I just want mooooore.

If you're in the mood for a light-but-not-quite-fluffy sapphic opposites-attract romance, look no further! I was super charmed.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

What an adorable romance!

Fake dating trope. One rich one poor. 2 lovely girls finding company with each other and growing close and FALLING IN LOVE! Tansy owns a bookstore and Gemma has the money to buy it but also has some free hands to help around. When Tansy’s white lie turns into something real, there two have to learn to work together so they can survive this crazy world.

The cover scene is literally so on point it made me so exited reading it and gosh it’s just so gorgeous. The romance was spicy! Gemma was the best omg her ability to dominate the situation was so spicy and fierce.

Although every good book has a few bumps. I felt like Gemma having 5 random roommates was too much and they were never fleshed out. The twists and fights were barely even squabbles but the main issue was still fun to read!

I really enjoyed this novel and I actually loved Written in the Stars so I knew I was in for a fun time. You don’t want to wait to pick this romance up. Also come on, don’t you want to show off the cute sapphic book? Cause I do!

Edit: Updated with more cohesive thoughts LOL

Cute Cinderella-esq marriage of convenience, fake fiancée turned loves.

Nota 3.5 ⭐

- Gostei das duas personagens, uns amores
- Senti falta de um angstzinho que tem em marriage of convenience, pq elas ficaram juntas mt rápido
- Sempre odeio final de livro de marriage of convenience, sempre tem um boom que explode o plot e dps dá certo com algum discurso, e foi exatamente assim aqui. Preguiça.