The Fiancee Farce: A Novel

There seems to be many books out there now with the fake girlfriend/boyfriend, fake girlfriend/girlfriend, or fake fiance/spouse. I actually like this particular trope quite a lot. Some are OK, bad or good. This novel falls in the last category. I really liked this book and will definitely be re-reading it sometime in the future. Tansy and Gemma are very likeable as individuals. As a couple, they have amazing chemistry very early on. One of the best things I liked about this novel is that the author doesn't make us wait until the end of the book for the characters to acknowledge their attraction. They become a true couple early on despite almost everyone thinking it is not real. The writing is well done and I really really liked the main characters. (Have I said that enough times?) There was definitely some heat too! Everything THIS woman is looking for from a romance novel. Definitely recommend. I give it 4 ¾ stars.

🦇 The Fiancée Farce Book Review 🦇 Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ❝ She was a total goner. Whatever magic Tansy was made of, Gemma wanted to drown in it, revel in the honeyed heat burning her up from the inside out. It was better than the finest bourbon she’d ever had the pleasure of sipping. ❞ 🦇 After losing her parents and a traumatic romantic experience as a teen, Tansy Adams focuses all her time and energy on her late father's bookstore. To dodge questions about her love life, Tansy invents Gemma, a fake girlfriend inspired by the stunning cover model on a best-selling romance book. She never expected that real-life Gemma would step into her life, play along, and announce they were engaged, imploding that white lie into a full-on farce. Gemma van Dalen, the outcast of her wealthy family, needs a spouse to inherit Van Dalen Publishing; her grandmother's legacy. In exchange for Tansy's hand in marriage, Gemma offers to save Tansy's beloved bookstore before it's sold off. Can their marriage of convenience work, or will Gemma's scheming family get between them? ❝ "As for feeling like you’ve failed, well, failure is an inescapable part of life. But failing doesn’t make you a failure. And I’m sorry your father made you feel like the two were synonymous. You are more than your achievements, Gemma. You are brilliant, and ambitious, and you are good, do you hear me? And what you do or do not achieve in this life has no bearing on your value.” ❞ 💜 Oh. My. Goddess. That's right: goddess,…

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. The perfect witty, banter-laden escape, even if predictable for me, which isn’t even that part of the comfort and fun?

I’m honestly not sure how i finished this book. i considered dnf-ing multiple times due to boredom, and then did that cycle like 5 times??? So here are your stars, i guess. The plot is bonkers, and somehow was still sooooooo boring to me. Every single twist was painfully obvious, and the chemistry between Tansy and Gemma was saccharine in a very cloying way. The best way i can think to describe this book is having a trope wheel in front of you, spin it 5 times, and write that down. I didn’t hate my reading experience, but i also didn’t *enjoy* it.

Love this author so much that I THOUGHT I had pre-ordered this book. Now I'm late to the party, but realizing that this book had been released made my day yesterday. Less than 24 hours later, I've finished the book and I miss it already. In my opinion, Bellefleur is damn good at writing romances that feel like they could be real. That's not to say they aren't swoonworthy - they definitely are - but she finds the romance in the everyday instead of relying on overly flowery declarations and grand gestures. Okay, fine, there are some grand gestures, but it's the combination with the little things that make her love stories so great. A couple quick additional things I will say about Bellefleur's writing at this story: - She stays true to her characters. They change and grow, but they do so in a way that fits them or aligns with the influence of their partner. I also appreciate the fact that her characters don't talk and act the same way from book to book. Each character feels like someone new to get to know. - The spicy scenes are - *chef's kiss* - practically perfect. A good amount of scenes with a good amount of words dedicated to each without any cringeworthy metaphors.