REVIEW: Fiance for Keeps by Gail Chianese

In Fiance For Keeps by Gail Chianese, Denise Saunders signs up to compete on a reality dating show similar to the Bachelorette. She immediately has doubts and wants to see if there’s a way out of the contract she signed, so she turns to her ex-fiancé, Brody Nichols.

Brody didn’t understand Denise’s reasons for breaking off their engagement five years ago, or why she ran away after they had spent the night together after their friends’ wedding months before. When she turns to him for help, he’s angry, but even more so when he finds out what she signed up for. Having never gotten over Denise, he calls in some favors to land himself a spot as one of the contestants. Upon seeing him emerge from the limo Denise is angry, but then she decides to take the opportunity to see if maybe they can work things out.

I like Brody and Denise, but there were times they were a bit aggravating. It felt like they kept going in circles. Both thought that part of the reason they didn’t work out the first time was because both were workaholics. Yet nothing had changed for either one of them, and both seemed to be content to keep their busy schedules. In fact, Denise had applied for a fellowship which would take up even more of her time. Neither seemed to want to compromise. When Brody finally comes around, Denise still doesn’t want to compromise.

I also didn’t like the fact that Denise was the one to break up with Brody, for reasons he didn’t even know about, but then she was upset that he didn’t try to get her back. After they hooked up after the wedding, she once again took off, and was once again upset that he didn’t come running after her. It seemed like she was the one who had caused the most pain in their relationship, yet she expected Brody to do all the work to fix it.

The show aspect of the story was fun, and readers get to see a more laid back and fun version of both Denise and Brody compared to how they were in the working world. We get a glimpse at both of their families, and their mothers couldn’t be more different. While Brody’s mother is loving and supportive, Denise’s mother is cold and blames her for everything from her sister’s asthma attack when her sister was five, up to her pregnant sister passing out. There was a bit of confrontation between Denise and her mother but it didn’t feel like there was any closure with it.

Fiance for Keeps was a cute story, but a bit frustrating at times. If you enjoy second chance romances, you may want to try this one.

Book Info:

April 26, 2016 | Lyrical Shine | West Side Romance #3

Tired of working long hours with no one to come home to, ER doctor Denise Saunders accepts a chance to compete on a reality dating show. But there’s only one person she trusts to review the contract–attorney Brody Nichols, the man she left at the altar five years ago. Needless to say, Brody is floored. Unable to convince her to opt out, and unwilling to stand by while she risks getting burned by the spotlight, he can only think of one way to protect the woman he’s never stopped loving…

Denise expected some surprises on Finding Mr. Right, but she’s beyond shocked to meet the last contestant: Brody. She doesn’t know whether to feel punk’d, pissed, or relieved. Yet as a series of hot hijinks and dueling bachelors ensues, Denise can’t deny he’s The One–and always has been. She knows she’ll have to come clean about their past to the show’s other contestants–and to Brody. But once she tells him the real reason she played the runaway bride, Brody may be the one to walk. Is honesty a risk she’s brave enough to take?.