REVIEW: The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas

In The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas, You’ve probably heard the adage “always a bridesmaid, never a bride”, right? Well, in Josie Moore’s case it’s “always a fiancée, never a bride” as she’s been on her way to the altar four times unsuccessfully. The last thing she wanted to do was add a fifth time to that list. But when her estranged father–a highly successful businessman–has a magazine article written about him, Josie somehow becomes an issue in his world that needs to be dealt with. Her only hope of throwing off the PR specialist assigned to her is to fake an engagement for a short period of time. And who better to help than her half-sister Adalyn’s best friend, Matthew Flanagan.

“We should finish what we started and pretend it’s you,” I explained, lifting my hand. “The one who put this on my finger.”
Matthew’s mouth hung open for an instant. Then he said, “What?”
“Let’s pretend we’re engaged.”

Shocked doesn’t even begin to describe how Matthew or Josie feels when he agrees to become her fake fiancé. Thankfully he’s a roll-with-the-punches kind of guy. But as the town fawns over them and they get to really know each other, they both have to admit there’s a whole lot of attraction and feelings between them. Something that Matthew seems to cherish–and Josie finds panic-inducing. With what seems like everyone on the internet weighing in on whether the nuptials will actually take place, it puts even more pressure on Josie. Let alone her struggle with whether to let her father, Andrew, into her life on his rather pushy terms. But Matthew is there for her at every turn. And he intends to do everything in his power to keep Josie happy. Hopefully for many, many years to come.

‘Josie laughed. And the sound felt like a bell, signaling the start of something. It was the start of a life, with her.’

THE FIANCE DILEMMA was about as charming as a romance can get. Everything Elena Armas gave us: small town vibes, quirky characters, chaotic meet cute, laugh out loud scenes, and a sensual but sweet not-really-fake relationship worked perfectly.

‘What was between us was meant to be broken either way. But I wasn’t an idiot. I wasn’t blind. I could see, as much as I tried to deny it, that there was something else between Matthew and I.’

THE FIANCE DILEMMA was not only another fun, offbeat novel from Elena Armas, but it was also heartfelt and seriously sexy. It can be read as a standalone, but I highly suggest reading The Long Game (book one), so you’ll truly get to know everyone in Green Oak, North Carolina, and get the full effect of Josie’s predicament.

Told mainly from Josie’s POV (the final chapter is told from Matthew’s POV!) we tagged along on her wild journey when she was thrown into the public spotlight as the world wanted to know more about her–the estranged daughter of a powerful businessman. The fact that Josie had been engaged four times but never made it all the way through a single wedding made gossip magazines and podcasters nearly swoon. I really loved that Armas included the transcripts from one particular podcast, showing both the good and bad effects it had on Josie’s life. And it also made it clear why she was forced to have a fake engagement with Matthew.

I’ll admit I’m not always the biggest fan of fake relationships. However, Matthew and Josie already had a simmering attraction before he got dragged into being her fiancé–not that they had met face to face beforehand. So, it honestly felt real, not forced. Didn’t hurt that Matthew was such an awesome guy: funny as all get-out, loyal, protective, thoughtful and kind, and had a deliciously dirty mouth. When paired up with Josie, who was spunky, creative, had the biggest, squishiest heart around, loved fiercely, and was just so darn *nice*, it was a match made in heaven. I think readers will fall head over heels for them as well as Green Oak itself.

QOTD: Who was your last book boyfriend or girlfriend?

Book Info:

Publication: Published: July 30th, 2024 | by Atria Books | The Long Game #2

Josie Moore has given the opposite sex—and love—plenty of chances. Four exactly, if you count all her failed engagements, and five if you include the absentee father who kept her existence a secret until very recently. So when her father decides to announce his retirement with a splashy magazine piece about the family, Josie realizes her romantic history is a complicated PR issue.

Matthew Flanagan is in the mud, literally. Not only has he been fired from his job, but also the tires of his car are stuck in the muck after taking a wrong turn as he enters Green Oak, North Carolina. So, he grabs a duffel with his essentials and goes in search of a place to crash until he gets his life back on track. But instead, he finds his best friend’s sister, Josie, greeting him as her fiancé.

What starts as a big messy misunderstanding quickly turns into an arrangement with Matthew playing a new role as doting fiancé. A fifth engagement—and a stunt, at that—makes Josie’s stomach turn, but every dilemma requires a choice between equally undesirable alternatives, and Matthew doesn’t seem to mind becoming one more number in a colorful list of grooms-that-never-were. Despite the ring on her finger, Josie knows this is only temporary, even if the rest of the small town believes that the fifth time’s the charm.