Series Name: The Long Game, # 2
“No.” His head gave a shake. “We don’t just kiss if we must, from now on. I kiss you. I kiss you like I’ve wanted to do for weeks now. Not because we have to, but because I fucking need to.” A breath heaved out of his chest. “Because you need me to. And because you know what it’ll mean, no matter what’s down the line.”
The Fiance Dilemma was everything I hoped for and I continue to fall more and more in love with Elena’s writing.
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 her no-longer-absentee father. Nonetheless, when the influential man decides to announce his retirement with a splashy magazine piece and Josie learns that her romantic history isn’t great PR for the family, she jumps at the chance to offer a solution.
Matthew Flanagan is in the mud. Literally. Not only has he been fired from his job, but after taking a wrong turn on his way to Green Oak, North Carolina, his car is stuck. So, he grabs a duffel bag with his essentials and goes in search of a place to crash until he gets his life (and vehicle) back on track. But instead, he stumbles upon his best friend’s sister, Josie, greeting him as her fiancé.
What starts as a big misunderstanding quickly turns into a fake engagement, with Matthew playing the role of the doting fiancé as he and Josie are swept into a PR whirlwind. The ring on Josie’s finger makes her stomach turn, but she knows this is only temporary. They have rules in place, and one of them is that no matter what, there will be no exchange of “I dos.” But that’s easier said than done, as lines soon start to blur, and the rest of the small town comes to believe the fifth fiancé is truly The One.
Get ready because the gushing is about to begin. This book was freaking amazing and delighted and satisfied me in every way. Ok, this is the second book in The Long Game series, and it is probably best to read the first book in the series before diving into it. The events in the previous book are the main catalysts that precipitate Josie into needing to have a fake fiancé in this book. There is so much to love about this book, and Elena shows readers she knows what makes a good rom-com.
First, let’s talk about the story. If you are a fan of Runaway Bride (and who isn’t), you will fall in love with Elena’s take on this ’90s romcom. Elena did a great job taking that movie and putting her own updated spin on it. I really loved every moment of this book. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments that often come about because Josie tends to act/speak rashly and without really thinking when she is panicking. This usually leads to hilarious, awkward, and quirky situations that you cannot help but laugh at. The meet-cute moment at the beginning of this book between Josie and Matthew was perfect in my eyes because it was delightful, bonkers and chaotic. And I know I will never forget their meet-cute moment.
I’m not always a fan of fake dating or, in this case, fake engagements, but for whatever reason, I always seem to enjoy this trope when Elena writes it. I think it’s because it’s pretty clear that the hero is head over heels in love with the heroine, and I enjoy that twist to the fake engagement trope. Elena knows how to write a gorgeous pinning hero who quietly tries to show the heroine how much he truly cares for her. Matthew is perfect and has worked his way up to being one of my all-time favourite book boyfriends. I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to describe him, and I’ve decided that he is this wonderful mixture of those great stereotypical hero characteristics like cinnamon roll, protective, fun, sexy, etc. He doesn’t fit into one mould, which is why I think I loved him so much. There are just so many sides to him. Matthew is the perfect man for Josie, and I loved his quiet and, at times, spicy ways of showing Josie that he cares for her, that she is worthy of being loved, and that he is going to stick around. He had my heart melting constantly.
Josie was as delightful and fun as I had hoped she would be. She has such a big and caring heart, and she goes through this fake fiancé act to help her family. There is big drama surrounding Josie’s father, who has just recently become a part of her life, and her romantic past has been dug up by the press and a rather terrible (but very popular) podcast. Her four broken engagements have reflected poorly on her father’s image, and he has sent a PR agent to help straighten everything out. Josie’s character, which relates to her past romantic relationships, is similar to Julia Roberts’s character in Runaway Bride. In the sense that she sets aside who she is and takes on her fiancé’s likes and dislikes even if she doesn’t agree. Her character arc revolves around believing she can be loved for being herself and learning to trust and believe in Matthew fully. Her character story and its ending were perfect.
Fans of the previous book will be delighted to know that a lot of the secondary characters from that book make an appearance in this book. I adore, I mean really adore, Grandpa Moe and Otto. They have this whole grumpy old man thing going on, and it was delightful and hilarious. The adorable Maria, who is now ten years old, is just as sassy and wise as she was in the first book. If the adults around her would only listen to what she has to say then they probably wouldn’t find themselves in all these messy situations.
The romance is slow burn and it’s perfection. Matthew knows how to get a bookworm’s heart racing. There are so many moments where you find yourself holding your breath because you are so into what is happening and you have to keep on reading because you want more. There is plenty of lusty and spicy tension between Matthew and Josie. They bang in private and public places, and it’s super hot. There is also fun witty banter that just flows so perfectly. You find yourself craving more and more. But besides all those fun and lusty moments, some really heartfelt, quiet moments between these two just give their relationship this tremendous amount of depth. It made their relationship believable and real.
If you are a fan of fake engagement, sister’s best friend, small-town, slow burn, he falls first and harder, and no third-act breakup, then you will devour this book.
The Fiancé Dilemma is by far one of my favourite rom-coms of this year.
Thank you, Simon and Schuster Canada, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
