The Fiancée Farce

by Alexandria Bellefleur

Lambda Literary award winner and national bestselling author Alexandria Bellefleur returns with a steamy Sapphic rom-com about a quiet bookseller and a romance novel cover model who agree to a modern-day marriage-of-convenience...

Tansy Adams’ greatest love is her family’s bookstore, passed down from her late father. But when it comes to actual romance… Tansy can’t get past the first chapter. Tired of her stepfamily’s questions about her love life, Tansy invents Gemma, a fake girlfriend inspired by the stunning cover model on a bestselling book. They’ll never actually meet, so what’s the harm in a little fib? Yet when real-life Gemma crosses Tansy’s path, her white lie nearly implodes.

Gemma van Dalen is a wild child, the outcast of her wealthy family, and now the latest heir to Van Dalen Publishing. But the title comes with one tiny condition: she must be married in order to inherit. When Gemma discovers a beautiful stranger has been pretending to date her for months, she decides to take the charade one step further—and announces their engagement.

Gemma needs a wife to meet the terms of her grandfather’s will and Tansy needs money to save her struggling bookstore. A marriage could be mutually beneficial, if they can fool everyone into thinking it’s a love match. Unexpected sparks fly as Tansy and Gemma play the role of affectionate fiancées, and suddenly the line between convenient arrangement and real feelings begins to blur. But the scheming Van Dalen family won’t give up the company without a fight, and Gemma and Tansy’s newfound happiness might get caught in the fallout…

Genres: Romance, LGBT, Lesbian, Queer, Contemporary, Fiction, Audiobook

384 pages, Paperback

First published April 18, 2023

About the author

Alexandria Bellefleur is a bestselling and award-winning author of swoony contemporary romance often featuring loveable grumps and the sunshine characters who bring them to their knees. A Pacific Northwesterner at heart, Alexandria has a weakness for good coffee, Pike IPA, and Voodoo Doughnuts. Her special skills include finding the best Pad Thai in every city she visits, remembering faces but not names, falling asleep in movie theaters, and keeping cool while reading smutty books in public. Her debut novel, Written in the Stars, was a 2021 Lambda Literary Award winner and a 2020 winner of The Ripped Bodice Awards for Excellence in Romantic Fiction.

Reviews

[Isa ☾]

it takes real talent to design a cover this ugly, but i'm here for cunning sapphic women getting together to deceive everyone

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alexandria Bellefleur pens another effortlessly charming contemporary romance, harking back to god-tier romantic comedies, and a multitude of Taylor Swift references. From its impeccable setup, right until its emotional conclusion, The Fiancee Farce is pure chaos combined with all the romantic tropes and twists you could ever yearn for in a romance novel.

Full review will be posted closer to publication on my blog!

[mica · Rating 3 out of 5]

la mina dijo "es mi libro y voy a meter de una manera u otra todas las referencias a taylor swift que se me den las ganas" y hay que respetar esto

[Hannah B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Legitimately sparked no joy. The shit that happened to Tansy in the past??? The shit that these main characters went through in the present?? Let’s just say I wasn’t the only one suffering. The terrible family and friends were so frustrating and really dragged this book down DEEP. I only liked the main couple because they were cute, if a bit instalove, but again the plot and side characters were ROUGH. Tucker can go get his dick sucked by a wood chipper. The only thing that annoyed me more were the kitten heels on the cover.

Overall, The Fiancée Farce didn’t give me the same dreamy, sparkly feels like Bellefleur’s past books. The grey on the cover was unfortunately a grim foreshadowing. I did love the narrator though, as she’s a fav of mine.


⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶️.75*/5

*The amount of sexy moments that were interrupted??? PAIN. There was only one sex scene, but it was hot and I loved the mirror!

P.S. I really can’t believe Gemma was going to give Tansy that much money lmao I guess I haven’t been properly baptized in the waters of billionaire romances because the look on my face when she followed the number 6 with MILLION.



Thanks to Libro.fm for an ALC. All opinions are honest and my own.

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay I LOVED this!! The perfect fluffy, low-angst, sapphic rom-com where most of the conflict is external to the couple. AND it has some of my favorite tropes with a modern marriage of convenience and a fake relationship. It was absolutely delightful and while it doesn't have a ton of steamy scenes, the ones it does have are excellent.

Tansy is a quiet bookseller who made up a relationship with Gemma, a romance cover model to get her family off her back. So no one is more surprised when said model actually shows up to her cousin's wedding! But as it turns out, Gemma is in need of a wife to gain her inheritance so she goes along with the farce. They agree to a marriage of convenience that will allow Tansy to save her family's bookstore, but of course they catch feelings along the way...

I loved this so much. It was sweet and sexy and funny. Clearly I need to read more from this author! I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Content warnings include sexual exploitation of a character in her past and threatening interactions with her former abuser.

[Fleah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

This book is really over the top and cheesy/corny. I liked parts of it but I didn’t like a lot as well. Tansy and Gemma were an absolute delight and I loved them as individuals and as a couple. It’s everything else that needed work.

No part of this story was believable, if you’re one that has issues with that then I’d stay away from this. This actually wasn’t a big issue for me but it did make me roll my eyes a few times. I kind of felt like I was reading about an episode of Real Housewives a time to two.

My main issue were all the terrible side characters, and there was an abundance of them. How a grown woman is happy with 5+ roommates is beyond me. Plus, you add in everyone’s family and it was…a lot. Almost all of the family was problematic and toxic and the friends were mostly annoying.

I also disliked how instalove the relationship is. I realize this is a fake marriage trope but my issue is with how quickly they actually developed feelings. Especially with how both felt about relationships to start with. The book takes place over two months or so and I just felt like the pace for the romance was off, especially as there are short time jumps in that already short span of time.

I know this sounds like I didn’t like this at all but I did! I thought it was fun and sweet but I feel like I could have loved it if not for those other things overshadowing what I did enjoy. Every moment Tansy and Gemma were together on screen was a delight, even in their text exchanges.

I think most people will enjoy this, though it definitely isn’t for everyone.

[Rachel L · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars!

It's funny, because I had zero intention of reading this book because I hate the cover and I ended up really enjoying it!

Fiancee Farce is about Tansy and Gemma, who enter an engagement of convenience when Tansy needs to save her bookstore and Gemma needs a wife to inherit her families company. But as they embark on their fake relationship, the lines get blurred and both want something more.

Definitely one of the better fake dating books I've ever read, I thought both Tansy and Gemma were developed really well and despite some predictable plot points, this book was really good. I picked it up to match a bingo square for Ripped Bodice Summer Bingo 2023 and I am glad I did because I discovered a great new to me author. Don't judge a book by its cover, it may be better than you expected.

[Star · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note added: 17/11/2022 - why are people tagging this with lesbian? Alexandria clearly states on all of her socials about this book that it's a bi/bi f/f romance. There's literally zero lesbians in this book. C'mon, people! Do better! The bisexuals deserve it! /end note.

I would die for this book already.
This is my most anticipated book for 2023 and that cover is to die for!

13/10/2022 - update. I finished it!

Thank you to the eARC deities who granted me the ability to be able to read this book in advance. *blows kisses*

The plot? Fantastic!
The romance? Swoon worthy!!
The characters? Incredible. Flawed. Wonderful. Human. Amazing.
The spice? Tiny but very excellent.
The Taylor Swift references? On point.


This marriage-of-convenience book was literally everything I could have hoped for, and everything I needed and wanted.

Book-loving Tansy owns my heart and soul.
And Gemma? She can step on me and I'd say thank you.

These two idiots are perfect for each other. I loved this so very much a lot.



Content warning: nude photos (of a 16 year old!!!) shared without consent (the guy in question who shared them was older, and got away with it while the girl was shamed and humiliated, because ofc), alcohol consumption, manipulation, toxic men.

Rep: Tansy (MC) is bisexual, Gemma (MC) is bisexual, other queer side characters. Zero POC though. Honestly, at this point I don't get why AB doesn't include POC. It's Seattle - there are POC in Seattle!!
May 2023 edit: Teddy is described as having a "light brown" chest.


First read: 11-13/10/2022
Second read: 09-10/05/2023



Bookish links: Instagram / Twitter / TikTok / Blog

[Karla Martínez · Rating 3 out of 5]

todos los libros con representación bisexual me hacen muy feliz 💖 este matrimonio por conveniencia me tenía chillando de emoción y sonriendo como si hubiese ganado la lotería. eso si, en cierto punto lo encontré muy meloso y, a decir verdad, estaba esperando que fuera más spicy JAJAJA igual lo recomiendo✨

[Rhys · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf @36% god no I can’t any longer. Full review to come on why I couldn’t finish this but give me back my time, please.

*Thank you to Harper Collins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

So...Alexandria Bellefleur's new release The Fiancee Farce...yeah Bellefleur is NOT for me.

I read Written in the Stars last year and that was a 2 star hate read. I was giving Bellefleur another chance with The Fiancee Farce because hello bookstore owner, sapphic, fake dating, fake marriage that leads to love? Yes, please. But oh boy was this a miss for me.

If you love this book, I'm sorry but maybe don't read my review. I hate this book.

So, before I get into the real reason I hate this book, let's discuss why I didn't like Tansy and Gemma, the main characters. I don't know what it was with the two of them, but the fake engagement (I didn't get to the marriage part) felt *way* too forced. The fake love they were trying to portray to me read as too much and too cheesy. And also can I just say, Gemma felt like she was not the type of person to express much outward love in the 36% I read. As for Tansy, uh I didn't like her. She has anxiety, so I should feel for her since I too have anxiety, right? Wrong. Other people probably relate to her, but I didn't. Not one bit. I'm not sure exactly what I didn't like about her anxiety, but it felt like she shrunk into herself whenever she was around Katherine (her stepmother) and never tried to defend herself. Once again, this is probably a personal thing, but I was not a fan of Tansy. If you loved Tansy and Gemma, good! I'm glad people love them, but I didn't.

Okay, so, now onto what I f*cking hated. Teddy. Teddy, aka Gemma's best friend and roommate. Now, Teddy did seem to really care for Gemma, but the way he was written by Bellefleur, a woman, is where I have an issue. Teddy is the literal stereotypical flamboyantly gay best friend to a woman (queer or straight). You know that stereotype, where the "gay best friend" is overly gay and overly enthusiastic and happy? That is Teddy. And the reason I hate it is because I DON'T WANT TO SEE MORE WOMEN USE THAT STEREOTYPE THAT PEOPLE THINK I FIT INTO (I'm a gay man in case you don't know me) IN A STORY WHERE IT'S NOT ABOUT HIM. I want a QUEER MAN to write that story, please. A queer man can make fun of that stereotype, but in The Fiancee Farce, all Teddy is in the story is the gay best friend of Gemma. I don't know what happens after 36% but I couldn't do it when he showed up to the engagement party in a tux with no shirt. Like no please stop, wear a shirt, wear a rainbow shirt but please no shirtless gay men at an engagement party.

If Teddy wasn't written so flamboyantly gay, I don't think I would've had a problem. But because he is, absolutely not I dnf'ed this shit show at 36%.

Anyway, that is why I hated The Fiancee Farce.

[BJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t think I’ve ever read a romance novel before—at least not an adult romance, at least not since I’ve been an adult. “Marriage of convenience” is, I take it, a well-worn trope—but it’s all new to me! The trick, so far as I can tell, is to take two characters with insane, get-this-shirt-off-me-before-I-lose-my-mind chemistry, and then ensure that a powerful enough psychological barrier stands between them that they can’t just tear each other’s clothes off on page one!

The biggest surprise (no surprise) was the sex. In the kinds of books I usually read, sex is often artful, revealing, dreamy or feverish or touching—but rarely is it, well, “steamy.” I’m not used to feeling embarrassed to read in public!

There are more cliches in this book, in prose and in plot, than in everything else I’ve read this year put together, but that's hardly a critique—it’s clearly the whole point. In a strange way, The Fiancée Farce feels like an inverted fantasy novel. In fantasy, the world is fantastical, but conflict, characterization, and plot are meant to be realistic, believable. Here, the world is perfectly realistic, is our world, but conflict, character, and plot are all pure fantasy.

[Sylvie {Semi-Hiatus} · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the mood for an Alexandria Bellefleur book.

Second read: Pending...
First read: 4 out of 5 stars

[MZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fauxmance, one of my favorite tropes, and I’m happy to report that I enjoyed this book a lot. It had some minor bumps, but overall it didn’t affect my enjoyment of this book, so I’m fine with that.

This book should really not be taken too seriously as the start of the fauxmance is a bit ridiculous (they are engaged after barely speaking to each other), both families (including their drama) have a high soap opera vibe and the conflict is pretty over the top, and yes the romance is also rather cheesy. So, now you know what you’re in for if you decide to read this book.

For me the MCs were a good match, they were really cute together and I can’t help it but the soap opera feeling worked for me (even if it could have been toned down just a bit, especially near the ending). The start of the book is easy and funny followed by some angst and drama which mainly stemmed from the past and gave the MCs an interesting backstory. All in all I liked the MCs and there are some secondary characters that are easy to hate. However, there were some personality switches in some of the characters that felt rather unrealistic which could have benefited from a more careful approach.

If you’re in for a fun, romantic and not too realistic read, this might be the book you’re looking for.

[Jude in the Stars · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tansy Adams has been lying to her family for months about dating a woman called Gemma. The name didn’t come out of nowhere, a romance novel model was the inspiration. Things get interesting when said model dances into Tansy’s life at her step-cousin’s wedding. Gemma turns out to be the groom’s cousin and the van Dalen family black sheep, in a pickle of her own: to inherit the family business, Van Dalen Publishing, she needs to get married. Discovering that she’s been a beautiful woman’s fake fiancée for months sounds like a perfect opportunity.

I wasn’t going to read this book because I’m convinced I overrated the only other Bellefleur story I read, Written in the Stars – I blame the Christmas spirit for that – but then I got the opportunity to download an advanced listening copy of The Fiancée Farce and I remembered the narration of Written in the Stars being good so why not? And I ended up having a lot of fun.

I’ll be honest, not much is plausible in this story. That said, how plausible are most romcoms? It all comes down to whether the interactions between the main characters work and for me, they did. I loved Tansy and Gemma, both as individuals struggling with their very different but as difficult families and trying to do the right thing in their work life, and as a couple. The banter, the shifts in strength and support, the fondness, I liked it all.

The narration is to be thanked for that to a considerable extent. The writing itself is okay but repetitive at times and exaggerated, especially when it comes to the bad guys. Lauren Sweet, the narrator, makes it work anyway, and I found myself chuckling more than once. The only flaw in the narration is the few sentences in French, but they’re pronounced by a side character and there aren’t many. That said, while I get prioritizing the rest of the book over a few words that aren’t essential when it comes to the narration, I don’t understand why neither the author nor the publisher thought to check with a French-speaking person that what was written was correct in the first place. Rant over (until the next time).

On the positive side, bonus points for Teddy, one of Gemma’s numerous roommates, who keeps bringing wit and comic relief. Not that Gemma and Tansy aren’t funny in their own right, but Teddy is camp and outrageous and kind and a great secondary character. It also helps that I’m a sucker for any kind of British accent and Sweet gave him the perfect intonations.

All in all, I had a really fun time listening, I was always disappointed when I had to stop to attend to whatever life thought was more urgent. And there’s a playlist on Spotify, which is always appreciated.

I received a copy from Libro.fm and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

Read all my reviews on my blog (and please buy from the affiliation links!): Jude in the Stars

[Sherwood Smith]

I fazoomed through this f/f romance last night, which is paced at a breakneck speed, especially in the first half.

It's not truly a marriage of convenience, but once I adjusted my expectations, I began to appreciate how much these two *talked* to each other. It was such a relief not to run into Grand Misunderstandings caused by total non-communication, a trope I've never liked, and have come to thoroughly dislike.

Tansy and Gemma have enormous issues, which we uncover as they get to know each other. The side characters are colorful (I adored Teddy, Gemma's main roomie) and the tension between Gemma and Lucy really gripped me. I fell in love with both Tansy and Gemma from the latter's first dramatic appearance (this would make such a terrific film!) and the villains were all thoroughly horrible, which highlighted Uncle Brooks and his arc.

Lots of delicious emotional and UST, and great turns of phrase made me an instant fan of this writer.

[pipsqueakreviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marriage of convenience.

This is a romance novel that tells the story of two women, Tansy and Gemma, who enter into a marriage of convenience in order to fulfill the requirements for Gemma to inherit a large family business.

The concept is not new but Alexandria Bellefleur has somehow managed to present it in, what some readers feel, an engaging way, but I have to admit I had issues with the book. While I have no major dislike for either main characters, I thought there were too many unlikable side characters who were incredibly flat and predictable, and why Tansy and Gemma continue to be around these people is beyond me. I also thought some parts of the story moved pretty quickly, like Gemma declaring that she doesn't do real relationships to her asking Tansy out on a date.

I know this isn't a book for me but I won't ask anyone to write it off as there are so many other readers out there who love this. Oh and I thought the cover looks great.

[Tammie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

Thank you to the publishers for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I'm gonna have to sit on it, but I think this might be my favourite book by Bellefleur so far - she really keeps getting better and better. My only criticism is really that I found the ending to be a bit too over the top for me personally, and it isn't as steamy as some of her other books, so it's not quite in that 4.5-5 star range for me, but it's very close.

One thing that I always appreciate about Bellefleur's romances are that the third act conflict/breakup never really feels forced. The characters' motivations and reasons for having this conflict feel realistic and logical given their circumstances, and it isn't just thrown in there just for the sake of having one.

Another thing I really love about this book in particular is the communication. Adults who ACTUALLY speak to each other and communicate their issues and feelings?? Often times when I read romances, I get really frustrated at how the characters behave given their age/life experience and how they just simply have zero communication skills, but this isn't the case here. Tansy and Gemma are constantly communicating with each other regarding their feelings and concerns, and when outside threats happen, they don't keep it to themselves. They're open and honest with each other, and I love that.

As for my favourite thing about this book, it's definitely Tansy. She is a girl after my own heart, and perhaps I'm biased because she's just so similar to me on paper, but I was really invested in her from the get-go.

I do want to put a bit of a disclaimer in that I don't think this book is really a traditional fake dating/marriage of convenience trope because the characters actually do develop feelings very early on, and like I mentioned earlier, do communicate these feelings very early on. So it's really just a romance, but the way they meet is because of this fake marriage, but it lacks some of the elements that I'd expect from the fake marriage trope (like the whole will they or won't they aspect). I am not personally bothered by this at all, but just wanted to put that out there so that you can go into the book with the right expectations.

A side note on the cover though - I'm slightly irritated at the fact that throughout the book, Tansy is described as at least mid-sized, if not plus-sized, and the cover doesn't reflect this in my opinion. Obviously this is not the author's fault nor is it a mark against the book itself, but just something that I really want publishers to stop doing.

All in all, The Fiancee Farce lived up to all of my expectations - Alexandria Bellefleur has solidified herself as one of my go-to romance authors, especially when it comes to rom coms. I had a really great time with this one, and would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a really great, feel-good sapphic romance. I also super recommend it to anyone who is looking for a sapphic take on a Cinderella type story - I'm gonna need someone to make another A Cinderella Story movie based on this book ASAP.

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur
Contemporary F-F romance. Fake relationship troupe.
Tansy has been lying about being in a relationship for the last six months to avoid family functions. Accidentally having named the other person, Tansy is shocked when Gemma shows up at a family wedding and agrees to go along with the game. Of course there are conditions and consequences along the rocky road to love.

Each of the women are attracted to the other which makes for delicious tension. Each also has personal issues beyond the set-up that they have to deal with. Together they need to watch their trusted friends and their backs.
It was tantalizing and a bit bumpy and ultimately heart swooning.

I received a copy of this from the publisher.

[Emily Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I AM GAY AND FLOORED as always.

I don’t know what Alexandria Bellefleur puts in these books but it’s one of the only authors when I preorder, then read the books within days of them turning up in one sitting.

This is definitely one of my favourites. I think Count Your Lucky Stars might still hold the top position but this was great.

-Swiftie refs
-Marriage of convenience/ fake relationship
-Bookstore owner/ heiress
-Slow burn (ish) with multiple steamy spice scenes that had me twirling my hair and kicking my feet because IT WAS CUTE

My only issue was I did feel the character MC’s in this were quite similar to Darcy and Elle in WITS and the story held a handful of similar traits (why I dropped it down one star.)

Saying that I adored WITS and I loved this, and like the others you will catch me re reading it like 500 times.

I grabbed the US cover because whoever designed the UK cover? JAIL. It’s very ClipArt vibes circa 2002.

Rep// WLW central romance. Both MC’s are bi I believe.

TW’s listed below please skip if you don’t want vague spoilers.






Tw// death of parents, alcoholism (brief mention), past mentions to sex as a minor with someone I believe was of legal age, sexual photos taken of a minor and shared around school without consent (past), ptsd/trauma themes due to that event, bullying in past, explicit sex scenes in present (between consenting adults,) parental neglect.

[james ☆ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐

"tansy, sweetheart, you could wear a trash bag and still outshine every single person in this city."

THIS BOOK HAS MY HEART. it has become not only an instant favorite, but an instant comfort book. from the atmospheric setting that literally *seeps* with the author's love for seattle, to the scathing family drama that literally had my jaw dropping at 3 am when i physically couldn't put it down...this book has it ALL. absolute perfection. my compliments to the chef.

oh, yeah. and gemma van dalen is also the actual love of my life. so there's that.

"i tried to get them to write 'sorry i'm an emotionally stunted bitch' in gel frosting, but apparently that's not something they do."

this book had me laughing, crying, swooning, feeling more single than i've potentially ever felt in my entire life, and highlighting quotes on my kindle like a madman. if you see me rereading it embarrassingly soon...simply look away. i literally love it so much. it's perfect.

[Netgyrl (Laura) · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars - perfect formula romance

I loved this book from start to finish. Both leads were interesting and unique. The meet cute was very fun. They had great communication throughout the whole book with one little blip at the end to add some extra drama for the grand finale.

Loved❤️loved❤️loved!❤️

It’s the type of book where you have a stupid grin on your face most of the time. 😁Highly recommend.

ps. I used the Libby app to borrow it from the library.

pps. HALLMARK MAKE THIS A MOVIE!!!!

[fatma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

A common issue that comes up a lot in romance is that the conflict feels contrived and unnecessary. The issue with The Fiancée Farce is the exact inverse: it doesn't have enough conflict. As always, I love Alexandria Bellefleur's writing; it's extremely readable, flows well, and I've never had any major gripes with it. And I did like the characters here, too, especially the way Gemma and Tansy's personalities complemented each other. But in terms of story, I just feel like The Fiancée Farce was a bit too straightforward and simplistic. More than anything, the romance lacked tension; the characters get together pretty quickly, and then they're dating and happy and nothing is really an obstacle until a minor setback in the very last part of the book, which gets resolved quickly enough. And listen, I love that there's no contrived drama here, but I also need there to be some drama to keep the story engaging.

TL;DR I enjoyed this, but it was pretty forgettable.

[Sunny Lu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Corny

[Sapphic Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had such a great time reading my first Alexandria Bellefleur book—so much so that I devoured The Fiancée Farce in just a day!

Gemma and Tansy were such likable main characters, and one of the things I appreciated most was how they actually communicated with each other. While there was plenty of drama and deception throughout the book, it never came between them, which was such a refreshing change. No frustrating misunderstandings, no unnecessary secrecy—just two characters navigating their relationship with honesty and care. It made their story even more enjoyable, and I couldn’t put it down!

I’ll definitely be picking up another book by Alexandria Bellefleur.

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't make it quite halfway before falling out of the story. I think it was the triple-spy incident that broke me. One where there are three sets of people eavesdropping on a conversation that was filled with secrets that could ruin the whole plot. I think this broke me not only for all the contrivance (how many hiding places are in this little hallway?) but because it revealed Gemma as at least somewhat delusional.

Let me back up. So Gemma and Tansy have this secret scheme that amounts to a marriage of convenience. And Gemma has five roommates for reasons that make exactly zero sense given how rich she is and she trusts them all implicitly, supposedly. So they all know the secret. And then we get a scene where we find out that one of them is in love with Gemma but that Gemma doesn't do long-term or something. And that one talks openly about this secret in what amounts to the lion's den with no care for privacy (duh, there were half a dozen people listening in) and I'm all, "well, so much for Gemma's judgement" with a kicker of "this is drama city and how much do I really care?"

And the trouble with that calculation is that Tansy has her own drama stacked up from an essentially Cinderella step-mom thing and a bookstore that people think is worth six million dollars that she loves and has been eking along understaffed in order to convince evil step-mom from selling out from under her. So Tansy's entire motivation is developmental stasis, puttering around with this highly unlikely albatross. And frankly, if she can get that kind of money out of this marriage, I can think of half a dozen healthier things for her to pursue than developmental stasis.

All of that said, the writing is fantastic and many of Gemma's other roommates are goldmines of fun interactions and I very nearly stayed on just for them. If it weren't for what felt like unearned drama building to an inevitable dramalanche, I might have stuck around just for them. Which is what earns this two stars despite being a dnf.

[emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

with the charm and low angst alexandria bellefleur is known for, the fiancée farce explores the marriage of convenience trope through a sapphic pairing. we are welcomed into the lives of tansy, owner of a bookstore, and gemma, the heir to van dalen publishing. when tansy wants her stepfamily off of her back about her dating life and gemma finds herself in the predicament of only being able to become heiress of her deceased grandfather’s company once married, the pair mutually agree on a beneficial marriage of convenience to prosper in their lives. what neither of them expects is to fall in love with the other throughout their fake relationship. so of course, akin to the romance genre, they do.

bellefleur, as usual, creates palpable chemistry between her leads that the inevitable crossing of the line they create between themselves is a welcome one as soon as it happens. this is easy to read, easy to love, and written so fondly that it is easy to find yourself rooting for those who inhabit the story. you can just never go wrong with an alexandria bellefleur novel.

`“forever, hmm?” tansy clasped her fingers together behind gemma’s neck. “sounds like an awfully long time.”
gemma looked at tansy in that special way of hers, like tansy was her reason for breathing, oxygen be damned. a look that never failed to, ironically, take tansy’s breath away. “if i’m lucky.”’

[Layla ☽︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The things I want to do to you, the power you could wield over me, Tansy. You have no idea. I’d worship you, if you’d let me.”

This book was damn near a perfect romance. The LACK of miscommunication combined with the abundance of honesty and adoration from both Tansy and Gemma was incredibly refreshing. Not only is this book funny but it was surprisingly well paced. Was the plot fascinating 24/7? No, didn’t expect it to be. Were the steamy scenes that were teased great? No. Did their well written relationship and characterisation make up for it? Absolutely.

Let me elaborate. The steamy scenes that were constantly teased through Gemma’s innuendos and Tansys “butterflies” & “heat” felt extremely underwhelming. I adored the appreciation of Tansys body so much, but the scenes themselves felt gappy and lazy. That is the only negative discern i have with this book, otherwise i can’t really complain. I’ve never read a book where the couple is so upfront and honest with their feelings, leaving more chapters for loving than misunderstandings. It was so sickly sweet to read. I loved it. They’re both sweethearts. I recommend this if you’re looking for a sweet, straightforward, sapphic romance that’ll satisfy your hopeless romantic needs. 🩷

[Ruxandra Grrr [in a slump :(((((] · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was quite loving this until about the 70% mark (5-stars loving and enjoying), and then it started to fall apart quite quickly. But now that I look back on it, the falling apart had started quicker, with the introduction of too many little plotlines that don't get resolved in a satisfactory way (most of them, basically). The falling in love part I bought, but because this is a very messy book, I was left feeling cold by the ending.

There are some pacing issues here. For instance, there is a lot happening at the engagement party and it felt fun, because Bellefleur was leaning into farcical elements more than rom-coms usually do, especially playing in a sandbox of rich, stuffy, assholish people, which feels very classic farce to me. But because some moments were given a lot of real estate, a lot of the storylines later felt very thinly drawn - like stuff about Gemma's mother and also her uncle, Brooks (whom I liked for most of this, he was maybe one of the better drawn characters). When it comes to Gemma's mother, it feels like I didn't really understand what their relationship was like after the divorce of Gemma's parents, beyond very small pieces of info we got. This book somehow still is 400 pages long??

I would also be remiss not to mention that a lot of Tansy's backstory is similar to Delilah from Delilah Green Doesn't Care, orphaned, fraught relationship with step mother and step sister and stuff. But she does manage a bookshop, like Claire, Delilah's love interest. Speaking of which, I wanted more bookshop stuff, what's the point in having it as a story element, when you hardly do anything with it and the people there?

Quite a bunch of times it felt like Bellefleur was skipping the parts of the story that I was most interested in seeing - the meeting with the wedding planner, the interactions with people at the wedding events (like Tucker, for instance) and so on. There was a lot going on and a lot of it was brushed off.


I also didn't really understand the waiting to have sex for about two weeks part? I'm not complaining about that, it was just bugging me. What was the point in that?

After the wedding is interrupted, it literally made no sense to me that Gemma and Tansy wouldn't be there for each other or comfort each other, considering how they had been constructed as characters... It all felt so contrived and nonsensical.

Then the step mom portion of Tansy's story also did not make sense, it was way too thinly drawn.

Not to mention the whole glitter in the airvents of the Lambo thing, which falls apart completely, because 1. there are security cameras in parking lots. 2. Tucker only drove that car the morning of the board meeting, weeks after they did that? What?


At the same time, a lot of denouement rests on the idea that board members for a big company would choose to do something ethical instead of something profitable. I know I read romance for the fantasy of it all, but my suspension of disbelief can only stretch so far. And like, in my life, I've worked for at least 5 or so media moguls who owned national newspapers or TV stations so someone could call that biased, or someone could call that experienced. I know they're not that interested in 'bringing the truth to the masses', as Gemma's grandfather and great-grandfather are said to have wanted.

I won't even begin to complain about class dynamics, Gemma being a millionaire and all that, because I already feel that I've complained a lot about stuff. Critiquing romance and romance tropes is complicated. I get the fantasy of having someone fulfilling all your dreams, but also like fuck millionaires, you know?

[Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like contemporary romances, but I don’t usually LOVE them as much as fantasy or sci-fi.
That being said, this book had my heart almost instantly. The writing is effervescent and witty, with just the right amount of cheesiness. The characters and their relationships felt so real and full of depth.
I highly recommend this book, especially if you like:

~ Sapphics falling for each other while pretending to be in a love
~ Endearing side characters (except the ones you’re meant to hate, they can crash and burn 😇)
~ A MC who lives in a local bookstore
~ Angst without toxicity
~ No miscommunication trope!!
~ Well written spice 🤭🌶

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did I drop everything to read this? Yes.

I swooned. I had heart eyes. I had little butterflies in my tummy.

The way that Alexandria can write romance into something that seems so beautifully imperfect is such a feat to accomplish. I can’t even begin to fathom the amount of work that went into creating such a beautifully crafted novel.

This was everything that I’ve ever wanted in a sapphic romance book.. and more. Please add this to your TBR, pick it up at your local bookstore, and similarly to me, drop everything and read this.