The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur: Book Review
This is a spoiler-free review.
The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur
Published April 18th, 2024
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, LGBTQ+
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…
Thank you to the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book. All thoughts are my own.
I’ve been a fan of Alexandria Bellefleur’s writing since I read her first novel, Written in the Stars, so I was definitely excited to pick up The Fiancée Farce. Here, Bellefleur is back once again with another sapphic fake-dating romp, this time with the stakes upped and a fake engagement on the line. The Fiancée Farce brings with it everything I’ve come to expect from a Bellefleur written romance: heightened sexual tension, steamy moments, and the perfect rom-com plot-line.
Tansy, an anxiety-ridden book seller struggling beneath the pressure of her difficult step-family and Gemma, the fun party girl who uses her loud personality to hide how disconnected she feels from her own family, were great, classic rom-com leads. I enjoyed how they both had such unique voices, which can be tricky to do with a dual POV.
I loved the use of the fake dating trope here. I was worried that adding the modern-day marriage of convenience trope would make this story feel a little ridiculous and take me out of the experience, but that never happened. Instead, the impending nuptials added just the right amount of stakes and excitement to the relationship while keeping the story light and enjoyable.
Like watching a really good 2000s’ rom-com, The Fiancée Farce was such a fun, feel-good read. 💕
Have you read The Fiancée Farce?
What did you think of it?
Let me know!
Liza
Liza is a twenty-something book blogger who spends way too much time with her nose in books and feels way too much. She loves cooking, baking, reality tv show watching and, of course, reading. She can be found most often with a cup of tea in one hand and a book in the other. Her blog, Literary Liza, features bookish content like reviews, recommendations, and author interviews.
You May Also Like
Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead: Book Review
The Stars Too Fondly by Emily Hamilton: Book Review
