[ARC Review] The Fiancée Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur

Publisher's synopsis: 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…

My thoughts: I absolutely ate up the dynamic between Tansy and Gemma in The Fiancée Farce. Every moment - from their first, accidental meeting to the happily ever after - found me willingly strapped in on the rollercoaster that was their romance. 

Marriage of convenience usually seem a bit far-fetched to me, like the stipulation would never happen in real life. But The Fiancée Farce truly seemed like a plot that could happen, and I didn't have to spend the whole novel suspending my belief in order to enjoy the story. I mean, of course a bookshop owner would make up a girlfriend who resembles a romance cover model. What both Gemma and Tansy stood to gain from the marriage made plausible sense; Gemma has money that Tansy needs for her bookstore, and Tansy is more than Gemma could ever hope for in a wife, all stipulations aside. Nothing in the plot seemed too outrageous, too out there, and it didn't take much to imagine that such a story could truly happen. 

I enjoyed Bellefleur's Written in the Stars books, and I was glad to see her signature writing carried over into this new adventure. Bellefleur's prose is poetic and beautiful, steamy and poignant and funny. Love is love, and I loved the fact that none of Gemma's horrible family ever once brought up the fact that she was marrying a woman as a reason to fight the grandfather's will. 

Gemma and Tansy were cute, and funny, and romantic, and even the usual third act relationship issues didn't bother me because I enjoyed their relationship arc so much. They brought so much to each others' lives, and Bellefleur brought so much to this story. As much as I loved all the couples in the Written in the Stars series, Tansy and Gemma might just be my new favorite Alexandria Bellefleur couple. 

A huge thank you to Avon for providing an advance copy of The Fiancée Farce for review! All opinions are my own.

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Release date: 4/18/23

Format: eARC

eARC provided via: NetGalley