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readwkatie's review against another edition
3.0
Brenna is getting ready to attend a wedding where she will have to be face to face with her ex-husband and his new woman, her high school enemy. Brenna can't bear the thought of having them think that she's not doing as well as them so she asks her long time friend Finn a big favor - to pretend to be her fiancé for the long weekend. Brenna doesn't see anything wrong with this, but Brenna and Finn both know that there has been an unspoken spark between them for years. Will the long weekend ignite the spark or will it ruin their friendship for good?
This book is your typical hallmark cheesy love story. That being said, what you see is what you get. Some of the characters feel a bit one dimensional for me (though I have not read the first of the series, so that could be less of an author issue and more of a reader issue). There also wasn't much mystery in the story for me - they pretended to be engages but had feelings for one another and it was quite clear how that was going to workout (even from the summary of the book). There was some smut thrown in here and there, which I'm not a fan of (especially when I'm listening to the book at work before hours and some raunchy words pop up out of nowhere. Overall, this was a decent read if you're looking for a light love story or a hallmark movie in a book.
This book is your typical hallmark cheesy love story. That being said, what you see is what you get. Some of the characters feel a bit one dimensional for me (though I have not read the first of the series, so that could be less of an author issue and more of a reader issue). There also wasn't much mystery in the story for me - they pretended to be engages but had feelings for one another and it was quite clear how that was going to workout (even from the summary of the book). There was some smut thrown in here and there, which I'm not a fan of (especially when I'm listening to the book at work before hours and some raunchy words pop up out of nowhere. Overall, this was a decent read if you're looking for a light love story or a hallmark movie in a book.
romancejunkie1025's review against another edition
4.0
Wow that one was... Interesting. I loved Finn, but honestly Brenna pissed me off with her habgsup, blowups and assumptions. She came off as a child entirely too much. Glad she finally grew up though and came to terms with her feelings so she and Finn could have their HEA
nicki_theoverflowingbookcase's review against another edition
5.0
In order to save face in front of her ex-husband and his new wife, Brenna devises a plan. Using Finn as her fake fiancé in her mind seems like an easy lie, but when push comes to shove it is so much harder than she ever imagined. You see, Finn has been in love with her since he first saw her and although he has watched her fall in and out of love once he has his head in the game there is no holding back. But will Brenna allow herself to have a HEA? Or will she figure out a way to walk away from the one man who give her the love and support she needs? With adorable characters and a storyline that just sweeps the reader away this was a wonderful read. The chemistry just leapt of the pages and you will not be able to wipe the smile off your face.
jaimejustreadsromance's review against another edition
3.0
This was the second book in the series and a good friends to lovers romance but nothing about the story really stood out to make it great. Brenna was kind of unlikeable as a character but Finn made the book.
*I received an ARC from NetGalley for voluntary review
*I received an ARC from NetGalley for voluntary review
scoutmomskf's review against another edition
5.0
Fun book. After her short-lived and disastrous marriage, Brenna Bellini has no desire to get married again. She loves her life working at the family winery with her dad, mostly leaving the wedding side of the business to her two sisters. She's excited to be a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding until she discovers that her ex's new wife, who was also her high school best friend turned worst enemy, is the maid of honor. Which means Allison's husband will be there too. Dreading the prospect of the gloating she'll face if she shows up alone, Brenna hatches a plot. She'll ask her friend Finn to pose as her fake fiancé.
Finn is the son of Mrs. Bellini's best friend in Ireland. When his mother died, Mrs. Bellini brought him over from Ireland to live at the winery. While he always looked at Brenna's sisters Hope and Erin as his sisters, too, his feelings for Brenna were much different. When Brenna asked him to play the part of her fiancé, Finn jumped at the chance. Perhaps now he can show her that they belong together.
I enjoyed watching the relationship between Finn and Brenna grow and change from friends to so much more. Because they've known each other for so long, Brenna and Finn are very comfortable with each other, and their conversations show it. What Brenna didn't expect was the strength of the attraction between them. She'd always been aware of Finn but ruthlessly suppressed it, not wanting to make life at the winery awkward. Finn likewise buried his feelings, but now he seizes the opportunity to let them loose. He also knows that Brenna is skittish about relationships, so he exerts a great deal of patience in his pursuit. I loved seeing them together as Finn uses their "engagement" to spend quality time with her. It isn't long before the chemistry between them burns out of control, but will Brenna see the emotion that forms the basis for it?
I admit to wanting to shake Brenna more than once. She knows she's falling for Finn, but she's so afraid of trusting her emotions that she pulls back whenever they start to overwhelm her. There's one instance where the pull-back coincides with a misunderstanding over his whiskey business. Brenna's reaction was petty and excessive, but fortunately, she realized it. I liked that she admitted her mistakes and apologized and that Finn has a healthy attitude toward letting go of incidents like that. When the "need" for the fake engagement ends, Brenna freaks when Finn wants to make their relationship real. I felt that Brenna earned her misery and loved her sisters' "intervention." I had to laugh when she realized that he wasn't right there for her to go back to. I loved how his friends helped him see what he needed to do. His decision to get away for a while was just what he needed, and I wasn't at all surprised at where he went. The ending was great as Brenna finally let go of the past.
I also loved the closeness of the Bellini family and friends. Though each family member has a particular role in the family business, they are always ready to jump in and help each other. I loved how Brenna's sisters provide not just support but also the occasional kick in the pants when she needs it. The friendships among the men in the story are strong enough to weather anything from busted weddings to health issues. I loved watching them insult each other over silly things then rally around when one of them needs help.
I loved seeing more of both the winery and wedding businesses. The behind-the-scenes looks are fascinating. It's always fun to see some of the shenanigans brides get up to when planning their weddings, the things that go wrong, and the lengths people go to fix them. One of my favorite winery scenes was on the harvest day as Brenna got roped into grape-stomping on television. I also liked the bits we saw of Finn's whiskey distillery. Having visited a few in Ireland, Scotland, and the US, I have some idea of how complex it is.
#netgalley
Finn is the son of Mrs. Bellini's best friend in Ireland. When his mother died, Mrs. Bellini brought him over from Ireland to live at the winery. While he always looked at Brenna's sisters Hope and Erin as his sisters, too, his feelings for Brenna were much different. When Brenna asked him to play the part of her fiancé, Finn jumped at the chance. Perhaps now he can show her that they belong together.
I enjoyed watching the relationship between Finn and Brenna grow and change from friends to so much more. Because they've known each other for so long, Brenna and Finn are very comfortable with each other, and their conversations show it. What Brenna didn't expect was the strength of the attraction between them. She'd always been aware of Finn but ruthlessly suppressed it, not wanting to make life at the winery awkward. Finn likewise buried his feelings, but now he seizes the opportunity to let them loose. He also knows that Brenna is skittish about relationships, so he exerts a great deal of patience in his pursuit. I loved seeing them together as Finn uses their "engagement" to spend quality time with her. It isn't long before the chemistry between them burns out of control, but will Brenna see the emotion that forms the basis for it?
I admit to wanting to shake Brenna more than once. She knows she's falling for Finn, but she's so afraid of trusting her emotions that she pulls back whenever they start to overwhelm her. There's one instance where the pull-back coincides with a misunderstanding over his whiskey business. Brenna's reaction was petty and excessive, but fortunately, she realized it. I liked that she admitted her mistakes and apologized and that Finn has a healthy attitude toward letting go of incidents like that. When the "need" for the fake engagement ends, Brenna freaks when Finn wants to make their relationship real. I felt that Brenna earned her misery and loved her sisters' "intervention." I had to laugh when she realized that he wasn't right there for her to go back to. I loved how his friends helped him see what he needed to do. His decision to get away for a while was just what he needed, and I wasn't at all surprised at where he went. The ending was great as Brenna finally let go of the past.
I also loved the closeness of the Bellini family and friends. Though each family member has a particular role in the family business, they are always ready to jump in and help each other. I loved how Brenna's sisters provide not just support but also the occasional kick in the pants when she needs it. The friendships among the men in the story are strong enough to weather anything from busted weddings to health issues. I loved watching them insult each other over silly things then rally around when one of them needs help.
I loved seeing more of both the winery and wedding businesses. The behind-the-scenes looks are fascinating. It's always fun to see some of the shenanigans brides get up to when planning their weddings, the things that go wrong, and the lengths people go to fix them. One of my favorite winery scenes was on the harvest day as Brenna got roped into grape-stomping on television. I also liked the bits we saw of Finn's whiskey distillery. Having visited a few in Ireland, Scotland, and the US, I have some idea of how complex it is.
#netgalley
laureneliz97's review against another edition
4.0
Brenna and Finn are two of the most infuriating characters I have ever come across, but almost in the best way possible. I not only loved these two characters but also the way Brenna’s family were written, it was a joy to read!
mindfullibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
(free review copy) It was cute. It was readable. It was fine and I’d definitely read more in the series because I like the world it’s set in and the family vineyard. The writing just seemed pretty clunky.
hannas_heas47's review against another edition
4.0
Love the cover and blurb! I have always been a fan of this author and this was a cute read.
What did I like? The narration was fun and light hearted. Brenna was a hard to like main character with her childish whims and ways but the narrator nailed it!
I’m glad I got the narration but I felt like Finn was beating his head against the wall that was Brenna. The book started off with the characters already knowing each other from the first book which felt awkward since I hadn’t read it. So read the first if you can!
Would I recommend or buy? Yes, this was a fun but light hearted read with a slow burn romance. The audiobook was 8 hours and great for an ideal work day! Four stars!
I received a complimentary copy to listen to and voluntarily left a review!
What did I like? The narration was fun and light hearted. Brenna was a hard to like main character with her childish whims and ways but the narrator nailed it!
I’m glad I got the narration but I felt like Finn was beating his head against the wall that was Brenna. The book started off with the characters already knowing each other from the first book which felt awkward since I hadn’t read it. So read the first if you can!
Would I recommend or buy? Yes, this was a fun but light hearted read with a slow burn romance. The audiobook was 8 hours and great for an ideal work day! Four stars!
I received a complimentary copy to listen to and voluntarily left a review!
jaggededgereviews's review against another edition
5.0
Title: The Engagement Arrangement
Author: Jaci Burton
Publication date: June 29, 2021
Summary: Brenna Bellini will never get married again. She plans to live out her days as a happy, successful, single woman. When she's chosen to be a bridesmaid in her friend's wedding at the Bellini family vineyard, she's thrilled. That is, until she realizes who else is in the wedding party. Brenna's going to have to spend four days in the company of not only her ex-husband, but also her high school nemesis. She just knows the fact that she's single and alone is going to be rubbed in her face all weekend long. Well, not if Brenna can help it. She's going to find herself a fake fiancé.
Finn Nolan is thrilled to be offered the job. He's had it bad for Brenna ever since he came over from Ireland to live at the vineyard. After falling for Brenna from afar for years, this Irish cowboy is determined to show the woman of his dreams that he is her Mr. Right.
So what does a confirmed never-getting-married-again woman do when the man of her dreams unexpectedly lands right in front of her? Because for the first time, she might not be able to walk away. This time it might be forever.
Review: I absolutely love how the story starts out. I also love how stubbornly independent Brenna is. I really expected this book to be a quick read as I thoroughly enjoyed it. However it did take me a full day to read it. I really want to read the first book in the series as well as whatever follows. The family is fantastic and reminds me of mine if it was all boys (obviously not including me) instead of all girls. I also love that Finn just adopted/immediately took in a stray. This story is so sweet I highly recommend it
Author: Jaci Burton
Publication date: June 29, 2021
Summary: Brenna Bellini will never get married again. She plans to live out her days as a happy, successful, single woman. When she's chosen to be a bridesmaid in her friend's wedding at the Bellini family vineyard, she's thrilled. That is, until she realizes who else is in the wedding party. Brenna's going to have to spend four days in the company of not only her ex-husband, but also her high school nemesis. She just knows the fact that she's single and alone is going to be rubbed in her face all weekend long. Well, not if Brenna can help it. She's going to find herself a fake fiancé.
Finn Nolan is thrilled to be offered the job. He's had it bad for Brenna ever since he came over from Ireland to live at the vineyard. After falling for Brenna from afar for years, this Irish cowboy is determined to show the woman of his dreams that he is her Mr. Right.
So what does a confirmed never-getting-married-again woman do when the man of her dreams unexpectedly lands right in front of her? Because for the first time, she might not be able to walk away. This time it might be forever.
Review: I absolutely love how the story starts out. I also love how stubbornly independent Brenna is. I really expected this book to be a quick read as I thoroughly enjoyed it. However it did take me a full day to read it. I really want to read the first book in the series as well as whatever follows. The family is fantastic and reminds me of mine if it was all boys (obviously not including me) instead of all girls. I also love that Finn just adopted/immediately took in a stray. This story is so sweet I highly recommend it