Books › A Pretend Engagement
A Pretend Engagement
256 pages
A classic, comforting escapist romance where forced proximity and a fake relationship inevitably give way to real feelings.
What it feels like
Reading this classic category romance feels like slipping into a perfectly familiar, comforting daydream. The narrative moves at a brisk, engaging clip, driven entirely by the delicious, fluttery tension of forced proximity and a fake relationship. It carries an earnest, slightly melodramatic tone that perfectly captures the heroine's internal tug-of-war between indignation and undeniable attraction. The prose is straightforward and dialogue-heavy, keeping the focus squarely on the shifting dynamics between a powerful, enigmatic hero and a fiercely protective, slightly naive heroine. It is an escapist, cozy experience designed for readers who love the traditional beats of a vintage romance, offering the deeply satisfying emotional arc of watching two people slowly blur the lines between a convenient lie and a genuine, heart-pounding truth.
- Mood
- escapist
- cozy
- fluttery
- Tone
- earnest
- lighthearted
- melodramatic
- traditional
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- forced proximity · blurring boundaries · protecting family · unexpected attraction · fake relationship
- The writing
- Straightforward and dialogue-heavy, focusing intensely on the heroine's internal emotional turbulence and romantic misunderstandings.
- The arc
- Moves from startled indignation and reluctant cooperation to a fluttering, genuine romantic surrender.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave classic, comforting category romances built around the delicious tension of a fake relationship.
Content notes
- workplace power dynamics
- mild emotional manipulation
About the book
Varnie Sutton is startled when she comes home to find a man in her bedroom - and even more so when she realises that the man is leon beaumont - her brother's boss! Leon's using Varnie's country house as a bolthole from the media - but when Varnie discovers that her brother's job is at risk if she doesn't let him stay, they're stuck with each other! Especially when it's splashed across the front pages of every newspaper that the couple have just got engaged...
Description from Open Library.
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