Book Review | Fake Southern Fiance – Brittany Holland (Magnolia Grove Series, Book Three)

Fake Southern Fiance
By: Brittany Holland

Genre: Small Town Romance
Book # in Series: 3 of 12
Tropes: Wedding Planner, Fake Engagement, City Guy/Small Town Girl
Publisher: Indie
Publication Date: March 28th, 2024
My Rating: ✮✮✮✮
My Reading Format: kindleunlimited

Synopsis:

When you’re a famous wedding planner, planning your own wedding, everyone expects it to be the event of the year.

Just one problem… I don’t actually have a groom.

I did—but then he decided to walk away before I even walked down the aisle.

Now if I want to save my reputation, and my business, I need to find someone willing to play the part of my fake southern fiancé and pull off my small town wedding without a hitch.

honey-script.light

Fake Southern Fiance by Brittany Holland is the third book in the Magnolia Grove Series. If you are looking for a romance series with a plethora of authors writing great small town romances, look no further and pick up the Magnolia Grove Series. Believe me when I say, you’re in for a treat!

Now, let’s dive in to what Fake Southern Fiance by Brittany Holland is all about. Beau Montgomery has been the black sheep of his family since his mother’s fateful last breath…. Being marked as New York’s most eligible bachelor would be a treat for other men… but for this man, impressing his media mogul grandfather is his only goal in life. After all, it is his grandfather who holds his legacy and his mother’s dream in his hands and Beau will do everything he can to prove to his grandfather that he is worthy of running Blissful Bride Magazine and making his mother proud… But when the jaded bride who is set to be featured in the 30th anniversary edition, unknowingly becomes Beau’s one night stand, he has to think of a plan, and he has to think fast.

One night of passion with a handsome stranger is all Lucy Landers is willing to give herself. After spending four years in a relationship and planning a wedding with a groom who left her crying in her wedding dress at her fitting, she deserves a treat wrapped in a tall and swoony package… Waking up alone isn’t what she expected after a night of unforgettable passion… But she has no time to think about that. Now, she has to come up with a plan and a strategy to keep her article going with Blissful Bride Magazine. Not only her wedding planning business, but also her family legacy, depends on this article…

And the rest is best kept a secret……

My Thoughts:

One of my main challenges of 2024 is to read and experience more new-to-me authors. What better place than an anthological series where each book is written by a different author! I’m only one book into Brittany Holland’s published work, and judging solely on this book, I can sense this author really knows how to tug at her reader’s heartstrings. I loved the emotional chemistry between Lucy and Beau. My heart loved these two from the very first interaction!! I have to let it be known, I’m not a fan of the *Fake Relationship* trope. It has to be written to the point where it hasn’t been done before, in my reading knowledge. I loved how Brittany Holland took this trope and placed her own spin on it. It didn’t feel like a ruse to get what two people wanted, it felt like the beginning of an epic happily ever after. I was consumed by these two characters! My heart loved every moment!!

Now, let’s dive into these characters, starting with Lucy. What I loved most about Lucy was her kind heart, feisty spirit, and hopeless romantic vibes. I loved how she’s goal oriented and VERY organized. Which are all great contributions for starting a wedding planning business. If it came down to a favorite character, I would have to say Lucy is my favorite in this novel. I found her to be easily relatable.

We also have Mr. Beau Montgomery. Beau is cool, calm, and collected…. That is until something stands in the way of his life goals and his heart. Then we get the determined, protective, and somewhat alpha side to this man. I loved his soft-heart vibes when it comes to Lucy. This man loves, and he loves hard!

I do have to say, this novel isn’t full of rainbows and sunshine. When it comes to Beau and Lucy, the both share a common loss. My heart broke a few times for Beau and Lucy, especially when they were sharing their ‘Loss’ with one another. That is the moment I truly fell hard for these two… But we won’t go into detail due to spoilers…..

My heart loved this novel, but I did find myself giving it a four star rating. I loved the idea of a wedding magazine editor in chief falling in love with a wedding planner… but I would have loved to see Lucy in her wedding planning prime… and not just planning her wedding. I feel like there is a great difference between planning your own wedding versus planning someone else’s dream wedding. Basically, I wanted to see her in her element. And another reason I decided to rate this a four star was the ex-fiance. He seemed to drop off the face of the earth. Which has my romance reading conspiracy brain spinning. What happened to him? Was he really that bad of a person to end an engagement like that and that’s it? Or is there more to the story? UGH! I hate loose ends. Is this man going to show his face again, or did he disappear in thin air?…

Overall and aside from those couple moments of criticisms, I loved Lucy and Beau’s story. These two deserved an epic happily ever after… and Beau deserved the closure he finally received! I love how fate intervened in this novel. My heart is full!! I can’t wait to read more from Brittany Holland in the near future.

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