Format Read: e-book copy provided by the publisher for review
Number of Pages: 165 pages
Release Date: October 14th 2012
Publisher: Entangled Publishing (Indulgence)
Formats Available: e-book, Kindle Edition
Purchasing Info: Goodreads | Publisher | Author’s Website | Amazon | B&N | Kobo

Book Blurb:

Is she his worst nightmare…

No relationships, that’s billionaire Garth Solen’s rule—especially not with a woman like his new employee Melissa Bencher, who thinks with her heart and not her head. But all bets are off when Melissa tries to make her jerk ex-boyfriend jealous by suggesting that she’s dating her gorgeous boss. How could she have imagined all the trouble one impulsive act could cause?

…or a dream come true?

To protect his ailing grandmother, Garth is forced to play the part of Melissa’s adoring fiancé. Now they’re trying on rings and posing for the paparazzi. The game is clear: for one month, they play the part of an engaged couple, and then they part ways. No emotions. No entanglements. But when it comes to matters of the heart, Melissa’s never been good at following the rules…

obs: It’s a sequel from RULES OF NEGOTIATION

Our Thoughts:

Anna: Don’t know if you knew that Stella, but The Boss’s Fake Fiancée is actually part of a series, with the first book, being Rules of Negotiation.

Stella: Yes, I’ve seen it in the blurb above, that it was the sequel to that, so I was a bit afraid – not having read Rules of Negotiation – that I would feel lost. But I am happy to report that The Boss’s Fake Fiancée can totally be read as a standalone and even without prior knowledge of the characters and what happened in the first book you won’t feel lost.

Anna: Well, yes, Inara Scott does an excellent job introducing all the new characters as well as reintroducing some of the characters that appeared in Rules of Negotiation.

Stella: Yes, by all the little references I got a pretty good idea who were the hero and heroine of the 1st book, and seeing how much I enjoyed The Boss’s Fake Fiancée I am definitely interested in reading their story as well. 😉

Anna: Well, here, I just have to ask you, what did you think of Brit, Melissa’s brother? Believe it or not, he was the reason I didn’t like Rules of Negotiation that much and in The Boss’s Fake Fiancée he still managed to bother me a little…

Stella: Yes, well Brit. First I was a bit hung up on his nickname, that his sister, fiancée and even his family called him that, but I guess that has its story explained in Rules of Negotiation. He was a very overprotective, überresponsible big brother, shouldering the problems and care of his family, because he was the oldest of all the siblings and having had somewhat absentee parents. I see how he could have come across as an overbearing and authoritative jerk, but I like my men assertive and with the little role he had in The Boss’s Fake Fiancée he didn’t bother me. (We’ll see how he fares in Rules of Negotiation…)

Anna: Oh yes, if you managed to see that in the few scenes he was part of in this story, imagine what he did in his own story 😛

Stella: Lol. But let’s talk about The Boss’s Fake Fiancée, so I guess you liked it better than the first book?

Anna: Yes, I got a bit sidetracked here 🙂 Oh yeah! I definitely liked The Boss’s Fake Fiancée so much more than the first book. It was absolutely amazing! I loved pretty much everything about it, and the characters were so much better than I ever dared to hope for.

Stella: I agree! Though for me this story was my introduction to Inara Scott’s writing, I loved The Boss’s Fake Fiancée! I loved the characters, both Melissa and Garth were incredibly well written, I truly felt and rooted for them and their angst and inner struggles made me bite my nails anxious to see how they would resolve them.

Anna: Oh, I never doubted Inara Scott’s writing style! It was the one thing that I was certain that I would love in this story before even reading it.

Stella: Yes, the writing was very powerful and evocative, I was swooped into the story and only came up for air once I’ve finished. It was that kind of story which won’t let you out of its grip and you’ll have to devour it in one sitting. (And yes with that ending it didn’t even leave me alone after I have finished reading it, but more on that later…)

Anna: I so agree with you Stella! The writing style and the pace of this story just makes it next to impossible to put this book down. And to be completely honest, it didn’t take me that long to finish it! I just devoured it!

Stella: Me too! And loved it *happy sighs* Truth be told I was a bit afraid, because you see arranged marriages and faked engagements are one of my favourite tropes. I just LOOVE them, they are my crack 😉 lol, so my expectations were high and I was afraid the story wouldn’t live up to them, but boy was I blown away! 😀

Anna: So, let’s talk about what I know you’re dying to: Garth! I absolutely adored him! He was the reason that this story manages to stand out among all the rest romantic titles I read in a while… His character is so well built and well presented and he’s consistent up to the very end. I just loved him for everything he was! And I don’t know about you, but I think that Garth’s character was the most challenging part of this story. I mean depending on how he would be presented it would be the best or the worst part of the whole book.

Stella: Yes, I completely agree. I think besides the task of making the hero irresistible to the reader Inara Scott undertook some bigger challenges, namely how to make a man, who might come off as standoffish, cold and unfeeling a hero the reader could sympathize with, feel for and even come to love. And I confess I was completely won over, and very early on. Despite giving us glimpses of the outer shell that people perceived of Garth and how he could come off as the “Human Computer”, we saw his struggles with his shyness and what a deeply private and feeling person he was.

Anna: I see your point Stella. Garth’s character was a big challenge and I couldn’t be happier about the way everything played out in the end. Inara Scott did an excellent job researching everything she put in her story and managed to write a character that I will remember not only because he was an alpha male to die for, that’s something I’ve seen before, but because he was someone worth caring for.

Stella: Yes. At times he could just say things in such a tactless way that it astonished then angered me, but at the end I understood everything and the puzzle pieces fell into place and made me see some scenes and his reaction to things in a whole new and different light.

Anna: Oh well, I’m tempted to comment here, but I hate spoilers 😛

Stella: Oh yes, and the ending of The Boss’s Fake Fiancée certainly packs an unexpected punch 😉

Anna: Won’t comment here, don’t tempt me 🙂

Stella: Ok, I won’t, let’s talk about safer topics, like the heroine, Melissa. With such a character as Garth, a hero that the reader comes to love, care for and even feel protective about, the author absolutely had to deliver an equally strong and likable heroine. And Inara Scott really had her work cut out for her because in the first half of the novel I was on Melissa’s side and shocked at times at Garth’s unemotional responses, but then once I caught glimpses into the person he was I fell for him. So mission accomplished, The Boss’s Fake Fiancée had a hero and a heroine whom I both loved, respected and cared for. And they certainly deserve each other 😀 (There is nothing worse than having a wonderful hero end up with an irritating heroine who clearly doesn’t deserve him, and vice versa…)

Anna: I liked about Melissa how she didn’t come off as a total pushover as many heroines in similar situations tend to do. She was strong yet sensitive. So yeah, I so agree with you about the part that they deserved each other. They simply matched. Couldn’t phrase it simpler than that!

Stella: Exactly! She was relatable because she was normal. And though she was a soft heroine (as in caring and warm-hearted) she definitely had a backbone and inner strength. She was a great mixture of determination, willpower and a softer shell. They were both separately and together great characters.

Anna: And talking about Melissa’s inner strength, the scene with the wedding gowns and how she talked back to her mother was just precious! In overall, I really liked how Melissa evolved in this story, how her character developed because of the story’s events.

Stella: Ah, now you reminded me an aspect of the story I wasn’t fond of: Melissa’s parents. and more specifically what a bulldozer of a mother she had… Yep, was so glad when she finally stood up to her and made her realize she was a grown up, mature woman who knew her own mind. There was definite character growth on both Melissa and Garth’s side. But now that we started talking about secondary characters I have to mention Garth’s grandma, I loved her, she was so adorable I just wanted to hug her 😀

Anna: Oh she was precious! I loved her presence in this book, she made everything so much better! And as for the rest secondary characters, well, with Brit I had some problems like I said before, but that’s probably because I “knew” him from his story.

Verdict:

Stella: The Boss’s Fake Fiancée was my first but definitely not my last Inara Scott novel. I was captivated by both the engaging and emotionally evocative writing as the great characterisations. Garth and Melissa sucked me into their story and I lived and breathed with them until I finished reading it. The Boss’s Fake Fiancée is a story that will grip you and won’t let you go until you have devoured it, and even after that the characters will keep on living inside of you. A definite keeper and an unforgettable story!

I give The Boss’s Fake Fiancée 4.5 stars!

Anna: The Boss’s Fake Fiancée was a very pleasant surprise for me. And it surprised me in more departments than one, that’s for sure. As a story, it may follow all the clichés of its genre, but still, it will blow your mind with its characters. An exceptional writing style and a set of outstanding characters is what makes this story memorable. It’s what will make you read this story in just one sitting!

I give The Boss’s Fake Fiancée 5 stars!

About Anna

Anna is a psychologist from Greece.You can almost always find her with a book stuck under her nose,so it's no wonder that all her friends make a joke of her.Apart from reading she dreams of the day she'll be able to travel around the world!Anna also blogs at Books to Brighten your Mood.

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