The Engagement Arrangement
Boots & Bouquets, Book #2
By Jaci Burton
ISBN# 9780451491305
Author’s Website: https://jaciburton.com/
Brought to you by OBS reviewer Heidi
Finn Nolan was only 18 when his mother passed. He left Ireland and went to live with his mother’s best friend and her family, the Bellinis. And, when he got there he was struck by their beautiful albeit angry oldest daughter, Brenna. She didn’t understand why this strange guy had come to live with them and she definitely didn’t trust him.
Brenna’s sisters Honor and Erin became sisters to him, just like their parents became parents to him. However, Brenna never was like a sister to him because his crush on her wouldn’t allow it!
Out of respect for the family that took him in, Finn never made a move on the girl of his dreams. He was forced to stand by and watch her with that jerk Mitchell, who she eventually married. He also had to see her devastated with the marriage fell apart. He has seen over the years how much that relationship has changed Brenna, made her harder and even less trusting. Brenna never wants to get married again because she was hurt once and doesn’t want to go through that again.
One of Brenna’s close friends is getting married at the Bellini family’s winery. Everything was going great until the matron of honor was grounded from travel. Now she’s being replaced with Brenna’s once friend, Allison, who is now, her nemesis. And, to add insult to injury Allison is now MARRIED to her ex, Mitchell! She is going to have to deal with them for the entire four day weekend, but she doesn’t intend to do it alone! She enlists Finn’s help to pose as her fake fiancé!
Can Finn make her see what a relationship with him could be like? Or will the damage Mitchell inflicted on her become too much to overcome?
I wasn’t a big fan of the first installment of this series, The Best Man Plan, and I really wasn’t sure what to expect with this novel. However, I’ve read many of Burton’s books over the years and I had to give this series another shot! And, I’m glad I did. I found myself really enjoying Finn and this story as a whole.
Finn was so incredibly sweet. He wasn’t the usual cocky jerk you expect in these types of books. And, boy do I love those jerks 🙂 He proved that the good guys can be fun too. He was so sweet and attentive with Brenna and was always up for anything! He also took advantage of any opportunity to get physical with her as well. Nobody said he was a saint!
It did get annoying how quickly Brenna could overreact though. And, I was glad when Finn actually pushed back!
And, I’m not really sure where all these stray dogs are coming from … it seems to be a theme in this series.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story and I’m looking forward to the next book. I have to assume it will be Honor’s and … Owen?!? Plot twist. Although it seems kind of obvious, after reading this book. I guess we’ll have to wait and see if my suspicions are true!
