getcremebrulaid's review against another edition
4.0
I was lucky enough to be sent a free copy and am voluntarily leaving this honest review. I love Melanie Summers and this book did not disappoint!
What do you get when you throw two opposites into a fake marriage? A great book! Finley and Hayden are both wonderful characters. Finley is your typical art history nerd, but isn’t lacking in sass. While Hayden is a handsome grump that could brood for days. Together they must survive the next few months of marriage in order to secure Hayden’s inheritance. Naturally that comes with a lot of ups and downs.
I loved their separate voices and truly enjoyed the ride. The book starts off so differently for each character that even with the book blurb I had no idea how they were going to cross paths. And once it happened I jumped in head first and could not put the book down until I was finished. There were so many times when I wanted to shake them by the shoulders and just scream, “SAY IT.” I appreciate when books have the perfect balance of tension and tenderness and felt like this one achieved that.
Even Better Than the Real Thing tugged at my heartstrings. Reducing me to tears at a few points. Finley and Hayden had complicated families and I resonated with both of their stories. It’s hard feeling out of place in your tight knit family and having unresolved conflict with an absent parent. I think both topics were handled nicely and allowed for plenty of character growth for both Finley and Hayden.
Unlike most Melanie Summers books, this one had a bit more spice than normal which was a huge plus for me. It was the perfect amount and felt important to the story progression of the story. All in all, this was a really good read. I laughed, I cried, I had a great time reading. The ending wrapped up a little faster than I was anticipating, but was still incredibly sweet. YAY for HEAs!
This is a great standalone and I’m already excited for Melanie’s next book!
What do you get when you throw two opposites into a fake marriage? A great book! Finley and Hayden are both wonderful characters. Finley is your typical art history nerd, but isn’t lacking in sass. While Hayden is a handsome grump that could brood for days. Together they must survive the next few months of marriage in order to secure Hayden’s inheritance. Naturally that comes with a lot of ups and downs.
I loved their separate voices and truly enjoyed the ride. The book starts off so differently for each character that even with the book blurb I had no idea how they were going to cross paths. And once it happened I jumped in head first and could not put the book down until I was finished. There were so many times when I wanted to shake them by the shoulders and just scream, “SAY IT.” I appreciate when books have the perfect balance of tension and tenderness and felt like this one achieved that.
Even Better Than the Real Thing tugged at my heartstrings. Reducing me to tears at a few points. Finley and Hayden had complicated families and I resonated with both of their stories. It’s hard feeling out of place in your tight knit family and having unresolved conflict with an absent parent. I think both topics were handled nicely and allowed for plenty of character growth for both Finley and Hayden.
Unlike most Melanie Summers books, this one had a bit more spice than normal which was a huge plus for me. It was the perfect amount and felt important to the story progression of the story. All in all, this was a really good read. I laughed, I cried, I had a great time reading. The ending wrapped up a little faster than I was anticipating, but was still incredibly sweet. YAY for HEAs!
This is a great standalone and I’m already excited for Melanie’s next book!
mssarahbn's review against another edition
5.0
This was a fantastic fake relationship rom com. To me this was one of those stories that really had it all, it was funny, entertaining and a little sad. Finley and Hayden had great chemistry and she really got him which I loved. The story had a great pace and I read it in one sitting. I really loved it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
ace_mishbookish's review against another edition
5.0
OMG, I have never been this fast reader when it comes to ARCs but this ARC was it for me from the very first page. Finley and Hayden are now one of my favourite Marriage of Convenience couple and I can’t get enough of them. Hayden like most book’s MMC who is grumpy, doesn’t believe in love and has serious daddy issues and to take the last step of his childhood revenge plan he need to get married and in reality he didn’t plan to get married but then the perfect Southern American Girl comes in her office to ask help for her dream project. All she needs to do now is get married to Hayden for a period of time in exchange of a good sum of dollars and obviously what she needs from him.
I loved how the author kept the book alive with quick witty banter but I HATED FINLEY’s Mom, I mean could she really be anymore bitchy. And I loved Caleb and Ava so much
I loved how the author kept the book alive with quick witty banter but I HATED FINLEY’s Mom, I mean could she really be anymore bitchy. And I loved Caleb and Ava so much
kiriamarin's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 A subtrama do castelo, museu e o quadro da historiadora era interessante, que sugeria um certo mistério, porém foi a lugar nenhum,acima como o resto da estória e personagens.
amandaj6's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book so much! The banter between everyone was great. They both had the best of friends, Finley had Chalani, and Hayden had Caleb (and his wife Ava). I loved the way the story progressed and loved the characters progression with each other. This was just a happy story and I had a smile on my face pretty much the whole way through.
Thank you NetGalley and Indigo Group for providing this ARC to review. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise. ~
Thank you NetGalley and Indigo Group for providing this ARC to review. ~I was given this book and made no commitments to leave my opinions, favorable or otherwise. ~
taylallynxo's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
slovenianbookworm's review against another edition
3.0
I have a couple of Melanie Summers books on my Kindle (they were free) but they are still unread. I saw this one on NetGalley and immediately liked it. I’m still on the precipice if I like the whole fake dating and marriage trope though.
Hayden needs to be married in order to get an earldom and, therefore, revenge on his late father. His employee Finley seems like a good candidate because she hates his guts. She needs his family’s paintings in order to have an advantage in her art program with her favorite professor.
They have a cute wedding and then she moves into his castle. (Yes, he has one!)
Even Better Than the Real Thing is described as a romantic comedy. Personally, I still don’t know what classifies as one because this story had one laughable moment in my opinion. I would say this was a very light romance, it had some spicy scenes that are –according to the author – not usual to her style. I liked it even though I prefer steamier scenes.
I’d say the story was good with the chemistry between these two but I think it was executed poorly when it came to the whole art plot. I loved reading about her passion but once the main conflict came this kind of faded into the background. I personally also don’t understand the ending. He gave up too quickly and for his bitchy half-brother I can’t believe he would do what Hayden asked him to do.
All in all, I think this book included a lot of stuff that could have more potential but the author decided to mention it, talk about it a little and drop it.
3.5 stars.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
ARC was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Full post: https://slovenianbookworm.wordpress.com/2022/04/09/even-better-than-the-real-thing-by-melanie-summers/
Hayden needs to be married in order to get an earldom and, therefore, revenge on his late father. His employee Finley seems like a good candidate because she hates his guts. She needs his family’s paintings in order to have an advantage in her art program with her favorite professor.
They have a cute wedding and then she moves into his castle. (Yes, he has one!)
Even Better Than the Real Thing is described as a romantic comedy. Personally, I still don’t know what classifies as one because this story had one laughable moment in my opinion. I would say this was a very light romance, it had some spicy scenes that are –according to the author – not usual to her style. I liked it even though I prefer steamier scenes.
I’d say the story was good with the chemistry between these two but I think it was executed poorly when it came to the whole art plot. I loved reading about her passion but once the main conflict came this kind of faded into the background. I personally also don’t understand the ending. He gave up too quickly and for his bitchy half-brother I can’t believe he would do what Hayden asked him to do.
Spoiler
Hayden gave up his earldom and asked his half-brother who he doesn't even like to open the castle to the public.All in all, I think this book included a lot of stuff that could have more potential but the author decided to mention it, talk about it a little and drop it.
3.5 stars.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
ARC was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Full post: https://slovenianbookworm.wordpress.com/2022/04/09/even-better-than-the-real-thing-by-melanie-summers/
katie_liz's review against another edition
hopeful
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
elegantfantasy_blogs's review against another edition
4.0
I am always up for a good marriage of convenience book so I was looking forward to read this one. Finley Green is very ambitious and wants to impress her mentor but for that she needs access to Hayden Stuart's estate where his family's antique art collection is stocked up. At the same time, Hayden is stuck in a predicament and he has no choice but to find himself a wife no matter how much he despises the concept of love and relationships in general. The book was enjoyable and the chemistry between Hayden & Finley was undeniable but somehow I couldn't feel the connection. It took me a while to get into the story because the first few chapters felt really slow but as the book progressed, I started to like the playful conversations between Hayden & Finley. Both of them had very strong opinions and I found myself understanding Hayden's pov more than Finley tbh. Overall, it was a sweet story. Lighthearted and short, you can binge read it in a day. Though the ending was abrupt and I was quite disappointed with the way some things turned out tbh so it was more of a 3.5 star read for me.
Thank you Netgalley & Xpresso Book Tours for this ARC
Thank you Netgalley & Xpresso Book Tours for this ARC
liltastypuff's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Super cute, fun, easy read.
Marriage Contract
Enemies to lovers
Forced Proximity
Marriage Contract
Enemies to lovers
Forced Proximity