Ten Reasons Tuesday: The Fiancée Farce
10 Reasons to Read The Fiancé Farce today!
I am a zealous reader of sapphic romance, so it goes without saying I am a massive Alexandria Bellefleur fan. I am also just a massive fan of the form, and Bellefleur executes traditional romance at an exceptionally high level. She is just so good. I love, more than anything, when people who love romance write romance. It is clear how much Bellefleur loves romance in her writing. It is also clear she loves romance when you look at the exceptional cover of The Fiancée Farce, her latest release. A Clinch – SHE USED A CLINCH IN A SAPPHIC ROMANCE NOVEL. I’ll never stop swooning. And then the novel lived up to every promise made by that perfect clinch. so incredibly good. I really think you should read The Fiancée Farce. Let me give you ten reasons why.
Alexandria Bellefleur’s writing shines in The Fiancée Farce. One could go as far as to use the parlance of this book and say it is bejeweled. There is a diamond-bright quality to her prose, multifaceted and shimmering, making it impossible to look away. This book is unputdownable.
Bellefleur is undefeated in creating complicated, kind, truly charming characters you deeply care about from page one. Tansey and Gemma are no exception. Individually they both so winning, Tansey with her quiet fierceness and tender soul and Gemma with her kindness-based charisma and sharp wit. But together – HOLY SHIT – the chemistry between these two absolutely roars off the page. It’s so good. You really must read it to believe it.
By now, y’all know I am a sucker for great depictions of queer joy and especially joyous queer communities. This novel has a top-notch depiction of queer community – each member feeling real and whole and lovely and contributing to the group with tenderness and humor. It was so lovely. I wanted to stay in their living room forever, drinking champagne and mangling French.
It is well established in canon that I love an underdog. Give me all the stories about characters up against overwhelming odds. Make it so the only people who really believe in that character are a ragtag group of misfits. Throw all the obstacles in the protagonist's way and make them learn the ultimate underdog lesson: Ducks fly together. The Fiancée Farce is an INCREDIBLE underdog story. However, I did not expect, between a charismatic model/heiress and a timorous independent bookstore employee, for the underdog to be the heiress. It was such a gorgeous choice by Bellefleur and really exemplifies a hallmark of her style: She meets every expectation of a romance novel – of a trope – but always in a delightfully unexpected way.
The way Bellefleur uses text messages to move both time and plot was inspired.
Something you should know about me is that I love shenanigans. I love participating in shenanigans. I love watching shenanigans. I love hearing about shenanigans. But, above all, I love reading shenanigans. The Fiancée Farce is filled with top-notch, world-class shenanigans. Brilliant and fun and joyous shenanigans. Come for the romance, stay for the shenanigans.
I am, above all, a reader. I am a book person. It is my core identity. There is a scene in a library that is seared in my imagination. It has built a mansion in my mind and lives there rent-free, probably forever. It is scorching hot. And tender. And… there are books smelling a book-like and… it’s… y’all… just read this book and then please discuss the library scene with me (@1maconleigh on twitter or here literally all the time).
This novel is capital R Romantic – Gemma and Tansy are so swoon-worthy. Chef’s kiss levels of romance.
There are cats in this ROMANCE novel so perfectly named that I’m not even going spoil it here. The. Best. Cat. Names. Ever. (And we exist in a post-Spoon/Dolly/Gremlin world.) You should read this book for the cat names alone.
This novel is plotted exquisitely. Every beat, every turn, every break feels correct and earned. It is such a textbook romance novel – and I mean that as the highest possible compliment. Bellefleur wholly understands and has mastered the form – and it is so fun to see a master at work. I cannot more highly recommend this book.
The Fiancée Farce is available everywhere you buy books. You should really read it, as soon as possible, and then get back to me about how much it lived up to THE CLINCH!
Have a GREAT day and keep reading! Macon
These 10 reasons had me promptly reading this book. Loved it and agree with your reasons, esp 2 and 8. And yea, the library scene too!