3.5 stars

Tropes:
forced proximity
pretend dating/marriage
one bed
billionaire MMC
age gap (11 years)

Triggers: Postpartum depression, previous toxic relationship

Not a novel/unique concept, but was still a cute book. Adrian was seemingly very career-oriented and emotionally detached but actually has a heart of gold and very emotionally intelligent. I really liked Rowena's characters and liked how she was pursuing her dreams in a male-dominated field while she was pregnant. The book has dual POV, so you can see how they both pine and develop true feelings for each other throughout the book. They share a lot of great moments where Adrian becomes a source of comfort and support for Rowena, especially after her pregnancy. The ending was heartwarming, and there's also a bonus spicy chapter if that's your thing.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

Awww this book is so sweet I loved it. So far my favorite read, I like how they didn’t just portray a picture perfect family but one with flaws. It was amazing

📖💍 If the Ring Fits by Camilla Isley 💍📖

You guys… STOP what you're doing and read If the Ring Fits! 😍 This book is EVERYTHING you didn’t know you needed—chaotic meet cute? ✅ Fake engagement gone hilariously wrong? ✅ Only one bed AND forced proximity? ✅ Adrian and Rowena are the definition of a hot mess express, and I loved every single second of it.

Adrian? Ultimate grumpy millionaire who makes bad decisions (like lying about a fiancée). Rowena? A STEM queen who's down on her luck and isn't afraid to roll with the punches. Together? Sparks fly. Chaos ensues. Feelings are definitely caught.

It’s laugh out loud funny, sweet enough to melt your heart, and has just the right amount of tension to keep you hooked. Plus, the age gap dynamic gives it that extra spice we all love! 🌶️

If you’re obsessed with Lynn Painter, Sarah Adams, or Fallon Ballard, this is your next binge worthy read. Get ready for giggles, swoons, and a romance that’s equal parts messy and magical. 💕

✨Rating: 4/5 stars
✨Tropes: Fake relationship, marriage of convenience, forced proximity, STEM FMC, multi-millionaire MMC
✨Vibe: Rom com chaos meets heartfelt feels

Thank you to NetGalley, Camilla Isley, and Boldwood Books for the eARC of this book.

A great book . Adrian and Rowena meet at the most strange place but they end up agreeing to fake marry . Rowena in the same day she learn that she is pregnant from from her ex boyfriend and she get fired from her job . Adrian is a successful investment banker but when he discover that his boss consider when he retires to make his rival the next CEO because he is having a family he tells him that he is engaged and that they expecting a baby . When they both end up at the public bathrooms of their building throwing up at the next stalls and sharing their problems they agree to marry . They will be married for six months until he can get the position . Living together brings them closer and while he tries no to be attacted he falls for her and her baby .
I received this book from netgalley , the author and the publicer as an ARC . Thank you . All thoughts and opinions are my own .

Another great book from the fabulous Camilla Isley!

In this novel we follow FMC Rowena and MMC Adrian. On the same day, Rowena is fired and finds out she is pregnant with her verbally abusive ex boyfriend’s baby. Meanwhile, Adrian finds out he is in the running to take over as CEO but probably won’t win because he is not a family man. The two main characters meet in the bathroom while spewing up their lunches. Adrian quickly concocts a plan for Rowena to play his fake pregnant fiancée to show his boss he truly is committed to work and a family. In exchange, Rowena has a place to stay and the promise of future help monetarily. Neither expects to fall in love, but the heart wants what the heart wants.

I literally devoured this novel. I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did. I was also so happy to see some of her other characters make a reappearance. This makes me want to reread all my Isley books!

I thought Rowena was a strong female character. I appreciated that while she was strong she wasn’t afraid to ask for help. Adrian was a great male lead. I was hesitant about the 11-year age gap (her 28 and him 39), but it didn’t seem to be an issue.

What I didn’t like about this novel (and what caused me to knock off one star) are the time jumps at the end. There are 44 chapters in this book. Chapters 2-39 take place through weeks 7-22 of her pregnancy. Then all of a sudden we jump 4 months ahead in chapter 40. Then another 3 months a chapter or two later. It was just too much. There was a ton of miscommunication in those chapters between those characters (which we don’t see), and I think it would be better to understand if we were shown what was happening. Instead they get married, then they are suddenly married for 4 months and Rowena gives birth, and then we are 3 Months into Soleil’s life and Rowena is struggling…it’s just rough when it is Telling us rather than Showing us what is going on.

One thing I didn’t like at first was the lack of chemistry on Adrian’s end, but this does pick up at the 50% mark and I found it believable. So if about one started this and thinks “where is the spicy and attraction on his part” just give it some time. I didn’t take any stars for this.

I honestly loved this book. Isley’s writing gets better and better with each book. I’m crossing my fingers that Hunter and Dylan are the next couple in line for a novel!!

*An ARC was received in exchange for an honest review.

This was a unusual but nonetheless very sweet romance. The book starts with Rowena and Adrian at a lawyer‘s office in the midst of getting a divorce. BAM! Then it tells the story of how those two became a couple, a fake one at first but then of course real feelings develop.
I really enjoyed reading this book. The main characters were both likable from the start and I for one am a real fan of the fake-dating-turns-real-trope. I especially enjoyed „meeting“ the characters from „The Love Algorithm“ again and I cannot wait to read Hunter‘s and Dylan‘s story next.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the ARC of If the Ring Fits in exchange for an honest and independent review.

Let me just come right out and yell from the rooftops, "I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK!!" I loved this book so so much, which is not a surprise considering I absolutely loved the first book in this series as well, This is Not a Holiday Romance. That being said, you do not need to have read the first book to absolutely fall in love with this book or have complete understanding how the characters connect, but in all honestly, I'm telling you to read the first book because they are both wonderful!

Who doesn't love a millionaire, fake engagement, forced proximity, one bed love story for the ages? Also, I loved the little plot twist of our FMC, Rowena, being pregnant prior to meeting Adrian, which makes Adrian's feelings and protectiveness towards Rowena all that much more adorable and swoon-worthy. (This is NOT a spoiler, you find this out almost immediately so don't freak out!).

Right off the bat, you find yourself relating with Rowena's emotions on a very deep level. Not only is she pregnant with her asshole ex-boyfriends child, but she has lost her job and is facing the very real possibility of needing to leave New York because it's a lifestyle she can no longer afford. She walks the reader through her thoughts and emotions so well that you almost feel as if you are in our FMC's exact same position, instead of just being an observer looking in from the outside. You also cannot help but fall for Adrian's character as well. He is such a stand up guy who honestly just wants to do right by Rowena. Even though their arrangement does benefit him as well, I honestly feel that he's taken every measure to first and foremost protect Rowena, which officially puts him in the very top percentile of my favorite book boyfriends.

I would be remiss if I also didn't point out that I want to give Camilla a standing ovation for addressing Post Partum Depression through her work and normalizing it instead of assigning a stigma to it. As a mom who has experienced PPD with one out of my three pregnancies, one of my biggest charges in life is to normalize the conversation surrounding it so we can help lift each other up. PPD is real, it's down right terrifying, it feels hopeless, but it's more common that anyone even knows because so many moms don't feel comfortable talking about it. There is a way out and the first step to that is talking about it and normalizing it so more moms are encouraged to seek help early on and form a strong support system around them. *Steps off soapbox*

At the end of the day, I didn't want to put this book down. I read it over the course of about 24 hours and it was exactly what I needed to lift my spirits. Camilla Isley is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors of 2024 and I sincerely hope she will grace us with a third installment in this series. Mark you calendars! If the Ring Fits hits shelves Jan 25th, 2025!

I must have been living under a rock for not having read anything by Camilla Isley before. This book was exactly what I needed. 😌

Rowena and Adrian have their meet cute while puking in neighboring stalls in a public restroom. How romantic 🥰. Rowena just found out that she’s pregnant and then she lost her job. As luck would have it, Adrian desperately needs a fake pregnant fiancée, so they struck a deal.

This book had all the right tropes,

- single mom
- fake dating
- marriage of convenience,

and they were executed beautifully. Even the eleven years age gap didn’t irk me, maybe because 28 and 39 hits differently than, say 18 and 29. Rowena and Adrian had great chemistry and I loved them together. I have a soft spot for guys who think they’re not relationship material and then they excel at it. I also loved that Rowena still pursued her career even though Adrian was very wealthy and they had a baby.

Not sure what I should say about the spice, this was closed door, but there’s a spicy bonus chapter, so I guess it’s a Schrödinger's door. It makes sense since it’s about a woman in STEM.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.


TW postpartum depression

Thank you so so much to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this arc! I was just thinking of Camilla Isley a few days ago because I was wondering if she had any new releases and to my delight I received an email with this arc. Anytime I read anything from this author, I'm always like "spectacular, give me 14 of them right now". This book did not disappoint at all! Adrian was so sweet and thoughtful. I just simply could not put this down. Reading about Rowena and Adrian falling in love made me jealous cause when is it my turn?! I was so happy to also see some characters from "The Love Algorithm" including the very charming K-2P.. If you love the arranged marriage with an age gap trope then this is for you!

Rowana acaba de ser despedida justo cuando se entera de su embarazo, y para colmo, el padre del niño no quiere hacerse responsable, por lo que se encuentra en una situación complicada. Por suerte, conoce a Adrián en un elevador, quien necesita una prometida embarazada porque quiere un ascenso. Como el CEO es un hombre de familia, Adrián pensó que le prestaría más atención si estuviera casado. Así que, cuando la situación se complica, él ve esto como la solución a sus problemas: él podrá obtener ese ascenso y ella no tendrá que preocuparse por el dinero.

Disfruté del libro y me gustó que su relación se desarrollara de forma lenta. Eso sí, hay mucha falta de comunicación, al punto de querer cachetearlos por no hablar.



Espero que, en el libro de Hunter y Dylan, ella salga con alguien más, lo haga sufrir un poco y le dé celos. Otra cosa que espero es que él no esté interesado en ella hasta después, porque se vería mal que estuviera de novio con otra, que la llevara a su casa (que comparte con Hunter) y estuviera enamorado de ella; eso sería un gran no.



Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Book 2 in the series and another home run! This is Rowena and Adrian’s story. Honestly, Adrian has to be one of my favorite rich MMC - he didn’t annoy me with his money and I didn’t feel it took “too long” for him to have any revelations. They marry in a marriage of convenience (she lost her job and is pregnant and he needs to convince his boss he is human enough to be CEO). Honestly, I need a third book on Hunter/Dylan!

Another fun and quick read from Camilla Isley - but don't think that this doesn't mean that this story doesn't have heart and depth. This story has some of my favorite tropes with fake marriage, forced proximity, slowburn, and the classic only one bed. Rowena is a plucky heroine trying to do right by her future child while navigating her own personal and professional dreams and Adrian is the swoonworthy supporting Rowena in every way while chasing his own dreams and navigating how his surprise new relationship could completely alter his priorities. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I’m in love with my husband— and it’s the single worst catastrophe of my life.

This book has me captivated since the very beginning! Rowena & Adrian's story was very intriguing and their chemistry was hard to ignore. I liked the unique meet cute and how they gradually got to know each other was so interesting to see! Some parts of the book were unpredictable and to be honest, I didn't like the slight misunderstanding between them towards the end, but still how all the things wrapped up was really appealing and the epilogue was done well. I couldn't get enough of Adrian & Rowena together and I just wanted some more domestic scenes between them. But overall, I enjoyed reading this book, it was a page turner and the plot had me completely seated!

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review

I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for an opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved it. I wish I had known this was the second in a series before I jumped in. I would’ve read the first in the series beforehand. But now I can go back and read another HEA in this series, and I’m super excited about that. I did not want to put this book down! I loved the chemistry between Rowena and Adrian. I love how much they both grew throughout the story; Adrian’s dedication to becoming a good and present partner for Rowena was beautiful. I appreciate that the chapters are short; this clips along at a nice, steady pace. It’s unputdownable! I’m already ready for the next one. Let’s go!

The Cover: This is a super cute cover, but I don’t feel like it accurately captures this story.

My Favorite Things:
· “Love Is Blind” on steroids—that whole bathroom scene. Top tier!
· Their text exchanges—so cute!
· Sunshine and Bunny. So stinkin’ adorable.
· “So I’m your personal illuminator now?” –“No, you are my sunshine.” DEAD
· “Good in bed” with a question mark afterward, HAHAHAHA
· Epilogue. Omg.

Adrian invented a fake fiancee to impress his CEO. He meets Rowena who is expecting and unemployed. They have a meet-cute and decide to fake their engagement....

Love Adrian and how caring he is. Rowena is terrifc and love how smart she is. A fun rom-com with a terrific HEA.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

Another marriage of convenience book between a career focused businessman and a down on her luck, plucky heroine could have felt paint by numbers stale but Isley manages to avoid that and delivers a book with a comforting, familiar trope that still stays interesting. The book starts off by ramping up the tension and draws out the courtship, really giving the reader time to get invested.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When investment banker Adrian and software engineer Rowena started the day, they didn’t expect to end it engaged! But Adrian has invented a fake fiancée to impress his CEO, regretting the lie almost immediately, and now he is in hot water. Meanwhile, Rowena's career has just gone up in flames, leaving her unemployed, unexpectedly expecting with no father in the picture, and short of options.

When fate throws these two hot messes into a meet-cute of epic proportions, it's a match made in rock-bottom heaven. They say love is blind, and with nothing to lose, Adrian gets down on one knee… and Rowena says yes!

The rules of engagement are simple:

Pretend to be madly in love

Keep their real lives separate

Absolutely, positively do NOT catch feelings

However, faking it is harder than they thought, especially when every overnight stay comes with only one bed and zero personal space—blurring that imaginary line between ‘just business’ and ‘definitely personal.’

Soon, their carefully constructed charade starts to feel alarmingly... real. Can Adrian and Rowena stick to their engagement pact, or will their fake relationship graduate to something authentically messy, complicated, and wonderful?

Find out in this hilarious, heartwarming tale of two strangers who said "I do" before they even said "Hello." Because sometimes, the worst day of your life just might lead to the best mistake you'll ever make.

Such a charming story. Really enjoyed it. will recommend to others.

If the Ring Fits is a romance novel about two individuals - Adrian and Rowena - who enter into a fake relationship due to it being mutually beneficial for both of their goals. However, true to the fake relationship trope, they begin to develop feelings along the way.

I am sure that there is an audience for this book - fake dating to lovers is a popular trope executed many times before and beloved by many. I myself have enjoyed novels before that employed the trope - e.g. To All the Boys I've Loved Before, Red, White & Royal Blue (despite my criticisms of its writing), etc. Unfortunately, I did not really enjoy If the Ring Fits. I do feel bad about criticising any novel - since I am sure the author has put in so much time and thought into writing their novel and I hope this is not discouraging. This is just my two cents to help provide a broader view on the novel, but I am glad to see that the book has found its audience among some other reviewers.

My main summary of the book is that it delivers what someone expected going into the book - and so for someone who just really wants to read another fake dating to lovers novel - this could be a pick up for you. However, for me, I did want it to be a bit more and was left with an overall impression that it was an okay read, but nothing groundbreaking or special.

Humour is subjective, so I won't really comment on that.

The description in the first few chapters was a bit frustrating to me. At the beginning there was really a lot of it to the point it felt like too much (at least for me) - although I understand a lot of books tend to do this too in trying to establish the setting and the characters - it still bogged the opening few chapters down for me. There were a lot of descriptive clichés used that were a bit of a turn off - e.g. "A single tear rolls down my cheek", "I feel lost, like I'm stuck in a maze with no exit in sight". This seemed to improve as the book went on - or perhaps I became acclimated to it.

The dialogue similarly at times felt a bit uninspired - leaning into a few kind of clichéd phrases e.g. with the passage between Brian and Rowena:
""Rowena," He greets me with a thin smile, "How nice of you to finally join us" [....]
"Sorry, I had a doctor's appointment than ran late".
His eyebrow arches skeptically. "How convenient. Well, now that you've graced us with your presence, follow me"" - okay reading back this doesn't feel as bad on its own, but I remember the first impression was not positive and was perhaps formed due to feeling like similar cookie cutter conversations were taking place.

The dialogue for me at least, felt like it didn't always flow smoothly probably due to these kind of phrases that felt a bit clichéd jumping out at me (e.g. see above passage, but also things like "I'll cut right to the chase" - that made the overall dialogue between characters at time feel forced and unnatural). There were some pieces of weird (?) phrases in the dialogue - e.g. "By the next morning, I was feeling right as rain. But my poor darling ... she was still green around the gills". (Note: If it was consistent with the way a character spoke I wouldn't mind it - but this came out from a character I did not expect such expression from so it just came off as odd).

Probably another large part of why I did not manage to enjoy the novel much was also due to not resonating or connecting with any of the characters in the novel. Adrian felt quite archetypal - rich, successful, handsome man known to all others as ruthless but deep down considerate with a soft spot/love for the female lead. Rowena especially I found it hard to have an impression of - she's pregnant, insecure (thinks she's not pretty - everyone else finds her beautiful, insecure about people's feelings towards her, etc.). Despite her being nicknamed 'Sunshine' and people saying her personality matches that - I actually really did not feel that way about personally her based of her in the book. Chemistry and dialogue between the two romantic leads is especially crucial in a romance novel - there were some moments I liked, but also a lot of moments that were just a little dry and not fresh for me.

So unfortunately, this was not the book for me. I will say, romance is not my go-to genre - but I have enjoyed romance books before (e.g. The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary) and romance as a sub-plot in fantasy or other fiction novels - but I may be a harsher critic of romance as a result since for me to enjoy a novel that crosses my usual genre - it typically has to be something much above the rest. Again, this book did deliver on its promised premise, and for someone who just wants a cosy read and a book that carries out the fake dating to lovers trope, and is not overly fussy about the overall writing or execution of a concept - then this could still be a book for you. I wish the author all the best for the future, and thank you for the ARC.

I absolutely adored Adrian and Rowena... their story was a roller coaster of emotions, I laughed, I cried a little bit at the end just because my heart was so full, I swooned a lot! And I also bit my lip from the tension of certain scenes ... The book opens with a scene in the future and I had no idea how these two would get there or why, and I couldn't put the book down until I found out.

Adrian has honestly been moved to my top book boyfriend. It's hard to have a powerful, older man (11 years), who's also a millionaire and ruthless in his job and make him a totally believable, super hot cinnamon roll. I wish he still needed a fake wife and that it could be me.

tropes:
Marriage of convenience
STEM FMC
Millionaire MMC
age gap
only one bed
falling in love after living together
forced proximity

Absolutely wonderful! I feel this book is perfect for literally everyone. The story starts on a low point for both main characters, with them meeting each other at the absolute worse time, and we then get to see them getting to know each other during what is supposed to just be a business arrangement. The language is course in parts, but there are no sex scenes detailed, so I feel it makes it readable for most people. I really appreciated how the ending wasn’t a “and they all lived happily ever after” ending, but rather showed the issues the characters continued to have, whilst also being a good ending that wrapped everything up. The romance was beautiful and the pacing was very good, to the point I just couldn’t put it down. 10/10 I’d recommend