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

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is a fun read that remains lighthearted while still giving justice to difficult experiences that readers may relate to. I enjoyed the dual point of view and found the banter and chemistry between the main characters to be delightful. The ends of some chapters felt abrupt to me, and occasionally the content in a chapter would feel rushed. However, these instances were few and far between and the book kept me turning the pages wanting to read more and more!

I absolutely loved this book. The erring was superb. The length of the book was long enough to wrap up the story succinctly.

This book was everything! From the meet cute that was as improbable and weird as it was sweet. I loved everything about this couple. Rowena's vulnerability and her resilience. Adrian, oh my, where to start? Tall, dark, and smoldering, yes, but most importantly, always there for her--no matter the cost for him. The tension, the banter between this two!! I couldn't put this book down ... I loved every second of it.

OBSESSED!!!

This book was everything I never knew I needed. The tender moments, the tension built over weeks and finally the turning point. Adrian was the opposite of what Rowena was used to be exactly what she needed and vice versa. Adrian wanting to prove to himself he could be what she needed and he more than exceeded that.

By far the best fake dating/marriage book I’ve ever read

Isley delivers another brilliant rom-com with If the Ring Fits. The witty banter, slow-burn chemistry, and hilarious mishaps had me hooked from the start. The marriage-of-convenience trope is played to perfection, with plenty of heartwarming moments and a delightful age-gap dynamic. Watching them navigate their messy charade turned sweet romance is pure joy. If you’re a fan of fake engagements and characters who are as flawed as they are lovable, this one’s a must-read!