Hello lovelies! š„°
Since these blogmas posts are slowly turning into “favourite books of the year” posts, I thought I would share some of my favourite books containing some of my favourite tropes i.e the fake dating and marriage of convenience tropes!
Fake Dating trope
This is one of the best tropes ever, change my mind. I love when the characters pretend in front of other people and when they keep pretending when no one is around so they don”t have to, but they do because they realize they are in love. YES YES YES.
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

Olive is always unlucky: in her career, in love, inā¦well, everything. Her identical twin sister Ami, on the other hand, is probably the luckiest person in the world. Her meet-cute with her fiancĆ© is something out of a romantic comedy (gag) and sheās managed to finance her entire wedding by winning a series of Internet contests (double gag). Worst of all, sheās forcing Olive to spend the day with her sworn enemy, Ethan, who just happens to be the best man. Olive braces herself to get through 24 hours of wedding hell before she can return to her comfortable, unlucky life. But when the entire wedding party gets food poisoning from eating bad shellfish, the only people who arenāt affected are Olive and Ethan. And now thereās an all-expenses-paid honeymoon in Hawaii up for grabs. Putting their mutual hatred aside for the sake of a free vacation, Olive and Ethan head for paradise, determined to avoid each other at all costs. But when Olive runs into her future boss, the little white lie she tells him is suddenly at risk to become a whole lot bigger. She and Ethan now have to pretend to be loving newlyweds, and her luck seems worse than ever. But the weird thing is that she doesnāt mind playing pretend. In fact, she feels kind of... lucky.
Why I love it: I recommend this book ALL. THE. TIME. It is actually pretty popular in the book community, but the fake dating trope is carried out perfectly and the fact that they hate each other makes it even better. There’s also a sprinkle of “forced proximity” and the “only one bed trope”. What more could you want??
Take A Hint Dani Brown by Talia Hibbert

Danika Brown knows what she wants: professional success, academic renown, and an occasional roll in the hay to relieve all that career-driven tension. But romance? Been there, done that, burned the T-shirt. Romantic partners, whatever their gender, are a distraction at best and a drain at worst. So Dani asks the universe for the perfect friend-with-benefitsāsomeone who knows the scoreĀ andĀ knows their way around the bedroom.
When brooding security guard Zafir Ansari rescues Dani from a workplace fire drill gone wrong, itās an obvious sign: PhD student Dani and ex-rugby player Zaf are destined to sleep together. But before she can explain that fact, a video of the heroic rescue goes viral. Now half the internet is shipping #DrRugbaeāand Zaf is begging Dani to play along. Turns out, his sports charity for kids could really use the publicity. Lying to helpĀ children? Who on earth would refuse?
Daniās plan is simple: fake a relationship in public, seduce Zaf behind the scenes. The trouble is, grumpy Zafās secretly a hopeless romanticāand heās determined to corrupt Daniās stone-cold realism. Before long, heās tackling her fears into the dirt. But the former sports star has issues of his own, and the walls around his heart are as thick as his... um, thighs.
Suddenly, the easy lay Dani dreamed of is more complex than her thesis. Has her wish backfired? Is her focus being tested? Or is the universe just waiting for her to take a hint?Ā
Why I love it: When a book makes you like and appreciate a trope you usually hate, you simply recommend it to everyone you know. Talia Hibbert laces her books with crack or some sort of drug, which I actually have scarcely found elsewhere. She manages to write heartfelt, funny, emotional, steamy and swoon-worthy romances.
Marriage of Convenience trope
I love this trope with my whole heart, especially when they are complete strangers or they hate each other! It makes for very dramatic, funny and domestic moments which I crave and wholeheartedly enjoy!
Xeni by Rebekah Weatherspoon

She just wanted to claim her inheritance. What she got was a husband⦠Xeni Everly-Wilkins has ten days to clean out her recently departed auntās massive colonial in Upstate New York. With the feud between her mom and her sisters still raging even in death, she knows this will be no easy task, but when the will is read Xeni quickly discovers the decades old drama between the former R&B singers is just the tip of the iceberg. The Secrets, lies, and a crap ton of cash spilled on her lawyerās conference room table all come with terms and conditions. Xeni must marry before she can claim the estate that will set her up for life and her aunt has just the groom in mind. The ruggedly handsome and deliciously thicc Scotsman who showed up at her auntās memorial, bagpipes at the ready. When his dear friend and mentor Sable Everly passed away, Mason McInroy knew she would leave a sizable hole in his heart. He never imagined sheād leave him more than enough money to settle the debt thatās keeping him from returning home to Scotland. He also never imagined that Sable would use her dying breaths to play match-maker, trapping Mason and her beautiful niece in a marriage scheme that comes with more complications than either of them need. With no choice but to say I do, the unlikely pair try to make the best of a messy situation. They had no plans to actually fall in love.
Why I love it: This book is wonderful. The intimacy and the honesty the main characters have is one of the healthiest out there. They both have something to gain from the match but I like how they’re honest about it, and seeing them fall in love is nothing short of beautiful!
With You Forever by Chloe Liese

Axel Rooney Sullivan is sunshine incarnate. Warm, bright, always smiling, sheās everything Iām not and the last person I have any business desiring. Desperate to hide a hopeless attraction, Iāve done everything possible to keep my distance...until a charades game gone wrong brought that to a grinding halt. Since then, steering clear of Rooney has been impossible. In a matter of months, sheās kissed me speechless, commandeered my art career, and infiltrated not only my dreams but my home. The woman who was once avoidable has become the last thing I needed: temptingly within reach. Rooney Axel Bergman is a gorgeous grump who doesnāt have the time of day for me. Thankfully, Iāve kept my crush under wraps...well, until I kissed him. Charades got away from me, okay? It was an accident! I havenāt seen him since, which is for the best. My life is a mess, and the last thing I need is to embarrass myself further with the man who avoids me like thatās his job rather than painting modern masterpieces. It seems the universe, however, has a different plan. When Axel and I unexpectedly find our pathsāand problemsāconverging, a marriage of convenience proves the perfect solution. At least, until Iām facing my most serious problem yet: a once-loveless marriage of convenience thatās inconveniently become a love match, after all.
Why I love it: A book with the marriage of convenience trope, funny references and autism representation can only be perfect in my eyes! This book was terribly moving, sweet with the most delicious slow burn with some *actual* spice! 10/10 recommend!
The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare

Since his return from war, the Duke of Ashburyās to-do list has been short and anything but sweet: brooding, glowering, menacing London neāer-do-wells by night. Now thereās a new item on the list. He needs an heirāwhich means he needs a wife. When Emma Gladstone, a vicarās daughter turned seamstress, appears in his library wearing a wedding gown, he decides on the spot that sheāll do. His terms are simple: - They will be husband and wife by night only. - No lights, no kissing. - No questions about his battle scars. - Last, and most importantly⦠Once sheās pregnant with his heir, they need never share a bed again. But Emma is no pushover. She has a few rules of her own: - They will have dinner together every evening. - With conversation. - And unlimited teasing. - Last, and most importantly⦠Once sheās seen the man beneath the scars, he canāt stop her from falling in loveā¦
Why I love it: This book got me hooked to historical romances, and I feature it often on my blog because I had such a great time reading it and books like these remind me why I love reading so much!
What are some of your favourite books with the fake dating or marriage of convenience trope? Let me know in the comments? š„°
