Book Review: The Spanish Love Deception

If you are looking for a heated romance, this book is for you. The Spanish Love Deception by a self-confessed hopeless romantic Elena Armas discusses the art of deception: fake dating a colleague for her sister’s wedding in the face of family pity. Main character Catalina Martin is desperate to find a date to her sister’s wedding, even if it is her condescending, yet handsome colleague, Aaron Blackford. Armas picks apart this complex relationship, as Catalina and Aaron begin to become more than just work colleagues. The vulnerability of the pair opens the reader to the multifaceted nature of each of them, including the reason why Catalina left Spain for New York.

New York Times best selling author Elena Armas has crafted a five star read, breaking the mold to create a complex, spicy enemies to lovers story. Gaining traction on TikTok, as an independent publisher’s debut novel, The Spanish Love Deception was picked up by Atria Books the following year, formally published in early 2022. As a fairly recent novel, Armas’ The Spanish Love Deception represents a new era of contemporary romance, where its readers can relate to the characters on a personal level, as if they are going through the storyline with them. If you are looking for other steamy romances, I would recommend The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood, The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren, as well as Armas’ The American Roommate Experiment, which follows the story of Catalina’s best friend, Rosie, and cousin: Lucas.