A Convenient Arrangement by Aurora Rey and Jaime Clevenger is a contemporary romance that is based on a type of relationship I’d never heard of before. Cuffing or cuffing season is a type of temporary relationship where two people get together as a couple for a certain period of time, often during the big holiday months of November through January, and then “break up” at the end of the season. One idea for this is that the two are assured of having a date for all the parties and events during this time. Intimacy may or may not be an added bonus. Yeah, I know where your mind went when you saw the word ‘cuffing’. No, it has nothing to do with restraints in the bedroom. Don’t worry, my mind went there too. ;)

In this novel Jess Archer and Cody Dawson decide to try cuffing for the holiday season. For Jess, it is a work project, and she will be blogging about it as a journalist. Cody likes the idea of dating someone interesting, and she can enjoy this time without changing the life she has made for herself and her son Ben. Both women know in their minds this relationship is temporary, but did they remember to tell their hearts?

This is obviously a character driven plot, which is good because both authors are excellent at character development, and it shows. Both Jess and Cody are easy to connect with. The chemistry between them is hot, and it is easy to see the two could (and should) become more than temporary girlfriends. I must tell you, though that Ben, Cody’s son, stole my heart. Of course, who wouldn’t fall in love with a cute as a button, curly blond-haired five-year-old with a heart as big as himself. I became as invested in him as I did Jess and Cody.

There are some really angsty moments for all three of these characters that really kept me reading. There are also some steamy, sexy moments for Jess and Cody. I guess that tells you what the two women decided on with the intimacy question.

A Convenient Arrangement is an entertaining, sexy and heartwarming story that I recommend to all who love romance. Don’t be surprised when you fall in love with Ben.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

This is a predictable book, but I love a fauxmance! I really liked the characters and the fact there was a kid involved. Jaime Clevenge and Aurora Rey are authors I like and am glad they could work this book together.

It sounded so good and I was expecting a little more from this original plot and those two characters full of chemistry. But I felt it drain as the story progressed.
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Jess is a journalist, she has a column on a page that is very popular in the lesbian community, but her boss offers to write a story that could increase her popularity and mean the next step in her career.
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Writing about a new trend called Cuffing that proposes to have a relationship for a period of three months and leave without ties, putting aside her reservations, she accepts just when she runs into Cody and her beautiful son Ben.
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Both have an agreement but when more concessions are allowed, they start to erase the deadline line, risking more than their hearts
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I can't put more stars on because I loved the characters...Cody, my heart was invested in her and her son Ben even though the predominant voice was Jess. Any parent would understand me on this point
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Another thing that I do not like is something that usually happens in sapphic books, when the character is a butch lesbian they make her behave in a cis way, pinking machism and sometimes because of this they are not allowed to be vulnerable in the same way and kind of behave like an alpha man in hetero romances, it is something so unnecessary in such a lovely romance story
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Outside of this I liked the story and the characters even more, Cody and Amelia especially, oh...they're amazing you could fall for any of them and I really enjoyed reading about they friendship
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Thanks to Jaime Clevenger, Aurora Rey and Bold Stroke Books for give me a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for my honest opinion

As an old 40-years married woman, I'm new to the concept of "cuffing", so I'd categorize this as a fake relationship/butch-femme romance. This was super-readable and, as I've read everything published by both authors, I found myself shocked that I couldn't tell how the division of labor fell out. Aurora Rey and Jaime Clevenger both write very realistic children, which is another plus. This book is published under the Bold Strokes Books masthead, and I've just learned that these authors teamed up for a book under the Bella Books masthead as well, that I'll be equally excited to read.

Two new to me authors, and I can say I am beyond thrilled to have found some more authors words that I adore. I will definitely be checking out their other work.

This one sounded so interesting, I mean "Cuffing" isn't something I have heard of, but after a quick google, I was intrigued. Basically, you start a casual relationship that gets you through the holidays, Christmas, and New years and ends on Valentine's day.
Or at least it's meant to.

Jess is a Sapphic journalist and has been tasked to find a cuffing partner for her next story. Cody is a single Momma who isn't looking for anything serious, just someone to take to her work functions.
No strings would have been easy if the chemistry wasn't leaping off the pages from the get-go.

I have to mention Ben, Cody's five-year-old son. He has a major role in this story, and frankly, he is just too adorable not to mention. He is instantly drawn into Jess which I think is why both Cody and Jess can let down some of their walls and push this past a temporary arrangement.

They are so good for each other. Not to mention, Jess is wonderful with Ben, which for Cody is a must. I love how this just worked, they became an instant family without any real effort. There were no forced moments or trying too hard, some things are just meant to be.

My only disappointment would be the fade to black sex scenes.
I get that the sex isn't everything, but when the ladies have some serious sexual tension like these two, you just know they would have been explosive in the bedroom.

I can not wait for the next from this duo, bring on Finn and Amilia in "Love, Accidentally".

I received this as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. However, a few chapters in I purchased the audiobook, 5+ stars for Kira Omans performance.

Ahhh...nothing like a a good ol' fashioned Butch/Femme romance to cuddle up to and get lost in. This book is low angst and smooth and perfect for the upcoming holidays. I loved how upfront and honest Jess is with Cody from the very beginning and even along the way to an extent. She really put herself out there and hoped Cody would catch her. Cody was absolutely charming and being a single parent who happens to be butch was the perfect touch. Her sexiness came in the form of her nerdiness and her big heart. She was written in a stereotypical macho way which I very much appreciated. Lesbians come in all forms!!

Kudos to the authors. Looking forward to reading more.

I received this ARC from Netgalley via the authors for an honest review.

This was a well written cute progressive love story. What started as fake dating ends up being much, much more. The characters were great, and the plot flowed well. I could not tell that it was written by two different authors. This is a great modern romance and an enjoyable read.


Thank you to Bold Strokes Books and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

A Convenient Arrangement has a typical set up but it' also works, particularly with such fun and likeable characters.

I was interested to see if I would be able to tell this was written by two authors and I could not. The narrative was strong throughout and it felt familiar. As a queer woman, I enjoyed this book so much. I appreciate that many of the tropes and themes I often read in straight romances are so well done, here.

Jess, a columnist at a popular queer magazine/website is assigned to write about the trend of "cuffing" getting into a purposefully (?) short-term relationship in the Fall and breaking up before Valentine's Day. There is a statistic that Valentine's Day is one of the most popular times for break-ups. Cody is the mom of a five-year-old boy, and a college professor, nearing tenure, who needs a date for various campus events, namely a party that the university President is throwing. The two meet at a Fall festival through mutual friends. I love this meet-cute because Jess is dressed as a pineapple for Halloween and this leads to flirting and teasing and a connection that Jess has with Cody's son, Ben. '

There's some instant chemistry between Jess and Cody which is nice and I absolutely love the way they communicate and talk to one another. It felt authentic. The boy, Ben stole my heart. And the authors ground Cody's worries about dating in a relatable way even though I don't have children. I understood Cody's concerns, especially considering her past relationships. In fact, I think the authors create an understanding of how our dating past ekes its way into our present.

This is a sweet but also quite steamy romance. I was engaged immediately in the characters and the world they inhabit. I'm glad this is the first in a series because I can't wait to read more. Romance fans, especially of single parent romances would love this book.

Fake dating, but real dating for a while so we call it cuffing? Very strange concept, of course straight people came up with it.

I have no clue why people would participate in cuffing, this short term coupling seems to be a recipe for disaster. Jess is writing an experience column about it and Cody has her own work related reasons to need a partner for a bit. The chemistry between the two is undeniably there, this of course leads to a whole new set of issues. At least in my mind, but with cuffing anything goes, or so it seems. Cody has a very needy 5 year old son, Ben, he plays a big part in this story and how it develops. I really didn’t like all his interruptions, I get it but it seemed slightly over the top as well. As does his behaviour in general, he’s five going on 50 at times.

I like a good faux,acne, but this cuffing is something else that makes it less likeable of a premise, at least for me. I think the authors actually did a great job on writing this together, the story has a nice flow and is an easy read. I could have doen without the drama after 80%, this formulaic nonsense really has to stop, no one enjoys it so late in the game. Especially in this case it could have come much sooner, should have even. There is communication in this book, but not about the right things I think, it’s a little frustrating at times. Overall it’s pretty enjoyable and a good effort on collaboration.

So...cufffing...who knew? I was really glad that other reviewers also hadn't heard of this phenomenom cause I was starting to feel a bit ancient, but luckily I am not slipping down the old woman slope. Yet.
Anyways, basically a book about a fake relationship but less fake since it's more of a temporary partner deal.
It was fun to read about Jess and Cody stumbling along, trying to find out how to do this cuffing thing. I liked both characters and being a parent of two 5 year olds myself I liked the inclusion of Ben in the story.
All the interruptions, hesitations about whether or not to let someone meet your kid and limitations in Cody's life because she has Ben felt rather on point, but I can understand it might be frustrating for readers if that's not your cup of tea to read about.

This book was a joint effort by 2 authors but it was done really well and I forgot about the fact that there were two writers until after finishing. I really liked this book and have their other one about Finn and Amalia ready to go on my ereader! Honestly, definitely one to pick up, this was one of the better romances I read in the last couple of months.

Thank you Netgalley and Bold Stroke Books for giving me a copy to review.

4/5 stars

I am completely new to the term ‘cuffing’, but if my experience could turn out anything like Jess and Cody, then absolutely sign me up. This is my first time reading from both of these authors, but this book was fantastic. There were so many heartwarming scenes, the sparks of chemistry flew off the page, and the story was engaging from page one. As someone that reads the ‘relationship of convenience’ tropes so often (because I love it), I really enjoyed exploring the idea of ‘cuffing’. It felt like a refreshing and interesting spin on a classic trope, sparking some new life in a pretty old storyline.

More than anything, this book just made me smile uncontrollably. The romance felt very down to earth and genuine, as if I was going to bump into Cody and Jess at the local shops. While the chemistry could get fiery at times, at its heart, the romance is sweet and heartwarming.

I also really enjoyed how the book dealt with Cody as a single mother of Ben (who is an absolute delight), and how she navigated the difficulties of romance while being solely responsible for a child. It was challenging at times, but felt very real and honest, which is probably what added to the genuine feeling of the story., I enjoyed the navigating and blossoming of the small family dynamics just as much as I loved the one-on-one times between Jess and Cody. I love a romance book that brings us well-developed and interesting side characters that add life to story, and that is exactly what we got here. Altogether, it was engaging, sweet and a beautiful story.

NB: free copy received for honest review

This is a pleasant lesbian romance novel which puts a bit of a new spin on the 'fake relationship' sub-genre, by making the relationship real, but intended to be temporary. Apparently that's what "cuffing" means - entering into a relationship with the intent that it only last for a few months.

Naturally, things do not go according to plan!

The leads are likeable and the writing's clear. It does rely a bit on the 'failure to communicate' element that is a common issue for romance fiction couples, but it provides stronger-than-usual reasons for their reticence to do so, which I appreciated.

If this is your sort of thing, it definitely should tick the boxes an enjoyable few hours of reading.

its an ok read. I actually enjoyed it quite a lot tbh did not feel like this is written by more than one author so that was good, i did not even notice when i requested the book. I went for it since I liked the description. the characters were likable enough. However, I thought sometimes that they're not really representing a 5 years old, the dialogue and the sentences were quite older than that age IMO. AND I don't know, Jess and the kid relationship seems so fake to me. to me its not realistic that everyone likes everyone from the very first moment they meet. How can she love Codys son so fast and him her.

Overall, this is way better than most of the things i read this year.

This being my first experience with a co-authored book I didn't have any expectations going in-I have read a few books by Ms. Rey but none by Ms. Clevenger so I was excited to see the different styles. Actually are you supposed to pickup on co-authored book styles to differentiate authors? Not sure how to answer that and I will be honest I couldn't tell a difference in style so not sure who wrote what...a good thing right?

I enjoyed the book, the MCs Jess and Cody were very believably and their stories, backgrounds, direction were very well written. The reason for their meeting/relationship is a bit of a different twist to the fake arrangement storylines we read about (Cuffing, who knew), but it gives it a bit fresh take on it and I think gave the authors a bit more to explore with the concept, applause to them with using it in a wlw story.

The story moved along at a good pace, great dialog (which I love), and it all is played out in with enough ups and downs to keep me reading all in one sitting. Just one thing, and this is just a very very personal thing, I always enjoy a bit of hot love scenes but this did not really come about here, more a fade out and use your imagination there after....again just a person thing.

I look forward to more from these authors, together (is that kind of a writing cuffing thing) or individually-thank you for a great story..

I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, but would have written the same opinion if I had come across this author on my own.

To see my Amazon review, it is under CC-New take on fake relationships-Cuffing who knew

Jess, a columnist for Sapphisticate (great name!), an online mag for lesbians, writes about lifestyle stuff when her boss says she should write about cuffing. I may very well be in the minority that I know what this is and that it has nothing to do with BDSM or role-playing in the bedroom, but then again, my head is full of all sorts of things like this that make people not want to play Trivial Pursuit with me.

Cuffing just means hopping into a short term, winter relationship, with or without sex, to get through the season, with the two parties going their separate ways by spring. A way to pass those months and all the festivities that go with them with a temporary partner since a ton of things for the season are usually for couples.

Case in point (kinda) is Cody, super butch mom of one, and a professor seeking tenure. She's told by a couple of people that it probably would be a good idea to get an in with the female president of the university, who is married to a woman. Can't hurt, right? Cody reads the article Jess writes, and leaves her a voice mail (awkward and cute) about being her cuffing partner for the season.

It doesn't hurt that they meet at a fall fare where Jess is dressed up as a giant pineapple and is great with all the kids who come by to take a shot at knocking stuff down.

They agree to be each other's plus one, lay out some ground rules (no pressure for sex, but if it comes up later, they can talk about it), and we're in business. Cody has a date to go to school functions with someone, and Jess gets content for her column. It is, to coin a phrase, a convenient arrangement.

Of course, they're both hot, and there's some smoldering going on. They continue on, Cody making inroads with her ultimate boss because Jess and the president's wife get along like a house on fire. Jess adores Cody's son Ben, and he her. There are some Moments when it looks like they will hook up only to be interrupted by Ben, or something else. Readers who are not fans of kids or interruptus will be unlikely to be happy.

Cody and Ben wind up going with Jess to her family Thanksgiving, an everyone has a blast. Jess' family love both of them, and they are quite taken by the mob of people.

But then, oh no! People in their 30s who can't communicate! Cody gets a call from Anastasia, her ex-wife who has shown zero interest in Cody, and the other mom wants Ben to come out at stay for two weeks. Jess agrees to go - they look forward to being in a hotel room without a kid - but Jess gets a special request to interview a politician in DC and then an interview with an outfit in Philly, where she submitted a resume. Jess doesn't tell Cody about the Philly connection, which by this point is a no-no: I couldn't figure out what was to be gained by Jess not telling Cody, since by now they're in love with one another.

We all know that there is a HEA at the end, because that's the genre and not a spoiler.

No major complaints about any of it, and Ben really steals the show. Again, if you're not okay with a kid being one of the most important things in someone's life, this is no the book for you. There are no drawn out, steamy sexytimes here - most are fade to black. It's an easy read and everyone is normal.

Three and a half stars out of five, rounded up to four.

Thanks to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for the reading copy.

A “cuffing” good story!

A couple of firsts here - my first book by either author and it was the first I’ve heard about “cuffing” too but now feel considerably well informed :-) Also both Jaime Clevenger and Aurora Rey may have added yet another reader to their fan base.

Onto the review - This was such a sweet story, there’s a bit of faux romance, mixed in with idiots who can’t admit when they love each other and a cute kid to round off the key characters. I really enjoyed the interactions of both MCs. The pacing of this story was great it had me hooked after only a few pages and it kept me up well past late. “Cuffing” may have been the reason the two MCs meet but the story is a sweet slow burn of a relationship evolving and every interaction is more meaningful because of it. The banter is funny and you really just can’t help liking Jess and Cody - both characters are just awesome.

I loved that it brought up two important themes, the first that from a career perspective you don’t have to constantly reach for the next best - that you can be happy where you are as long as it makes you happy - so important from a mental wellness standpoint. And I absolutely loved how the story weaved the very real insecurities of finding someone when your child is your number one priority.
A beautiful emotional story and highly recommended! 5 stars!

Thank you Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book gave me everything I wanted. It was like parallel to fake dating but not exactly and it was perfect. Cody having a kid made this book even better, every interaction with Jess and Ben made my heart so warm.

I received a copy through netgalley.

This book is exactly what I look for in a romance novel. I connected with both MCs, thought their chemistry was fantastic, angst driven primarily from the outside but plenty of insecurities and flaws from the protagonists, very little drama due to miscommunication, interesting secondary characters that add flavor but don't take over, and a cute kid.

I've had one previous experience with Aurora Rey but this was my first read of anything by Jaime Clevenger. It won't be my last. As a matter of fact, I immediately started [book:Love, Accidentally|58517393], the second combined effort by the authors focused on Finn and Amelia.

Thanks to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for giving me that opportunity to fall in love with two new women and an adorable kid.

Really loved this book. What a convenient partnership of these 2 wonderful authors.

Honestly never heard of cuffing before but while I was reading this book there was a full article on the BBC so I am definitely behind times of what the actual dating scene really is.

With the cuffing assignment starts the book and of course what can go wrong or well depending on how you look at it. This is a very enjoyable read with nice characters and despite the classic miscommunication is a great romance.

Well this was a pleasant surprise. I have not read a coauthored fictional book before and found A Convenient Arrangement to be a cohesively written story. I tried to pick out two different writing styles and could not. What I found was an engaging story about cuffing. I had never heard of this term before. It refers to having a prearranged termination for a fall into winter relationship. This relationship gets you through the major holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years but ends just after Valentine’s Day. It originates in the heterosexual world (of course!).

Jess Archer is an online columnist for my winner of the best zine title ever, Sapphisticate. She is a lesbian lifestyle writer who is assigned to find a partner for three months and focus her column on the ins and outs of cuffing. Cody Dawson is a single parent of a five year old who is more than willing for a no strings attachment to Jess.

This is a fun premise for this romance. It is a twist on the faux romance kind of, but not. It cannot truly be pigeonholed which is a bonus in the romance genre. Yet it has the familiarity of past romances which is comforting. Yes I want my cake and to eat it too!

The sexual tension is very well done with a slow build up. The fade to black on the sex scenes once we arrive there however was disappointing. We were shut out of the crescendo in this piece.

A Convenient Arrangement is an enjoyable read which I recommend to all romance readers.

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.