This book was so good! I loved every second of it. It moved really fast but it was well written and everything made sense. I can’t wait for the rest of the series!!! I’ve become addicted to Liz Alden books. They are always quick spicy and heartwarming reads. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Rory Rides Her Fake Fiancé by Liz Alden was such a fun, cozy, feel-good romance while still having a lot of emotional depth underneath it all. Fake dating/marriage of convenience will always get me, but adding grumpy/sunshine and small-town chaos? Immediate yes.

I loved the dynamic between Rory and the MMC so much. She has that guarded, intimidating black cat energy while he is fully gone for her from the beginning and honestly just obsessed in the sweetest way possible. The “golden retriever falls first” vibe was STRONG in this one and it made every interaction between them so cute.

The fake proposal turning into an actual engagement had me smiling immediately because you just know things are about to get messy in the best way. But what I really liked was that the story balanced the romance with heavier topics like family issues, financial stress, and trying to save their town, which made everything feel more grounded emotionally.

Also… the small-town setting was SO charming. The found family/community aspect gave the whole book such a warm atmosphere and made me even more invested in their relationship.

If you like:
✨ fake engagement
✨ grumpy x sunshine
✨ black cat FMC/golden retriever MMC
✨ small-town romance
✨ “he’s been in love with her forever” energy
✨ cozy romance with emotional moments

then definitely pick this one up.

Overall, this was sweet, funny, emotional, and ridiculously easy to binge. Rory Fox, you will always be famous.

Okay as always this book was a TON of fun (I say as always because Liz Alden is one of my all-time favorite authors). I loved getting more of a glimpse into the town of Here and its inhabitants, and I loved that the background grhread of the lodge continued from book one and will clearly keep expanding in future books (but the way it was written, I think you could absolutely read this fully as a standalone and not feel like you were missing context). I absolutely adored both Rory and Morgan—they're great as individual characters, and their chemistry was fantastic.
Because of the title I was expecting more spice, which just meant that the anticipation was building the whole time I read, which I thought worked VERY well.
Basically, I loved everything about this book and I'm excited to keep reading the rest of the series!

Thank you Liz Alden and NetGalley for this ARC, out May 26th.

This is the second book in the Buffed & Polished series, and it was such a sweet, spicy, small-town romance.

Rory is pure cat energy: independent, sharp, opinionated, and absolutely not here to be managed by anyone. She is also caring for her even more opinionated grandma, who is a whole personality in herself.

Morgan, on the other hand, is giving full golden retriever vibes — which feels very fitting considering he owns a golden called Princess. He works at the bar, side hustles at Buffed & Polished with his friends, and has the kind of found-family village around him that makes small-town romance so comforting. But underneath all that warmth, he is also dealing with a very toxic mother and brother, and my heart did hurt for him.

When Morgan fake-proposes to Rory, she says yes to stop her grandma from moving to yet another home across the country. Practical? Yes. Chaotic? Also yes. But Rory has no idea that Morgan’s feelings are becoming very real, very fast — and suddenly this fake engagement might not be so fake after all.

This was such a lovely story about two fiercely independent people, both shaped by difficult pasts, learning how to trust, soften, and open themselves up to love. Sweet, spicy, emotional, and full of small-town charm.

I need another book in a series.

A 5-star read for me.

A hilarious - and VERY steamy - romance of a grump and a sunshine. Rory even has a grumpy cat while Morgan has a bouncy golden retriever. (Its not a subtle book.) Morgan flirts outrageously with Rory every time she comes to the bar he bartends at, hoping to bring a smile to her face.

When Morgan inherits a ginormous diamond ring, he knows he is going to sell it to help invest in his best friend's business idea that will help save the small town from economic ruin - but first, he thinks it would hilarious to use it to fake propose to Rory, just to make her laugh.

Rory, meanwhile, is dealing with a grandmother even more grumpy than her, who has been prodding her to get out more and find someone. When a giant diamond ring is thrust in her face, she kneejerk says yes - and Rory and Morgan find themselves in a fake!engagement. Rory wants to make her grandma happy, and get her off her back about dating for a minute - and Morgan is willing to go along just to make Roy happy.

The book is almost constantly funny, even when the steam is turned up, but balances thigs out from becoming too saccharine by both having some heavy emotional baggage to deal with.

It is a quick, fun read and I heartily recommend if you are in the mood for funny and a rock solid guarantee of a happy ending.