A fake engagement…
…might lead to a festive I do?
Tycoon Christophe and gemologist Sophie have always been
attracted to one another. Yet they've never gone beyond friendship -- Sophie
wants happy-ever-after, and he avoids it at all costs. But when Sophie finds
herself in need of a fake fiancé, Christophe steps in. It's meant to be an act,
but they can't escape their chemistry and now they're wondering… Could real
love be waiting underneath the mistletoe?
Terrific friends to lovers story. Christophe and Sophie
have been friends for several years. Christophe is a member of the Pemberton
family, whose multinational company Aurora sells some of its jewelry through
Sophie's family jewelry business. Sophie is a gemologist for the family
business and is expected to take over running the business eventually. She has
also begun branching out into designing jewelry. As the story opens, Sophie and
Christophe encounter each other at an Aurora event. The depth of their
friendship is easy to see from the get-go, as their ease in each other's company
gives them both a chance to relax and enjoy catching up.
But Sophie is hiding a couple of secrets. One is that she
is pregnant. She broke up with the baby's father before knowing she was
pregnant because she knew she didn't love him enough for marriage. She wants
the same kind of love her parents have, and she won't have that with Eric. The
other secret is the crush she has on Christophe. He's handsome and charming and
always fun to be around. But she also knows it won't go anywhere. Christophe
has always seen Sophie as a good friend, but lately, there's been a little more.
However, Christophe refuses to risk their friendship. On this night, I loved
how Christophe could tell something was off with Sophie and immediately stepped
in to take care of her. It was sweet to see how she trusted him to share her troubles. And when the stress gets to her, Christophe whisks her away to his
flat in Paris, allowing her to rest and think about her future away from
outside pressure.
I loved Sophie's time in Paris. Christophe, who leads the
jewelry arm of Aurora, fully supports Sophie's jewelry design dreams and
introduces her to someone who can help. He's there for her as she deals with
Eric's refusal to accept her decision not to marry him and comes up with an
unexpected solution. He suggests a fake engagement, saving her from Eric's and
her parents' pressuring while she makes up her mind what she's going to do.
Sophie is stunned by the offer and more than a little bit wary. Though they
promise each other that it's playacting only, Sophie suspects that it won't be
that easy.
I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop. Because they
are friends and know each other so well, it is easy to convince others of their
supposed love. The more time they spend together, the more it feels like they
belong, but she also feels guilty for deceiving their families. It doesn't take long for Sophie to realize she's in love with Christophe
but telling him so is sure to drive him away. As for Christophe, his growing
feelings for her scare the hell out of him. I ached for him because he believes
that he isn't good enough for Sophie, despite the many times she has fussed at him
for his lack of belief in himself. Matters become even more complicated when
they give in to the attraction that burns between them. Though they pretend it
hasn't changed anything, there's no way to go back.
I cried for Sophie when she got the reaction she expected
after confessing her feelings to Christophe. Because she had begun to hope he
felt the same way, his retreat hurt even more. I felt terrible for Christophe
because he knew he hurt her but refused to believe it could work out. I loved
the scene between Christophe and Aurora. She has always been like a mother to
him, and her insight and advice were precisely what he needed. I loved Christophe's
big moment at the end, which was sweet and romantic. The epilogue was terrific.
Another nice thing about this book was the portrayal of
Sophie's ex, Eric. Unlike so many "baby daddies" in books, he is not
a jerk. He accepts responsibility for the baby and wants to be involved. He's a
little too persistent in his attempts to get Sophie to marry him, but his
motives are good. Once he accepted that Sophie would not marry him, their
relationship improved a lot.
…might lead to a festive I do?
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