Faking it with your best friend to satisfy your grandmother's dying wish…
Delilah Peters' dating prospects are slim pickings, and she's totally okay with that. But when her dying grandmother reveals that her last wish is for both her granddaughters to be married and taken care of, Delilah makes the mistake of joking about having a secret boyfriend. Considering the only guy she every hangs around with is her childhood best friend and platonic soulmate Fred Wellington, the Earl of Coventry, there's very few options for who could pretend to be her boyfriend. The whole town already thinks they're secretly dating anyway, so when Fred steps up to help his friend, it's not really a shock to everyone that they've been hooking up for months, or when Fred "finally" proposes. Despite several people in the know about this ruse, and warning them that their friendship could be altered forever by faking a marriage, they dive in head first in order to give a dying woman her last wish. They were both adamant that they wouldn't fall in love, but now that they're living as husband and wife, feeling start to be had that will truly make or break their friendship
We were introduced to Fred waaaay back in Love Language FOUR YEARS AGO, so this story has been a long time coming! Throughout most, if not all, of the Aristoverse novels, Emma has given us little updates on Fred's life, and by this point we're all rooting for Fred to finally have the happy ending he deserves - no pressure on Emma or anything…
AND SHE DELIVERED! After all this time, there was definitely some high expectations going into this book, and I thoroughly enjoyed every single second of this best friends-to-lovers and fake marriage romance! Fred and Deli have such great banter and chemistry, and it was so enjoyable to watch their relationship progress from platonic soulmates to romantic soulmates, all while still retaining the laugh-out-loud banter throughout.
They have the banter. They have the chemistry. And they have a gifted bucket full of toys THAT HE CAN HEAR HER USING IN THE NEXT ROOM. These two are so down bad for one another, and when they finally give into their attraction there are FIREWORKS. Following these two realise that they are both a hot-blooded man and woman, and not just their best friend, was SO good.
In true Emma Hart fashion, there are hilarious characters galore, particularly in the form of kooky grandmothers who have an affinity for hijinks and non-traditional household pets. And although there is an emotional element with Deli's grandmother in her final months, Emma doesn’t choose to dwell on the heartbreak for too long, instead showing the strength of family and the more lighthearted moments in the wake of sadness.
Although there is a holiday-themed Aristoverse novel coming, this totally felt like a great place to end the series/world on - a little full-circle moment after waiting for Fred's story for so long. But on the other hand, I never want Emma to stop writing in this world - her rom-com writing style is so perfect for the English upper-class shenanigans that she has been indulging us in for the past few years. Hell, it's about time to revisited some of these characters again because I need some big updates about the rest of the aristocracy!
Once again, if you're new to Emma's Aristoverse, there's no better time to dive in! Aside from the original trilogy, the books can be read in any order (although I am a bit of a stickler when it comes to reading interconnected standalone series in order, so I definitely recommend reading them in publication order). Outside of the original trilogy, the rest of the books are very loosely connected, with small Easter eggs and cameos popping up when you least expect it, so you won't feel lost if you read them at random. If you enjoy regency romances for the aristocracy but want a modern twist, these books are definitely for you!
If you can't get enough of besties falling in love and fake marriages, and love a good rom-com, look no further than Fred and Deli, and the their sweet and swoony romance!