Totally Engaged

Six 32 Central #4

by Mina V. Esguerra

Rose Alban, 41, has been happily living alone and single in Manila. When her entire family moved to the US she became responsible for their house and since then she's transformed it into her home, her sanctuary, and base for a new and more fulfilling career. She was even able to convert the garage into a studio apartment, that she's now renting out to her friend's brother Pascal Cortes, 39, former MBA professor who's now heading operations at an exciting education startup at a nearby business district.

That's not enough for her mother and well-meaning relatives, who want nothing more than to see her join them in the US by any means necessary. When they surprise her with a visit, Rose knows the only way they'll finally stop plotting to get her a green card is if they see her settled down—so of course she asks the hot prof next door to pretend to be her fiancé.

(Part of the Six 32 Central series, but can be read as a standalone.)

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Contemporary, Novella, Contemporary Romance

171 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 14, 2021

About the author

Mina V. Esguerra writes contemporary romance and young adult novellas. She has a bachelor's degree in Communication and a master's degree in Development Communication, put to good use in her work as trainer and content management consultant. Mina lives in Metro Manila, Philippines, with her husband and daughter.

She finds inspiration in the lives and experiences of other people, so the answer to "Is this story based on you?" is always, always "No."

Reviews

[K.J. Charles]

Delightful romance with protags on either side of forty. Pascal feels like his career and love life haven't met the standards he should be living up to; Rose has changed from a hotshot political career to fashion and made a conscious decision she never wants to marry or have kids, still less emigrate to the US. Unfortunately her mother is pressuring her to do all those things. So, when Pascal rents a room from Rose, a fake engagement follows.

This is a lovely story about deciding what you want, setting your own values, making your own choices--which include changing your mind--and conveying all of the above to people who may love you but don't necessarily listen to you. I love that Rose is unapologetic about her wants and needs, including sexually, and that Pascal values her as she deserves. A pleasure to read, with a vividly realised setting.

[Kindred Reader (lilastrings) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely story!

I love this! So much heart, not just on the romance aspect but family love as well. It's a unique story about our character Rose aging out on a family petition to the US. While her family made a new life in a different country, she stayed in Manila. Yet decades later, even though Rose enjoys her independence, her family (especially her mother) still tries to petition for her to make a life in a different country. Enter Pascal, brother of her best friend currently renting a studio in her home, helping her out by pretending to be her fiance.
This book is short and sweet, and both characters are relatable with the struggles that one often felt when surrounded by Titas and Titos. You're old but not old enough, sort of thing. Rose and Pascal are adorable together. Their relationship felt very natural in how it blossomed and I love how encouraging they are with each other. It's a short and sweet story that I recommend!

[Adriana Martinez Figueroa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my first Mina Esguerra book and I really liked it! The relationship felt good and the sex scenes were Intense! My one gripe is that the jump to the fake engagement had 0 preamble and I felt like there needed to be at least a chapter where the whole conversation of Rose’s family coming over to visit and her decision to choose Pascal as her fake fiancée. And I felt a bit like… if no one in Rose’s close family truly believed the relationship was real then why keep insisting? Anyway that’s all! I wanna read more of Mina’s books!

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the author and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

Totally Engaged is my first Mina V. Esguerra novella, although I’ve been aware of her work for a while, I just haven’t had the chance to pick up one of her books before. And as an intro to her work, this is wonderful.

I loved how the story conveyed a lot of nuances about Filipino culture, especially as it pertains to living in the Philippines, whereas I’d primarily been exposed to the story from a Filipino-American perspective. One concept is that of “aging out,” as pertains to abandoned children who were separated from their families during the immigration process and subsequently grew too old.

I was struck upon the note at the end about Esguerra’s own experience and those of people she knew, as well as some subsequent research on the topic, at how sad the situation was, yet those impacted tried to make the best of the situation.

With that in mind, I really liked and related to Rose. She made the home she was left in alone one which worked for her to fulfill all her goals in her career and life in general, even as her family are still trying to secure passage for her to come to the US.

As a solution, she pretends to be dating her housemate and friend’s brother, Pascal, an adorably hot professor. I loved their dynamic, and how well it transitioned from just faking it to something real, passionate, and lasting.

This is a sweet and charming novella with a great sense of place and plenty of warm and fuzzy vibes. If you’re looking for lighthearted, short contemporary romance read, this is what you’re looking for.

[AGMaynard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. Beautifully done! Older MCs "discover" each other, and an engagement ruse--more plausible than most given the circumstances--lights the fuse to simmering, then steamy. Family, food, friends play their parts in getting Rose and Pascal to realize their possibilities together. And no 3rd act breakup, yay!

[Jen (mrs-machino) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this - hooray for an independent, successful heroine in her 40's! Rose was great and seeing her and Pascal become comfortable with their fake engagement was sweet. Very interesting exploration of immigration issues from a Filipino perspective as well.

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this fake relationship romance between Rose and Pascal, set in the Philippines. The whole immigration aspect of it added so much to the story and was so fascinating to read about.

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Mina V. Esguerra's writing and this series have been a hit for me in all aspects and this book was no different.

The story features two older MCs who slowly fall in love while they are faking an engagement. In the end they build a relationships that suits them both - no plans or marriage or desire for children.

The story also explores the unique immigration situation of the heroine, specific to the the Philippines, something that seriously affected her life and the choices she made. I loved the hopefulness, the way she made the best out of a difficult situation. We meet Rose when she is already settled in her life and happy with the things she has and we only get glimpses of her struggles before and I liked how confident and self-sufficient she was.

Things are very much the opposite for Pascal. He is 39 yo and at a crossroads in his life, just made a big career change and in the process of establishing himself anew both personally and professionally.

The romance was tender and sexy and full of kindness and care and mutual respect and support. Slowly their fake romance became real, they realise they have something good together that can work for them for now or for longer.

It's a high conflict story, there is some pressure from Rose's family but it is nothing major or dramatic, just normal, ordinary stuff of well-meaning parents who don't fully understand their kids.

We see the big juxtaposition of new modern romantic relations as opposed to the traditions and expectations of the older generations.

Like many of the author's other stories this one also explores the meaning of home, the sense of place and belonging, all this entangled with big, complicated families.

This is a warm hug of a book, tender and gentle, simply delightful.

[Arystine · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

Rose Alban is still single at age 41. She lives alone in their family home in Six 32 Central in Manila, since her whole family migrated to the U.S. when she was 23. She was left behind in Manila because she was no longer a minor child at the time of approval of immigration papers. She then converted their garage to a studio-type apartment and leased it to Pascal Cortes. Pascal is 39 years old and the younger brother of her friend. And when Rose noticed that the slightly younger Pascal is now a hunky professor, sparks fly—especially when the two agreed to pretend to be engaged in order to thwart off Rose’s mom’s persistent offer to marry her off to secure green card.

I think this book is the author’s ode to women in their 40s. The story revolves around a female protagonist who is a modern woman in her early 40s. At her age, she does not feel societal pressure to conform to getting married and having babies. She’s happy with where she is right now without appearing as settling for less, or being an over-achiever. She has become, to quote, “finally the person she had been trying to be”.

Don’t get me wrong about Rose. We do not have a “manang” MC here. Rose is the epitomé of “40s is the new 30s”. I love getting inside her head. She is independent, does not overthink, her thoughts are well explored but not to the point that I feel bored because of too many details. I kept highlighting because there are lines that I truly resonated with. There are scenes that are effortlessly cozy, because Rose knows the importance of turning their home into a sanctuary. I felt that I was also there in her room, her kitchen, her home office, her balcony.😊

Rose’s reflections validated some of my thoughts and actions. And it’s what I need at this point in my life, as just like Rose, I am not conventional.

The story was told in both PoVs of Rose and Pascal. And Pascal is the Tito who is still single, trying to organize his life and suddenly faced with the person whom he did not expect will be his safe space.

There are dialogues that I cannot share because I want those who will read this to simply melt from the “kilig” when they read those lines for the first time.🥰

As a romance reader, I also appreciate the spice in this book that is very much age appropriate.🤭

I finished this book in a day. The chapters are short, but with so much depth. Consequences of U.S. immigration application process were tackled, as well as complicated family dynamics due to long distance set-up. Sleep and work are the only reasons why there are gaps in my reading time.😁

Thanks to Mina for this heartfelt story.❤️❤️❤️ I love everything about this book and the Author’s Note is 💯

[N.G. Peltier · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC review

First can we gush over this lovely cover????

This was a low angst, well-paced fake engagement romance. The world building is also on point. By this I mean we get a sense of Rose and Pascal’s environment and how they fit into the overall society. Rose is currently early forties and is living her life as she pleases. After she aged out of the immigration process, her family left for the US when she was twenty three.

While she’d been living alone and doing her own thing with her business her mother keeps trying to get the process going again. Rose hasn’t been interested and a surprise visit from her mom makes her lie about being engaged to Pascal who’s her friend’s brother and is renting her studio apartment.

What I enjoyed about this was how I could so relate to the family pressures being placed on a woman in their late thirties/into their forties where getting married and having kids is concerned. I’m from the Caribbean and our parents do the same thing!

The fake engagement charade makes for some cute/sweet and steamy scenes between Rose and Pascal. I loved their relationship! Their easy way with each other during the whole thing. I loved how we see very clearly that Rose’s room is her sanctuary with her awesome shower and balcony. Little things about a character’s personality always captures me when it’s done well and this is excellent.

Also I love a heroine who states clearly she doesn’t want children. There are secondary characters too who live supposedly unconventional lives: Tana, Pascal’s older sis and Rose’s friend never married her daughter’s father and is in a long-term relationship with her senator boyfriend, no marriage on the horizon for them.

The character portrayals were so intriguing and kept me engaged up to the end. And speaking of the end I loved how everything played out and I think it suited Rose and Pascal well!

[Joyce AP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally Engaged is the last novella in Mina Esguerra’s Six 32 Central series (2021), but it works perfectly as a standalone. I haven’t read the other books in the series yet, but I really enjoyed this one. It put a big smile on my face, right after reading the ending.

The story follows Rose Alban, 41, who has happily built a single, fulfilling life in Manila. When her family visits from the US determined to push her into immigration, she turns to her tenant—Pascal Cortes, 39, a former professor now in the startup world—to pose as her fiancé. Fake relationship ensue, and yes, sparks fly.

From the very beginning, the tension between Rose and Pascal is palpable. Mina Esguerra nails the fake relationship trope (my personal favorite!). It doesn’t feel contrived; instead, it highlights their chemistry and how naturally they fall into each other’s orbit.

This novel reflects Filipino family dynamics—the expectation to marry by a certain age, the pressure to follow the “safer” life path. I love how the story has perspectives on being at a later stage in life. Others may expect certain things from you by now, but you’re simply content and confident in living life your own way. As someone close to the MCs age, I found it refreshing to read about protagonists who aren’t twenty-somethings still figuring everything out, but adults navigating life and love with experience and clarity.

Quick, straightforward, and delightfully steamy, Totally Engaged is a romance that balances cultural authenticity with modern love.

[Sharonda Isadora · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I thought the pacing for Totally engaged was slow....like super slow in the beginning. It took me a while to get into the story itself. I do like the author had a discussion on the different immigration processes from the Philliphines to the US. Especially for children who "age out" of immigrating with the rest of their family, which was the main focus of Rose's issue in Totally Engaged. Well, more of her mom made it a issue. By the end of the read, I think Rose was currently happy with her living situation.

I did like her and Pasqual's energy on page and I thought they had good chemistry. I also loved that they were a older couple so we didn't really have a lot of angst on page between them. Rose and Pasqual knew what they entered into and eventually what they wanted for their future relationship so all well that ends well. I did question Rose towards the end when she called Pasqual's sister...like Rose really??? Girl...

Anyolways, this was pretty good read and I'm not mad at it. If you like fake engagement, forced proximity and of course a older couple in your romance, then definitely add this one to your tbr.

*this is part of my #readwhatyougot reading task.

[Anjeli · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's just something about Mina V. Esguerra books that I absolutely adore. I think it's the perfect dose of reality in between romance and the way that those needed to be called out gets called out but then there's still happily ever after after.

Totally Engaged felt real to me, as others #RomanceClass books usually do, because Rose's circumstances happened to people I personally know and to see her make life choices in pages, validated a lot of feelings. I know Rose lowkey dislikes to be put in a pedestal but she deserves it. What a character she is. Pascal too.

And this line, "Your pace is a good pace. If they weren’t recognizing your value where you were, it’s good to go somewhere else."


If you're looking for a read under fake engagement trope featuring a meddling mama but with minimal drama and curious of what it feels like to be a Filipino (I mean, the traffic and the karaoke, please.), this book is for you.

[Swai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having just turned 41 probably does something to the reading experience for this book. I found it to be steamier than Mina's other books. There's quite a bit about Rose's and Pascal's ages (or stage of life), but mostly to the effect of their indifference to where they are vs. where they're supposed to be in life. I appreciated the attempt to counter the myth that the 40s are a time of stability, when one has life already figured out. Rose and Pascal both show -- through their family situations and career choices, respectively -- how the 40s might be a time of dramatic transition. But they also show that choosing the less glamorous life (in Rose's case, moving to the United States with her family) can also be a form of strength and self assertion rather than one of passive settling.

[kb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first time in years I’ve picked up a book with characters older than I am, so when I say this was such a refreshing read, I mean every word. And more. I loved that the romance treaded on equally important matters such as immigration and family pressure, adaptability to digital education, and dealing with societal expectations relative to age, especially in the Philippine context, AND more importantly, that the romance was straightforward, unapologetic, and whew, hot.

Read the rest of my review.

[Gigi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like how the female mc takes charge and makes her choices kahit minsan naduduwag siya at umiiwas sa tough conversations na parang bata, sobrang relatable. May bittersweet moments especially with her mom at kung papano gradually over time naghiwalay na yung buhay nila, dahil naiwan siya dito sa Pinas while the rest of her family are in US. But at the same time it allowed her to grow on her own and be independent at ngayon ayaw na niyang sumunod sa kanila dahil she likes her life better here. Ang saya lang basahin nung mga neverending lakwatsa, tsismisan, kainan at reunion ng mga balikbayan and their families and friends.

[Nightwitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasant and relatively conflict-free; everyone is well-intentioned, albeit sometimes frustratingly passive-aggressive about listening to each other. Rose and Pascal make a good couple, although the book feels in some respects like a preface to a relationship than the story of the relationship itself. A nice read, although without quite the same emotional heft as some of Esguerra's other books - Pascal and Rose both feel pretty solidly themselves from the very beginning, if that makes any sense.

[Leyns · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

This book was an interesting glimpse into another culture. All the talk about immigration and green cards, it’s something I’ve never had to think about, and yet played a huge role in this heroines life. Overall I enjoyed the read.
One disappointment was that it had a HFN ending, I would’ve preferred an epilogue further into their future to show that they had really made it work.

[Frida · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Is this what conversations are like now? How are your parents, these are my regrets?"

Love this series! This one is what I guess you'd call low conflict in that the heroine pretty much fakes an engagement in order to avoid having an honest conversation with her mom. Which is... not that unrealistic tbh.

[NE · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Katt Briones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had so many laughs. The pilya kind. I love how upfront and honest Rose is. She is a whole mood ❤️

[carrietracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mina Esguerra delivers every time. This time the couple is in their late 30s/early 40s. I loved it.

[Angel Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this.

[jamie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a stand alone. Don't need to read anything else from the series.

There is sexy time in this book.

No chemistry, no romance, no swooning. I had to push myself to finish this little novella.