THE ENGAGEMENT ARRANGEMENT is the second book in Jaci Burton’s “Boots and Bouquets” series. Brenna Bellini first met Finn Nolan as teenagers, when he became an orphan and was taken in by her family. Her sisters became like sisters to him, but Brenna was always “The One” for him and always would be. For one reason or another, it just never seemed like the right time to declare his feelings to Brenna. A twist of fate and a little convoluted thinking on Brenna’s part give Finn the perfect opening he needs. She wants a fake fiancé for a few days and Finn is just the man for the job. Sigh.

Besides the whole obvious “Irish hottie” factor, Finn is my favorite type of hero. He’s carried a torch for Brenna for forever, he respects her and adores her for who she is and is mega-supportive. Yay! A potential run-in with an ex and an enemy on her turf have Brenna coming up with a temporary fake fiancé solution to avoid any catty comments and general nastiness coming her way. Finn is only too happy to oblige. This delightfully contrived scenario gets Brenna to look at Finn from a slightly different perspective. She has always considered him off limits for various reasons, but now the surprise flirtation and gentle seduction is messing with Brenna and causing her to re-evaluate things. The jolt in perspective freaks her out a little, but Finn is patient while she figures things out in her head. Because the story is told from alternating perspectives, it helps the reader understand Brenna’s reservations, as well as the depth of Finn’s feelings. As with previous books in this series, the Bellini sisters support each other and offer advice, while Finn relies on that from his tight circle of guy friends.

THE ENGAGEMENT ARRANGEMENT has a love story years in the making with a swoon-worthy hero who is everything the heroine needs him to be. This is a satisfying combo of great character-driven storytelling and super sexy times. Toward the end of this book, the author hints at who the couple in the next book will be, but I will be interested to see how it all plays out. I look forward to Jaci Burton’s next “Boots and Bouquets” book.