Let’s Read Romance: The Spanish Love Deception

I’ve admittedly never been a big fan of romance novels or really any contemporary novels. I’ve always been a fantasy reader, but then there was a time where the energy it takes to consume and really understand fantasy was just too much, so I stopped reading as much. Then Colleen Hoover romance books (a topic I’ll talk more in depth about in a later post) blew up online and I thought I’d get it a try. Romance, while it can touch on deep topics, doesn’t have its heroine trying to save the world from evil fae kings in a world of magic; romance can just be fun. And now here I am with a growing romance collection. 

The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas is my most recent romance read, and arguably my favorite. The story follows Catalina “Lina” Martin who needs a date to bring to Spain for her sister’s wedding to convince her family she’s happy with her American boyfriend. Her ex is going to be there, and she needs to convince him and her family that she’s moved on and is finally happy. Her insufferable coworker, Aaron Blackford, offers to accompany her and although Lina would rather take anyone else, Aaron ends up on the long flight to Spain. Aaron never fails a task, and their Spanish love deception is no different. 

The Spanish Love Deception is almost perfect. It has enemies-to-lovers, fake-dating, and Aaron Blackford. Enemies-to-lovers, while not my favorite romance trope, when done well, can be extremely satisfying. Lina and Aaron’s story isn’t my favorite or the most intriguing but does come to a satisfying conclusion that makes the story worth the effort it takes to get there. All of the tension between Lina and Aaron came from a misunderstanding when they first met, and there were so many times when they fell to ever frustrating miscommunication trope. There were so many times when I just wanted to shake them both and say, “will you two please stop being idiots and just talk to each other.” But that didn’t even happen until after they were already together. I think on a first read, the miscommunication and refusal to just speak to each other is frustrating, but on a reread its almost unbearable, if they just had the sense to communicate with each other, none of frustrations of the book would have happened and they at least could have been friends to start. The enemies-to-lovers makes the tension undoubtably higher between them, but part of me wishes it was built on something other than the fact that they both just refused to have a mature conversation with each other and instead decided to go right to hatred. 

I will say that the tension through the book led to an extremely satisfying end. After spending 300 pages in tension and just waiting for the moment they both give in, its so good. It feels like a breath of fresh air. Then they have the realization that they could have had so much more time together if they just talked to each other and it’s the biggest I told you so moment of the story. It would be easy for Armas to end the story there after the wedding and their love revelation, but she takes them back to work and in the first day back, things go to hell and Lina and Aaron are put back in tension. Lina had been burned by a relationship with a person in power before and with Aaron’s recent promotion that makes him her boss at work and a sexist coworker, Lina breaks up with him after two days. This was more aggravating than anything. The reunion that follows is meant to show growth from Lina and her ending revelation that she really does love Aaron, but its one of those moments where she just told Aaron she trusts him and the first moment she has to put that trust in him, she does the opposite and runs away instead. The growth and realizations Lina goes through when she’s apart from Aaron are important, but it was another moment where I just wanted to yell at her, “he spent weeks getting you to trust him and you just said you did and you wouldn’t run away and then you did exactly that!” Ultimately the story has a happy ending and the sexist coworker got what was coming to him, so a little bit more angst didn’t ruin it. 

I never understood the hype around Aaron before I read the book, he seemed like every other tall and brooding black-haired blue-eyed love interest. Characters like him have taken over the book industry recently, and even though there isn’t anything too special about Aaron on the surface, he makes the book worth reading. Even when you know a character is going to be the stock love interest, there’s something that still makes them so desirable, and Aaron is definitely that and I will say even now I continuously call him Aaron Warner because he’ll always be the original book boyfriend Aaron. Nevertheless, Aaron Blackford is arrogant and seems self-absorbed at times, but also somehow always knows exactly what to say and outside the office, he’s sweeter than Lina can ever see at work. I mean, “I’ll give you the world. The moon. The fucking stars. Anything you ask, it’s yours. I’m yours.” In a way this feels cringeworthy, but in the best way possible. When you meet Aaron, he’s frustrating and at times insufferable, but then you read more of him and learn that his arrogant work persona is a façade but from his childhood and then finally seeing Aaron for who he truly is, makes it worth it. His arc, however small, only helps the satisfaction that comes with Aaron and Lina finally realizing they don’t really hate each other as much as they both thought. Aaron Blackford. That’s really all I have to say. 

My largest criticism for The Spanish Love Deception comes from the pacing. The whole promise of the novel was Lina going to the wedding, but it takes almost 200 pages to even just get on the flight to Spain. Then their time in Spain is only 150 pages; those 150 pages are the most important in the story for Aaron and Lina and their development, but I was wondering the whole time what the point of the ridiculously long exposition was for. I almost didn’t finish the novel because it felt like a “just get to the point already” type of situation. I wish there was more time in Spain—maybe actually showing us the wedding instead of having Lina get ready and cutting to right to the end of the wedding, I mean the whole book was about the wedding—and less time spent on the agonizing miscommunication of the first 200 pages. 

After everything, I gave The Spanish Love Deception a 4/5. The satisfaction that came from the plot and romance made a story that I just couldn’t put down, once I actually got to a part with plot and romance that wasn’t just—for the millionth time—agonizing miscommunication. The one point I take off for the story is for the first 200 pages, but those last 200 more than make up for what the first 200 lack. And Aaron Blackford. Its hard not to love a story when he’s in it. If there’s no other reason to read this story, do it for Aaron Blackford.