Book Summary: 

When Life Gives You Lemons, Fake an Engagement

When investment banker Adrian and software engineer Rowena started the day, they didn’t expect to end it engaged! But Adrian has invented a fake fiancée to impress his CEO, regretting the lie almost immediately, and now he is in hot water. Meanwhile, Rowena’s career has just gone up in flames, leaving her unemployed, unexpectedly expecting with no father in the picture, and short of options. When fate throws these two hot messes into a meet-cute of epic proportions, it’s a match made in rock-bottom heaven. They say love is blind, and with nothing to lose, Adrian gets down on one knee… and Rowena says yes!

The rules of engagement are simple:

Pretend to be madly in love

Keep their real lives separate

Absolutely, positively do NOT catch feelings

However, faking it is harder than they thought, especially when every overnight stay comes with only one bed and zero personal space—blurring that imaginary line between ‘just business’ and ‘definitely personal.’

Soon, their carefully constructed charade starts to feel alarmingly… real. Can Adrian and Rowena stick to their engagement pact, or will their fake relationship graduate to something authentically messy, complicated, and wonderful?

My Review:

Before I even dive into the review, I have to commend Camilla on Chapter One! The intensity of that opening scene set the tone for the entire book. She gives you an emotional glimpse of what happened and where the characters are, pulling you to the edge of your seat until the very last line. Then, just when your curiosity peaks, she throws you back into the past, making you patiently wait to uncover how it all unfolds.

If the Ring Fits might seem like a straightforward marriage-of-convenience romantic comedy, but it’s so much more than that. The evolution of the characters alone made this a five-star read for me. The banter, the wit, and the overall plot were exceptional – as always with Camilla’s writing – but the transformation of Rowena and Adrian? That was a gift in itself.

Life seems determined to test just how much Rowena can endure before she breaks. First, she finds out she’s pregnant with her horrific ex-boyfriend’s baby. As she struggles with the possibility of Liam, the man she finally escaped, reentering her life, another devastating blow hits – she’s been let go from her job after being made redundant. Pregnant, unemployed, and on the verge of leaving her friends behind in New York to move back home, she can’t imagine things getting any worse… until a random stranger proposes to her in a bathroom!

Adrian has sacrificed everything for his career. Friends, relationships, a personal life – none of it mattered as long as he achieved his ultimate goal of becoming CEO. That dream seems within reach when his boss, Dominic, calls him and Preston into the office to announce his retirement and reveal that one of them will take over. Convinced the job is his, Adrian accidentally overhears the truth – his lack of a life, family, and responsibilities has ruled him out. The job is going to Preston. Thinking quickly, Adrian concocts a lie: he has a pregnant fiancée, proving he’s the perfect “family man” for the role. Now, all he has to do is make that little fib a reality.

What Adrian didn’t anticipate was how fast the universe would work in his favor, turning a chance meeting into the opportunity of a lifetime. Now, he has to convince the beautiful stranger that his outrageous idea is exactly what she needs, too. Mutually beneficial, six months tops, and they part ways – separate lives, no feelings, no complications. Because fake relationships are always that simple… right?

As I mentioned earlier, the way Camilla wrote the first chapter had me hooked like never before – I don’t think I’ve ever been so impatient to finish a book in my life! She crafted that opening chapter so perfectly, and as the story unfolded, with all the what ifs, near misses, and possibilities, each chapter pulled me closer to the edge of my seat. I was absolutely desperate to uncover what happened, what triggered the final turning point – it was pure, beautifully agonizing suspense!

I’ve only read a few of Camilla Isley’s books, and what I have read, I’ve absolutely loved. She has an incredible talent for creating fierce female protagonists who are shaped by their strength as survivors. They’ve been burned, they’ve been broken, and yet they persevere. Rowena embodied that same energy and essence, but what I truly appreciated this time was the opportunity to witness her rise from the ashes instead of just admiring the aftermath.

To say Rowena went through a lot would be a massive understatement – it doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the first few chapters! This poor woman was on the brink, holding on by a thread. She discovers she’s pregnant with her toxic ex-boyfriend’s baby, all while finally escaping that horrible relationship. Honestly, the number Liam did on her – if I were a cartoon character, steam would’ve been pouring out of my ears! But I’ll get into that more later. As if that weren’t enough, she finds out she’s being made redundant by her chauvinistic creep of a boss. And remember – this all happens before you even finish Chapter Two! Anyone else would have crawled under the covers and called it a day, a month, maybe even a year. But Rowena took it all in stride, and my admiration for her character skyrocketed.

That’s what made this story so powerful. Camilla seamlessly blended a strangers-to-lovers, fake relationship-turned-marriage-of-convenience trope with a self-discovery journey you’d typically find in “chick-lit” by authors like Sophia Kinsella or Lindsey Kelk. We truly knew Rowena – like, really knew her. We felt her struggles, understood her desires, and witnessed her relentless drive to remain independent, even while her heart quietly longed to be with Adrian.

Like most women, I’m an absolute sucker for the rakish billionaire (as Camilla so lovingly describes Adrian) with a secret heart of gold. And Camilla knew exactly what she was doing when she allowed us to peel back Adrian’s layers. We learned why he was the workaholic he was, why he kept his distance from Rowena, and what he truly wanted as the story unfolded. By the end, you couldn’t help but be putty in his hands! That final scene, when he adopts Soleil – I dare you not to tear up!

I absolutely adored the dynamic between Adrian and Rowena. Their instant chemistry, despite the less-than-glamorous meet-cute (and the fact that they’d just heard each other vomit!), was oddly charming in its own way. Their banter, their ability to truly see one another – it was clear from the beginning they were meant to end up together. But for me, what truly made the book special was the beautiful extension of their story with Soleil. That’s what took it to another level entirely. I’m not sure why I was convinced the book wouldn’t continue postpartum, but I’m so glad it did.

I haven’t read the first book, so yes, there’s a bit of a spoiler for Nina and Tristan, but that’s okay – it only made me more eager to dive into their story! Plus, Camilla dropped a tantalizing hint about Dylan and Hunter, so I now fully intend to read both Book 1 and Book 3.

Like most of Camilla’s books, this is a closed-door romance, but that doesn’t mean it lacks heat. There are plenty of charged moments – heated glances, fire-igniting kisses, and perfectly timed fade-to-black scenes that leave you swooning. That said, this time Camilla decided to surprise her readers with a bonus spicy scene if you subscribe to her newsletter. Who knew she had it in her? I swear, I channeled my inner George Takei and threw out a few “Oh my’s”!

Camilla touched on so many important themes in this book – the inner turmoil stemming from childhood and how it can unknowingly fuel ambition; postpartum depression and how easily it can go unnoticed; the crippling sense of inadequacy and its devastating impact on self-esteem; and, perhaps most significantly, the lasting scars of emotionally and verbally abusive relationships. I could probably write a thesis on the psychological factors exhibited by the characters, but this is supposed to be a book review, so I’ll stay in my lane and stick to my role.

I will say this – typically, when a character describes an ex, the reality doesn’t quite live up to the buildup – but nothing could have prepared me for Liam. Rowena didn’t even begin to do that slime ball justice. Her narrative offered plenty of examples of how terrible the situation was, but when you finally meet him, the level of nastiness he manages to unleash in such a short time is unbelievable. Honestly, I applaud Adrian’s restraint!

If the Ring Fits was the perfect blend of overcoming, acceptance, and evolution. From the first chapter to the last, Camilla has your heart in her hands. And though she puts it through its paces, she takes care of it – delivering a story that fills you with so much joy, you can’t help but thank her for the irregular heartbeat (and goofy grin) you’re left with when she finally returns it.