“Because it was all you were willing to give me. And I’d rather have you hating me than not have you at all.”
Catalina Martín has promised to bring her American boyfriend with her from New York to Spain for her sister’s wedding. All of her family, including her ex and his fiancee, are attending. The only problem? Her boyfriend doesn’t exist. Needing to find a suitable man to aid in her deception, in steps her handsome, albeit insufferable colleague, Aaron Blackford. Gradually, as the wedding draws nearer, Catalina realizes that Aaron might not be as blood-boiling in the real world as he is in the office. This is the hilarious premise in Elena Armas’ The Spanish Love Deception, a cutesy, smut-filled slow-burning enemies-to-lovers story. If you loved Catalina and Aaron’s tale, join us at What We Reading for the best romance books like The Spanish Love Deception!
Who Wrote The Spanish Love Deception?
Elena Armas is the New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of The Spanish Love Deception. The Spanish author first published the book in February 2021. It won Best Debut Novel in the Goodreads Choice Awards, became a viral hit on TikTok with a hashtag shared over 100m times, has been translated into thirty different languages, and is set to receive a film adaptation from BCDF Pictures.
The Hating Game – Sally Thorne
No list of the best books like The Spanish Love Deception would be complete without mentioning Sally Thorne’s The Hating Game. Another office-based enemies-to-lovers book similar to Elena Armas’ story, The Hating Game introduces readers to Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman, and their intense workplace rivalry.
Lucy cannot understand Joshua’s joyless, uptight, and meticulous approach to his work, while her bright clothes and quirkiness baffle him. But, when the pair are both put up for the same promotion, their game of ritualistic, passive-aggressive manoeuvres reaches boiling point. Slowly, though, Lucy begins to realize maybe she doesn’t hate Joshua as much as she first thought, and maybe he feels the same way. Or maybe this is just another game the pair of them are playing.
The Wedding Crasher – Mia Sosa
Mia Sosa’s The Wedding Crasher is a hilarious wedding-themed romance story similar to The Spanish Love Deception. Solange Pereira is helping her cousin plan the ultimate wedding for a couple when she uncovers something that reveals this happy couple might not be meant to be. What else is there to do but crash this whole affair before they tie the knot?
Dean Chapman’s marriage has just gone up in smoke, but when it looks as though he is about to miss out on an assignment that will almost certainly guarantee a promotion, he blurts out that he’s in love with the woman who crashed his wedding. Feeling bad for ruining his big day, Solange agrees to play along with this white lie, thus kickstarting this twisty opposites-attract story that will delight any fan of Elena Armas.
Meet Cute – Helena Hunting
On her first day at law school, Kailyn quite literally runs into Daxton Hughes, with their cutesy first introduction ending with him sprawled on top of her. The worst part? Not only was he the celebrity she had spent her childhood crushing on, but he’s also in her class. Despite this awkward beginning, the pair struck up the close-knit friendship most dream of. Until his gut-wrenching betrayal.
Now, eight years on, Dax is in her office asking for legal advice. Despite her resentment, Kailyn can’t help but feel sorry for the man who has lost everything and just taken sole guardianship of his thirteen-year-old sister. Kailyn’s boss catches wind of her new celebrity client and promises that if she can get Dax to work at the firm, she will be promoted to partner. As Kailyn spends more time with Dax and his sister, she begins to savour the feeling of being in a family, and that their chemistry of yesteryears is as fresh as ever. Helena Hunting’s Meet Cute follows the pair as they navigate whether there’s still time for second chances, or whether one betrayal will end up leading to another.
The Dating Playbook (The Boyfriend Project #2) – Farrah Rochon
For avid romance readers looking for a book like The Spanish Love Deception with fake dating, Farrah Rochon’s The Dating Playbook is a solid go-to.
When it comes to personal training, Taylor Powell is far better than most. Unfortunately, her bills are stacking up, rent is due, and her money situation looks grim. She needs a miracle, and Jamar Dixon could just be that. The handsome and fine former footballer wants to forge his way back into the NFL, and he wants Taylor to train him. The only catch? No one can know what they’re doing. To fake the training, they fake a relationship in a fun twist on the traditional fake dating trope. A follow-up to the New York Times bestselling The Boyfriend Project, The Dating Playbook works fine as a standalone, but it may be worth reading its predecessor for added investment in these characters and their messy, albeit hilarious, situations.
The Unhoneymooners (Unhoneymooners #1) – Christina Lauren
Christina Lauren’s The Honeymooners introduces readers to Olive, a woman who is unlucky in everything from her career to her love life. Her identical twin sister Ami, on the other hand, couldn’t be any luckier. Leading up to Ami’s wedding to her dreamy fiance, Olive is told she is going to have to spend the whole day with her sworn enemy, Ethan, the best man.
But, when some dodgy shellfish gives everyone at the wedding food poisoning except for Olive and Ethan, an all-expenses-paid honeymoon to Hawaii becomes available. The two jet off, intent to have nothing to do with one another for the duration of the trip. Until Olive runs into her soon-to-be boss. Similar to The Spanish Love Deception, a little white lie soon leads to her and Ethan having to pose as madly-in-love newlyweds. And, like Armas’ story, it doesn’t take long for these two enemies to start to realize that playing pretend doesn’t feel as bad as they first thought.
Conventionally Yours (True Colors #1) – Annabeth Albert
If the globe-trotting aspects of The Spanish Love Deception had you hooked, Annabeth Albert’s Conventionally Yours could be a go-to. On the surface, Conrad Stewart looks to have it all. In reality, he is struggling to keep his life from spiralling out of control. Alden Roth is brilliant, driven, and the poster boy for perfection, yet he, too, feels a little broken inside.
The two bitter rivals find themselves stuck together on a cross-country road trip to a fan convention. But, an undeniable connection is soon struck up between the pair, pointing to something potentially magical being on the cards for the future. Unfortunately for them, both have their reasons for wanting to win the upcoming Odyssey gaming tournament they are attending, and both of them may be willing to sacrifice their emotions if it guarantees victory.
The Deal (Off-Campus #1) – Elle Kennedy
Another New York Times bestseller and TikTok sensation like The Spanish Love Deception, Elle Kennedy introduces readers to Hannah Welles in the opening book of her Off-Campus series, The Deal.
Hannah is confident, charismatic, and intelligent in every part of her life, except for when it comes to the art of romance and seduction. However, when someone finally comes along that ignites a flame inside her, she decides to step out of her comfort zone. To get his attention, she pretends to date the cocky, childish hockey team captain, Garrett, in exchange for some free tutoring. Similar to Armas’ book, The Deal centres on a fake relationship that soon bursts into something more when one accidental kiss between Hannah and Garrett leads to her pretending no longer being an option.
Check Out These Great College Romance Books
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
