The Spanish Love Deception: A Novel Elena Armas – Aaron Blackford and Catalina Martin are the main characters
The Spanish Love Deception summary and my thoughts on the book after reading it
While scrolling through Goodreads I saw The Spanish Love Deception: a novel by Elana Armas. It was past midnight, a week before school began. I was desperate to start a new romance novel, and specifically one that was contemporary. I immediately pulled my covers up and began to read it. The lovable, but cliché enemies-to-lovers trope as well as the representation of women in STEM intrigued me. I knew it would be a book I loved.
Elena Armas’s debut novel “The Spanish Love Deception,” (2021), follows Catalina (Lina) Martin who fled Spain to seek a job at an engineering company in Brooklyn. While her main purpose for coming to America was to fulfill her dreams, it was also a way to escape. She wants to escape the atmosphere of her breakup because her family is pressuring her to find a new relationship. Catalina is able to maintain a calm path until her sister gets married in Spain. Now Catalina needs to bring along a date for the wedding.
She doesn’t want her family to think she is pathetic by showing up alone, so she does what she feels is right. She tells a lie to claim that she has a boyfriend and is madly in love and that he will attend the wedding with her. Catalina describes herself as a hardworking, successful woman. However, her romantic efforts seem to be futile. She is a leader at an engineering company, which has made her very busy for romance. Now her romantic efforts are causing her problems.
Aaron Blackford Comes in
Aaron Blackford is her main source of trouble. He is 6’4 and has blue eyes. He is Catalina’s arch-nemesis in the workplace. He ignores her attempts to befriend him when he first joins the firm. From there, they develop a seemingly hostile relationship.
Aaron Blackford discovers that she is in desperate need of his help and offers to be her wedding date in exchange for her being his guest at an event. She refuses, until her desperate need overpowers her pride. Finally, she accepts his proposal and finds herself forced to pretend she is in love with someone she hates.
Spain is a chaotic country. There is chaos at family gatherings and awkward meetings with an ex-partner. Hate turns into a bizarre mix of affection and frustration. Catalina is attracted to Aaron Blackford’s new behavior and is confused. The fake romance they have begins to feel real. But, the question remains: Are they still faking it? Or will this deception become something more?
When I decided to read Elana Armas The Spanish Love Deception, I was looking for something cute and lighthearted that would make me feel happy. Although my expectations were not low, they weren’t high because I was just discovering the book and its use of the enemies-to-lovers trope. Elana Armas’s charming, funny, and romantic debut novel did surprise me.
Although the progression of Catalina and Aaron Blackford’s relationship is slow, it doesn’t bother me too much. Aaron Blackford is clearly into Catalina, but she doesn’t want to acknowledge his feelings. She feels she’s being led on.
Catalina isn’t trusting about others’ opinions but she cares a lot about what others think. These traits are a result of people, mostly men, undermining her abilities. She began to doubt her own integrity, and she continues to try to prove herself worthy.
The whole story of her being a STEM woman and how she fought against all odds was amazing. I felt empowered by her character because she proved people wrong when they doubted her. Catalina’s character developed through the story, and she was more determined than ever by the end.
Aaron Blackford is, however, her complete opposite. He is very private, which makes him appear arrogant and closed-off. He is always tense and uninterested in the presence of others, Catalina included.
However, this portrayal is false. He’s more kind and considerate than he appears to be. Although he initially judges Catalina, he soon realizes that he regrets what he did. He also demonstrates his regrets on the trip to Spain, where he finds his way to Catalina’s good graces. He does so many subtle good things for Catalina, that it is obvious that he is in love with her. Catalina and her family swoon for him. I can’t deny that I was swooning, as well.
The dialogue between Aaron Blackford and Catalina is very entertaining. It will make readers feel like they are flying in turbulence. I cannot count how many times I gasped in excitement, then groaned in frustration. The authenticity of the dialogue is also highlighted by Spanish dialogue, which I found very appealing. However, my Google translations for the Spanish dialogue weren’t that good.
The book is funny, romantic, and witty. However, it does not shy away from tackling more difficult topics such as sexism and conforming to others’ expectations.
Overall I would recommend you to read The Spanish Love Deception. “The Spanish Love Deception” is a book that will make you laugh and feel good. Although there are some unrealistic elements to the story, I don’t believe this makes the story less compelling. Fiction is fiction because it has its own rules. Although it’s predictable at times, it’s still a memorable story. This is especially true if you are a hopeless romantic. This story was so sweet that I am looking forward to Elena Armas’s next novel.
Quick facts about the book:
- The Spanish Love Deception is steamy. The Spanish Love Deception age rating is 17+ because there are sex scenes that are long and descriptive
- Catalina Martin is 28 years old
- There is going to be a sequel to The Spanish Love Deception called “The American Roommate Experiment”
- The Spanish Love Deception was self-published by Elena Armas and became known mostly through TikTok
The Spanish Love Deception PDF
Here is a PDF of the Spanish Love Deception.
The Spanish Love Deception Ebook
Here is where you can find The Spanish Love Deception Ebook on kindle.
The Spanish Love Deception Quotes
Here are 3 quotes:
“I’ll give you the world,” he said against my mouth. “The moon. The fucking stars. Anything you ask, it’s yours. I’m yours.”
“Because it was all you were willing to give me. And I’d rather have you hating me than not have you at all.”
“When I finally kiss you, there won’t be any doubt in your mind that it is real.”
Books Like The Spanish Love Deception
Here is a list of some books that are like the Spanish love deception:
- Meet Cute, by Helena Hunting.
- The Worst Best Man, by Mia Sosa.
- The Road Trip, by Beth O’Leary.
- The Upside of Unrequited, by Becky Albertalli.
- The Dating Plan, by Sara Desai.
- Shipped, by Angie Hockman.
- The Soulmate Equation, by Christina Lauren.
