This The Spanish Love Deception summary and review tells you everything you need to know about the New York Times bestselling TikTok sensation by Elena Armas.
My freelance writer, Laurel, a spicy romance reader, devoured this slow-burning enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, workplace romance novel set at a wedding and wrote this article, which I edited. As you will see, she found that it became very spicy and fast-paced!
Below you will find The Spanish Love Deception summary (with spoilers of the ending marked), a review (without spoilers), quotes, read-a-likes, and answers to frequently asked questions to assist your reading of this popular book.
The Spanish Love Deception Summary
- Genre: contemporary romance novel
- Tropes: workplace romance, fake dating, enemies to lovers
- Content Warnings: disordered eating, terminal illness, graphic sex
- Age Rating: 18+
- Spice Level: 3 out of 5
Catalina MartÃn (Lina) is a woman in her late twenties who works at an engineering firm in New York City. Lina’s sister Isabel is soon to be wed in their homeland of Spain, and the best man is none other than Lina’s ex, Daniel, who is newly engaged.
Not wanting to attend the wedding alone, Lina told her family a little white lie: that she has an American boyfriend who will be accompanying her to the wedding. The only issue? Lina doesn’t really have a boyfriend at all, and she is now scrambling to find someone to bring to her sister’s wedding so she doesn’t look like a liar.
Enter Lina’s coworker Aaron Blackford: the most infuriating man to ever walk through the doors of Lina’s workplace. They began working together exactly one year and eight months ago and Lina has barely tolerated this insufferable man ever since.
Despite being tall and commanding every room he enters, he is also brooding, never smiles, seems to regularly appear out of nowhere, and made a comment when he first started the job that didn’t sit well with Lina.
To Lina’s shock, however, Aaron and his ocean blue eyes volunteer to be her date for Isabel’s upcoming wedding. Lina dismisses this, but the truth is that she is beginning to get concerned that she needs both a date for the wedding and a fake boyfriend. After all, her overbearing mother expresses doubts and, in a moment of weakness, when her mother asked for her new beau’s name, Lina panics and utters “Aaron.”
Meanwhile, Lina’s workplace announces that Aaron will soon be filling the top position at the firm, which makes Lina more apprehensive than ever to bring Aaron to the wedding.
However, Lina finally agrees to bring Aaron to the wedding and explains that he has to pretend to be her boyfriend. Surprisingly, Aaron seems not at all bothered by any of this.
When Lina asks him what she can do for him in return, he asks her to accompany him to an upcoming date auction for charity where he is being auctioned off. His instructions for Lina are simple: outbid everyone when it is his turn to be auctioned off, and he will give her the money to pay for it. Lina does exactly that and the two dance together at the event, stirring up romantic feelings in Lina that she immediately suppresses.
After giving Aaron a crash course on her raucous family and all their quirks, the two head across the pond for Isabel’s and Gonzalo’s wedding, and Lina is a ball of nerves about pulling off her fake boyfriend charade.
It doesn’t help that her ex, Daniel, will be bringing his new fiancé to the wedding. Daniel was Lina’s college professor who she began dating after being in his class for two semesters. The rumors began flying and Lina’s reputation was tarnished, so she moved all the way to New York City to start fresh.
In Spain, Aaron is an absolute professional in all things related to her family and the wedding. He knows exactly what to say and how to say it, and he even throws in a few practiced Spanish phrases every now and again.
Lina finds herself slowly calming down and feeling far more comfortable in Aaron’s presence than ever before, and her family notice that he’s always checking on her. Lina starts to see Aaron in a new light, but she finds herself in a difficult position because everything Aaron is doing is just pretend.
The Spanish Love Deception Ending With Spoilers
Lina and Aaron steal away from the wedding and find themselves experiencing their first very heated kiss. They are unable to keep their hands off one another but decide to exercise some self-control and head back to the wedding.
After the wedding, as Aaron removes Lina’s heels and massages her feet, she realizes he always seems to keep her safe and comfortable.
Then, the two finish what they began earlier in the evening. Their connection is undeniable, and Aaron makes it clear that his feelings and actions have always been real and that not a single thing he has done or a word he has spoken has ever been a lie for him. He volunteered to accompany Lina to the wedding because he’s been pining after her the entire time they have worked together.
Although Lina’s trust issues continue to surface, she finally begins to let her guard down and let her heart guide her to Aaron.
Once back in New York, Lina and Aaron cannot seem to part ways, but they also know they have to address the elephant in the room: the fact that they are coworkers and that Aaron is about to be promoted to Lina’s boss.
Aaron, still cool as a cucumber, has no fears, but Lina is getting caught up in her head. And after an uncomfortable encounter with a coworker, she tells Aaron she doesn’t think they will ever work as a couple. Aaron, heartbroken, disappears from the office for a few days, leaving Lina also brokenhearted.
It is revealed to Lina that Aaron has flown to his hometown to see his terminally ill father, and Lina flies to Seattle to find him. The two reunite, and Lina finally gives all of herself to Aaron, promising to never leave him and always trust him.
In the Epilogue, we learn that the couple keeps the utmost professionalism at work and are navigating both their professional and personal lives flawlessly. They are gearing up for the entire MartÃn clan to visit them, along with Aaron’s father, who doesn’t have much time left but is making the trip with his full-time caregiver.
Lina and Aaron are content and happy in their relationship and have committed to one another, no matter what the future holds.
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The Spanish Love Deception Review (Without Spoilers)
The Spanish Love Deception is a great debut novel and the ultimate slow-burn romance. The first part of the book is a bit slow-moving, but the pace picks up, and I thoroughly enjoyed the second half of the book.
I enjoyed the Spanish setting of the wedding and the descriptive elements of Northern Spain. I also liked the Spanish dialect that was laced throughout the book — sometimes translated and sometimes not. I think it was a great way to showcase the author’s heritage and native tongue while still keeping true to the story.
For a debut novel, Armas also did a fantastic job with Lina’s character development. Lina went through a great deal of change in this book, and many times, her thoughts, feelings, and confusion were palpable.
This book gets spicy towards the end, so get ready for some dirty talk and very graphic sex scenes, but also know that Armas executes these well.
Also, I consider myself someone who is fairly difficult to surprise, and I admit that details about Aaron’s character surprised me.
This book would be best for readers who are fans of Emily Henry, Colleen Hoover, or Emily Giffin books. It is a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers, romance story with some spice for the spice lovers of the world. Overall, this is a fantastic debut, and I look forward to reading Armas’s future work.
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The Spanish Love Deception Quotes
“Because it was all you were willing to give me. And I’d rather have you hating me than not have you at all.”
“How is it possible that it feels like you are breaking my heart, and I haven’t even had you yet?”
“I don’t think I’d be able to deny you a single thing if you asked, Catalina.”
“Because when I finally take those lips in mine, it will be the furthest thing from pretending. I will not be showing you what it would be like if you were mine. I’ll show you what it is. And I sure as hell won’t be showing how good I could make you feel if you called me yours. You’ll already know that I am.”
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Books Like The Spanish Love Deception
For books like The Spanish Love Deception, check out the romance books like those of Helen Hoang, as well as The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, which is one of those enemies-to-lovers workplace romances that rom-con fans just love (I did too!). I also very highly recommend The Unhoneymooners series by Christina Lauren, which is universally beloved and has lots of overlapping tropes.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas is recommended for audiences ages 18 and over due to graphic sex scenes.
Yes. The Spanish Love Deception has a few very spicy scenes toward the end of the novel.
The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas is an enemies-to-lovers, “fake dating” romance novel about a woman named Catalina whose sister is getting married in Spain. The best man will be Catalina’s ex, so she brings her boss to the wedding as her fake date.
Trigger warnings for The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas include disordered eating, terminal illness, and graphic sex.
The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas is a contemporary romance with perhaps a few comical parts, but would not be considered a comedy.
Yes. The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas has a sequel titled, The American Roommate Experiment, which focuses on Catalina’s cousin, Lucas, and her best friend, Rosie. There is some character overlap.
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Conclusion
Based on this The Spanish Love Deception summary and review, you now know that this TikTok sensation lives up to the hype for those looking for a steamy romance novel with enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, and workplace romance tropes.
If you already read and loved it, then check out the romance books like those of Helen Hoang, as well as The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. I also very highly recommend The Unhoneymooners series by Christina Lauren, for a fun book with lots of overlapping tropes.
