Lauren Blakely never ceases to entertain me! She has done it once again with The Real Deal. I loved this book!! It has everything I love in a rom com. She brings the sass, the fun, the family feels, and the heart along with her outstanding characters and addictive dialogue. The Real Deal is one more must read by this author!

April is a sassy, independent body painter in the middle of a dating diet. When she has to go back home for a family reunion, she hires a Theo off Craigslist to pretend to be her boyfriend and buffer to ward off her nosey, meddling, matchmaking family.

The chemistry between these two is insane right off the bat. I could not get enough of Theo and April's storytelling. My favorite, favorite, FAVORITE thing to read is witty banter and easy flowing conversations. Lauren is a master at this. Every piece of dialogue was pure gold. Addicting and fun! My goodness! The way these two continuously concocted their story so effortlessly made my heart sing. It was like they shared a mind. I just love them so much!

It is not hard to fall for a Blakely hero. I've fallen for plenty. However, there is something extra special about Theo. I love his charm, his sex appeal, his fun accents and talents, more than that though, I love that he has a past; that he's not as squeaky clean as some of her other heroes. Yet, he is still a genuine good guy. I swooned with the pride he showed for April's job. I loved how he was quick to defend her work to her family. He is definitely one of my new favorite heroes.

It's weird to say The Real Deal is a slow burn considering the story takes place in a span of five days but it feels like one. Lauren Blakely did a fantastic job building the connection between Theo and April with all their touches, kisses, and their sexy storytelling. I was salivating over here, eagerly waiting for this insane connection to finally erupt. When it does, it was simply delicious.

I honestly cannot recommend this book enough. It's classic Lauren Blakely with a little extra flair. LOVED it!!

“Real Deal” is a bit of departure from romances featuring billionaires and high-powered financiers and entrepreneurs. (I recently learned that in the romance titles on Amazon, there are 415 millionaires, 286 billionaires, and 263 sheikhs. Source: Ogi Ogas, “A Billion Wicked Thoughts: What the Internet Tells Us About Sexual Relationships.”)

Instead we have Theo, the young engaging bartender working madly to pay off his brother’s debt. He’s got an unconventional plan, at least, in “real life” it would be unconventional but it’s a common enough trope for women’s fiction: He can be anything you want in his Hire-a-Date side business.

April needs a date to her family reunion, dreading the family’s unrelenting matchmaking. The two Meet Sweet—instant rapport and lots of good dialogue—and the story is off and running.

April’s pretty unconventional too, a body painting artist on the verge of a big breakthrough. Theo leads her to believe he’s an actor but what was he really is, is a world class people-reader with a host of attitudes and accents at his disposal. She picks “Bad Boy” but what she really gets is “Sweet, Funny Hot Guy.” They flirt nonstop and create elaborate backstories to fool her family. It’s funny and romantic and then when he busts out his arsenal of Shakespeare quotes, we’re all lost.

This all goes along well until they both find themselves wanting to break Theo’s hard and fast rule: no sex. He finds himself wanting to reveal his real self to April, but she’s got secrets too. When problems from his past reemerge, it’s hard to know just who is conning whom.

There is a lot packed into this book and it was a very fast read for me, smiling all the way through. One thing that bothered me was the long--pages long--text conversations among characters. I realize we are all addicted to texting but it gets tedious when the reader is confronted with pages of it at a time. On the other hand, if you get bored with long sections of dialogue, “Real Deal” may not work for you. But I don’t, if the author can sustain it, and Lauren Blakely can. Enthusiastically recommended.

ARC supplied for an honest review

The Real Deal is another fantastic read by Lauren Blakely. Theo and April meet in an unconvential way but it’s so fun! I loved the role playing and how they both got into impromptu made up stories. There was something about Theo- from the very beginning I found him super hot and super sexy and so damn attractive personality wise. I just loved when he got April all hot and bothered with his stories and I pictured it all in my head as I read.
I’ve read so many of Lauren’s books and as I read I kept thinking- that’s such a Lauren line! The book had wit and humor and romance and was just so much fun. I smiled and swooned and couldn’t get enough of Theo and April. One click- you won’t be disappointed!
An arc was provided for an honest review.

A riotously funny story. Full of fun characters and even funnier situations. Each character is a “character”. You keep turning the page just to see what mischief they will get up to next. It’s like having a story taking place within a story. It is beautifully done.

Loved it! Theo is definitely a favorite now! I loved him! April is funny and sweet and I can't blame her for not wanting her family all over her about dating. I would do the same. This story was great. Sexy times abound with Lauren Blakely's flair! I love her books and will continue to read and love!

The Real Deal by Lauren Blakely was a fun addictive read! Theo and Aprils chemistry was amazing! I loved how their story played out. The sexual tension was through the roof! I loved the banter and witty writing in this book. Once I started this book I could put it down! So much fun!

The Real Deal was a cute read from Blakely that had a satisfying ever after for an eclectic pairing.

Playing pretend has never been so fun and sexy. And I would totally love a trip to April's hometown. Theo's a "bad boy" who really isn't bad. He's sweet, loyal and devoted to a fault. Another book that left me smiling long after it was over.

Great Book by Lauren Blakely!! I truly loved this one! April Hamilton is heading home for her family reunion. She is going back to her small town and her family who want to set her up with everyone in town to make her see she needs to move back home. April is not feeling up for that, so she hires Theo Banks to pretend to be her boyfriend to keep her family happy.

You know what happens when these things happen in Rom Coms?? Well, that is no surprises, but the book worked! It fun was funny and cute. I loved Theo and his charm as well as his banter with April. April was a tough girl, who was a strong female lead.

Everything about this book worked for me. I loved it. It was a great summer, by the pool read!

April is dreading heading home alone for her family events this summer and is beyond tired of being set up. She enjoys her life and is in no way searching for a random man. She decides it will be easier if she can find a man to hire to fake being her boyfriend for the trip.

Theo who is working anything and everything to pay off his debts is ready for the challenge of playing adoring boyfriend to April during this trip. One thing they did not expect was for the act of theirs to turn into something more.

Can a man you hired to play your boyfriend, really be the love of your life?

I am so in love with this book and the characters. It will definitely give you all the feels. Theo & April are a couple that you want forget about. Their story was sweet and sexy and Theo will definitely make you swoon. I love their made up stories, there banter and of course their instant chemistry. Once you start reading The Real Deal you won’t be able to put it down. An incredible story with incredible characters that you must read.

This was a fun, light read perfect for summer fun.
I enjoyed both April, Theo, and their large secondary cast. Both are strong characters and while there is some baggage on Theo's part, there is nothing too dark or heavy.
This is written with Ms. Blakely's trademark witty banter and entertaining scenarios. I found myself connecting to both April and Theo and appreciating there instant connection and growing romance. The fact that both experienced emotional growth and minor epiphanies made this that much more entertaining.
Ms. Blakely is an author that I can always count on to deliver a solid, fun read and she definitely delivered on that with The Real Deal.

I've been in the mood for a sweet romance lately and I've heard nothing by wonderful things about Lauren Blakely.

The Real Deal was unfortunately not what I was expecting for a sucker punch romance. I feel like this was a tad bit too cheesy for my taste in romance.

April Hamilton is a strong and sassy young woman that has been single for awhile now and is on a no dating diet. She is getting tired of having her family trying to set her up on multiple dates. She has a summer reunion to attend to and needs to find a boyfriend ASAP. April is scrolling on Craigslist and finds an ad for a boyfriend for hire.

Let's me the REAL DEAL boyfriend for hire Theo Banks. Theo is the typical bad boy with tattoos and a bit of a rough past trying to settle his debts.

April hires Theo for her pretend beau for the summer reunion. Only one problem.... Theo and April have to "pretend" they like one another but somehow this game lands them in falling for each other for real.

So... my issues with this one was the cheesiness factor and found myself rolling my eyes too many times. I was hoping for more of a deep/romance connection and I felt it was just too "unreal" for me and just over the top lovey dovey... if I'm making sense?

I unfortunately also saw this story playing out before my eyes... and was expecting the story to play as it was supposed to. I was wanting MORE... and felt it was lacking in my eyes for a romance.

Overall, this was entertaining but was a tad disappointed for wanting to hit my romance fix. But, I definitely would check more out from this author. I can see why many others love her style!

3.25 real stars!

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest review.

Publication date: 7/10/18
Published to GR: 7/8/18.

I absolutely love a book that’s carefree, well written, sassy, funny as all get out, and so easy to read that the time flies by until you’re on the very last page. The Real Deal is that kind of book! Theo and April meet when she hires him to be her pretend boyfriend at her upcoming family reunion weekend that involves competitive games between family and friends, problem is April’s family is always trying to fix her up with men from their small hometown so she will move back to live near them instead of working in New York. Theo is a bartender/actor (kinda) that takes side jobs as a hired companion/boyfriend without the emotional baggage of sex or serious relationship possibilities, that is until he meets April. Theo has a sorted past, but he keeps it from April because he doesn’t want to drive her away, especially when he’s developing strong feelings for her. I loved the time they spent with April’s family, Theo’s interaction with them all, especially her father, and the easy way he and April seem to fall into sinc with each other. Just an all around great book filled with laughter, hot steamy monemts, and a perfect ending that will have you grabbing for a Kleenex. Well worth the read, so glad I was able to review this book!

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC copy of this book

I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved, loved, loved this story. I mean of course you know it will be a HEA and you could pretty much predict what would happen but it was so worth reading it. I loved the characters from the start. I liked how they hit it off and clicked from the first time they met and how they created their own “remember when” stories. I like how they take two people who are NOT looking for a relationship and you know how that will play out. Theo and April were so funny together and I couldn’t get enough of the banter between them.

All in all a great story, it flowed perfectly, and the romance ;) Lauren Blakely you rocked this rom com!!

This was a spectacularly satisfying and delightful contemporary romance! I highly recommend this if you want a romantic comedy that is also Heat Level Midnight. I loved the unique combination of heartfelt comedy, romance, and steam. I also thoroughly enjoyed some shades of the 90's movie Housesitter where the main characters made up fantastical stories about how they met in order to promote their pretend relationship, and then ended up truly falling in love. However, these book characters and their situation are completely different.

This book felt so fresh, unique, and fun! I loved it!

When I first started the story of The Real Deal I wasn't sure I was going to like it. I am not fond of books that switch back and forth between two people relating their side of the story. I did keep on reading and I am so glad I did as this story is funny, warmhearted, full of fun, family and fantasies fulfilled. I love both the main characters of April and Theo. This story has it all in my opinion from romance, humor, alpha males, sadness, tragedy, blackmail, family high jinks and so much more. An indicator of a good book to me is that I do not want to put it down once I have started it and this book definitely fits that definition. I do not like to tell the story in my reviews because that irritates me when other reviewers do that and spoil it for those of us who want to read the book without spoilers. I would highly recommend this book and I am already looking for other books by this author. I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review and I appreciate the opportunity to have read this delightful story.

This was my 1st book by Lauren Blakely. I had wanted to read her books before but hadn't gotten the chance.
The Real Deal is a story about April and Theo. April lives in New York and works as a body paint artist. Theo is a former con-man/psuedo actor/bartender and hired from an ad on Craigslist to be April's pretend boyfriend. April is going home to a family reunion, and doesn't want to deal with her parents and relatives trying to find her a boyfriend in hopes she will move back home.

As the week progresses, April and Theo seem to get along well, and are attracted to each other. They partake in fun games competing for prizes. Theo thinks if he wins, he could go the straight & narrow and clean up his ways, and he can leave his past behind. As they get to know each other more, they fall for each other, and April thinks things are great. Theo is able to open up to her, however, the past always has a way of catching up with you.

This is an easy read. Great for the summer. Pick up The Real Deal to see the twists and turns of April and Theo and if they get their HEA.

I love a good fake romance and add it the fact it’s written by Lauren Blakely? Sign me up!

April is home and doesn’t need her family all up in her personal life, or lack thereof. When the guy she is supposed to take home cancels, April decides to hire Theo to be her pretend boyfriend. How hard can it be when it’s only for one week?

Theo is a jack of all trades and he can be whomever you want him to be...as long as you’re paying him. He’s in desperate need of extra cash so renting himself out to April is a smart thing to do..until that job suddenly becomes the real deal.

Dual POVs are my favorite and Theo and April’s crazy, funny ride is one you need to take! The Real Deal is full of fun, romance and heart, with a pinch of secrets and angst thrown in for good measure. If you are a Lauren Blakely fan, this is definitely a book for you!

Unfortunately, I’m in the minority on this book. This was just an okay read for me. I thought the writing was good, and the storyline was fine. But, I felt like something was missing.

I was intrigued by the prologue and looked forward to the story. I enjoyed the family reunion with the games, and everything. And I loved the epilogue. I liked April enough, but didn’t love Theo. He wasn’t an open book and it was really hard to get to know him, even though every other chapter was from his point of view. You do eventually find out more about him but it’s within some drama at the end of the book. They did have some interesting banter between them but ultimately, I felt like it was a little bit too much like instant love.
* ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!