One of my favorite things about authors is when they can write different genres, and still be incredible. This is what Ashley Winstead had done. I loved In my Dreams I Hold a Knife and she has WOWed me again with a perfect spring rom-com.

This book was so cute right from the start. Stoner is such a fun character. She is very dedicated and passionate about her job, and yet a crazy party girl with her friends and family. In her mind, Love is not in the cards for her and she's ok with that-- no love = no hurt. I loved how even though Ashely wrote her as a tough, badass chick on the outside, her internal fight between fear and longing was real. Everyone has had their heart broken and is terrified of letting it happen again, but Stoner takes it to the next level. Ben is Stoner's kyptonite... he is so sweet and caring, and beautiful, she can't help but just want to be around him. He makes her want to abandon all her internal safe guards and throw herself into the wind... which terrifies her. The chemistry they have is undeniable, the banter is great, and the steam was perfect. You can't help but root for them the whole time !!

The romance is definitely slow burn, but I still really enjoyed this one and wanted to see what happened and how their relationship played out. And even though this book was heavy on the politics, it was done is such a way that didn't make me feel overwhelmed or confused. Definitely a great book for lovers of second chance romance and a funny rom-com. I can't wait to read ANYTHING else she comes out with in the future.

Thank you Netgalley, Graydon house and Ashley Winstead for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lee 'Stoner' Stone knows that true love is a myth, so when she came close to finding it years ago, she made sure to implode the relationship before anybody else could.

Fast forward a few years, and she is older but not necessarily wiser. That old love has come back into her life in a big way, and they'll need to work together to get a clean energy bill passed through the state legislative system.

Lee is the kind of real life heroine that we have been looking for in a rom com. She is a big mess, and just trying to do her best with the life she's been given, but she makes poor choices that lead to disastrous and hysterical results.

This second chance romance was a total win for me. Women in politics is the same kind of unicorn that women in STEM has been, and I'm loving the representation, and the female empowerment that this romance has.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
Spice level: 🌶🌶

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Graydon House for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4.5/5⭐

I LOVED this! It was my first book by Ashley Winstead but it definitely won't be my last. I loved her writing style, it was so fun and quick, and I laughed out loud several times. There is definitely a political aspect to this story, which isn't normally my thing, but it was written in a very accessible way and I don't think it should deter anyone.

Our main character Lee (aka Stoner) is quite honestly a bit of a mess, and other than her passion for the environment I really couldn't relate to her at all, but that almost made her more fun to read about. Ben on the other hand was an absolute sweetheart, and I really enjoyed all the secondary characters.

My favorite thing was definitely the chemistry between Lee and Ben: there was so much excellent tension, hurt, and longing! If you love a slow burn second chance romance packed with angst and emotional heartfelt speeches, this is the book for you!

Minus half a star for the large role cheating plays in the story and what felt like a lack of responsibility taken for the seriousness of it, but overall this was very nearly a full 5 stars. It was so much fun and very hard to put down, and I can't wait for more from Ashley Winstead!

Fool Me Once by Ashley Winstead is an adult romance with a political backdrop and the added bonus of a second-chance love trope!

What I loved most about this story was the slow burn mixed with a strong female MC who doesn’t pretend to not know what her own issues are, and how fixing them is a must.

Winstead delivers us touches of hilarity with a grounding of human error and relatable weaknesses. The style of writing makes the entire storyline flow and that slow burn had my legs crossed 99% of the time, phew y’all! .

Furthermore; I’d like to acknowledge how much admiration I carry for Ashley. This is her sophomore novel and a complete departure from her debut thriller, In My Dreams I Hold A Knife. She has become an official auto buy author for me.

Music choice:: Hand In My Pocket - Alanis Morissette (I see Stoner driving down a Texas highway, all windows down, singing her heart out to this.)

A very special thank you to #netgalley and #harlequintradepublishing #graydonhousebooks and to #ashleywinstead for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to read this book because I loved In My Dreams I Hold a Knife (Ashley Winstead’s recent thriller). This is obviously a totally different genre but great in it’s own right. The central plot is two exes meet again, years later, to discover all of the misunderstandings that led to their break up. Today they are political rivals with witty banter and lots of chemistry. I always enjoy a political backdrop to a story and this one was well done. Lee and Ben have great banter and their “push-pull” relationship was so enjoyable to watch unfold. I did struggle with the many cheating storylines and distrust issues (which are entirely understandable given all of the infidelity). I really do not enjoy those types of plot points but that is just personal preference. I think that contemporary romance fans will love this one and I’m excited to see what Winstead writes next!

Thank you to Ashley Winstead, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ashley Winstead has hit it out of the park once again. I laughed, I cried, I swooned. This is my new favorite rom-com. I will stan Stoner and Ben until I die. I was hooked from the first chapter with Stoner’s hilarious retelling about the Disney wedding fallout - I had my bachelorette in Disney during the Food & Wine Festival and my friends would have killed me if I required costumes. I honestly don’t want to give too much away so I will just say stop what you are doing and buy this book if you’re someone who likes enjoyment.

Usually books that feature some sort of infidelity are a no-go for me. I made an exception for this one because it's the main character (who's also the narrator) who cheated five years ago, deeply regrets her choice and part of her character growth is understanding why she made those terrible choices.

It was a compelling story, but readers should be warned that the cheating does not stop there. Almost every character deals with infidelity in some way. Lee herself is deeply critical of anyone who cheats, which is probably comes from a place of self-loathing and regret.

The politics aspect of the plot was the weakest. It dragged down the romance and when it wasn't confusing, it was downright unbelievable. I could not suspend my disbelief enough.

I was especially annoyed at the big reveal (surprise surprise, more infidelity!) that was brushed off without consequence. It's totally fine if women cheat, since men do it all the time. Even if there are serious political, ethical, and moral conflict of interests.

This might be my favorite book I’ve read so far in 2022. It was wonderfully written. I loved everything about it! The characters were lovable and hilarious. I loved Lee’s sarcasm and sense of humor. Ben is so sweet and wonderful.

Thank you Netgalley & Graydon House Publishing for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Fool Me Once is a second chance romance with a side of politics! Lee Stone works for a women-run electric car company set out to get their Green Machine bill passed (to replace all public service vehicles with electric cars) now that Texas's most liberal governor is in office! Lee is blind sided when in a meeting about the campaign she discovers that her ex, Ben, one of her 4 major life heartbreaks, is working for the governor as a policy expert. Lee & Ben pretend they don't know each other, but soon find themselves working very closely together to sway key senators to support the Green Machine bill. Tension and competition between them rises, but so do old sparks! The question is, are Lee & Ben right for each other?
What I liked: I really like that Fool Me One included themes other than just romance! There was family drama, strong females in the workplace, loads of character development and overcoming difficult pasts, the list goes on! Fool Me Once tackled a lot! Ben was also the ultimate book boyfriend! How much he cared about and believed in Lee really made this one for me! I also actually really loved the political side featuring the environmentally focused campaign, the successful women run business as well as the overall girl power vibe! This one was completely bingeable and I think many readers are going to enjoy it!
What I didn't like: I personally found Lee unlikeable and reckless, but I'm sure other readers will not feel that way. But I honestly couldn't understand why Ben gave her so many chances! The first 1/3 of the book was also slow goings for me, but overall I think this one is a winner!

I love the way Ashley Winstead writes, so I knew I would really enjoy this. I loved the dynamic between Lee and Ben, I think it was very relatable which makes it easy to root for them. (also Ben🥵) I loved that despite all the male characters, this featured a lot of female empowerment and we just love to see!

After reading this one, I think I have a thing for "unlikeable" main characters - ones that at first you kinda hate because of their actions, but then you grow to love them because there's so much more to them underneath.

Main character Lee Stone is not likeable. She's been a cheater, tends to push people away, and has a bit of a drinking problem. Then it all comes back to trauma and the consequences of not healing from her past. At times it was hard to connect with her due to some of her character flaws, but at the same time sets the tone for her development throughout the story.

There was a lot of drama, family issues, trauma, and plenty of laughs throughout - a solid romcom overall.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House for providing a digital ARC in exchange for review!

Thank you @netgalley and @graydonhouse for the ARC.

2️⃣ Second chance romance
💪🏻 Strong females
😂 Rom com that will make you giggle!

SYNOPSIS: Lee Stone is two women in one: badass comms director at female-run electric car company, and “Stoner”— eternal party girl here for a great time. She is an adamant denier of true love after Four Major Heartbreaks taught her that all roads lead to cheating— even if she’s the one doing the cheating. When former-flame-turned-scorned-lover, Ben, returns as Lee’s new partner in getting a clean energy bill passed, she’s forced to reconcile not only their differences, but her entire view on love.

⭐️ Okay WOW. As I expected, because @ashleywinsteadbooks can do no wrong, I absolutely loved this one. This has all the qualities of an exceptional second chance rom com, combined with a few things I’m super passionate about: climate change, feminism and gender equality! Talk about a phenomenal read. There are fun and chaotic scenes, a little bit of 🔥 and so many loveable characters you will cheer for the entire story. Lee Stone, you have my heart! An aspect that spoke to me was the inclusion of a therapist character, constantly trying to dig deeper with her friends. Hello, story of my life! (If my friends see this, I’m sorry for therapizing you). Ashley Winstead’s writing is equal parts witty, intelligent and adorable.

This is an absolutely devourable rom-com that will warm the coldest of hearts, make you giggle and throw your first up in support of strong women everywhere. I can’t rave about this one enough.

Happy pub day to Fool Me Once! Thank you Graydon House for my e-ARC!

Genre: romcom
In one sentence: Lee Stone is hoping to get a landmark green energy bill passed in Texas - but she'll have to play nice with ex-BF Ben, who knows her as her alter-ego "Stoner".

I loved In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, so I had to check out this one. Winstead’s romance writing impressed me - she’s crafted a complex heroine in "work hard, play hard, stay emotionally unavailable" Stoner. I disagreed with a lot of Stoner's choices, but I still found myself rooting for her. Each time I'd start to doubt her character, she'd redeem herself with some comedic or heartfelt act. I loved her personal development as well - she grew up a lot over the course of the book while remaining true to herself.

Ben is a new entry on the list of book boyfriends - I loved his witty banter with Stoner. I also enjoyed the politics plot of the story - I was inspired to see this duo working for change, even if politics is a very messy business.

Second-chance romance is a favorite trope of mine, and I bet other readers who love this trope will love this book.

If you haven't heard of author Ashley Winstead, you NEED to take notice! Taking the bookishphere by storm, Winstead is back with "Fool Me Once" her first, but guaranteed not to be last, romantic comedy! With every single trope out there (twisting and turning), readers are sure to enjoy this author's debut romcom.

Lee Stone is the messy heroine of heroines... starting off with a runaway into a Magic Kingdom fountain in a Belle costume! Lee has FINALLY achieved her dream of having the governor take notice of her clean energy bill in the state of Texas (a huge feat). The one person the governor signs up to work with Lee? Ben Laderman, college sweetheart of Lee, man who ran away after their breakup.

The Senate vote is looming with three senators undecided... three impactful senators. Lee and Ben's mission? Get those three senators to vote yes or their bill is dead. Lee's also mission? STAY AWAY FROM LOVE. Fool her once, fool her twice but love is not as nice.

Ashley Winstead SHINES in "Fool Me Once," a book that she wrote over the pandemic! Her passion for writing shows throughout the pages and the characters are definitely ones you don't want to miss out on. I sat and read this book in one day and can not wait for the follow up story ( or literally anything Ashley writes).

I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did, but Ashley Winstead is incredibly witty and her writing makes you feel as if the scene is unfolding in front of you.

By day Lee Stone is a communications director for Lise Motors, an electric car company completely run by women. At night, she’s known as “Stoner” and anything goes. Despite her attempts to keep work separate from her personal life, it’s getting ready to collide in a big way. After she broke his heart, her ex skipped town but now he’s back, and they’ll be working together. Hopefully, he doesn’t hold a grudge after all these years.

Despite Lee being unlikeable at times, I admit she is relatable. I enjoyed how Winstead showed struggles that happen every day and you were really able to dive into how they were feeling. Unfortunately, I felt like part of Lee’s journey was unrealistic and she really needed to seek more help about destructive behavior and unresolved childhood issues. Overall, this was a good read and I look forward to reading more of Winstead’s books in the future. She captures that romance can get messy and it’s not all sunshine and rainbows, and I like that it’s not perfect and it captures real experiences.

Thank you to Net Galley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC!

Set in conservative Texas, Lee Stone (aka Stoner when she’s off the clock) is a bad ass communications director for a women-run electric car company, and she’s got her political aspirations in sight as she’s working on getting a bill passed for her company. If only her personal life was as impressive. The late 20s liberal lives her life free of relationships (because they all end in infidelity, duh), and she’s forced to confront her mess of a dating life when her ex — maybe the one that got away? — turns up back in her life to compete (and collaborate) on getting that dang bill passed.

This book was SO fun and funny, with sprinkles of all the good stuff you want in a rom-com — fire scenes, great chemistry, flawed but believable characters, and more. As a liberal Texan, I was thriving from page 1.

A rom-com that is so much more, Ashley Winstead's Fool Me Once was a delightful read. Our heroine Lee, known as Stoner to her friends, works for a company that produces electric vehicles (better than Tesla and women-owned!). She is trying to bring green energy to Texas by pushing for all government vehicles to be electric. As if that goal was not hard enough to achieve, she is assigned to work on this project with her ex, Ben.

Second-chance romance is one of my favorite tropes, and this book does an excellent job with not just the romance, but also with exploring the abandonment issues that Lee has been dealing with for most of her life. I've read some reviews that criticize the amount of cheating in this book, but cheating is integral to the whole story. Lee's trust and abandonment issues are 100% a result of the hurt she feels as a direct result of her experiences with infidelity in herself and others.

This story is politics-heavy, so if that's not your jam you'll want to be aware of that going in. I'm usually not a fan of anything political, but I really didn't mind it here. I definitely recommend this if you love stories with complex characters dealing with serious issues.

Thank you to NetGalley and Graydon House for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fool Me Once by Ashley Winstead starts off strong and goes nowhere but up. Lee Stoner is a flawed yet completely relatable character. Her chemistry with Ben was off the charts. I loved their banter and the deep way they connected over their fathers. What had me laughing out loud several times were the nicknames that Lee kept picking up. I loved seeing Lee’s determination and drive when it came to her job. She was good at what she did and she knew it. That kind of confidence is inspiring to see. I was completely satisfied with the ending but I do have one question- what the heck does Mac do?

Ashley Winstead writes romance?!

It seems like she can do it all. In her debut romance book, the characters jump from the page and the plot thickens much like her best-selling thriller, In My Dreams I Hold a Knife. She does second chance romances a fighting chance to beat the classic, "enemies-to-lovers" trope we see so often in this genre. I look forward to reading all of her work in the future. New favorite author!

Thank you to the publishers at Harlequin Trade Publishing, Harper Collins, and Ashley Winstead for this early copy of Fool Me Once!

This is my second Ashley Winstead novel, and it was nothing short of amazing! She can’t only write thrillers, but romcoms as well!

Lee Stone is a cynic when it comes to love. After experiencing heartbreak after heartbreak, starting with her father, Lee has decided to lock away that part of herself away and focus on the easier part of it all - sex without feelings. Lee is also trying to pass a bill in her home state of Austin, Texas, a bill that most politicians would scoff at - electric vehicle fleets for all city and government jobs. Unfortunately, to get it passed, she’ll need to work with her ex, Ben Laderman, the man whose heart she broke 5 years prior. As negotiations for winning over the 3 necessary votes to pass their bill begin, feelings also begin to ramp back up. Will Lee and Ben find their way back to one another, or will politics keep them apart for good?

I loved this story! Lee is such a relatable character. Her hatred of all things true love is so refreshing to hear. Not all women believe or get to experience a happily ever after, but we certainly all hope for it. I also love how her character is able to evolve from a cynical perspective to a more open point of view. I loved seeing her mature over the course of the story. I also loved Ben and kept picturing him looking like Robbie Amell (anyone else?!) and would absolutely die if Fool Me Once becomes a movie with him as the second lead! A girl can dream, right?

Grab your copy of Fool Me Once, hitting bookstores tomorrow! 🥳

Read this if:
❤️ you love romcoms
💁🏻‍♀️ you appreciate a strong female lead
🔥 you want steam
🌳 you’re environmentally conscious
👩🏻‍❤️‍👨🏻 you adore second chances