such a fun debut novel that watcher of “Scandal” will love because of the political story setting and strong cast of characters!

I love love loved this book. I recently read the prequel and I think I loved this one more. Fake dating trope is one of my favorites and I loved Logan and Alexis’ characters and chemistry. This was a great follow up to fool me once and I loved Alexis’ growth from her meek character and the complicated relationship she has with her sister. Overall, a solid read that I didn’t want to put down.

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞
𝐁𝐲 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝
𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟓.𝟗.𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑


I loved Ashley Winstead’s 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐌𝐞 𝐎𝐧𝐜𝐞 so much, which is strange because I wouldn't say I like politics.
Just goes to show how great she writes!

I’m also a sucker for fake dating and 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 pulls one right out of the politician's playbook to make for a perfect romance.

Alexis, angry about being told she is boring in bed, decides she is going to have her first one-night stand. But the man she picks in the bar to pounce on is none other than Logan Arthur, the Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate. When pictures get out of the two together, what was supposed to be a one-night stand becomes a fake, meaningful relationship for Logan to win this race.

This is full of humor, sass, and sexual tension. And I did love seeing how Alexis (an introverted librarian ) and Logan (a staunch politician) grew and supported one another - personally and professionally.

☑I vote that Ashley Winstead keeps writing these stellar romances!

Thank you @HTPBooks, @Bookclubbish and @graydonhousebooks for the gifted ebook.

I loved Alexis and Logan. The fake dating trope can get a little stale if you're reading a bunch back to back, and the author doesn't do anything to make the characters their own instead of relying on the trope. But Ashley Winstead wrote an addicting story about a shy librarian looking to breakout and a hotshot political hopeful looking to help out. Their relationship felt natural and well developed. I loved seeing them spend time together in front of the cameras and behind.

I absolutely loved this book! I finished it a week ago and still thinking about it. It’s definitely a swoon worthy romance. I found myself smiling, tearing up, gasping and laughing out loud throughout the book.
I would 100% read it again!

Full book review here, including my favorite parts and quotes from this absolutely adorable rom com: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr11Q3rsOH2/

I loved this book so much. I cannot get over the range that is Ashley Winstead's writing. I've never seen someone create such captivating, swoony romances and then turn right around and spin together a mystery/thriller that has me on the edge of my seat. She is crazy good!

The Boyfriend Candidate follows the same world/characters as in Fool Me Once, but surprisingly this one was even better than the first. Ashley captured the inner workings of a public school teacher perfectly. I adored this book.

This book was so super cute! I loved Logan, he was the ultimate book boyfriend and I just loved everything about it!

A sweet rom com that had me hooked from the beginning.

The premise is a perfect set up and the romance balances angst and steam perfectly.

I thought this book was so cute! I loved the way that even throughout the story themes and issues that are going on today we’re brought front and center, not to mention the way that the characters fought for what they felt was right!

Hm... this book is tricky because while there are some parts of it that I really enjoyed, there was some sparkle missing.

WHAT I LIKED:
- fake dating trope
- Logan was cute af
- Alexis's aesthetic


WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- miscommunication off the wallllsssss
- Alexis's personality changed almost immediately, going from shy and quiet to a political powerhouse hosting rallies and walk-outs
- obv this is a political romance so there are bound to be political talk but it was a bit heavy on the politics for me personally.
- Lee was practically sabotaging Alexis and Logan and it was kind of annoying, intentional or not
- the romance was super super super slow burn
- there was a love triangle for some reason??

While typing out my likes and dislikes, more and more dislikes come out for me but I swear I didn't hate this book. I read it fairly quickly and did laugh out loud at some spots. It's just the parts that bothered me, apparently really bothered me lol

I will absolutely recommend this book because all of my gripes are just a me thing and I'm fully aware of that.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me an e-galley of the book to read and review.

Ahhhhh I love Ashley's books! It's not often you find one that can do Thriller and Rom-com and do both really well. This was a meet Cute and was a cute read. I don't normally reach for these but knew that if Ashley wrote it , that I had to read it.

5 Stars for me! I loved this book. It was paced properly and had fantastic characters and the right level of spice

I love Ashley Winstead, she always writes fascinating and fun stories with lots of layers. This was no exception -- I had a great time reading this one!

I have decided that I will read ANYTHING Ashley Winstead writes. This one started a little slow for me, but I loved the characters, the bit of politics sprinkled in, and Logan was *chef's kiss* for me. I like how Ashley writes realistic situations; I could actually imagine all of the things happening in the book from the conversations, to the situations, it all felt real. This was a great start to summer romance and I loved it!

What is it with me and fake dating?

Okay, it's probably the author also- I mean Ashley Winstead seamlessly bounces between the thriller and romance genres with an almost scary ease.

I loved that this one was set in TX. While I can't claim Austin as my favorite TX city, it was refreshing to read about a setting that isn't NYC or L.A. (and extra props for not centering around football!) That being said, while Austin is well known for being 'weird', it's still Texas- IYKYK.

This one was cute! Definitely focuses more on Alexis and her personal journey. There was some steam- it doesn't really happen until the end of the book so I guess it could be considered a slow burn.

Mashups: Texas, politics, agendas (personal and professional), personal growth and cats.

Ah, politics, thou art NOT SEXY. This had some fun and romantic moments but then the campaigning revved up and I was irritated all over again. I’m reading fiction because I want to escape all the political bullshit! Not recommended but I do think this author has potential. Thanks to NetGalley for a digital copy

The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead is a contemporary romance that had one of my favorite romance tropes in fake dating but one of my least favorite topics in politics. I was a little concerned with taking a chance on this one but having read this author before and enjoying her work my curiosity obviously won out and I gave this one a chance and was quite happy that I found myself ending this one at four stars.

Alexis Stone is a shy librarian that would rather curl up with a book that go out and mingle with strangers. When Alexis gets dumped being told she’s too meek she decides to get out of her comfort zone and go out and find a one night stand for the first time in her life to cheer herself up and prove her ex wrong.

Alexis finds herself at the bar feeling awkward but pushes herself to converse with a handsome stranger. Of course the night became steamy but apparently the hotel was even hotter than the hook up with fire alarms sounding. Alexis doesn’t realize until later that the man she had met was none other than Logan Arthur, a local politician, when the pair of them make the news in their late night escape.

The story in The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead was a fun one despite my dislike for politics with me even rooting for Alexis’s agenda of help for education. The characters were likable and the story definitely started off with me laughing which is always promising in a rom-com. After the opening chuckles I quickly became engaged in the relationship and enjoyed the twists that came along the way to make a fake relationship become real. Glad I took a chance on the story and will definitely return to this author again in the future.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley

Alexis Stone likes to keep out of the spotlight, but after her boyfriend breaks up with her for being boring in bed, she decides to spice things up with a one-night stand. When she meets Logan Arthur at a bar, he seems like the right man for the job, but a fire at the hotel stops them from hooking up and causes Logan to flee when they’re caught on camera. It turns out Logan is running for governor and after the pictures surface, Alexis agrees to fake date him to help both of their careers.

I found this to be a thoroughly enjoyable romcom and loved both Alexis and Logan’s characters. This was a great opposites attract story and the fake dating worked really well (this trope is growing on me!). The banter between Alexis and Logan was spot on, and the sexual chemistry was palpable.

Personally, I don’t love reading about politics, but I think those parts worked really well in this story. I liked how Winstead brought up some topics like funding and banned books in schools. I could have used a smidge less of the political scenes, but that’s my opinion.

There is some crossover of characters from Fool Me Once by Winstead in this book, but you don’t need to read that one first. I’m so impressed how Winstead seamlessly writes both romance and thrillers and does both so well! If you’re looking for a romcom with smart and likable characters then this book is for you.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars rounded up!

Damnit if Ashley Winstead doesn’t write a good book! I love everything about how she does politics - it’s never so in your face, but it’s a fun little glimpse into how they work.
I am screaming from the rooftops: PAY TEACHERS MORE! I loooovveed how seen this book made me feel in the teaching profession. Alexis was a champion and was such a good portrayal of educators today. Logan was a hottie mchot pants, but we knew that. Overall, I really enjoyed it! A feel good story about love & education

This was a delightful read to distract from the serious political world we live in. This was a fluffy version of a political romance book. There are misunderstandings, pretend relationships, and the usual shenanigans one finds in a romance novel these days. I loved that the main character was a librarian who was introverted by nature and how she grew so much throughout the story. She went from a people pleaser to a person who was not afraid to figure out what she wanted from life and how she wanted to get to where she wanted to be. I absolutely enjoyed this book and cannot wait to see what the author brings in the future.

I loved this great rom com. It was my first Ashely Winstead read, but I will be reading the rest of her books soon! I loved the witty banter between the main characters.