This is not my usual sort of book but I am pleased to say that I really enjoyed it. 4 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

This book was everything I hoped it'd be and more - sexy, smart, empowering, and hilarious, all in one go. I've read a few of the author's other books but not her romances, and now I'll be going to the library to check out as many as I can get my hands on!

Ashley Winstead has written an incredible protagonist in Alexis; she's identifiable, relatable, and so wholesome you want nothing more than for her to succeed. It's lucky she meets Logan, a charming and *good* politician (so rare!!) and you know from the very first instant that they're destined to be together and change Texas.

Normally I wouldn't recommend a political-leaning book, mostly because I feel so world weary around the subject, but this is a masterpiece. Logan is exactly who you'd want real politicians to be... and everything the light touches (Patches, Zoey, even thorny Nora) is a beautifully fleshed out character.

Thank you so much for the advance copy, I can't wait to tell everyone I love about this!

i feel like this book has the perfect mix of a good plot, fun characters and LOL + swoon worthy moments

it's the first book of the author i've read and i'll definitely be back for some more!!

the book follows Alexis Stone who in the beginning is a shy librarian; on the anniversary of her ex-boyfriend cheating, she goes out to challenge herself and step out of her comfort zone

this is where she meets Logan and they seem to be hitting it off......until he, quite literally, takes off after seeing cameras

turns out the man is none other than Logan Arthur, who is running for governor

so when pictures of the two of them come out, his team sees no other option than proposing they start fake-dating

and fake-date they do ;)

i absolutely love the fake-dating trope and the author did it more than justice!!

at first Alexis and Logan seem like opposites, but boy oh boy do these opposites attract

i loved everything about them together; Logan really brought such a beautiful side out of Alexis

he was her biggest cheerleader and pushed her to be her best self; we stan

i love how Alexis in the end actually achieved what she set out to at the beginning of the book; we see her grow, become more confident in herself and her ideas

it's safe to say i loved reading this book; i devoured it in one sitting and honestly had a hard time putting it down

thank you to Netgalley and Ashley Winstead for the ARC❤️

I'm rounding up to 3.5 stars, making it a solid and entertaining 4-star read!

I enjoyed witnessing Alexia's character growth and her journey to assert herself. However, her sister Lee and love interest Logan rubbed me the wrong way. They both displayed alpha attitudes that I didn't appreciate when it came to my beloved Alexis! That's why I couldn't give it a full five stars!

A special thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for generously providing me with a digital review copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

Whenever I picked this up it was ✨impossible✨to put down.

Logan and Alexis are the perfect grumpyxsunshine fake dating couple from the get go. Though it was obvious where there story would end, the twists and turns throughout had my heart melting and even a tear or two.

The representation in this was fantastic and done in a way that wasn’t juxtaposed from the rest of the story, which you can see a lot of in hetero romance novels. Cary is up there as my favourite side character!

Every relationship Alexis has is so well written, especially the one she has with herself. It’s not just a ‘silly little romance’, the internal growth that Alexis goes through for the duration of the book is one that I’m sure will resonate with a lot of young women.

Thank you Aria or Aries and NetGalley for the ARC 🥰

THE BOYFRIEND CANDIDATE - ASHLEY WINSTEAD

RATING:
4 OUT OF 5 STARS

ABOUT THE BOOK:
As a school librarian, Alexis Stone is known to be on the timid and shy side of people. As a little sister to an overarchiver senator, she in contrast, likes to hide behind the scenes, her nose deep into a book.
But she is hung up on something her ex accused her of. So to shake off her true persona, she decides she needs to live a little. What better way to achieve it than having some fun and engaging with a handsome stranger in a one night stand?

Too bad, their steamy night is cut short and he leaves her high and dry on the street. What's even worse? Her face being plastered on numerous publishings, stating to be the latest notch on the new hotshot senate candidate's belt.


REVIEW:

I love me some fake dating trope, and when its purpose is to mask a PR disaster? Sign me up!
This was my first novel by the author, and it was the perfect beach read for my vacation.
I did not expect it to be a true romantic comedy, as nowadays often it's a throwaway description of romance, but it truly was hilarious!
Of course, there were moments where I was profusely slapping my head in disbelief, but those quirky moments aside, it provided depth I wasn't expecting. The storyline about the FMC's dad, the warped perception of childhood and trauma, the life of a sister for a popular person were all lined up pretty neatly and provided understanding of the main character.
I loved Logan and his chaotic team. How unbashadly truthful he was to what he believed in.

Winstead's penmanship shone through the pages, she is a crafted writer, who knows how to keep up the attention, where to push and pull certain characters and specific scenes.
The only negative was maybe how current the politics seemed, which, for a foreigner, was maybe too 'American'.
Other than that, I really did enjoy the story, would recommend it, as I was able to keep moments, anecdotes from it well after reading.


TROPES FOR YOUR PLEASURE:

- forced proximity
- fake dating
- romantic comedy
- meet cute
- mutual pining
- one night stand

On the anniversary of her ex-boyfriend cheating on and leaving her school librarian Alexis Stone decides she's going to have a one night stand. Enter Logan Arthur foul mouthed, filterless and gorgeous he's her complete opposite but after some flirting sparks fly and Alexis thinks she's finally going to get her one night stand! Just as she's away to fulfill it the hotel catches fire after being struck by lightening as Logan and Alexis flee the hotel Logan is photographed carrying Alexis and disappears. Alexis has no idea what's gone wrong until pictures of her and Logan appear online and she realises he's the candidate to become governor in Texas. To stop it becoming a scandal Logans team decide it would be good for them to pretend to be dating. What could possibly go wrong?

I loved this. This was so fun and fast paced and I flew through it. I loved Logan and Alexis and really rooted for their relationship. I loved watching Alexis change from the shy meek woman to having the confidence to go out and get what she wanted. The only thing I didn't enjoy was how much Lee her sister intruded on her life by setting her up with people when she knew what was at stake. I only wish there had been more of the relationship between Alexis and Logan before the end. Overall a great fake dating romance I really enjoyed this.

I've been pleasantly surprised by this side of Ashley Winstead. I'll definitely be coming back for more!
I love how well-rounded the characters are and how palpable the chemistry was. I especially love our heroine. We only see her POV (I'm usually more into a dual POV, but this book managed just fine). And she's insecure and has very low self-esteem. But it was all very realistic and believable. And seeing her gradually be more secure while still being true to herself...it was very touching. And I'll admit I felt a bit represented.
I'd say you'd have to be mildly interested in politics. Otherwise, this might not be your cup of tea. For me, I was all here for it!


Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I honestly don't have the words to describe how much I enjoyed this book. I had hit a little bit of a reading slump and this was the perfect book to pull me out of it. I was kicking my feet and giggling along the way. Logan and Alexis were just so CUTE together. This book is a romcom where both main characters are oblivious to one another's feelings which in my opinion adds to the cuteness. I don't want to give away too many spoilers but I 100% recommend it and believe you should purchase it as soon as you possibly can!

5 ⭐️

I stayed up til 4am to finish this because I was loving it so much. I seriously adored this. My only critique is that I wanted MORE! Especially of scenes where I was enjoying the antics a lot (eg the bachelorette party). Possibly one of my fave reads of this year.

Review: The Boyfriend Candidate - Ashley Winstead

I was lucky enough to receive this book as an ARC on Netgalley.

As a shy school librarian, Alexis Stone is comfortable keeping out of the spotlight. But when she’s dumped for being too meek—in bed!—the humiliation is a wake-up call. She decides she needs to change, and what better way to kick-start her new more adventurous life than with her first one-night stand? Enter Logan, the gorgeous, foul-mouthed stranger she meets at a hotel bar. Logan is audacious and filterless, making him Alexis’s opposite—and boy, do opposites attract! Just as she’s about to fulfill her hookup wish, the hotel catches fire in a freak lightning storm—and in their rush to escape, Logan is discovered carrying her into the street, where people are waiting with cameras. Cameras Logan promptly—and shockingly—flees. Alexis is bewildered until breaking news hits: pictures of her and Logan escaping the fire are all over the internet. It turns out Logan is none other than Logan Arthur, the hotshot politician challenging the Texas governor’s seat. The salacious images are poised to sink his career—and jeopardize Alexis’s job—until a solution is proposed: to squash the scandal, he and Alexis could pretend to be in a relationship until election day…in two months. What could possibly go wrong?

📚Fake Dating

I loved this book!! I could not put it down!! I loved the storyline between Alexis & Logan. I loved that Logan helped Alexis find her voice and follow her dreams. I loved how supportive Alexis was of Logan an his campaign!!

I definitely recommend this book!!

Rating: 4 / 5⭐️’s

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This book has everything I love in my rom-coms, from slow-burn romance to engaging and relatable characters. Alexis was so comforting as a character, and I loved her progression throughout the book and how she developed individually. Books that tackle complex parental relationships & grief also stand out for me, and I think Ashely Winstead did this beautifully!

Although British and with ZERO interest in politics, from my own country or anyone else's, surprisingly, I did really enjoy this.
As a reader I love reading about readers and watching our quiet librarian main character blossom and grow was a real treat, much love also goes to the love interest, moody politician Logan who was THE MOST swoon-worthy.

Great read!!

This is one of those books that comes along and surprises you! I honestly felt blown out of the water from the first page of this book. One of the best hooks of the year for me. The chaos of the first few chapters had me chuckling and then crying with laughter as the main characters, Alexis and Logan, impulsive one-night stand goes spectacularly awry leading to the secret rendezvous that never was being leaked to the press. Best of all, it doesn’t falter in continuing to be an amazing read with an inventive spin on fake dating trope and a genuinely funny read until the end.

The chemistry between Alexis and Logan is smouldering, intensive, and crackling with sparks! Their banter is top-notch with witty and snarky elements. The rest of the cast of characters is a diverse bunch that brings in plenty of clangers that add tension and calamity to the plot. Alexis’s sister, Lee, is the perfect example with her manipulative demands and antagonistic vibes!

Logan’s white-knight gesture at the start of the book melted my heart – he’s a perfect tall, dark, and handsome guy and a huge cinnamon roll for Alexis! It is really easy to fall for him although he’s in politics, he’s genuinely there to make lives better for the people. Until Alexis Stone sweeps his feet from under Logan and changes everything. I feel like I turned to mush at times at big gestures Logan makes for Alexis. The dynamic elements of his personality for his character journey make him a worthy counterpart to the female protagonist Alexis!

I love the character growth featured in the story for Alexis, her transformation to bold, assertive, and strong from her meek and restrained version of herself made me cheer for her. The theme of the book about learning to love yourself pairs with Alexis’s character arc as she finds herself and a purpose to step out of the shadows of her politically infamous family. Alexis was relatable, and caring and I loved seeing her find out what she was capable of and how it brought her and Logan together.

A political backdrop might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I loved the drama, mishaps, and conflict shenanigans it brought to the story. A quick, engaging read that draws you in and makes you devour page after page until the end. I had to binge this in a night! Truly deserves a 5-star read status.

This is a Patches appreciation post.
I really loved this book, fake dating is one of my favourite tropes, and for it to be done in the scale that it was in terms of publicity and stake made it even better for me.

He is your classic, grumpy to everyone but her character who falls hard and fast, and was SO supportive of all of her ideas and championed her in every way that he could.
She is a quiet librarian who is dealing with a lot of internal issues, whether familial or trauma from a previous relationship, I loved watching her character develop, seeing her confidence and self-belief grow as a result of all of the positivity from Logan as well as everyone else close to her made me so so happy.

There was the classic miscommunication, and this one seemed to hit HARD. I wanted to scream at both of the characters to just say what they were thinking, it would have solved quite literally every single one of the issues they were having, you're grown adults, do better.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone that loves fake-dating but also anyone looking for a quick romance read with characters that actually have some personality.

A shy school librarian, Alexis Stone is comfortable keeping out of the spotlight. But when she's dumped for being too meek… in bed. She decides she needs a change and what better way to kick start this new adventurous life than with her first one night stand?

Now enter Logan, who's a gorgeous, foul-mouthed stranger she meets at a hotel bar. Audacious and filterless, Logan is Alexis’ opposite.
Just as she's about to fulfil her hookup wish, the hotel catches fire in a freak lightning storm. In their rush to escape, Logan is discovered carrying her into the street, where people are waiting with cameras.
Alexis is bewildered until suddenly pictures of her and Logan escaping the fire are all over the internet. Turns out Logan is none other than Logan Arthur, the hotshot candidate challenging the Texas governor’s seat. The salacious scandal is poised to sink his career—and jeopardise Alexis’s job—until a solution is proposed: he and Alexis could pretend to be in a relationship until election day…in two months.

This book had such a great premise and it just seemed that it would be something I would enjoy… However, I didn’t not as much. I did find that the book was more focused within the political storyline and that romance not as much. Yes I did know it would be political but I didn’t think it would be the main focus of the book!! (maybe that's just me tho but idk).
I did like Logan and that he was bold and blunt, and he did complement Alexis as he is the complete opposite of Alexis. Him and the kittens? Adorbs!! What I would've loved is to have some POV from him in the book.
Alexis on the other hand… I'm not sure how I felt like I just didn't understand her character because at the start she's this shy person but then it's like out of nowhere she's become this confident political person… This is why I think I felt like her character seemed to be a bit inconsistent. Also her sister Lee? Yeah idk I didnt like her either. I think I would've liked to see more development / growth from Alexis.

Laura Wood (one of my absolute favourite author) recommended this on Instagram so I knew I would love it, and it didn't disappoint.

After a one-night-stand goes spectacularly wrong, school librarian Alexis finds herself agreeing to fake a relationship with rising political star Logan to save his reputation.

This romance was really fun and I couldn't put it down. There was plenty of tension, great friendships and a fantastic romantic plot at its core - and an adorable scene in an animal rescue centre. I can't wait to read more by Ashley Winstead!

I was giggling and kicking my feet during this read. Logan Arthur Is a candidate in the running up election for Governor of Texas, and as a left leaning party this will be difficult. Alexis stone is a shy, introverted school librarian who for one night wanted to step outside her comfort zone and have a one night stand.
Under a fake name of Ruby Dangerfield, she meets Logan Arthur at a bar… but before anything could happen between the two, paparazzi swooped in and ruined the night.
Now these two must fake date so Logan’s career doesn’t go up in flames.

“You look beautiful” he whispered… “I never realized how much I loved the color green until I met you”.
Logan is such a green flag. He communicates, he apologizes, he respects boundaries and most importantly puts Alexis’ needs above all else.


Safe to say I LOVED this book. It read like an adult romance, there is lots of simmering tension throughout the book.

Such a funny , charming & adorable romance! We love to see the FMC finding her voice & her strength as well! Can’t beat a feel good vibe. Have recommended to friends already!

For me, if you combine Politics and pretty much any fictional genre, I will be there and when I read the description of this book, I knew I would love this and I really did, I mean a librarian as well? Sign me up, as soon as possible.

When you begin this book, don't really expect to stop reading it. This plot has such a great pace and you will be flipping pages as this couple's chemistry goes off the charts. I really appreciate the characters throughout this book, they feel really fleshed out and well written throughout - it does feel like it's part of a universe almost (I only found out reading reviews here after writing this that this book is part of a series? With characters here in a different book).

Plot wise, I really respect the things this book touches upon in this book, romance yes, but also family relationships, how you feel about yourself and grief and loss. I think this book really handles all these really important moments so well and it definitely makes me want to read more from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy for honest review, I am so glad I requested it!