I read this across the space of 24 hours and ate it up with a spoon. It rattles you along while it’s happening and is an enjoyable ride, although I had a few issues at the back of my mind when I was reading it and I just wanted to give them a mention too. Firstly Alexis somewhat oblivious to Logan’s feelings for her. This is told entirely from her point of view – and even with that it’s very, very clear that Logan is catching feelings for her and it’s a touch irritating that she doesn’t pick up on it. If you’d had his PoV too it would have been unbearable.* On top of that she’s somewhat lacking in common sense in other aspects of the fake relationship that I can’t explain without giving more spoilers than I ought to. It was also a little surprising that Alexis went from super shy and retiring to being able to give speeches in public happily and comfortably with no in between stage. I know politics in romance novels is also a controversial issue – and the fact that it’s set in Texas might have you wondering what you’re going to get here – so a heads up for those who are interested: Logan is a progressive Democrat. I was also a bit worried about how they were going to be able to sort the whole fake relationship situation out in a satisfactory manner, but it actually surprised me on that front.

Anyway – if you like a fake relationship romance, and don’t mind politics being very much front and centre in the plot then this is worth a look.

*There is a trend toward The Most Oblivious Heroines That Ever Failed To Notice A Guy Is Into Them at the moment and I do not like it. A bit of not noticing is fine. Not noticing when he’s making heart eyes at you and picking you over everyone else all the time is not fine (Sarah Adams I’m looking at you)

I was drawn in by the premise of a playboy politician and a quiet librarian and this book DELIVERED. I don't recall ever reading a romance set in the political world before, and was scared it would be a little too heavy on the liberal vs conservative side of things but I needn't have worried. Winstead deftly weaves only issues relevant to the characters and plot (like book bans and teachers union issues) and hand-waves the rest.

I couldn't put the book down for much of it, the building tension between Alexis and Logan was perfectly frustrating. There are some wonderful fake-dating proximity and "let's kiss for show!" moments that had me swooning. Supported by a cast of lovable and quirky characters (Alexis' librarian friends are my faves), this romance had me swept up in the excitement of a gubernatorial campaign (yes I had to look that word up) and cheering for both of these silly gooses.

My only small issue was the amount of miscommunication along the way - both of them frequently make huge incorrect assumptions about the way the other is feeling; particularly Alexis, who despite frequently catching Logan's smoldering lustful glances thinks he isn't really into her.

I didn't realise that Winstead's previous book, Fool Me Once, is about Alexis' sister Lee, so will have to read that now! However this can be read perfectly easily as a stand-alone.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC copy. All thoughts are my own.

I absolutely adored this romance. It ticked all my boxes - banter, fake dating, a delightful slow burn, great character development, and emotional connection. Alexis believes herself as meek and easily forgettable, but this is far from the truth. Witnessing this woman strive for both personal and career goals that put her into many uncomfortable situations and still get the work done made me completely adore her. Couple that with the prickly yet honest Logan at her side, and this made for a consumable read.

I believed in the romance from the beginning, and whilst Alexis and Logan come together under less-than-ideal trappings through his political campaign and saving his face, I really enjoyed them. The fact that he believed in Alexis enough to support her attempts to fight for the teachers and librarians in Texas was so wholesome. Whilst the intimacy does come quite late into this novel, it's well-deserved and classy.

I was also impressed with the author's balance between political information and the romance storyline. As someone who doesn't live in America, and only has the vaguest sense of the political structure there, the information in this book is palatable. It doesn't feel hard to navigate and compliments well with the romantic storyline between Alexis and Logan. This is something that isn't easy to achieve, but Ashley Winstead pulls it off effortlessly.

However, I didn't give this four stars because I didn't like the obstacle with Will. Many other plot devices could have been utilised to create further obstacles and angst, and this one was cheap in comparison as it attacked the integrity of the characters and created miscommunication. I also didn't feel Alexis' sister Lee was all that caring and kind towards her and caused a great deal of harm to her and Logan without suffering any consequences.

That aside, this is a very easy and enjoyable read, and I highly recommend this. I cannot wait to read more by this author.

I absolutely loved this!! It was such a good read! Alexis and Logan are one of my favorite book couples! This was so cute and charming! I loved every page of this I couldn't put it down!
I just reviewed The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead. #TheBoyfriendCandidate #NetGalley
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This was a quick, easy read. I liked the relationship between Alexis and Logan; they had good chemistry and the plot was quite fun. The writing was engaging and it tripped along nicely to the conclusion, and had some cute and steamy moments between the characters.

I liked Alexis - I thought she was cute and I liked how she developed over the course of the book. Logan grated on me a little but I did warm to him by the end of it. I think the book would have benefitted from a little bit more drama, but that’s probably just a personal preference.
Ultimately I thought this was an entertaining book and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fake relationship romance.

Content Notes: Death of a parent (in past), fatal traffic collision (in past), bullying, on-page sex, infidelity / cheating (FMC’s father), divorce (FMC’s parents).

Alexis school librarian whose ex Boyfriend cheated on her and accused her of being boring in bed. Logan is a polition vying for a governors seat.

Alexis goes to a hot-shot bar determined to have a 1 night stand and shake this good girl/boring image and she meets Logan (she has no idea who he is) they don't actually have the 1 night stand as the bar ends up catching fire and as there are reporters who show up Logan makes a haste exit so not to be seen.

So turns out Logan needs to shake his playboy imagine but photos of him and Alexis are now everywhere, so his team suggest they become a fake couple and in exchange they will help Alexis change the education bill and stop all the libraries from closing and keep them in schools etc.

I really enjoyed this rom-com, Alexis is very much the sunshine character and even though I would say she is a people pleaser it's not in an annoying way. Logan is the more grumpy character but not when he's around Alexis.

The story is told all through Alexis POV but as the characters were so well written I still understood Logans feelings & views from how they were described.

Ive never read a political romance before so this was a nice change and it had some great tropes such as, fake dating, 1 bed, a little mis communication which I don't mind when it's cleared up quite quickly.

Thank you, Aria & Aries and NetGalley, for a copy of The Boyfriend Candidate.

This was everything you want in a fake relationship trope. Alexis Stone is reinventing herself after coming out of a bad relationship where her ex accused her of being too timid in the bedroom. What better way to shatter misconceptions than to start off her new life with a one-night stand? When a creeper can't take no for an answer, Logan stands up for Alexis, and the two end up enjoying an evening of "getting to know" one another - well, as much as one can when they're both keeping secrets from the other. When a fire breaks out at the hotel, the paparazzi are right there to get the shots they need of Logan carrying Alexis out in what appears to be a quite scandalous predicament. In order to save his campaign and her job as a school librarian, Logan and Alexis must pretend to be in a relationship until election day. This novel follows the twists and turns that are sure to take place.

Also I want to say that I hate when books get political. I don't care what side you are on with politics. My books are a way for me to decompress and get away from the real world. While this did include a gubernatorial race, I did not feel that any type of political agenda was being pushed down my throat.

The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead
I give this book 4.5 stars

When shy librarian Alexis Stone is dumped for being too meek-in bed she decides to kick-start her new more adventurous life with her first one-night stand?
Enter Logan, the gorgeous stranger she meets at a hotel bar.Just as she's about to fulfill her hookup wish, the hotel catches fire in a freak lightning storm.
Suddenly pictures of her and Logan escaping the fire are all over the internet.
Turns out Logan is the candidate challenging the Texas governor's seat. The salacious scandal is poised to sink his career-and jeopardize Alexis's job-until a solution is proposed: he and Alexis could pretend to be in a relationship until election day…in two months. What could possibly go wrong?

Set in Austin Texas l loved this slightly different approach to a rom com (we have a political element that doesn’t takeover the storyline) The story is told from Alexis pov and has shorter chapters which meant I stayed up way too late to finish it! I cheered for Alexis as she developed inner strength to fight for lack of funding in schools and I swooned over Logan dreamily.Credit to the author for creating layered characters that were equally interesting as individuals as they were together.
Misunderstandings and fake dating equals an entertaining slow burn romance with banter and spice.
With thanks to Netgalley,Ashley Winstead and Aria and Aeries for my chance to read this book

Before I read this I associated Ashley Winstead with her thriller books, although I haven’t had the chance to read them yet, I was pleasantly surprised to see she also writes romances too!

I loved this book, the plot, the characters and the themes were just so perfectly well done!

Alexis was such a brilliant main character, the journey she went on was so much endearing and I felt like I could relate to her in so many ways. Through insecurities, not feeling enough and grief, she was such a strong and resilient character that I found myself looking up to while reading!

And Logan???? Ugh I loved him! I just WISH this book was dual POV, I would have loved to see everything from his perspective too!
Upon hearing that this book centre’s around a man running for the Texas Governor’s seat, I was hesitant that I wasn’t going to like a clean cut, picture perfect man as a main character. But I was SO happy to find out he was a gruff, cursing, rough around the edges hunk of a man! 😍

Now, being British, the only part of this book that I was unsure on was the American politics lingo, half the time I had no idea what the terms meant but it didn’t affect reading it too much!

If you’re looking for a swoony fake dating and grumpy x sunshine romcom where there might just be a steamy library scene and a one night stand gone wrong, then this is the book for you!

Huge thank you to Aria Fiction and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book! I’m so grateful!

I knew on the first page I wasn't going to like this. Because nobody needs an opening sentence THAT LONG. My brain can barely hold two thoughts together - it's not going to stick around for five clauses in one sentence. I tried to go on for a few pages, but unfortunately, this was an automatic DNF for me. Writing style is so often the thing that clinches a book for me and I wasn't getting on with this one, which sucks because the concept sounded great.

Ashley Winstead returns to Texas politics with 'The Boyfriend Candidate', the follow up to 'Fool Me Once', which explores finding your own voice when you're used to following others.

Living in the shadow of her larger-than-life politician sister Lee (heroine of 'Fool Me Once'), introverted Alexis Stone is tired of being seen as a timid mouse, thanks to her cheating ex-boyfriend. As 'Ruby Dangerfield', she attempts a one night stand only to end up in a fake relationship with the candidate for Texas governor, the brooding, foul-mouthed Briton Logan Arthur.

I really enjoyed watching Alexis's growth to be find out what she wants from her life instead of being what others want her to do. Winstead explores how her parent's divorce (resulting from her father's affair) affected Alexis and how it fed into her people pleasing (in comparison to Lee, which was explored in 'Fool Me Once'). I really enjoyed watching her confidence grow through organising her colleagues regarding issues of education finding and pay for teachers and librarians.

Logan (Winstead clearly clearly inspired by Ted Lasso's "Roy Kent"), like Alexis is also fighting to not be put in a box by other people. Both Logan and Alexis saw each other and brought out the best in each other. While miscommunication can be infuriating, I think this was done believably and in-character - Alexis's low self-esteem which plummeted further thanks to her cheating ex-boyfriend made it easy for her to misread Logan's signals.

However I did find this book's pace and character development a bit too slow or what was built as a plot beat, missed (such as the walkout). There were resolutions I'd like to have seen pushed up earlier so that the resulting changes weren't rushed at the end, such as Alexis working out what she wanted for her future. I was also baffled with Lee's favour (poor Will!) given she knew what the stakes were for Logan's campaign.

Overall, The Boyfriend Candidate is a wonderful slow-burn romance featuring two characters who are opposites in personality, but perfect for each other. I look forward to Ashley Winstead's next book.

Thanks to Aria & Aries and NetGalley for the ARC.

I found this book intriguing, especially the political elements, although at times it was somewhat hard to carry on reading it. Alexis was a character I loved; her adventure of self-realization was refreshing. I didn't quite connect with Logan, though. His unpredictable shifts in behavior sometimes threw me off. Providing a dual POV in the book might have allowed me to understand him better. I also think it could have drawn me deeper into the Alexis/Logan story, notably Logan's emotions about Alexis. His feelings came across as more of desire than love.
Some key moments in the book were Alexis's evolution, conflicts, and the sizzling scenes between Alexis and Logan. Just a note, some love triangle drama unfolds midway in the book. Although the book ended on a happy note for them, it felt more like they found temporary happiness.
A big thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC!

Rating: 4 stars ⭐️

Tropes:
fake dating🌹
opposites attract❤️

This was such a funny romcom! I enjoyed it a lot and I'm intrigued to read her other books! (she's the author of "In My Dreams I Hold A Knife" etc..)

It's also available as an audiobook and I highly recommend it!

The story starts with Alexis Stone, she’s an innocent school librarian recently dumped by her ex because he thought that Alexis wasn't good enough in bed.

She wants to live her life more adventurously and that's why she's going to a bar with a fake name to find a one-night stand.

Alexis met Logan there as Ruby Dangerfield and when they went to a hotel for a hookup, it caught on fire..

It was all over the news that Logan, candidate governor for Texas carried her out of the hotel.That's why they start an agreement to help his campaign to fake date each other..

Thank you to Netgalley, Ashley Winstead and the publisher for providing me with this copy. All opinions are my own.

DNF@40%
I’m so sad! I love Ashley Winstead’s thrillers and this was my first attempt at one of her romances but it fell really flat for me. I found the female mc annoying and the male mc boring and couldn’t bring myself so spend time and energy continuing their story. Maybe I’ve just read one too many fake dating stories… a trope I can quite enjoy but can someone please tell me if anyone fake dates in real life?!
Not for me, but I absolutely will read this author again based on her other work.

Fake dating? Check. Adorable librarian FMC? Check.
This book was a well written romance, it was pretty heavy on the politics though which isn't what I look for in my romances. Despite that, I thought it was a lot of fun.

If you’re in need of a feel good book with Abit of spicy and laugh out loud moments then this is it!
Wow!! This has now became one of my favorite books! And one I can see my self picking back up when I need a feel good read!
I have read many books like this trope faking dating and even tho I enjoy them they get a bit lackless after awhile.
But this had me! I couldn’t get it it down.
Between the point scoring and the funny moments to the embarrassing ones too it had me laughing so hard!
But also I love the two main leads. Logan especially as he the man that always turns up! And then Alexia always feeling like she had to live up to other people expectations
And finally finding her self.
Definitely 5 out of 5 and such an easy read

School librarian Alexis Stone finds herself fake dating Long Arthur, a hotshot politician with plans to run for governor of Texas, when they caught together. To save his career, Alexis agrees to go ahead with the ruse for two months, until election day.
Alexis and Logan are two very likeable characters and despite being total opposites, their romance was a great read. I particularly enjoyed seeing Logan being the one to fall in love first and thought that this aspect was well delivered. However, I did find Alexis to be less believable, going from they shy type to someone so outspoken in such a short amount of time. Overall, an entertaining read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this book!
Fake dating
Pining. So much pining
Friends to lovers
A little bit of spice… what’s not to love!

The only thing I wish was different is that I would have loved it to be dual pov because I needed to be inside Logan’s head as he was clearly losing his mind over Alexis. I could feel it radiating off him whenever they interacted but I needed it first hand!

Best fake relationship romance I've read since, well, ever.

I was rooting for Alexis to achieve her goals, not necessarily including finding a man. Her constant self-doubt (he can't possibly be interested in me) made me weary at times. (Blast woman, will you stop to have a look?)

And I didn't hate the epilogue. That's probably a first.

The chemistry, banter, plot is chefs kiss💖✨💕❤️


Thank you soooooo much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”