Finding Mr. Write-a standalone

By Kelley Armstrong- read " Bitten" gave 2*

Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Publication 6/25/24, Read 6/25/24

Format: e-book, 368 pgs. kindle

🌎Setting: Canada

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley and Forever(Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC🩷 ! I voluntarily give an honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

✔️ Contemporary Romance/Rom-Com
✔️ books about books/writers
✔️ secret identities
✔️ workplace romance
✔️ opposites attract
✔️forced proximity
✔️slow burn romance
✔️wilderness
✔️closed door


Summary-Daphne McFadden's book about a teen female protagonist in the zombie apocalypse has been rejected by so many book agents and publishing houses that she decides to use a male pseudonym Zane Remington to resubmit. Bidding wars, a huge book deal, and fame follow Daphne's little lie. She has to hire someone to be Zane for a book cover picture and a tour. The actor Chris Stanton isn't really an actor but he needs the money. When they are forced to work together, sparks fly. Will they be able to keep his identity a secret, or will it be exposed and ruin Daphne's career?

🤔My Thoughts-I'm a sucker for books about books and writers. Getting a look at publishing is interesting because it made me research the past. Women authors had to publish under alias to get their work reviewed. It makes me think of Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen writing under pen names to avoid gender discrimination. It was also used for merging multiple people into a single author like a Ilona Andres or Christina Lauren today. Daphne and Chris's chemistry was a little awkward because they were so different, but working close together helped them. The only real issue I had was the constant switching of POVs between Daphne and Chris. It happened within chapters which I found confusing.

Overall, this was a light-hearted romance that touched on serious issues such as gender roles and sexism in a male-oriented industry in the book.

Daphne, an introverted writer, adopts a male pen name and then hires Chris an "actor" to play the role of author Zane Remington.

This was a rom-com with lots of comedy and a hint of spice. Daphne and Chris make a good team. I enjoyed this peak at the book world and the epilogue was cute. Give this one a read if you enjoy
---fake relationships
---forced proximity
---dual POV
---books about authors
Thank you to the publisher for my e copy of this book.
Comment

Back in High School, I read and loved the Women of the Otherworld series by this author, so when I saw this book on Netgalley, I ran to request it! I was also excited because this was a rom-com set in Canada (about half the book is set in Yukon)!

This was a sweet and cute romance that made me laugh and want to plan a trip to the Yukon!

I loved Daphne and Chris! They had great banter and easy chemistry!

I also thought it was really interesting to read about the less-talked-about parts of being an author, like pitching your novel, going on book tours and signing events.

I'm not the biggest fan of 3rd person POV in romance books and I didn't love the 3rd act conflict, but, overall, I enjoyed this and I will definitely read more rom-coms by Ms. Armstrong.

Honorable mention to Tika the husky, what a good dog!

This book started with one hell of an opening line. It certainly caught my attention.

After that, things slowed down for a bit and I found my attention wavering. However, it wasn't enough for me to put the book down.

Luckily, it picked up after that and I found myself getting absorbed in the story. I was eager to know more about Daphne and this crazy plan that she and Nia cooked up.

I loved that the book was set in Canada and that Daphne lived off-grid in Yukon. It's nice to see a story where people don't live in a giant city.

This remote location not only gives us a beautiful setting, but also means Daphne has plenty of skills, such as hunting, fishing, and chopping firewood. Throw in her skills as an architect and writer, and she has a lot going for her.

Her anxiety made her relatable and more realistic. Neither she nor Chris are perfect and while they don't initially embrace their flaws, they do over time.

In fact, these flaws made them feel real. I greatly appreciate books that have non-perfect characters.

Her friend, Nia, was a nice addition to the book, though she didn't have a lot of page time. However, when she is there, whether in person, on a call, or texting Daphne, she has quite an impact on things. She's a skilled lawyer and is critical to some aspects of Daphne's plan.

Then there is Chris. He may not exactly know what he is getting into at first, but he puts his all into it. While he and Daphne don't mesh perfectly in the beginning, we get to watch them work together to make it work for the sake of her writing career.

Learning more about these two was great. Daphne doesn't have many people in her life, mostly her friend Nia, but her world expands throughout the book. Chris has more people in his life, yet his interactions with them are limited during the story outside of the people involved with the book launch.

Having this small cast of characters truly helps you focus on the two main characters, and what they are going through, and helps you appreciate their story even more.

There was plenty of good banter between Daphne and Chris, along with some amusing trains of thought from both. This is one of my favorite parts of the book. Solid banter truly makes a romance book so much more entertaining.

Watching Daphne and Chris navigate their plan had many amusing moments, and seeing their relationship evolve from business only to passion-fueled moments.

Another strong point of the book was the look into the publishing industry. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book. It showed the sheer amount of work it takes, not just for the author but an entire team of people, to publish a book and run a launch tour.

The whirlwind events, beginning to end, especially the initial book tour, did help to give a good pace through the book after that slow start.

Just when things were looking good, both for their relationship and the book tour, a major bump in the road happens. This was inevitable. The signs were there and while it would have been nice to have that part not happen, it would have been unrealistic.

Thanks to some negatives from Daphen's past and a few moments of miscommunication, things started to fall apart, and again this was pretty inevitable. Many romance novels throw in a 'the relationship falls apart because of miscommunication' plot point and this book was no exception to that.

Luckily, as one would expect, the relationship is saved by them both admitting their faults along with their desire to resume their relationship.

The ending was well done and I feel that it wraps up the story well.

Overall, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I loved the characters, the banter, the look into the publishing industry, and the general flow of the story. I will be adding more of Kelley Armstrong's books to my TBR.

I hope you enjoyed my review of Finding Mr. Write. Have you read this book?

A romcom from Kelley Armstrong? Seriously? You bet! And you know what? I loved it. For the most part romcoms succeed or fail based on their characters. Oh sure you need a little thing called a story of course, but if you don’t connect with characters in a romance, buy-in to the relationship than it doesn’t really matter what the setting or story is. Well, I loved Daphne and Chris, two incredibly likable characters, and thus I cared what happened to them, was totally invested in seeing them get together and overcome all their obstacles.

Daphne is a struggling writer (also an architect). She can’t seem to get traction for her book, why won’t anyone look at it? She decides it might be because she’s a woman, so she ends up submitting it under a male pen name: Zane Remington. And the response is overwhelming. There is a bidding war for it and sudden Zane Remington is set to be the next big thing. She panics, what will happen when her agent and publisher find out Zane is really her? That’s where Chris comes in. He’s an accountant, who is currently in a bit of trouble himself due to no real fault of his own. Nia, a lawyer friend of Daphne’s, thinks she has a solution. She talks Daphne into hiring Chris, who she claims is an actor, to become the face of her novel, to in essence pretend to be the novelist Zane Remington. I won’t go deeper into the story, (it’s really more fun to experience it first hand than hear me give a plot summary) but I have to say their initial meeting was absolutely hilarious. How Chris decides to portray his actor persona was a total riot. As the story goes on, feeling develop on both sides and of course plenty of hilarity ensures. (All the incidents with the film crew at Daphne’s house were great.) I had a smile on my face the entire time reading this. I know this isn’t one of Armstrong’s usual genres and it’s her first romcom but I certainly hope it won’t be her last. I’d like to thank Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley so much for allowing me the opportunity to read and review Kelley Armstrong’s Finding Mr. Write.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R32056DRBZQNDH/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

I really enjoyed this light rom com from new to me author Kelley Armstrong. "Finding Mr. Write" is the story of a fairly introverted female writer, Daphne, who manages to sell her first book only after slapping a male author's name on it, and Chris, the "actor" she hires to play the author for various press events. I was a little thrown off at first by Chris' alternate alter ego, so I was glad to see that go by the wayside fairly early on. Otherwise, though, I found this book a fairly fun and easy read, with a touch of deeper themes of sexism and attractiveness bias. Daphne and Chris have decent chemistry and I liked the development of their relationship over time. While there is a third-act conflict created by miscommunication, I did not find it as frustrating as I often do in other stories, especially as Chris and Daphne are able to recognize and eventually laugh about how they could have done things better. The steam is well-done, and the secondary characters are well-drawn.

4 solid stars. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary ARC of this book. These opinions are my own.

✨ Rom-Com
✨ Secret Identity
✨ Forced Proximity
✨ Canine Friend
✨ Yukon Wilderness
✨ Fish Out of Water
✨ Closed Door
⚠ Death of Parent with Cancer (off-page)

Daphne McFadden is tired of the rejection of her YA zombie manuscript and decides to submit it to a publisher under a male pseudonym. It gets immediately picked up and becomes a total sensation. One tiny problem – she needs to find an actor to become the rugged Zane Remington, her alter ego. Enter Chris Stanton. Daphne hires Chris to play the part of Zane, but there’s one glitch she didn’t count on – Chris is actually an accountant and knows absolutely nothing about the wilderness.
This was such a fun read and an interesting yet humorous look into the world of book publishing. Both Daphne and Chris are flawed yet endearing characters and seeing them interact with each other was enchanting! Their back-and-forth banter had me laughing almost as much as I was swooning over their slow burn relationship. Their not-so-cute meet only had me rooting for them from the beginning!

I also loved that Daphne was a strong independent boss babe (she’s an architect by trade and lives in the Yukon wilderness who writes zombie books)! Chris is a complete golden retriever accountant who can turn on the rugged charm as Zane yet also has adorable vulnerability when it’s just Chris and Daphne. They are complete opposites yet also perfect for each other.

“Finding Mr. Write” is not only a cute rom-com though. At its core, this book delves into the societal issues of gender discrimination and sexism in the publishing world. Armstrong handles these topics carefully and gracefully and it’s a complement to the overlying romance story.

Thank you to Forever Publishing for the advanced copy in return for my honest review.🖤

4.5 stars.

Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong is a wonderful romantic comedy.

Aspiring author Daphne McFadden has had enough of rejections for her novel. After submitting it under a male pseudonym, she is shocked and overjoyed when her manuscript lands with a publisher. The only problem? It is an instant bestseller and her publisher expects her to do some limited publicity. Turning to her best friend to help her out of the mess she has created, they embark on a search for someone to stand in as “Zane Remington”.

Daphne lives a secluded life in the Yukon with her dog, Tika. She is very self-sufficient and enjoys outdoor activities when she is not writing. Daphne is thrilled when her manuscript is published, but she does not anticipate the problems she is facing by submitting it under a pen name. Thankful for her friend’s help in finding actor Chris Stanton, she is not expecting her conflicting emotions about Chris on a personal level and when he interacting with her fans.

Chris is a wonderful person who finds himself in trouble with a business partner. He eagerly steps in as Zane and he enjoys annoying Daphne. He is not the manly man the name Zane Remington evokes but playing the part will be easy, right? Oh so many complications await both him and Daphne as the sparks fly between them!

Finding Mr. Write is a funny rom-com that also tackles serious topics. Daphne is a delightful character but she is somewhat closed off and reluctant to take chances with her heart. Chris is equally marvelous and although his heart is in the right place, he makes impulsive decisions that play on Daphne’s weaknesses. The storyline is refreshingly unique and it is safe to say Kelley Armstrong’s first foray into rom-com territory is a resounding success!

What a fun book! I didn’t know about Kelley Armstrong before, but see she’s written a ton of (award winning) books that are mystery and thriller, another genre I enjoy from time to time - so whenever I feel like stepping out of romance I am absolutely going to check these out - I was blown away with her romcom!!

I loved everything about it - I read a ton so it can be hard to impress me. My most favourite things? I lived in both Vancouver and Whitehorse, the main locations this story takes place! How many romances are set in Whitehorse?! I only know one other…

The characters are so well developed and well written - Daphne and Chris are absolutely brilliant, from their awful parking spot stealing meet-cute, through the tension filled actor/face of the author in her home when the camera crews show up, turned touring author and assistant roles, straight through the release of her debut novel. What a brilliant plot, but, sadly I’m sure the idea of having a male name attached to a project would bring in bigger bucks, in a male dominated world. I love how Armstrong explored this and shows us how much it can go so awry.

It’s just a brilliant story and brilliant writing - I absolutely recommend it to one and all, if not just for these alone, but also the beautiful settings of my childhood!

I received an advance copy from NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and this is my honest feedback.

This is completely different from this author's other books and she knocked it out of the park. It's funny, heartwarming, frustrating, sweet, and has a perfect ending. I was a little sad when it ended. I wasn't ready to let Chris and Daphne go.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing the ARC.

So, I pretty much enjoyed this book, but there were a few things that I had a hard time wrapping my brain around for me to really love it.

First, while I can definitely see the humor in querying your book as a male author and getting it picked up for 500 grand after you failed miserably trying to get it published as a female author, I had a hard time with the fact that even after all that, she never came clean to her publisher. They could have helped her with SO MUCH of the stress and trauma of her pseudonym, and helped mitigate the disaster that came with her being outed. Hell, she could have stayed out of the public eye without ever having hired a guy to play her as her pseudonym and probably been fine.

Second, the dual POV was all over the place. I felt like I was getting whiplash with how often the author switched POV in the narrative, and even in the same chapter. It was jarring how quickly we went from Daphne to Chris and back to Daphne, that I had a hard time keeping track of who's POV I was actually reading at any given time.

Third, for someone who is incredibly shy, enough to the point that she full on hired a guy to pretend to be her as a dude to keep her privacy, I had a very hard time believing that she would engage in some of behavior that came later in the book, and very much out of nowhere as well. There was no lead up to Daphne being into that, no conversations about it beforehand, and then it was just happening.

That being said, the book is cute. Chris is an adorable golden retriever of an accountant, and Daphne is a loveable anxious mess. Their story is chaos incarnate and I enjoyed it. There were just a few things that I would have changed to make it a good 4-5 star book for me.

Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong
Rating: 4 stars
Pub date: 6/25

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Forever for my gifted ecopy.

Daphne McFadden is a determined author fed up with rejection. When she can’t sell her YA dystopian manuscript, she tries to sell it under the macho pseudonym Zane Remington, and it works! But now that her publisher thinks she’s a man, Daphne needs to hire someone to play the part. Enter Chris Stanton, an accountant masquerading as a rugged survivalist.

This book is a delight! The premise pulled me right in and the chemistry between Chris and Daphne kept me reading. Armstrong's storytelling transports readers to the stunning Yukon, making you feel like you can smell the pine trees. The setting is a beautiful backdrop for the relationship between Daphne and Chris, and I also feel like I learned a lot about that part of Canada.

Daphne is a dynamic FMC, full of ambition and wit, while Chris's charm and vulnerability create a perfect balance. Their chemistry is electric, and their witty banter is perfection.

Beyond the romance and humor, Armstrong skillfully addresses deeper themes like gender roles, sexism, and racism in the publishing industry, adding layers of depth to the narrative. This thoughtful exploration enriches the story, making it more than just a fluffy rom-com.

"Finding Mr. Write" is a must-read for anyone craving a blend of swoon-worthy romance, laugh-out-loud moments, and thought-provoking commentary. Kelley Armstrong is a new-to-me author, and I can’t wait to read more of her work.

I loved Kelley’s books when I was in high school. I saw she wrote a rom com so I decided to request an ARC and so happy I received one! This book was great and Kelley did a great job writing a rom com even though it’s the first one she’s ever written. Very enjoyable book and I loved Daphne & Chris. My only complaint is the chapters were super long. Other than that I loved it.

FINDING MR. WRITE is the first Rom-Com from author Kelley Armstrong, best known for her Fantasy series. The premise is one that will resonate with every woman writer (and probably most women in general): frustrated with lack of response from agents and publishers, writer Daphne McFadden makes up a male pseudonym and persona and submits queries one night. Unsurprisingly, she gets a much better reaction from agents and publishers and "Zane Remington" sells his book and gets it fast tracked to publication. But the publishers want to set Zane up on interviews! What's she to do except hire an actor to play the role of Zane. Of course, hijinks ensure and after a false start, Daphne and the man behind Zane, Chris Stanton, hit it off, just in time for a US book tour.

The chemistry between Chris and Daphne is established quickly and believably and the banter between them is clever and funny. If you're looking for a MMC with big golden retriever/Travis Kelce on stage at the ERAs Tour energy, look no further than Chris Stanton. Daphne is described and shown as a strong, independent woman without it feeling shoved down your throat. Both leads have fairly fleshed out lives and stakes that feel appropriate for the light vibe of the novel (this is not a Abby Jimenez-esque trauma ride, no shade to those I love them).

There were a few aspects standing in the way of this being a five-star read for me. In the dual POVs, it was sometimes hard to distinguish the POV once you got into the section and possibly some POV slippage. I'll note that this ARC was sent out pretty far in advance, so it's entirely possible this is better in the published version (if it is, I'll re-read and revise my rating). Secondary characters flitted in and out and, with one exception, felt fairly one-dimensional. Some of the complications felt overly forced.

If you're looking for a quick, light read, FINDING MR. WRITE is a great pick!

Disclaimer: This review is of a pre-release ARC and details mentioned may change prior to publication. Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the review copy.

Seriously one of the funniest and cutest book ever.
Switch-a-roo
Cinnimon roll hot hero
And gorgeous heroine that doesn’t see herself as one.
A book tour!

It was soo cool seeing publishing elements.
The bantering was on point.
The mono dialogue was funny

Definitely recommend! Can’t wait to get my finish copy :)

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I adore Kelley Armstrong, and have been keeping up with several of her series (mostly her time-travel historical fiction ones). Whereas she's written some novels that have hinted at romance, this is her first rom-com, and I think it was pretty great. Her characters were great and the plot moved along at a good pace. It's probably a 3.5/5 stars for me. I think the only reason it's not higher is because although good, it didn't wow me like other books in the genre. I would put her up there with Katherine Center and Emily Henry, though, in her ability to make really likeable and relatable characters.

I would give this 3.75 stars!

The writing definitely felt like I was reading a romantic comedy! Daphne McFadden writes a book under a male pseudonym, making it Zane Remington’s first debut novel! Chris, an accountant, agrees to disguise himself as Zane to fix his personal legal problems. The author debut spiraled into something bigger, and Daphne and Chris had to face that together.

I felt like there was a lot going on in this book that slowly dissolved with no explanation. For instance, Daphne’s neighbor Robbie was mentioned a few times and then he disappeared. I didn’t get to hear much from Nia, Daphne’s friend that was helping Chris with his legal issues. However, I thought the plot of the book was really interesting. I just wish some pages were cut short.

This was my first time reading anything from Kelley Armstrong, and I’m not sure if I’m a fan of her writing style. As I mentioned earlier, I felt like I was reading a rom-com (nothing necessarily wrong with that), but the sentences were too short and choppy for me to enjoy.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review!

I liked the premise of this book and enjoyed the characters and the story overall, but something didn't quite hit for me in the way romcoms usually do. The writing was done well. It was a quick, fun read overall.

This was so much fun. I enjoyed so much this story of Daphne the author who has to hire a down on his luck accountant as the face of her pen name. Success leads them to extended and forced togetherness which is romance reader magic. It was light and funny and just heated enough to make me invested. The middle slowed down some for me, but the set up and pay off made it worth the wait.

Loved the flirty chemistry between the MCs, there was mutual attraction with a bit of tension. The humor! Loved the descriptive setting and the journey of an author after their book is successful.