You know what’s fun? Books about books. Maybe not for you, but it 100% is for me, so I had a good time reading FINDING MR. WRITE by Kelley Armstrong. (Yes, but before we go any further, it’s THAT Kelley Armstrong of THE DARKEST POWERS and OTHERWORLD has written a romcom!!!!!!! I’m just geeking out a little bit…) Tired of rejection, female author Daphne sells her book under a male pseudonym, and it becomes the next big thing in publishing. So instead of telling anyone, she hires an actor, Chris, to play her pseudonym, Zane Remington, and that’s when all the hijinks begin and never stop, as I (and hopefully you) will fall in love with this romcom!

Armstrong has always been a descriptive writer—one of the reasons why I’ve been a fan for so long. I can easily imagine her books, characters, and scenes as they happened. I loved the descriptions of Daphne’s home and its surrounding area, Zane with a shirt and without a shirt, and, especially, one of my favorite scenes, the porcupine! This level of detail made the characters feel real and drew me further into the story.

The book’s humor and romance are brought to life in the audiobook version, narrated with perfect comedic timing by Natalie Naudus, Will Peters, Patricia Santomasso, and Sean Patrick Hopkins. Their performance had me laughing out loud and even experiencing a few belly laughs, a testament to the book’s entertaining ability. The narration is so engaging that it’s hard not to genuinely laugh along with it.

I read and listened to the audiobook simultaneously; whichever way you choose is a win. If you love romcoms, the wilderness, books, people pretending to be people, falling in love, and outstanding comedy, this book is for you. I enjoyed every moment of FINDING MR. WRITE, and I hope you do, too!

Thanks, Forever, for the arc! Thanks, Hachette Audio, for the ALC!

When I first picked up "Finding Mr. Write" by Kelley Armstrong, I was hooked. I loved the writing, the characters were enjoyable and the dialogue kept me intrigued. This was my first book by Kelley so I was excited to see what it was like.

Essentially, Daphne McFadden finally makes her dream come true of landing that book deal. The only problem? She went by a pen name - Zane Remington - who doesn't exist. The book takes off, and as such, needs someone to fulfill that role. Daphne's lawyer friend hires someone she thinks will be the perfect match (and maybe romantically speaking,too). But, oh, what a tangled web we weave. Zane is actually "Chris" - who lies to Daphne at first - Because he isn't actually an actor like she thought. He eventually admits that to her and it brings them closer together. Throughout their book journey together, more obstacles are thrown against them like fake dating and a creepy neighbor who tries to blackmail Daphne for her home.

A lot of action going on, which I thought was great. However, as I was reading along, it kept feeling like the pacing was much further along (rather than just at 16 or 20%), but more story lines were added as it progressed.

It was good and entertaining, but I'm not sure I would read it again. I would definitely be open to trying another book by this author. It just unfortunately didn't click for me this time around.

**Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review**

Reading author Kelley Armstrong was a first for me and I found the read easy and charming. the depth of the characters where well developed and you rooted for them the whole way through the read. ARC from NetGalley

Finding Mr. Write is a huge departure from the books I associate with Kelley Armstrong. I started with her paranormal books and most often associate her with Bitten and other books in the series. Different doesn’t mean bad, it is just different. This book weaves together a light and airy romcom with a hard-hitting issue that women understand.
When you read the description, you may immediately picture a movie on Lifetime or Hallmark. For me, however, after reading the name of our fictious male author, Zane Remington, my mind went to another famous Remington. The other Remington I am talking about is Remington Steele, which I suppose dates me a bit. However, that Remington like Zane Remington was created for the same reason. In both cases, a strong woman with skills to do a job needed to create a man to sell her product. In this case that product was a book that some how was more appealing with a male author. What is scary about the whole scenario is these two stories are set decade apart, yet the same issues still exist.
Make no mistake, this book does tackle a tough issue, but it does so in a very readable way. Out leading lady, Daphne loves the idea of selling her book and early on glosses over the need to sell that book as a man. She wanted people reading her story, her words. However, she comes to resent the idea a bit as the book progresses. It is in those feeling being expressed that we see the issue come to light a bit. Fortunately, after a rough meeting, she finds a man who is something more than a character playing a role. On the surface, Chris is a shallow egotistical man who enjoys the spotlight without putting in the work to read the book. Chris is a terrific character because he is playing 2 roles, one as Zane and one as the other Chris. It is Chris the accountant that we come to really like. Even the dog, Tika, has a favorite and it is the real Chris. He starts to show himself bit by bit to Daphne and she to likes the unguarded moments where there is no subterfuge. But subterfuge leads to conflict and conflict makes a good story and this is a very good story. We have terrific characters, the requisite cute animal and some fun scenes that keep the story moving. From Chris nearly cutting off his own limb to him opening the door in his boxer to stay in character, something is always happening to keep the pages turning and the readers giggling to themselves. We even get the perfect happy ending.
If I had on complaint, it is that this book is a skosh longer than it probably needs to be. We have a few too many lengthy descriptions and little too much repetitious introspection. Setting aside those two issues, this is a solid book and well worth the read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Felt wonky, inconsistent. Writers fever dream. Resolution felt rushed, the conflict had no stakes, almost like the deception never even happened. Romance was lacking, I'm still not sure if it was supposed to be a close door romance or not. I really liked Chris at the start, but he annoyed me by the end. Daphne had almost no character arc besides lusting for Chris and throwing up.

This book is a solid 3 stars.
The beginning started out strong until after Daphne and Chris meet. Once they begin texting and calling, it all fizzles out. The book picks up again when they live together for two days for the filming (which, a lot happens in that small amount of book, and it easily overshadows the middle), but then we go to the book tour, and I was just kind of slowing down on caring about the story. The third act breakup was actually written well... until the "reconciliation". That was poorly done. It took all of 30 seconds, and everything was peachy enough for them to bang again. It was underwhelming and didn't feel organic. The ending was satisfying enough, and I'm glad Tika made a reappearance.
Daphne was a decent character. I liked her well enough. She was strong and independent in the beginning, but then she became a horn dog who lusted openly after Chris at every turn, and I just couldn't take her seriously anymore. It was cringey more often than not. She became so dependent on him. It was like her personality did a complete 180 in the middle of the book.
Chris was an okay character. I wasn't really rooting for him because he had too many personalities. I could never tell which person he was supposed to be. It made his feelings for Daphne feel insincere, like he was just playing another part. Also, his actions during the third act breakup was... wow. He's an idiot, and I lost what little respect I had for him.
As a couple, their chemistry was basically nonexistent. They had one in person meeting and a handful of texts and calls and already Chris is wanting to date her? That was odd to me. It felt very forced. Like they go from being two strangers to practically becoming BFFs in a matter of two days, and it made me cringe more than swoon. Usually forced proximity works for me, but this time it didn't.
I loved the setting of the Yukon. The details of Daphne's home were some of the best writing in the whole book.
I did not like how the POVs switched mid-chapter. It threw me off on multiple occasions.
Nia, Tika, and Sakura are the best characters in the book.

This book calls out the publishing industry for how male and female authors are treated differently.

I appreciated how the author gave us both main characters points of view. At first, I wasn’t sure about the male main character and I had a hard time getting into the story. But as the characters had to keep the charade going more and more in a public way, the more I started to like the male main character more.

Also the romance in this book is definitely a slow burn. Pacing overall was inconsistent throughout the book but it was still a fun read.

If you enjoy the miscommunication and forced proximity tropes with a dash of witty banter, then this book is for you.

Thanks to @netgalley and @readforeverpub for providing the ARC.

#FindingMrWrite #KelleyArmstrong #readforeverbooks

I loved this! This book was not only a very cute rom com but also brought up some topics that need to be brought up! Daphne is a writer and wants to get her manuscript published! She is rejected time and time again and so she resubmits her work, but under a mans name. Her work is accepted so now she has to find a man and quick to go along with her plan to make a name for herself, under his name of course. It is a wonderful story and I would definitely recommend it.

"#1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong delivers a fun romantic comedy about a woman writing under a male pseudonym and the man she hires to play the role in public.

Daphne McFadden already knows that as a female author, the cards are stacked against her. Now she knows just how much. Because her sudden whim to pose as an "outdoorsy hunk of masculinity" male author for her new book just resulted in the unthinkable: a bidding war, a huge book deal, and the kind of fame every author dreams of. Now she's in big trouble. Because she needs to convince the world that Zane Remington actually exists...but how?

By hiring an actor, of course.

Only Chris Stanton is not an actor - not officially. He's used to balancing the books, not pretending he wrote one. Still, he's mostly certain he can pose as some overly macho bro-author. But when the media descend on Daphne's gorgeous remote home in the Yukon, it's not enough for Chris to just be the face of Zane Remington - he'll have to become him. All while hilariously balancing the terrifying dangers of the wilderness, a massive femme fandom, and a serious crush on Daphne. But as the hype circus gets more out of control, it's just a matter of time before someone discovers their little write lie..."

Oh my, I love this Men in Trees esque detour to the typical Kelley Armstrong fare!

Kelley Armstrong is a Canadian author who normally writes fantasy/sci fi.  I haven't read her other books, but was intrigued to read her first rom-com.
This was a super cute book.  The first half of the book is set in Yukon and I was hooked.  The main female character Daphne writes and publishes her first novel under a male pseudonym, after getting decline after decline with her own name.  She then hires an actor to play the male author of her book- Accounant Chris Stanton. I loved their banter and chemistry and truly loved both Daphne and Chris. The writing was great. It was definitely more of a slow burn romance, and overall enjoyable.  I felt the end was a little quick and the pacing was a little off for the last 20% of the novel but still enjoyed. Love the look into the publishing/ agent world, and how genderism was discussed.
4 stars from me!
Thank you to Netgalley and Forever (Grand Central) Publishing for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
This title is released June 25th!

I have always loved Kelley Armstrong’s writing and this book was just as interesting and fun as her previous books. This was a sweet romance. I really liked the way Daphne and Chris got to know each other and the forced proximity of it all was fun to read about.

I was intrigued while reading the commentary about publishing and using pen names. The discussion around males dominating publishing within different genres is something that still is happening and I found the commentary about that important within the book. Overall I enjoyed the romance, the discussions around publishing and Kelley Armstrong writing romances 😀

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this title to read and review. I was all-in on this premise, that a female author would publish her incredible book under a male pseudonym to give it the attention and chance it deserved. I really enjoyed the parts of the book that spoke to that point, and considered what the success of Daphne's career would have looked like if she didn't go this route. It's also a great look at what's required of modern authors -- they have to also be public figures and the faces of their work if they're to stand out and sell books in this market, which isn't always what writers want to have to be. But I did find this story somewhat tedious -- it took me actual months to get through, picking it up constantly and just not keeping my attention for very long. Several times I thought the consequences just weren't that big of a deal to sustain the plot (like, what legally could ever come of it when an author used a pseudonym to get published? Or even using someone else's likeness when that person gave their permission? I could only see that being a problem if you were pretending to be someone else WITHOUT their consent?) The romance was just not there for me either. I kept thinking Daphne was a much older character, or one who'd long given up on her dreams just to find a sparkle of them back, but she didn't have a backstory to suggest that really?

I gave it around 30% before I dnf'ed.
Unfortunately it's just not working out for me, although the concept is fun. There is a lot of telling vs showing, and I can't feel the chemistry between the main characters.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I've loved Armstrongs's paranormal books ( especially the Bitten series) so I was excited to see she was branching out to full a romance. And its a book about books! We seem to be getting a lot FMC lately in more male dominated roles and I am here for it. Daphne is one of those characters. Not only is she an architect by trade, but an avid, self sufficient outdoors woman. Chris's character gives us basically 3 men in one, with nerdy loveable Chris Stanton obviously being the fav. I mean come on, a guy who bakes amazing brownies, yes please. And the slow burn chemistry between the two was on point.

While this was a rom-com, Armstrong manages to combine the light hearted comedy with some complex societal issues like patriarchy, sexism and racism just to name a few. I also love the subtle poke at the publishing industry and how Daphne originally set her story in Canada, but was made by the publisher to switch to an appropriate American locale. Which sadly, frequently happens to Canadian authors all the time.

This was a fast paced, well rounded easy read. With likeable characters and of course a cute dog. Because who doesn't want a pupper in their love stories. Would love to see a sequel featuring Chris's sister Gemma.

Finding Mr. Write is a unique romance story. Daphne has been trying to get a book published. Fed up with the rejection letters she submits the story as a man. She soon has a publisher, or should I say Zane Remington has a publisher. What is a girl to do? Does she risk everything and tell them the truth? Does she refuse any in-person promos? Whose picture will go on the jacket? SO many questions, but are there answers.

Daphne's friend has the solution. She sends Chris Stanton, pretending to Chris Hemsworth to pretend to be Zane Remington. What could go wrong with such a plan? Almost anything.

Finding Mr. Write is packed full with drama. There are lots of twists and a lot of unexpected situations that make for a fun read. If something can go wrong, it will. The romance is a slow build that has a lot of bumps along the way.

Finding Mr. Write is a fun and fabulous rom-com and really proves that Kelley Armstrong can write anything.

I am a huge fan of Kelley Armstrong's writing. She is so, so talented, and it amazes me how she can create and successfully write stories in any genre and for any age. Kelley has written paranormal/fantasy, mystery, and thrillers, and sometimes creates a story that is an amazing combination of supernatural and mystery. She has written books for tweens, teens, and adults. So when I saw that she had a new rom-com coming out, I knew I needed to get my hands on it. And I am not the least bit surprised that she knocked this book out of the park. She understands what makes a good rom-com and what romance readers want in their romances. Compared to Kelley's other books, this one is light, fluffy (at times), funny, and filled with delicious spicy tension.

I adored this book. It's one of those rom-coms you can just sink into and let the world around you disappear. Kelley did a great job at using different tropes and weaving them together to create a really entertaining story. The pacing is perfect, and I devoured those, shall I say, dramatic twists in the plot that would only exist in romanceland. Those who are familiar with Kelley's writing know that she has written a few books set in Northern Canada. I loved getting to explore the Yukon with Daphne and Chris. It was nice to spend time in this gorgeous setting, and I loved how she used it to help build that romantic tension between the two MCs. It was also nice to spend time in the Yukon without worrying about murderers and danger lurking around every corner (like you do in her Rockton series).

The main story focuses on Daphne and Chris, who work together to help promote Daphne's debut novel. Chris has been hired to pretend to be the author of Daphne's novel. Of course, any romance bookworm knows that any carefully laid out plan will go out the door, and chaos and drama will happen left, right, and center. I really enjoyed the whole publishing/author aspect of this book. It's always interesting (and sometimes depressing) to get to see what happens behind the scenes in the book industry. Kelley shines a light on how it's harder for women to get their work published and shows the inequalities within the publishing world.

I really liked the characters in this book. Daphne was a fantastic heroine, and I loved that she was the one outdoorsy and knew how to survive in the wilderness. She is smart, strong, and capable of caring for herself. But there is also this side to Daphne, who is unsure and scared. She is afraid of letting her readers down if they find out that she was the one who wrote it, she's worried that no one will like her books, and she is also scared of letting things with Chris get too serious. I loved how Kelley didn't portray Daphne's fear as a weakness. Her fears were acknowledged and embraced, and Daphne found a way to overcome them. It may not have always been smooth sailing, but deep down, Daphne knew she was strong enough to do anything she put her mind to.

Chris is a book-boyfriend's dream. He is a big old cinnamon roll and knows how to get bookworms' hearts pitter-pattering faster. Don't be fooled by the cinnamon roll personality; Chris's character has plenty of depth. He will even admit that he is a bit of a paradox. On the one hand, he is incredibly good-looking and knows how to turn on that smoulder that has women swooning. But he is also incredibly insecure and uncertain about how to act when attracted to someone romantically.

The romance is perfect. If you love romances that have fake dating, cinnamon roll heroes, fish out of water, one bed, road trip, and forced proximity, then you are going to devour the love story between Daphne and Chris. These two were just great together. I loved how their relationship progressed. There were plenty of will they won't they moments, and I loved the fun, flirty banter between them. Chris is a bit of a dummy near the end of the book, which results in that dreaded third-act breakup that some bookworms hate. But I loved it, mainly because he has to suffer a bit to redeem himself, and I love it when the hero has to suffer. I might be a bit of a sadist, LOL. Overall, I really like these two together. They just clicked as a couple, and they didn't go into a relationship thinking everything would go smoothly. They knew things had to be worked out, and they both were willing to put that effort into making their relationship work.

Finding Mr. Write is a wonderfully fun rom-com, and I really hope Kelley Armstrong decides to write more romances in the future.

I'm a big fan of Kelley Armstrong, as well as romcoms. Put the two together, fantastic!

With a memorable opening line, this book had me hooked and laughing out loud from the beginning and throughout. I loved the banter between Daphne and Chris, the two main characters. There were also a lot of supporting characters that showed up throughout the book that were also very well written. Overall, this slow burn romcom hit all the Write notes ;)

Thank you to Netgalley & Forever Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book by Kelley Armstrong missed the mark for me. This is a romcom about a female author who struggles to get her book sold, so she tries submitting it under a man pseudonym. The book is picked up and gets a huge marketing push, our lead finds the need to hire an actor to play the role of her pretend male author.
I was annoyed by both lead characters through most of this book.

My Thoughts

Architect turned Author Daphne McFadden is not prepared for what happens when the many times rejected book manuscript she has submitted under own name becomes a big deal after she submits it using a male pen name.

Nor is she prepared for the man she hires to play her alter ego Zach Remington.

The book itself is supposed to be their common ground but when sparks between the two become something the pair can’t ignore things take a different direction Daphne is not ready for and Chris himself is.

This rom-com has great characters, great settings and a premise that is the set-up for not what can go wrong but what will go wrong and when will it go wrong, and most of all what are the consequences when things do so?

Chris and Daphne made a great team once all their respective likes and dislikes taught the pair just how much they actually did have in common.

How things worked out for not only the bookish plot but our couples HEA was a fun trip to take right along with Chris and Daphne.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for a digital review copy.
[EArc from Netgalley]
On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

A really great Rom-Com with awesome characters love Daphne and Chis (Zane) with a award beginning that ends up with a little angst,some humor ,fun and love.
Really good characters and story.
Voluntarily reviewed.