This book is such a departure from all books I’ve read of this author, and it was so good! I truly loved the rom com feel of it, and the chemistry between Daphne and Chris. I very much enjoyed it and recommend it to all.

April 2, 2024
I loved this ARC of Kelley Armstrong's Finding Mr Write. It made me laugh, it pulled my heartstrings, it had a well thought-out plot with good pacing, and strong characters. All the hallmarks I have come to expect from the author. This has been my favorite romance of the year, easily. And probably last year, too.

Daphne has been shopping around her book to get published with no luck. Out of desperation and on a whim, she decides to put a male author’s name on the manuscript and send it out to agents. She’s surprised that her book gets picked up and the book is fast tracked for publishing. When the book has wild success after publishing, Daphne decides to hire an actor to play Zane Remington, the man everyone thinks wrote the book. Chris Stanton steps in for the role, winning over the readers, the publishing world, and Daphne’s heart.

Wow! I was impressed by this rom-com by Kelley Armstrong. I have not read any of Armstrong’s other books, but she seems to have made a seamless transition to romance. Her voice is unique and captivating. This book checked all the boxes for me. It had wit, humor, heart, and a suspenseful premise. It kept me wanting to comeback for more, turning pages and waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Daphne and Chris had amazing chemistry and I couldn’t get enough of them. Their relationship started as a working relationship, with them texting one another. Even then, I felt their connection was palpable. When they finally spent time together in person, I couldn’t wait for them to crash into each other. It was a bit of a slow burn, but it wait was worth it.

I loved Chris for so many different reasons. He was sweet, thoughtful, earnest, and he wanted to do right by Daphne. He seemed to annoy Daphne at times, like an eager puppy that you couldn’t help love even though it won’t stop bugging you. I also loved the swoon-worthy Zane Remington persona that he created. It was like we got the best of both worlds with him.

The premise of this book was intriguing. What are the ethical implications of the situation? What obligation do authors have in sharing themselves with the world? I found myself reflecting on my interactions with authors and on the book influencer world. It was a reminder of the brutal nature of the publishing world and how sometimes authors don’t always have control over their narrative. This book gave me a lot of food for thought.

This book was utterly delightful and thought-provoking and I am going to be recommending it to everyone!

Steam level: 🔥🔥¾
⚠️: mention of cancer, death of a parent

Kelley is an autobuy author for me for her fantasy books, but when I found out she was writing a romcom I knew I NEEDED to read it. This book did not disappoint. Chris/zane is such an amazing character that we get so many layers on. He really is the perfect guy- he’s hot, sensitive, a former mathlete 🔥, swimmer, and social justice advocate, not to mention he can save you thousands on your taxes.
Daphne was such an interesting character, being so confident and outgoing, but still introverted and shy.
I especially appreciated all the commentary regarding the publishing industry within this book. It really highlights all the people who make a book go from an authors brain to in your hands. This book also provided some interesting insight on some of the issues with publishing- mentioning the old white guy author who things he’s the 💩, the rotating publicist who doesn’t get paid enough for their hard work, and the effort that goes into a book tour and signing hundreds of books. Poor Chris couldn’t use his fingers for what he wanted to 😏.
The spice level was low, most of the action was closed door, with one very tame scene exception, but the tension was top notch.
I found myself laughing out loud multiple times and kicking my feet in delight.

Overall Kelley remains an autoread author for me, and I hope she forays into the genre again!

Thank you netgalley for the earc. My opinions are my own.

This book was the perfect palate cleanser for all the dark romance I have been reading lately. I have read MANY of Kelley Armstrongs books, and loved most of them so when I saw this book, I knew I had to read it and give it a go.

It was absolutely worth it. It was fun, funny, and just such a wholesome read. Daphne and Chris are great characters and their relationship that builds throughout the book only gets better.

I can’t wait to purchase this book when it comes out to have on my shelf to reread when I need a fun light hearted book.

Thank you Forever Pub for the #gifted e-arc to read and review.

This story was so fun! A little roll-several with a really hot but nerdy accountant and a badass fmc who lives in the Canadian wilderness with a wolf-dog.

Daphne is a female author who can’t get anyone to read her manuscript. Liquid courage inspired a male pseudonym… and suddenly she has a book deal and a publisher and fans who think she’s a man. Scrambling to find a face for her alter-ego, she finds Chris to fill in. What could go wrong?

🪓 Publishing World
🪓 Forced Proximity
🪓 Secret Identity
🪓 Slow Burn
🪓 Co-Workers

I loved these characters and getting to know them. I loved the maturity, flirting and getting to know one another.

There was a smattering of miscommunication that had me rapidly blinking in hopes that it wouldn’t continue… but alas, we got a good grovel out of it so I approve.

I flew through this novel and loved a glimpse into the publishing world. I also kind of want to go live in Daphne’s house in the Yukon.

4.5 stars

What’s it about?
Daphne has written a YA dystopian zombie novel… but didn’t have success with a literary agent / submission until she queried under a male pseudonym. And then her book gets picked up and she needs a man to pretend to be the author.

Enter Chris Stanton to play author Zane Remington. In real life Chris is an accountant trying to save his company, so he takes this gig and has to pretend to be grizzly, wilderness living Zane.

From shooting a news segment at Daphne’s house and staring down a grizzly bear to going on tour with Daphne as his “assistant,” this book is rife with humor, a slow sizzling burn, and a stark look at how women are treated vs. men.

My thoughts:

Within the first two chapters of reading this one I was telling all my book friends to request it on Netgalley. I was all in on this one.

I loved Chris trying to be macho Zane, despite being a cinnamon roll MMC. I adored Daphne’s pursuit of her dreams. Publicist Sakura was a welcome surprise! And the overall commentary about how men and women are perceived was fantastic.

The slow burn in this one sizzled. So many almosts and hidden moments. Swoon!

And there is even a dog!

There are a couple of small things I wanted more resolution on. But that’s ok. We still got a fun, great new romcom!

I highly recommend this one.

A quirky slow-burn about an writer who sells her book using a pseudonym that goes viral and all heck breaks lose. I loved the feel-good atmosphere of the story, and I could totally see it being the next chick-flick like "The Proposal."

Now, what really struck me was the author, Kelley Armstrong. I have read books by her before, back in my days of being on team werewolf rather than vampire, but I really loved "Bitten" and the following books. Armstrong is a strong writer, and in the note from the author, she speaks about truths to publishing. Stepping out of her comfort zone, she really succeeded in writing a great rom-com.

I had a hard time getting into this book and found myself skipping a lot in the beginning to move it along. It definitely moved along better the further I got into the book. I do love that Chris fell first in this book and was willing to walk away to give Daphne the attention she deserved. The Chris/Zane character was hilarious and the situations that they found themselves in to save the truth were fun to read and picturing them in my head. Overall, I liked the story once I got past the start of the book.

I devoured this slow burn, he falls first romance. I'm a sucker for these types of romance books and this was absolutely amazing!

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

The beginning of this book was a little slow and awkward, but I was intrigued enough by the concept to keep going. It did not disappoint! The second half of this book definitely picked up, giving us a quicker development of Chris and Daphne’s budding relationship, insight into the institutionalized misogyny of the world of writing, and a happily ever after.

Being a Canadian outside girly, I loved the setting in the Yukon!! It makes me incredibly happy when outdoorsy novels are true to the subject and don’t give readers false information.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever for a chance to read this book. I did not finish. Got to the beginning of the book tour and felt like the book should have been finished by now. I really enjoyed the dialogue component. I did not like how long the chapters were and the plot. Not much happened in the first half of the book. It was sort of dull. Maybe I am not really into rom coms, but it was a fun read. Maybe i will finish it at a later point.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever for the chance to read Finding Mr. Write by Kelley Armstrong. This is the author's first rom-com book and it was fast paced and fun to read. Daphne, writes a dystopian YA book, but the manuscript is rejected, over and over. When she decides to send it in under a man's name, it is instantly a big hit, and now she is faced with coming clean, or hiring someone to play the super macho, Zane Remington. It also sends a message that publishers, and the public often have a skewed view of female/male writers.
The story is funny and lighthearted, and brought me back to the days where I eagerly watched the campy detective show, Remington Steele.

I loved this book. It is a great story about a writer who ends up using a male pen name in hopes to finally get her novel published and then she hires someone to play the role. Daphne, the author and Chris, who plays the author have great banter. They also have similar inner struggles of finding who they are and coming to grips with past experience. The story takes a couple unexpected turns before it gets to its HEA but it is a fun ride to be along.

I love rom-coms and Kelley Armstrong's books but I was most definitely apprehensive to start this one since the two have not previously collided.

Pros:
-Dual POV
-Bad ass writer heroine
-Cinnamon roll hero
-A+ banter and setting
-Some real laugh out loud moments
-Valid comments and criticisms on gender in the workplace and the publishing industry

Cons:
-Not very steamy
-The third act breakup and reconciliation
-As much as I understand it, I kind of bristle at the premise of Daphne hiring a man to take public credit for her work

3.5 stars rounded up.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

This was an interesting read. I enjoyed the storyline, I thought it was unique. I feel like there were many moments that were rushed or just glazed over. The miss communication between Chris and Daphne didn’t seem like it should have been the problem in the book. Even though I didn’t enjoy the problem, I feel like it was solved too quickly. I did like how strong of a character Daphne was. I also really liked the relationship Chris had with his family. It was a cute read and had its funny moments.

I love Kelley Armstrong, and I'm happy to read anything she writes. But I gotta admit, knowing I was reading a standard romance from her was freaking me out a little. I know she can do romantic relationships, but no paranormals? Nobody killing anyone? What's going on here? But it was really cute, and at the same time a pretty scathing denunciation of the patriarchal bias in the publishing industry. The pacing of their developing relationship was nice, with reasonable time lapses and conversations, rather than unrealisitic instalust and compressed timelines. Both characters were adorable, and it was a lot of fun from start to finish.

I need to find myself a Zane Remington. This was a really interesting premise and I really enjoyed the building of the relationship between Daphne and Chris. I was hooked from the get go. I’ll definitely be reading more by this author

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever for the copy of this ARC

Such a cute and easy read ! Daphne is over all the rejecting she’s getting for her manuscript until she slapped a man’s name on it and then it gets picked up immediately and is a success. Now she just needs to find the perfect “manly alter ego “ to be Mr. Write. This is your usual fluffy rom com book but it is a romance book that you’ll love !

This was fun! I had issues with the premise (since when do white women have trouble publishing in the dystopian YA space? it's like all white women lol) but once I suspended my disbelief, I enjoyed the read! The characters were entertaining and the romance wasn't too saccharine. Flew through it. Would give it 3.5 stars—worth picking up for an easy read