Both the author and promo description for Writing Mr. Wrong caught my interest and it definitely delivered as an entertaining, easy read - the kind where you don't put the book down from start to finish. While some of the usual tropes were used, she had fun with them:

"Makes a woman think she'd like to climb him like-"
"No!" Gemma glared over. "Do not finish. I hate that phrase."
"Scale him like a sycamore? Mount him like a maple? Ascend him like an aspen?"

Mason and Gemma both do a lot of inner soul searching and reflecting through the rekindling their friendship and it was a joy to follow along. I liked seeing how they saw each other versus the opinions they held of themselves (how Mason knew her to be confident and didn't put up with his crap, but she had done the opposite through a difficult marriage and didn't see that side of herself anymore) with a good balance of high school to current day perspectives throughout. It was a deeper book than I was expecting in the best way and the only (very minor) complaint I have is that I would have liked a bit more of their HEA at the end; it was thorough if a little abrupt.

As usual I will happily read anything Kelley Armstrong writes, so it was no surprise that I loved this one! Thank you to NetGalley, Kelley Armstrong and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest unbiased review.

4.25 ⭐️

Thank you so much to the author, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for this eARC.

Absolutely devoured this book. It was so fun, I enjoyed the storyline a lot!

I’m so glad the author wrote this story with dual POV, because I kept finding myself so incredibly frustrated with the MMC and was having a hard time connecting with him outside of his POV. He seemed completely lost in his own little world. Then, when it got to his POV and I realize that he overthinks everything, and then makes choices out of desperation and nerves…it helped his personality make so much more sense.

Overall, great read. Enjoyed it even more than the first book!

I enjoyed this sweet second-chance contemporary romance. Although there is a character overlap with Finding Mr. Write, the books aren't a series and can be read independently and/or in any order.

I did find the resolution a little too easy. Both characters are fairly self-aware and conscious of their faults and coping mechanisms. They each decide to do better and then they mostly just do so. It just felt a little pat. Still an enjoyable read, great for your next travel trip or rainy day.

eARC from NetGalley.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was light, fun, and easy to read while still touching on some important topics such as mental health in meaningful ways.
This did not feel like Kelley Armstrong's typical style and was not a book that would make me specifically go searching out her other books. As a long time fan of Kelley Armstrong I will read anything she writes; however, this one is not her best. I found the characters in this book less believable (which is quite ironic since many of her characters in other books are from the Otherworld!) Nevertheless, I would still recommend this to anyone looking for a beach read.

Another day, another Kelley Armstrong recommendation from me. How does she write these so fast, and still they’re so good? She’s like the Brandon Sanderson of… well, that’s hard to pin down because so far she’s written fantasy, urban fantasy, romance, thriller, horror, YA and adult. She’s just an all-around solid author, no matter what the genre.

Still, confession: I’m not a hockey romance fan. It’s a trend, but one I’ve sorta avoided. I’m not a sports person at all (no judgement for those who are, it’s just not an interest of mine) and so romances that center around athletes? Never really rang my bell, so to speak. And then I read this, because despite that, Armstrong is an auto-buy author for me.

As expected, it’s a delight. The main character Gemma is a romance author who needs to write a “bad boy” MMC so she models him on ex-classmate Mason who was a complete jerk, now a pro hockey player. Shenanigans ensue and they end up fake dating for PR; turns out Mason has been holding a torch for a long while and is determined not to let this second chance slip him by.

Both characters are dealing with their own demons. Gemma is trying to regain her own agency and confidence after a disastrous marriage and Mason is dealing with the pressures and fear that come with being an aging pro athlete. Both feel like realistic and fully formed characters, very little of the miscommunication trope that I hate so much. Here, everyone speaks with each other about their concerns like fully functional adults and man, is that a breath of fresh air.

I just love this kind of contemporary romance. Sometimes I want something lighter and fun in between the heavier grimdark fantasy and scifi, and I know I can always turn to an Armstrong book for that. So if you’re looking for a quick read romance with witty banter that’ll make you laugh out loud, this is the one. Done. Sold.

Thank you as always to NetGalley and Forever books for the chance to read this digital ARC! All opinions are my own!

This review is my opinion and my opinion only.
Even though this is the second book in Kelley Armstrong’s romance series; it is a stand alone. This story is about Gemma and Mason. Gemma is a new published author who is on her new release book tour. She is on Vancouver This Morning for her tv interview when she notice that the cover model looks like Mason Moretti, a pro hockey player she was classmates with and HATED. Unfortunately, the person who is interviewing her is her school bully Ashley. So Gemma was already nervous before being there. Gemma soon realized her fears were correct when Ashley introduced Mason after her, and started asking questions how being Gemma’s inspiration. Luckily, Mason was a perfect gentleman and kept changing the subject back to the book itself and bragging about it. Gemma was great full to Mason, but she didn’t want anything to do with him after.
Unbeknownst to Gemma, Mason was fighting his own demons. But, Mason was determined to reconnect. So he suggest to Gemma that they fake date to help sell the book since they were trending. Gemma said no because what he did to her in high school. She kept getting pressure from her publisher to do the fake dating Mason suggested and Mason didn’t give up either. So, she finally said yes.
That’s all I’m saying about the story. You NEED to read the book to find out what happens.
I love Kelley Armstrong! I don't think there isn’t a genre she can’t write. Kelley Armstrong is an amazingly talented author.

I was honored to be invited to read the ARC of Writing Mr. Wrong by Kelley Armstrong. This was my second ARC from her and one thing is for sure, she never fails to make me laugh!

Gemma and Mason are former classmates with a history… fast forward 20 years and they are now being reunited on a talk show when Gemma is invited to talk about her upcoming book and the MMC looks…. familiar?

Mason is an aging hockey player near the end of his hockey career for the Vancouver Growlers. Dealing with his own struggles, he is thrilled to be given a second chance to woo Gemma, his life long childhood crush.

There is fake dating (one of my favs), lots of comedic moments, and many times I was giggling and kicking my feet! Kelley Armstrong you did it again.

Spice: 2/5 🌶️

**I received an eARC of Writing Mr. Wrong by Kelley Armstrong through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity.

Writing Mr. Wrong by Kelley Armstrong is an adult romance novel set in Canada.  It is about a debut romance writer, who based the asshole male main character on a guy she knew in high school, who is now an NHL player.  It is set to be published on June 24th, 2025.  I rated it 4 stars on Goodreads.

Here's the summary from Goodreads:

The #1 New York Times bestselling author delivers a fun romantic comedy about a woman reconnecting with her high school ex after writing him into her latest romance book. 
Gemma hasn’t written in years, but post-divorce, she dove back into writing romance. When her proposal didn’t sell, she became convinced it was because no one wanted her nice-guy heroes and decided to write and absolute Mr. Wrong…based on her first crush, Mason Moretti, now a star hockey player. She’s sure no one will make the connection between her highland laird and an NHL enforcer. Of course, someone does, and her secret is out. 
Mason is going through some drama of his own as an aging hockey player, and when his “reunion-cute” with Gemma goes viral, he proposes some media-worthy fake dating to help her book. Which is so sweet and not at all to help solve his own image problem. Gemma reluctantly agrees. Mason convinces Gemma to go away with him so she can finish her overdue second book while giving him anti-asshole lessons. And if he really just wants to get time away with her, that’s not an bad move, right? Or is it? 

Kelley Armstrong is one of my favourite authors, and something I love about her is how widely she writes and how many different genres she explores.  I have read horror, mystery, supernatural, and now contemporary romance books from her, and on the whole I have been super impressed by her work.  I have reviewed the following books by her: Someone is Always Watching and Finding Mr. Right.  Incidentally, Writing Mr. Wrong is a follow up/spin off from from Finding Mr. Right, as the FMC of the former is the older sister of the MMC of the latter.

To start with, I absolutely loved the premise of this book.  The idea of basing a character in a book on someone you know, and I expect it's something that has happened a lot.  It's especially fun the way that that played out in this book.  It was an excellent plot device for them to reconnect over.  Every rom-com needs a meet cute, and that absolutely worked for them.

I loved how very Canadian this book was.  It's not very often that I read a book set in Canada, so I really appreciated that element of this story.  Vancouver is pretty close to where I live so there were a lot of elements of city life that I recognized.  It just felt so comfortable and familiar in that way.

Both of the main characters in this novel were really great.  I found Gemma to be compelling, and her insecurities/flaws to be incredibly realistic.  It made sense to me why she didn't always default to standing up for herself, and why she retreated inside herself.  On the other hand, Mason also came across as incredibly realistic.  His internal conflicts made complete sense to me.  Hockey was everything to him, and he'd been conditioned to believe it was his entire value, so the potential of losing that is scary.

The writing style was great.  The characters had good banter, and the author easily got across the way that they were feeling.  I was really compelled to keep reading partly because of how it was written, and ended up devouring this book in just two sittings.

I do feel that I should warn you that while there is some pining and lusting, it is on the whole pretty slow-burn for a romance.  The pacing in some ways felt a bit off to me because of that, because it took a while for them to actually get together, and then the novel just progressed so quickly after that.  I actually did worry that there wasn't going to be enough pages for her to fully and truly finish the story.

Ultimately, I had a great time with this book, and if you like contemporary romances and stories about writers and hockey players, you should definitely consider checking this out!

✓Second chance romance.
✓She's an author, he's a hockey star.
✓Fake dating.
He wants to win her over, and she's got no time for it.
Or does she?

Kelley Armstrong's romcoms are refreshing and fun. I enjoyed her other romcom, Finding Mr Wright, and this was nothing different.
From page one, this book played out like a movie. It reminded me of a classic 2000s romcom, and I loved it. Thank you Netgalley for giving me this opportunity to read this book.
This review will be shared to Goodreads.

3.75 stars?

At the beginning I thought I was going to hate this as I wasn't enjoying either character. I should have known better and trusted an author I love to write a good book. It took a little to get there but I actually ended up loving them both. I appreciate author's writing characters in their mid 30s. That's especially interesting when you make it partially a sports romance as hockey players don't typically play much longer than that.

<i>Anyone who'd spent a decade married to a two-minute champ was entitled to a stockpile of unfulfilled erotic fantasies. </i>

Gemma just published her first book, following in her sister-in-law Daphne's footsteps. Took her awhile to be brave and get back to writing. But she is writing what she thinks the public wants instead of what she wants. Reeling from her divorce to a man who shaved off pieces of her he found inconvenient, Gemma doesn't have the confidence to do what she wants. Slowly throughout the book she remembers who she was prehusband and begins to make her way back to herself. I love that it wasn't a simple fix. Or a find the right person and miraculously be healed all at once.

<i>He couldn't even remember the last time he'd held someone's hand. Grown men put their arm around a woman. But that felt like saying, This is mine, while holding hands felt like saying, I'm with her. </i>

Mason, the Mace, is a hockey star playing in the NHL. But at 36, he is nearing the end of his career, even if he doesn't want to hear it. There's always been pressure on him to be the best, and if it isn't something you can be the best at don't try. Not the greatest family life for him. He is more than his enforcer front, he just doesn't show it to a lot of people. Never the dating type, he appears to be the typical alphahole. Luckily there's a lot under that exterior.

<i>"Makes a woman think she'd like to climb him like-"
"No!" Gemma glared over. "Do not finish. I hate that phrase."
"Scale him like a sycamore? Mount him like a maple? Ascend him like an aspen?"</i>

While it did take me a bit to get into, this really is a well done second chance romance. Absolutely recommend it and everything Kelley Armstrong writes.

I read this book in one sitting. I was hooked from the start. Fell in love with Mason instantly. Funny, sweet, and the steam! Gemma, she’s so relatable. Instantly felt connected her. I absolutely love the dynamic between them I wasn’t prepared for the book to end. Can’t wait to read more from this author!

A fun, quick read for fans of second chance and fake dating.

The writing is easy to read and you become immersed into the story quickly. I couldn't put the book down, it flowed so nicely.

The characters are entertaining and kept me engaged. I did like the development of the second chance romance. I thought it was paced well and who doesn't enjoy some fake dating? I liked that Gemma and Mason were both strong individual characters. Neither felt like a pushover and you could see why they got along. I also liked that they each had their own personal arc.

An enjoyable read.

Writing Mr. Wrong immediately sets us into the life of a writer, Gemma, who may have taken more than a little inspiration on her male lead character from her childhood crush, that did her dirty.

This novel moves effortlessly. Gemma and Mace instantly hit it off when they reconnect in their adult lives. Their banter and Mace's charm had me giggling the whole way through.

I enjoyed the pacing of this novel and found the characters relatable and easy to fall in love with. Their history brought something to the table that made me feel like I was a part of their story and experienced each moment with them.

Kelley Armstrong has an ability to write more than one genre and I appreciate that she can move so effortlessly between them all. From paranormal romance, to YA, to horror and thriller and now romantic comedy.

I very much enjoyed this novel, so much so, that I read it in one sitting! Definitely recommend this charming, light and cozy romantic comedy for those looking for something fun and enjoyable!

Another cute rom com from Kelley Armstrong. Gemma has written and published her first novel. A former classmate (and high school mean girl) invites Gemma on her talk show to promote her book. But what happens is an attempt to embarrass Gemma by telling everyone that Gemma’s romantic hero is based on hockey star Mason. Mason is also invited on the show. Mason diffuses the attempted embarrassment.

Gemma and Mason have known each other most of their lives. Mason is at a point in his life where change is coming. He suggests that he and Gemma fake date to help promote her book.

What follows is a series of funny to read awkward moments as Mason and Gemma try to get to know each other again. Besides their growing relationship, Mason is also trying to be a better person and someone worthy of Gemma. Gemma has to overcome her past hurts from both Mason and her ex-husband. The book ends in a sweet HEA.

Gemma and Mason were flawed and relatable! Five stars! The opening was great, where the tv show host pulled out her Mean Girls-style surprise of having Mason on the talk show. I loved how Mason handled the situation. I think I will let this story breathe for a while with me, then will re-read the hard copy on vacation. I understand that the covers of these books are the style right now, but I don’t love them. Hopefully it will catch people’s attention, and will catch on as a summer hit, Thanks Net Galley and Kelley Armstrong’s team for letting me read this early copy and share my thoughts.

DNF at 31%

While I adored "Finding Mr. Write" by Kelley Armstrong last year, "Writing Mr. Wrong" was a miss for me.

The concept of Gemma accidentally writing her high-school crush turned 'enemy' as the Romance Hero for her debut novel was interesting, especially when said crush is a professional hockey player on the local NHL team. However, from Gemma and Mason's first interaction I wasn't sold on...anything.

Part of my issue stems from the fact that neither character is written like they are in their late-30s - they seem stuck in their high school behaviors (which we get flashbacks to), and it seems that Gemma is really holding on to a negative encounter between her and Mason from 18 years ago enough that it colors her perception of him in the present and through their continuing interactions. I couldn't get past the age-inappropriate behavior enough to see what Mason and Gemma could be now, and it didn't seem like Gemma could either.

By the 30% mark, there was a flashback to the time Mason kissed Gemma in high school and I felt like these characters were no different as teenagers than they were presenting in the present timeline, and all my interest was gone.

I think others will enjoy this light Romance for what it is, but it was not for me,

(And as a hockey fan, I have to say that NHL games to do have games that end in ties (anymore and haven't for decades). They go into Over Time and you win or your lose, but there are no ties and therefore it would not be a part of the team's record. I am begging authors to research the sport they are writing about.)

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the Arc!

I loved this even more than the first book! The history and chemistry between them right from the start had me hooked. Without getting too spoilery I really resonated with Gemma's previous marriage experience and it connected me to her even more than I thought. I really loved her growth by the end of the Book. Can't say enough good things, definitely one of the cutest romances I've read in a while!
I recieved this arc in exchange for an honest review from netgalley.

For fans of FINDING MR. WRITE, you’re going to love this one!

I binged this in just two days because it was fun, fast-paced, and just so addicting.

Our FMC, Gemma, has been hurt before, by an ex-husband who was the opposite of who hurt her the first time back in high school. But now, the boy who hurt her in high school may be the only man that can heal her and, as a bonus, boost her writing career in the process.

I’m not usually a second-chance romance girl, but this one had me swooning. Mason is a man who protects, both his team and his heart. Gemma is a woman who shares her heart with the people she believes deserve it. Their banter and history is so relatable and touches on so many emotions we all feel every day. I could get lost in their world forever.

This is my second Armstrong novel, and I really enjoyed it. I read “Finding Mr. Write” and was excited for “Writing Mr. Wrong.” I find it really funny and adorable that she’s a writer whose main female characters are also writers. That just really tickles me!

This book is very cute, and we love the hockey aspect! The growth of Gemma (FMC) as a character was really lovely to see. There were aspects of her marriage and life that she discussed that is relatable to a lot of women. Maybe not so related is the star hockey player! Ha!

This was definitely a slow burn…so slow I thought we were going to run out of book. Spoiler alert, we don’t.

I actually quite liked Mason as a MMC. He’s not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, but he wants to do better. He’s playful, sweet, and sometimes a total idiot. He’s aware of his idiocy - either at the time of said idiocy or because of the results of it. He genuinely wants to do better.

I did think there was a slight disconnect between the characters. We get to see inside Mason’s head, so we know things about him and it takes a bit for Gemma to catch up. When she does, it’s great.

My other “issue” (which isn’t really an ISSUE) is that I wanted more. I wanted to know how they navigated publicity, I wanted to see more how the world reacted to them & how they dealt with it, I wanted more a follow up on the “are-they-aren’t-they-OK-THEY-ARE” media attention. However, this is just me complaining that I got TOO wrapped up in this world and wanted more :)

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC, in exchange for my honest review!

I loved this entertaining read. This is the second Kelly Armstrong book I've read and I'm hooked. She finds just the right tone to be entertained but not over-the-top. Gemma and Mason's story spans from childhood misses to an adulthood second chance connection. This is a perfect beach read.