I've said it before but, for me, Ashley Winstead is an automatic read. "The Boyfriend Candidate" is swoony and starts off with a bang. I enjoy this book more than "Fool Me Once" and would highly recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for my digital arc in exchange for my review.

Book Review:
Title: The Boyfriend Candidate
Author: Ashley Winstead
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/3 stars

Alexis Stone enjoys her quiet life as a librarian, but apparently, she's too "vanilla" when it comes to the bedroom. She's just been dumped, and she's ready for an adventure. Maybe it time to come out of her shell and experience her first ever one night stand. Enter Logan Arthur.

While attempting a hook-up, Alexis and Logan find themselves getting evacuated from their hotel that has caught on fire, outside half dressed with news reporters everywhere! That is when Alexis finds out that Logan is running for governor. Which ends up resulting in a fake relationship to repair his damaged reputation.

I liked this book, but it was a little slow and boring at times.

Published: May 9th, 2023

Thank you, @netgalley and @harlequinbooks, for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Graydon House Publishing for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

One thing I've enjoyed with Ashley's take on romance between The Boyfriend Candidate and Fool Me Once is the opening scenes of the story. In The Boyfriend Candidate, Alexis Stone is in character as a badass woman looking for a one night stand in a bar. She stumbles on the perfect guy to spend the night with, but a freak lightning strike results in her being lifted out of the hotel with the dude who scrambles away quickly due to what she assumed was random paparazzi. Come to find out she was about to hook up with the leading Democratic Candidate running for the governor of Texas. This throws her into the chaotic motion of politics and elections when all Alexis wanted was a one night stand.

I think Ashley is on the verge of a 5 star rom com in our near future. She came super close for me with The Boyfriend Candidate, but I think I could have gone without the love triangle that sets up in the second half of the book.

Absolutely love! Winstead is at her best when writing witty banter between her male and female leads. I could devour a whip-smart, romantic Winstead novel each season!

For starters, I've always loved a good, swoon-worthy slow-burn romance so the amount of intensity between the protagonists in this book was pretty well-done. I loved how both characters supported each other all the time and never failed to seize the opportunity to make their actual feelings toward each other clear for both. Besides, truth be told, I am never a fan of politics or anything politics-related, so I hesitated a little bit before picking this book up considering that the male main character was a politician candidate; thankfully, he was a pretty decent guy for someone in the professional field of politics. The entire story was a delight to read and the light-hearted happy ending would surely brighten up every reader's mood. However, I would appreciate more if there could be slightly more steamy scenes as the protagonists could definitely use some smutty moments to spice their relationship up. *wink*

***Thanks to the publisher and author for kindly providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.***

I really love Ashley's thrillers but her romances just continue to fall flat for me. It felt too immature. DNF @ 43%.

I think I'm obsessed, and would definitely read Anything Ashley writes! She does such a good job with romance! Loved everything about this book!

didn’t love as much as the first book but it was just as fun. i think my lack of enjoyment comes from being bored of the fake dating trope but i can’t wait to see more romances from this author

Logan and Alexis's story was delightful to read. As a librarian and an educator, the plot was perfect for me. I loved the premise of the story, and the character development felt pretty natural and not forced. I loved the fake dating trope - it's always a favorite of mine! I can't wait for more from this author!

An entertaining fake dating romance featuring a hot, grumpy and foul-mouthed Texan gubernatorial candidate with a British accent and a shy librarian who’s content to live behind the shadows!

Caught in a potentially scandalous situation that can destroy Logan Arthur’s chances of winning the Governor position, his campaign propositions Alexis Stone to pretend to be his girlfriend until the election is over after which they can stage a public breakup and go their separate ways. As with most fake dating tropes, what follows is far from what they’ve initially plotted.

While this trope is honestly my least liked one, this can work for me if high stakes were involved, and what could be higher staked than a young Democratic candidate vying for the highest seat in the State of Texas against a behemoth Republican incumbent.

Let me just say, I’ve enjoyed this book a lot! I had too much fun with this for a book that’s fraught with political topics that are laid out in an unsubtle way. I guess that could be expected given the blurb. And it’s quite obvious where Winstead leans between the two sides of the political coin so I wasn’t exactly bothered. I loved Logan and Alexis’ chemistry and I was rooting for them all throughout. However, I thought this book could’ve been some pages shorter with some parts I could do without (like that love triangle).

I understand this may not be for everyone given the political nature of this book, but I’d still give this book a try if I were you. Definitely something to be missed if you’re out looking for a romance with a bit of heft into it.

Thank you to Graydon House, NetGalley and the author for my copy. All opinions are honest and my own.

I love Winstead’s thriller books and this is my first romance read of hers and it was delightful! I loved Alexis and Logan, they were perfect, flaws and all. I need to go back and read her first romance book but this was super enjoyable, I flew through it in one sitting and was smiling the entire way. I highly recommend this one, even if you don’t read romance, it is so good.

Thank you to Grayden House for the digital copy to review.

A nice, quick easy read. Kept me completely captivated throughout. The story was well written and flowed nicely.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters, the romance, the storyline. It kept me hooked. Plus, I loved how likeable characters and entertaining the characters were. I really enjoyed this book.

Romance and politics- two of my favorite things ❤️🇺🇸

Alexis decides she needs a one-night stand after her boyfriend cheated on her and breaks up with her for being too timid in bed. She ends up meeting Logan at the bar, and charms him with stories of her “adventurous life”. Quite different from her current life as a librarian. They decide to get a room at a hotel, until chaos ensues. The fire alarm rings and they have to escape the building, and of course the paparazzi are outside to capture photos of the couple. Who is Logan really?

I loved everything about this plot and the chemistry between our two main characters.

Read this if you like
❤️Fake dating
🧪Believeable chemistry
🇺🇸Love and politics

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cute book! I do really wish this was dual pov though. Would have been so much better! A little predictable and heavy on the politics but still good.

I loved this book so much. Gave me Jasmin Guillory meets Abby Jiminez vibes. I loved the situational comedy sprinkled throughout, but also, the over arching story of two people figuring out who they want to be or maybe already are. So cute and the romance definitely sizzles.

This was a fun fake dating romcom with two extremely likeable characters, with a backdrop of the current political climate. As a librarian, I wasn't too keen on how the book dismissed the importance of librarians and the library degree in school libraries, as well as the tendency for school libraries to prefer paraprofessionals (which this book also does).

The chemistry of this one was so hot. And the plot line I loved the resolution of the midpoint conflict. Loved this

Alexis Stone is a school librarian tending to her crushed self-esteem after a breakup. When she meets handsome and charming Logan at a local singles hotspot, what fails as a one night stand, succeeds in creating a scandal for Logan’s gubernatorial campaign. Working together to save Logan’s political aspirations, the two find they have more than just physical chemistry. With an endearing, and extensive, cast of supporting characters, Winstead has created an underdog romance that everyone is rooting for, even if it is behind in the polls.