Love on the campaign trail has quickly become my new favorite trope! This book resonated deeply with my love for politics. The transformation of a one-night stand into a political scandal between a governor candidate and a school librarian had me completely hooked from start to finish.

What I adored about this book was the magnetic pull between two opposites. Logan, the outspoken and charismatic politician, and Alexis, the reserved librarian, couldn't be more different, and their connection was truly intriguing.

The fake dating plotline added an extra layer of excitement. Alexis agreed to pretend to be in a relationship with Logan to help him shed his playboy image during his campaign. It's a trope I always enjoy, and this book executed it flawlessly.

Logan, the grumpy hero, stole my heart as he transformed into a lovable cinnamon roll for his lady. His depth of emotion and unwavering love left me swooning.

The intensity of Logan's feelings was palpable. He fell head over heels and struggled to navigate the overwhelming emotions that consumed him. I couldn't get enough of his lovestruck moments.

I must admit, I'm not usually a fan of love triangles, but I appreciated that this one didn't overshadow the main story. It was handled with finesse, allowing the central romance to shine.

I usually mostly avoid books that have a political type of plot in a romance book, but this was a easy read and I absolutely loved adored it. They almost one night standard ruined and then finding out he's a politician?!?! Sorry I mean a hot politician!! Damn the banter and the tension but I still have a few things I didn't like it..

I loved this book even though I am not a fan of politics. I enjoyed watching Alexis go from a caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly. This fake dating, grumpy sunshine, rom-com was all that. I was pleasantly surprised that this author smoothly transitioned from thriller to romance. This is a heart warming must read. Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my review.

3.5 stars
Oh, this is a very compelling fake dating tale. Throw in the opposites attract, the quiet librarian, and seemingly bad boy, and then through in a political campaign. Timely Much?
We get the pretend relationship that rides the campaign train.

Alexis is an assistant librarian at her school, and her last boyfriend cheated on her (twice!) and when he broke up with her, he told her that she was boring in bed. Now, on the second anniversary of her embarrassment of a breakup, she has decided to go out and have her first one night stand. Enter hottie Logan. But when the hotel they're in literally gets stuck by lightning and has to be evacuated, they get caught in an embarrassing paparazzi photo... Because HE'S the Democratic gubernatorial candidate. And them he begs her to be his fake girlfriend for the rest of the campaign. What could go wrong?

I love a good fake dating story. And this was a GOOD fake dating story. In most, they hate each other from the beginning and are only dating because they have to... this one, they were clearly into each other from the jump, and then had to cool themselves down in every move going forward. It was clear in the writing that Logan had serious feelings for Alexis early, and things could totally have been resolved earlier if they just had a truthful, uninterrupted conversation. But that doesn't lend itself to a good book, so here we are.

This was a super fun, politically charged, pro-education, slow-burn romance, and I was totally here for it.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley in return for sharing my thoughts on this book. Thanks to the author and publisher for this opportunity!

This was such a fun book to read!! I don’t read many political romcoms, but this one was so good! I also love a good fake dating romance book, and this one was done so well. I loved Alexis and Logan together. I felt like they had such great chemistry. It is a slow burn romance, a little slower than I would have preferred. If you’re a fan of fake dating, slow burn, political campaign, and opposites attract, you’ll love this one. I do recommend checking it out!

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ashley Winstead writes some of my favorite mystery/thriller books and I was super excited to dive into some of her new romance things. This book was like a warm hug to book lovers. Our main character is a librarian in the school district and kind of down on her luck after a breakup, until one night when she goes to a bar and meets a handsome stranger. This changes everything.

I thought that this book was just a fun time, it has been a few weeks since I read it and I don’t remember too much of the details, but I can tell you that this was a fun time. I loved the representation between family dynamics, friends, sexuality, and politics. I am eager to read more romance from the author!

This was a such a bingeworthy romance! If you’ve read Fool Me Once, this book is about Lee’s sister Alexis.

Alexis is a school librarian who just wants to have a more adventurous life starting with having a one-night stand. She finds the perfect candidate, Logan. Before they have a chance to hook up, the hotel catches fire. As they are fleeing the hotel they are caught in the street by photographers because Logan just happens to be running for governor. Alexis soon finds herself in a fake dating situation until election day.

The romance was a slow burn, but the story was so entertaining that I didn’t mind and I couldn’t stop reading. Alexis and Logan’s characters are flawed and dynamic, and their chemistry is undeniable. I was rooting for them every step off the way! You also get to see behind the scenes of political life and what it’s like to run from office. It was a such a fun read, perfect for those that enjoy fake dating and opposites attract tropes.

The relationship between Logan and Alexis was rife with misunderstandings (a trope I have a hard time getting into) and was generally a slow burn. After both politician and 'librarian' are caught in a compromising situation, they agree to enter into a fake relationship in over to squash the scandal until election day. As they spend more time together, the harder it is to not develop genuine feelings for one another.

While Logan to be a more well-rounded character, I found Alexis' character to be erratic and unreliable. She would act selfishly on numerous occasions and appeared to have little regard to how her actions may affect other characters in the story. Winstead's writing was quite good but ultimately the story just had too much political content, it diminished the romantic aspects of this story. For those looking for an escape from world issues and political campaigns, this might not be the one for you.

eARC was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

such a fun debut novel that watcher of “Scandal” will love because of the political story setting and strong cast of characters!

I love love loved this book. I recently read the prequel and I think I loved this one more. Fake dating trope is one of my favorites and I loved Logan and Alexis’ characters and chemistry. This was a great follow up to fool me once and I loved Alexis’ growth from her meek character and the complicated relationship she has with her sister. Overall, a solid read that I didn’t want to put down.

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞
𝐁𝐲 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝
𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫: 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐝𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝟓.𝟗.𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑


I loved Ashley Winstead’s 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐌𝐞 𝐎𝐧𝐜𝐞 so much, which is strange because I wouldn't say I like politics.
Just goes to show how great she writes!

I’m also a sucker for fake dating and 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 pulls one right out of the politician's playbook to make for a perfect romance.

Alexis, angry about being told she is boring in bed, decides she is going to have her first one-night stand. But the man she picks in the bar to pounce on is none other than Logan Arthur, the Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate. When pictures get out of the two together, what was supposed to be a one-night stand becomes a fake, meaningful relationship for Logan to win this race.

This is full of humor, sass, and sexual tension. And I did love seeing how Alexis (an introverted librarian ) and Logan (a staunch politician) grew and supported one another - personally and professionally.

☑I vote that Ashley Winstead keeps writing these stellar romances!

Thank you @HTPBooks, @Bookclubbish and @graydonhousebooks for the gifted ebook.

I loved Alexis and Logan. The fake dating trope can get a little stale if you're reading a bunch back to back, and the author doesn't do anything to make the characters their own instead of relying on the trope. But Ashley Winstead wrote an addicting story about a shy librarian looking to breakout and a hotshot political hopeful looking to help out. Their relationship felt natural and well developed. I loved seeing them spend time together in front of the cameras and behind.

I absolutely loved this book! I finished it a week ago and still thinking about it. It’s definitely a swoon worthy romance. I found myself smiling, tearing up, gasping and laughing out loud throughout the book.
I would 100% read it again!

Full book review here, including my favorite parts and quotes from this absolutely adorable rom com: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr11Q3rsOH2/

I loved this book so much. I cannot get over the range that is Ashley Winstead's writing. I've never seen someone create such captivating, swoony romances and then turn right around and spin together a mystery/thriller that has me on the edge of my seat. She is crazy good!

The Boyfriend Candidate follows the same world/characters as in Fool Me Once, but surprisingly this one was even better than the first. Ashley captured the inner workings of a public school teacher perfectly. I adored this book.

This book was so super cute! I loved Logan, he was the ultimate book boyfriend and I just loved everything about it!

A sweet rom com that had me hooked from the beginning.

The premise is a perfect set up and the romance balances angst and steam perfectly.

I thought this book was so cute! I loved the way that even throughout the story themes and issues that are going on today we’re brought front and center, not to mention the way that the characters fought for what they felt was right!

Hm... this book is tricky because while there are some parts of it that I really enjoyed, there was some sparkle missing.

WHAT I LIKED:
- fake dating trope
- Logan was cute af
- Alexis's aesthetic


WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- miscommunication off the wallllsssss
- Alexis's personality changed almost immediately, going from shy and quiet to a political powerhouse hosting rallies and walk-outs
- obv this is a political romance so there are bound to be political talk but it was a bit heavy on the politics for me personally.
- Lee was practically sabotaging Alexis and Logan and it was kind of annoying, intentional or not
- the romance was super super super slow burn
- there was a love triangle for some reason??

While typing out my likes and dislikes, more and more dislikes come out for me but I swear I didn't hate this book. I read it fairly quickly and did laugh out loud at some spots. It's just the parts that bothered me, apparently really bothered me lol

I will absolutely recommend this book because all of my gripes are just a me thing and I'm fully aware of that.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me an e-galley of the book to read and review.

Ahhhhh I love Ashley's books! It's not often you find one that can do Thriller and Rom-com and do both really well. This was a meet Cute and was a cute read. I don't normally reach for these but knew that if Ashley wrote it , that I had to read it.

5 Stars for me! I loved this book. It was paced properly and had fantastic characters and the right level of spice