The Boyfriend Candidate: A Sizzling Slow-Burn Romantic Comedy

by Ashley Winstead

• ISBN10: 1525804960
• ISBN13: 9781525804960
• Publish Date: 9 May 2023
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Graydon House
• Edition: Original ed.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[neurospicybookworm]

⭐️4

[The Romantic Comedy Book Club]

New to the world of Ashley Winstead, I was optimistic when I saw the review by Lynn Painter (one of my favorite authors) and was thrilled that it not only delivered, but overflowed with laughs, aww moments, and a ton of heart. The Boyfriend Candidate takes you behind the scenes of the insanity of the political life – from slimy politicians, to back room deals, to debates, to scandals, and all the insanity in between that it takes to create the perfect optics in the name of winning.

 

Alexis is the primary example of what happens when good girls try to go bad, and fail at it spectacularly! Celebrating the anniversary of her split from her ex (but still hearing and feeling the impact of his criticisms), Alexis is determined to prove once and for all that she can be desirable, spontaneous, passionate, and wild. Well she can fake it til she makes. Entering the Fleur, dressed to kill, she snags the attention of the last fish she would want – an overly loud and aggressive man who can’t seem to take no for an answer. Lucky for her, this fish was perfect bait for the gorgeous specimen that decided to come to her rescue. After buying him a drink to show her gratitude, Alexis and Logan hit it off and agree after a passionate kiss in the lobby that the night is not over. Apparently mother nature had a different opinion as a lightening strike causes a fire, requiring immediate evacuation of the hotel. A stair mishap and a rush exit, Logan finds himself partially dressed carrying Alexis out of the hotel. Unfortunately his heroic endeavor is caught on camera. Unbeknownst to Alexis, her dashing knight is no other than gubernatorial candidate Logan Arthur. Quickly thrown into the limelight on the brink of a scandal, Logan’s team orchestrates a counter attack – present Logan and Alexis as a couple, casting the intimate moment caught on camera as a mere invasion of privacy between two people in a committed relationship. Still determined to break free of the “Old Alexis” shackles, Alexis agrees to play pretend as long as they are willing to make a deal. As the two are forced to date, the lines between fictional and reality (with a little dash of fantasy) start to blur, leaving two people who are already in over their heads drowning in a sea of unknowns and what ifs.

 

I can’t express enough how much I enjoyed this book. Throw in a love triangle, a zany political crew, topped with a grumpy vs. sunshine aura and you have a wonderful romance that keeps you thinking, smiling, and hoping that no matter what, everything will work out in the end.

[Jeff Sexton]

Almost A Texas-Based The American President. Mostly in overall tone, and with this one being in some instances both funnier and more poignant than even that classic movie - though far from its extremely quotable climactic speech - if you enjoyed that movie, you're very likely to enjoy this book. In both, you get a lot of Democrat-heavy politics, so if that is a major turn off for you - either because of the specific politics or because you don't like real-world politics in your fiction, particularly your romantic fiction, generally - ummm... this may not be the book for you. If you *do* enjoy Democrat politics but want your Democrat politicians to be shown as near John Galt mythic heroes... eh... you're going to be disappointed here, as both of our leads are shown to be very flawed people who happen to meet and fall in love in the middle of an intense campaign. And speaking of the campaign itself, this was actually a remarkably solid look at the inside of campaigning in America today, for all its positives *and* negatives, so there is that - but again, if you're reading for more pure escapism... that may not be what you want.

Overall the book used its near 400 page length well, showing both a slow burn "fake" romance *and* the various political escapades quite solidly, while allowing several secondary characters various chances to shine as well. All told, this is a solid story for what it is that may not be what everyone wants, but there is nothing technically wrong with what it is. Very much recommended.