#1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong delivers a fun romantic comedy about a woman writing under a male pseudonym and the man she hires to play the role in public. Daphne McFadden already knows that as a female author, the cards are stacked against her. Now she knows just how much. Because her sudden whim to pose as an “outdoorsy hunk of masculinity” male author for her new book just resulted in the unthinkable: a bidding war, a huge book deal, and the kind of fame every author dreams of. Now she’s in big trouble. Because she needs to convince the world that Zane Remington actually exists . . . but how? By hiring an actor, of course. Only Chris Stanton is not an actor—not officially. He’s used to balancing the books, not pretending he wrote one. Still, he’s mostly certain he can pose as some overly macho bro-author. But when the media descend on Daphne’s gorgeous remote home in the Yukon, it’s not enough for Chris to just be the face of Zane Remington—he’ll have to become him. All while hilariously balancing the terrifying dangers of the wilderness, a massive femme fandom, and a serious crush on Daphne. But as the hype circus gets more out of control, it’s just a matter of time before someone discovers their little write lie . . .
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A cute, fast-paced romcom set in a wildly successful book tour.
The premise of a female author hiring an actor to represent her male pseudonym is a fun one. The pairing of Daphne and Chris felt fresh to me. I feel like it's rare for the guy to be the one playing dumb for attention, and that role reversal continues with his city-boy-meets-wilderness, sunshine-y, baker persona. I could easily see this book working as a hallmark movie. It's dual perspective, with POV switches through the chapter. POV's are labeled by name which felt a little jarring to me but might be helpful for people who struggle with third person perspectives.
The plot relies heavily on the miscommunication trope, so if that's something that bothers you I'd skip this one. A lot of the conflict later in the book could have been avoided if the two characters had sat and discussed things. In general there's a real lack of show-don't-tell. The pacing moves quick because a lot of conversations are summarized as one character explaining (insert topic) to another. It can feel a little montage-y at times and I found myself wishing the reader was let in on those moments, especially the ones that emotionally progress the relationship. Because of this I didn't really feel the chemistry between the two.
Overall, Chris felt like the main character to me. We get the most background on him early on and we spend more time with him processing events and emotions than we do with Daphne. Daphne really feels boiled down to her career as a writer, her former role as her mother's caretaker, and her past relationship trauma. You don't find out that she's also an architect until 30% into the book, which feels very late for basic info on the character I expected to relate to at most.
The book is amusing, with clearly defined stakes and low stress. It would make a good easy-to-read vacation book that you can pick up and put down as needed without feeling like you're losing your momentum.
