A laugh-out-loud rom-com about learning to embrace living outside your comfort zone.
As a shy school librarian, Alexis Stone is comfortable keeping out of the spotlight. But when she’s dumped for being too meek—in bed!—she decides she needs to change. And what better way to kick-start her new more adventurous life than with her first one-night stand?
Enter Logan, the gorgeous, foul-mouthed stranger she meets at a hotel bar. Audacious and filterless, Logan is Alexis’s opposite—and boy, do opposites attract! Just as she’s about to fulfill her hookup wish, the hotel catches fire in a freak lightning storm. In their rush to escape, Logan is discovered carrying her into the street, where people are waiting with cameras. Cameras Logan promptly—and shockingly—flees.
Alexis is bewildered until suddenly pictures of her and Logan escaping the fire are all over the internet. Turns out Logan is none other than Logan Arthur, the hotshot candidate challenging the Texas governor’s seat. The salacious scandal is poised to sink his career—and jeopardize Alexis’s job—until a solution is proposed: he and Alexis could pretend to be in a relationship until election day…in two months. What could possibly go wrong?
Praise for The Boyfriend Candidate
“The Boyfriend Candidate catches fire, sizzles throughout and then bursts into flames. Highly recommend!”
— ABBY JIMENEZ, New York Times bestselling author of Part of Your World
“The Boyfriend Candidate is everything I’ve ever wanted in a romance. Charming, swoony, and utterly unputdownable. I LOVE this book (and also Logan Arthur)!”
— LYNN PAINTER, New York Times bestselling author of Better Than the Movies
“The Boyfriend Candidate is a romance worth rooting for: sexy and sweet, with characters that stay with you long after the last page. I couldn’t put it down.”
— KATE SPENCER, author of In a New York Minute
“Whether Ashley Winstead’s intent is to thrill her readers or romance them, she nails it every time. Heartfelt, brimming with swoon-worthy romantic moments, and packed with sharp humor, The Boyfriend Candidate dazzled me from start to finish.”
— MEREDITH SCHORR, author of As Seen on TV
“I devoured The Boyfriend Candidate in one sitting. Ashley Winstead effortlessly creates characters that are both flawed and lovable, and a romance that feels both heightened and real—plotted and paced like the master she is.”
— AVA WILDER, author of Will They or Won't They
“The Boyfriend Candidate is my favorite kind of romance: one where the couple learns to fall in love with themselves as much as they fall for each other.”
— RUBY BARRETT, author of The Romance Recipe
“An introverted children’s librarian and a modern-day reformed rake come together in The Boyfriend Candidate, a romance that’s simultaneously sexy and sensitive, brimming with keen humor, impeccable romantic tension, and a lively supporting cast. It’s a story about breaking rules, reclaiming control of our internal narratives, and having the courage to rewrite expectations for ourselves—and for love. Ashley Winstead has written my favorite kind of opposites-attract romance: the kind where the leads aren’t really opposites at all—they’re simply two different halves of the same whole.”
— JEN DEVON, author of Bend Toward the Sun
“I am feral for The Boyfriend Candidate. With delightful banter, steamy chemistry, and ridiculously yummy characters, this book is what fake-dating dreams are made of. Ashley Winstead once again proves she’s an absolute force in the rom-com genre, every book becoming a new favorite.”
— MAZEY EDDINGS, author of A Brush with Love
“Winstead brings both hilarity and heartfelt moments to this rousing rom-com…This is a winner.”
— PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, Starred Review
“This is a fast-paced, hard-to-put-down novel whose happily-ever-after isn’t what readers will expect; it’s better.”
— LIBRARY JOURNAL, Starred Review
“Fans of the fake-dating trope will love The Boyfriend Candidate, Ashley Winstead’s charming romcom…Told in Alexis’ fresh first-person voice, this heartwarming romance has both poignant introspection and a hero who sacrifices his dignity when faced with kittens and gerbils.”
— BOOKPAGE, Starred Review
“With a few steamy encounters and a ripped-from-the-headlines feel, The Boyfriend Candidate will appeal to fans of Lianne Moriarty…and anyone looking for a little more escapism in their political diet.”
— BOOKLIST
“The stuff of which Hallmark Channel Rom-Com movies are made, The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley Winstead is an original and fun read from cover to cover...unreservedly recommended.”
— MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW