Alexis Stone is a shy elementary school librarian and younger sister of Texas State Senator Lee Stone. After her boyfriend dumps her for being “too meek and boring in bed,” she decides that she needs to reinvent herself into a more bold and adventurous Alexis. So she ventures out to achieve her first one-night-stand. While on her mission, she meets a beautiful and rugged stranger who fits the bill. After a night of chatting and drinking, Alexis is ready to accomplish her goal. However, it doesn’t go quite as planned. Before she knows it, she’s in photos all over the internet with none other than Logan Arthur, the young contender for the Texas governor’s seat. The Boyfriend Candidate by Ashley WInstead is a new take on the fake-dating trope in which both characters get more than they ever thought possible when they reach for their dreams and further discover themselves in the process. 

Alexis and Logan’s night is cut short by an electrical fire, and while rushing to safety, spectators with cameras catch them in a compromising position. Logan flees the scene, and Alexis is left confused. That is, until the next morning when she realizes who he is. Now trying to do damage control to Logan’s reputation ahead of the election, his campaign staff comes up with a solution. They all pretend that he and Alexis are in a relationship to avoid a scandal. Considering that Alexis doesn’t want to put her job at risk either, she agrees. But on the condition that she gets something out of it as well. Thus begins a series of events of carefully deceiving voters and the press until election day two months away. 

Now that Alexis is “officially” part of Logan’s campaign, she finds a way to use her position to address issues that she cares about. She wants to make a difference, and she leverages her agreement to push for increasing teachers’ wages and benefits in Texas. With the union and her coworkers behind her, along with her desire to live up to her sister’s expectations, she successfully integrates the cause among Logan’s priorities. As a result, she finds that she’s a natural in front of a crowd, taking cues from her sister’s experiences and her own passions. Not to mention spending a lot more time with Logan. She gets to know him as a person and not just a scheming partner and political candidate. 

But of course, the fake dating scenario is not without its complications in The Boyfriend Candidate. The pair has to set boundaries, and have agreed to publicly “break up” after the election. But Alexis can’t help but be attracted to the handsome hunk of man meat that Logan is. Even worse is that he has a sweet side that reveals itself under the surface as they spend more time together. And despite that Logan insists he isn’t interested in relationships due to his career ambitions, his affectionate gaze and actions give her mixed signals.

The Boyfriend Candidate is charming, heartfelt, and tantalizing when appropriate. Winstead exercises her talent for writing genres other than thriller (as evidenced by some of her previous works). Readers who finished Fool Me Once will recognize the book universe and will enjoy getting to know Alexis’s story. What I appreciate most is Alexis’s character development. She learns how to love and accept herself the way she is, rather than changing herself because of what she thinks others expect of her. That’s definitely a message that readers can get behind. Also, the chemistry between her and Logan is natural and believable. A failed one-night-stand turned fake-dating turned into something more is undoubtedly a fresh take on the romance tropes. Readers will pine for the moment they’re waiting for with each page. I honestly couldn’t put this one down until I finished. 

Ashley Winstead returns as a Cantina Conversation guest on The Nerd Cantina Show podcast. She talks about writing a standalone in an existing literary universe, along with challenges of writing romance vs. thriller. Keep an ear out for the interview and preorder The Boyfriend Candidate, available May 9.