Thom is a cutthroat political consultant for the Governor of California who is on the verge of announcing her presidential campaign. So when a journalist snaps a photo of Thom in the midst of a heated argument with Clay, the smug data analyst, the reaction is not what they expected. The photo goes viral because it looks like they’re kissing, and the Governor wants them to lean into this to secure the Liberal vote. Thom couldn’t think of a worse way to spend his time, having to be in a fake relationship with the guy he can’t stand – but his political ambitions outweigh his hesitation at pretending he’s now into guys.
For fans of Boyfriend Material and Red, White & Royal Blue – this book felt very much in the same vein as those two books. The two protagonists are both hard to like in their own ways, surrounded by a political environment setting which make for a cast of characters which are all pretty cutthroat and out for political gain.
Admittedly, while I was really pulled in by the premise, I was a bit unsure how this would play out once I started reading the beginning. That’s because it’s made very clear in the first chapter that Thom dates women, so then knowing that and now reading the premise again, I was nervous about how this would be handled with him pretending to now be gay. I obviously can’t speak for how others feel on this, but personally – while there was one comment made about it – it wasn’t really ever mentioned again and, yes, that could be good that his sexuality isn’t made into a big deal, but also feels odd that nobody makes any comment about this sudden change given the pace of the fake relationship.
That being said though, the fake relationship/enemies-to-lovers trope worked for this story. There’s a lot of tension and fighting the inevitable, with some really sweet (begrudgingly, from Thom’s POV) endearing moments as well as some steamy ones too. I kept waiting for a certain shoe to drop to be the “thing” that derails the couple (to allow for them to find each other again – like all good romance novel story cadences) but it didn’t end up playing out that way which I’m surprised about but also not mad about either. While I wish there may have been a tad more growth in the characters, the coldness of Thom makes for some sweet moments – in his own way.
Overall it was an entertaining read, and great for readers who are looking for an LGBTQ contemporary romance. Bonus if you’re also a political junkie and love that type of setting for a story!
Review: ★ ★ ★ ☆ (3.5 /5 stars)
Available: April 26, 2022
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A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for this blog tour in exchange for an honest review
JUST A LIL LOST 