If you’ve been following me at all, you know I’m a big fan of Kelley Armstrong‘s. In fact, she’s usually the writer I read to change it up and not read a light, funny romantic comedy (which is what I tend to pick up more than anything). When I saw that she was writing a romance, I was both excited—because she’s one of my favourite authors—and scared, because what if this is *the* book of hers that I didn’t enjoy? But nevertheless, the premise had me wanting more, so I took the leap of faith.

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…

I’m happy to report that Kelley Armstrong’s foray into romantic comedies was a success…at least as far as I was concerned. The characters were likeable, the premise felt fresh to me—and there was no murder in sight! I don’t know how Armstrong writes at the pace that she does, but I’m glad she can, because I enjoy what she’s putting out in the world.

What didn’t work for me

The miscommunication trope: I’ve been reading more and more books lately that veer away from this, which has been refreshing, but I get so frustrated when characters just don’t talk to each other before doing something dramatic and over the top. There were many other ways we could have introduced conflict between Daphne and Chris just by their situation.

What I liked

The Yukon: Armstrong is Canadian (as am I!), and I always love it when a Canadian reference makes its way into her books. Having Daphne live in the Yukon is a really great shoutout to a territory that is often forgotten in our country, and it makes me want to go there even more.

The inside baseball of the publishing industry: I work in publishing, but my world is magazines and I always love when I get to learn more about what my life would have been like if I chose to edit books instead of articles. I loved that we got to see the PR process and the book tour and all of those things we don’t generally consider when we’re thinking about an author writing a book.

The strong female character: Daphne is a badass. Although she’s not super comfortable speaking in front of people (fair enough!), she knows how to survive in the wild by herself. I like that we position her against Chris, who has his strengths as well, but that when it comes to things like chopping wood or fending off a bear, she takes the lead, and he isn’t threatened by it at all.

4.5 STARS

“Do I believe in magic? I’d say no, and yet I’m walking in a world that existed over a hundred years before I was born. What is that, if not magic?” —Kelley Armstrong, Finding Mr. Write

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.