I know it feels like I basically only read Kelley Armstrong these days…and you wouldn’t be wrong. I’m not sure how she churns out so many books in a year, but I love it, and I hope she keeps the books coming at this breakneck pace. Heck, I even just finished the first book in her Rockton series, and I didn’t even review it because I thought you guys might be sick of me praising Armstrong over and over again, but I can’t help that she’s my favourite writer. Her latest, Writing Mr. Wrong, is another romcom of hers and though I’m slightly more invested in the A Rip Through Time series; I’m very into this as well.

Gemma hasn’t written in years, but post-divorce, she dove back into writing romance. When her proposal didn’t sell, she became convinced it was because no one wanted her nice-guy heroes and decided to write an absolute Mr. Wrong…based on her first crush, Mason Moretti, now a star hockey player. She’s sure no one will make the connection between her highland laird and an NHL enforcer. Of course, someone does, and her secret is out. 

Mason is going through some drama of his own as an aging hockey player, and when his “reunion-cute” with Gemma goes viral, he proposes some media-worthy fake dating to help her book. Which is so sweet and not at all to help solve his own image problem. Gemma reluctantly agrees. Mason convinces Gemma to go away with him so she can finish her overdue second book while giving him anti-asshole lessons. And if he really just wants to get time away with her, that’s not a bad move, right? Or is it? 

I loved this story. I think I liked Finding Mr. Write a little bit better, but I think that mostly came down to Daphne being such a badass main female character. As with anything with Kelley Armstrong, I highly recommend this one!

What didn’t work for me

The “make me better” trope: I’m not sure if it’s because I just read a book that had this exact same trope (which I’m learning I’m not a fan of), but I feel like it could have just been the fake dating thing—giving Gemma a chance to write in peace—without the extra “fix me” piece. He really wasn’t a bad guy before; just a single, rich guy who didn’t have his priorities straight.

Ties to Finding Mr. Write: This is probably a bit petty of me, and very, very minor, but I loved that we got to hear from Daphne (the main character in Finding Mr. Write), but I wish we had also heard from Chris, who is actually Gemma’s brother.

Spice factor: This was very “fade to black,” which seems off-brand for Armstrong. I wish we could have gotten to see a little bit more of Gemma and Mason’s more intimate relationship.

What I liked

Fake dating: I always love a fake dating trope. And this was kind of close proximity as well. I love that they both got something out of it and that they were mature about it.

Character ages: Speaking of being mature, I’m loving that these characters are in their mid-30s, so the story seems more plausible. Gemma is divorced, and she learned a lot about herself in that relationship—which she brings into her relationship with Mason…and it shows some real growth. Plus, both characters had kick-ass grandmothers who brought something awesome to the story as well.

Hockey: Call it the Canadian in me, but I love that this is a hockey story without being one of those stereotypical puck-bunny romance stories. Sure, Mason played hockey and it was a large part of his life, but it wasn’t his whole life and it just happened to be his profession.

4 STARS

“Mason could be an asshole. The problem was, even when Mason was being an asshole, he did it in a way that wasn’t cruel. It was… Her mother called him careless, and that was it exactly. He didn’t hurt others because he was an asshole. He hurt them because he was careless.” —Kelley Armstrong, Writing Mr. Wrong

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