Josh Stone is a divorced, single father, garage owner, and ladies' man when he finds the time. When he agrees to pose as his best friend Nicky's gay boyfriend for a romance writer's convention, he has no idea how it is going to affect his life.

First of all they aren't gay.  Nicky needs Josh to help perpetuate his image that he has created to go along with his pen name and to protect him from legions of female fans and a group of groping author ladies.

Josh was a rough talking alpha who also was an awesome dad, son and friend. He loved those close to him fiercely. I loved his interactions with his young son...they just melted my heart. And he was such a Mama's boy and he was a really good friend to do all he did for Nicky. His relationships with his friends from the garage were hilarious but you could also tell how much of a family they were. His adventures in the writing world were funny showing off some of the stereotypes and general fandom craziness. It was interesting to see his reactions to LeeLee as she got to him like no other woman had before. 

LeeLee was a bit of an enigma. She could be shy and unsure, and feisty and tough. Se had fears and insecurities and hid behind facades as needed. But she had an underlying passion and intensity about her. She had been burned in the past and was scared of getting hurt again. 

"You are everything I want and nothing I can have."

Together they were in a big mess and under a microscope. They should have been off limits, but found resistance futile. Their chemistry was off the charts. But there were plenty of eyes on them. 

Is their connection strong enough to survive all of the lies?

This was told in Josh's point of view and his rough, country boy, macho voice. The writing style is a little different..funny, course, quirky, and a no nonsense style. At times I had a hard time with the pacing of the story. It seemed  a bit long and dragged in places and went fast in others. I liked the characters, but sometimes shook my head at their actions and was not sure that the actions made sense with the plot going on. If I had been LeeLee I think I probably would have run for the hills due to  all of the questionable situations surrounding him. It was humorous, entertaining, and had a whole lot of craziness, but there were also some sweet, sexy, and romantic moments too.  And even though it was not perfect, I realize thinking back what a fondness I have developed for these characters. The next book was teased in this one and will be called Love in the Fast Lane and will be Nicky and Cat's story. I think Nicky has his work cut out for him.

This is what I was hoping for when I read that one of the characters was an author and the book took place at a writers’ conference. It had a great mix of humorous situations, chemistry, and emotion. 

Josh Stone is content with his routine. He runs his garage, takes care of his son, and once a week lets loose with a random woman while his mom watches his kid for the night. When he agrees to attend a writers’ conference pretending to be his best friend’s gay lover, he has no idea he will also meet a woman who makes him consider changing everything about his current set-up. 

Leelee Songchild is a newbie among the writers at the conference. She is celebrating the success of her first self-published new adult novel, even as she recovers from the heartbreak of having her fiance leave her for a man. She is shy and quiet at times, but at others she is confident and strong. 

They fall in a bit of insta-love, though they do mask and fight those feelings because of the rouse Josh is playing. Leelee thinks the hot man who keeps coming to her rescue is the gay boyfriend of her fellow writer and Josh does his best to hide his attraction to her. Because the story is told from Josh’s POV, we get a good look at the struggles he attempts in order to keep his friend’s secret while trying to get to know Leelee. 

The conference setting was perfect for the charades that ensue as Stone and Leelee meet and begin learning more about each other. Some of the situations were a little over the top, but they kept with the conference vibe and the characters introduced to run the conference fit that over the top bill as well. 

Nick, JJ, and Gigi were great side characters that will hopefully continue in future books. I loved the interaction between Josh and JJ, even when it was just over the phone, and Josh is a serious mama’s boy with a fantastic mama. Nick has a teaser chapter at the end, as his is the next book, and it is a great little glimpse at what he’s in store for. 

This was a funny, quirky book with characters that were easy to love. From start to finish, it was exactly what I was hoping for based on the synopsis alone. A little bit of funny and a good bit of emotional appeal.

I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.