Book Boyfriend by Claire Kingsley

Narrated by Stephan Dexter and Maxine Mitchell

Standalone 1st in a series of related. Romantic Comedy.

Oh, how I enjoy books that give a nod to Romancelandia! The book world is basically my life. Most of my friends are fellow romance lovers, and I have been blogging for over 7 years. So when I saw a book about a book blogger that uses a pseudonym, I was thrilled! It was even more relatable than most. I didn’t even last a year using a fake name (so if someone googled my son, the musician, they wouldn’t find his mom’s dirty book reviews, but I just can’t lie), so it was fun to read about someone doing it successfully.

“I’m struck by the fact that he doesn’t seem put off by what I read. I’m so used to people scoffing at me when they find out what kinds of books I love—as if reading romance means I’m not a serious reader, because it isn’t real literature. But I don’t get that vibe from him at all.”

Mia and Alex are friends online, only they don’t know it. Mia is a book blogger named “Bookworm Babe” or “BB” for short. Alex has been writing with a female name and has kept his identity a secret. He wanted to write Sci-Fi, but with his father’s medical bills piling up, his sister suggested writing romance. With every penny going to his dad’s care, he couldn’t risk anyone finding out he is really a guy. He became very friendly with Mia online under his fake female persona, and she talked about everything with him.

“I literally ran into him by random chance, and every day since has been like a waking dream. He’s everything. No writer could have come close to creating a hero so perfect for me.”

When Mia was at a bookstore and a gorgeous guy offered to buy her books for her, how could she resist? How much more perfect could a guy get?

“You’re right out of a book. Gorgeous and sexy. Romantic. Fun. I joked for years that all my book boyfriends ruined me for real men, but you give those fictional guys a run for their money.”

Alex tried to stay away, but they were perfect for one another. He tried to do the right thing for the most part, but the right thing would have been TO TELL THE TRUTH! But then again, we needed a little conflict in this super sweet book.

Likes:

So, so relatable! Every book blogger and romance reader will relate.
Drops 3rd wall and speaks to the reader. I love that.
I giggled out loud numerous times.
Unique and fun.
I liked all the characters.
All the bookish references.
A great cat.

Dislikes:

I hate dishonesty and felt it went on way too long.
It was a bit on the cheesy and cliche side, but I still had a great time.

The Narration:

It was nice to have some new narrators for a change! Stephan Dexter and Maxine Mitchell did a fantastic job with the narration, and they had great comedic timing. I like his male and female voices which isn’t that common for me. Maxine sometimes made Mia a bit grim for her character, which is kind of light, awkward and clumsy—that just didn’t come through that well in audio.

The Down & Dirty:

Book Boyfriend is a must read for book bloggers, authors, and people really involved in the romance book world. It was fun, fresh and relatable. It made me laugh out loud and swoon. while there was a bit too much “withholding the truth” for me, I still recommend it highly and look forward to more from Claire Kingsley.