Book Nerds Across America

Wanted:
One (fake) boyfriend
Practically perfect in every way

Luc O'Donnell is tangentially--and reluctantly--famous. His rock star parents split when he was young, and the father he's never met spent the next twenty years cruising in and out of rehab. Now that his dad's making a comeback, Luc's back in the public eye, and one compromising photo is enough to ruin everything.

To clean up his image, Luc has to find a nice, normal relationship...and Oliver Blackwood is as nice and normal as they come. He's a barrister, an ethical vegetarian, and he's never inspired a moment of scandal in his life. In other words: perfect boyfriend material. Unfortunately, apart from being gay, single, and really, really in need of a date for a big event, Luc and Oliver have nothing in common. So they strike a deal to be publicity-friendly (fake) boyfriends until the dust has settled. Then they can go their separate ways and pretend it never happened.

But the thing about fake-dating is that it can feel a lot like real-dating. And that's when you get used to someone. Start falling for them. Don't ever want to let them go.

Tee's Review:

First of all, I am not a big romance reader, but I loved Boyfriend Material...like..I. REALLY. LOVED.THIS.BOOK. It is a typical romance book troupe..someone needs a boyfriend so they go for a fake one, except Alexis Hall has breathed so much wit and humor into it that it doesn't feel " done before "

Luc O'Donnell is the son of an aging rock star who walked out on him and his mother when he was three. The press love to follow Luc about, putting anything he does, mostly wrongly, into the tabloids. He works for an environmental charity who thinks he needs to change his image by being seen with someone stable and suitable and suggests he get a boyfriend who meets those qualifications, even if he is fake. He has to raise his image by the time he puts together the charity's annual fundraising ball or be fired.

Enter Oliver Blackwell, a stuffy uptight Barrister that Luc's friend sets him up with. They have had run-ins in the past and know that there is no chance for a real relationship between them, but Oliver also needs a date to his parent's big anniversary party. The two of them strike a deal, they will be fake boyfriends until the charity ball and the anniversary party is over then they will go their separate ways.

I loved Luc, heck I wish I had a boyfriend like him ( never mind that I am married and he is gay ) His character was a complete disaster at everything in his life, but oh so adorable..oh and snarky...I loved his wit and snark. I found myself getting dirty looks as I laid in bed with my husband as he watched reruns of The Soprano's and I would laugh at loud while reading the antics that Luc found himself in and the comments he would throw out during them. He has no self-confidence...AT ALL..yet he often makes jokes about his mishaps and his " extremely low standards " when it comes to dating.

I also liked Oliver, he had a lot of good qualities, he was protective and thoughtful, but at times he was a bit annoying and stuffy, but the guy was dealing with his own set of problems that made him undateable. The one thing that the author did really well was the writing of the supporting secondary characters. They did such a good job with them that my second favorite character in the book happened to be one of them, Alex a co-worker of Luc's.

I don't know if any of you have read any of the PG Wodehouse Jeeves books or watched Jeeves and Wooster with Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, but anytime Alex opened his mouth all I could think of was the bumbling Bertie Wooster, who has always been a favorite book and TV character of mine.

Boyfriend Material is a quick read, mostly because you can not bear to put it down, Luc's mishaps keep you wanting to know what happens next. While the book is choked full of snarky British humor, and chemistry which Luc and Oliver certainly have is also touches on more serious topics such as self-worth and trust.

If all romance stories were written with the wit, romance, and feels of Boyfriend Material, I think a lot more of us would be reading them!

( Galley received from Netgalley for review )