About the Book:
Lee Stone is a twenty-first-century woman: she kicks butt at her job as a communications director at a women-run electric car company (that’s better than Tesla, thank you) and after work she is “Stoner,” drinking guys under the table and never letting any of them get too comfortable in her bed…
That’s because Lee’s learned one big lesson: never trust love. After four major heartbreaks set her straight, from her father cheating on her mom all the way to Ben Laderman in grad school—who wasn’t actually cheating, but she could have sworn he was, so she reciprocated in kind.
Then Ben shows up five years later, working as a policy expert for the most liberal governor in Texas history, just as Lee is trying to get a clean energy bill rolling. Things get complicated—and competitive as Lee and Ben are forced to work together. Tension builds just as old sparks reignite, fanning the flames for a romantic dustup the size of Texas.
My Review:
Ashley Winstead proves that she can write in every genre! She wrote the unputdownable thriller ‘In My Dreams I Hold a Knife’ and now does a pivot to contemporary romance in the fabulous ‘Fool Me Once.’
Messy main characters, Texas state politics, green energy vs. big oil and a strong female protagonist all come together perfectly in this laugh-out-loud romantic comedy. I love when an author writes something fresh and exciting and that’s exactly what Ms. Winstead has done with Lee and Ben.
Lee Stone is a smart, ambitious executive at a female-owned electric car company that doesn’t quite get the recognition that Tesla does. Lee is determined to change that. She is given the task of helping pass legislation in the state of Texas that will not only be environmentally friendly, it will be a huge boost to her company. Lee has sworn off any kind of meaningful romantic relationship.
Lee gets the shock of her life when she suddenly discovers that her old law school boyfriend Ben Laderman is the Texas Governor’s new policy aide. Will they be able to work together to pass the new legislation?
This all might sound a little trite but I promise that the author perfectly reveals both Lee and Ben’s vulnerability and carefully builds up the tension between the two. Their chemistry and their banter is believable and realistic and very, very funny.
I am usually bored with books in the romantic comedy genre but I adored ‘Fool Me Once’. The author isn’t afraid to write about contemporary political issues and it all worked perfectly here. And can I talk about the Prologue? FINALLY a romance that doesn’t end up with the heroine pregnant and married! THANK YOU MS. WINSTEAD!
If you love contemporary romance that features an intelligent, ambitious heroine and a hero that looks like Clark Kent (not Superman!), then I highly recommend this book. It was a total delight from beginning to end.
(Thank you to the publisher for providing a digital review copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)