BarrettThe name’s Barrett Callahan. Yeah, that Barrett Callahan—the one the press dubbed “Bare” after those naked sexting pictures surfaced. At twenty-seven, I was armed with an MBA from Harvard, an executive position at my father’s Fortune 500 company, a penthouse, and a different piece of delectable eye candy in my bed every weekend. I had a life most men dreamed of. But then my father decided … father decided to run for president, and my playboy lifestyle became a liability to his campaign that was built on family values. My “makeover” comes in the form of a fake fiancée who I don’t even get to choose–one who is an uptight, choirgirl acting priss but also sexy-as-hell.
Addison
My latest relationship had gone down in flames, and I was drowning in a sea of student loans when in true Godfather status, James Callahan made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. Seven figures for seven months on the campaign trail pretending to be the adoring fiancée of his son, Barrett. As soon as he won the election, our engagement would be dissolved amicably for the press, I was free to ride off into the sunset a million dollars richer, and because of the NDA, no one would be the wiser. Sure, I’d never met the guy, but I’d been a theater nerd in high school. I could pull off any role from Lady Macbeth to Maria Von Trapp. But that was before I met my fake fiancé—the infuriating, self-absorbed, egotistical, drop-dead-sexy King of the Manwhores.
The race will be a fight to the death finish, and that’s not even the actual campaign.
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I enjoyed this book, liked the detail the author went into to make the story plausible. But my big complaint with this book as a speedreader was all the huge typos. It is a real turn off to have to go back and have to try and decipher what the author is trying to say. I’m assuming this was not the author’s fault since her bio at the end shows a strong background in english. This was the first and probably last time I read this author because of how bad the typing was.
NO SPOILERS!
Running Mate was a sexy, funny, and entertaining standalone political romance, and I absolutely loved it! The storyline and characters were amazing, and I loved Katie Ashley’s writing style. Running Mate has definitely been one of my favorite books from this author so far, and I can’t wait to read more!
Barrett Callahan and Addison Monroe were wonderful, and I loved them and their story so much. I loved their personalities and red-hot chemistry together, and how their relationship progressed for the most part. I loved reading the book from both Barrett and Addison’s POV, and nearly all of their banter and interactions with each other. The back and forth between them was nothing short of entertaining, and very reminiscent of enemies to lovers. I’m a huge fan of the political romance trope, and Running Mate certainly didn’t disappoint. There were some places where I would’ve loved a little more depth and detail, especially between Barrett and Addison, but it was still intriguing and entertaining from beginning to end. I also really loved the secondary characters, and enjoyed their addition to the story. The conclusion to Barrett and Addison’s story was phenomenal and made me so freaking happy. Katie Ashley definitely blew me away.
Running Mate was a sexy, humorous, and addicting standalone political romance, and I would highly recommend it! Katie Ashley did a fantastic job with this book, and I was more than pleased with the outcome to Barrett and Addison’s story. I have dearly loved each and every book that I’ve read from Katie Ashley so far, and I’m so excited to devour more!
Barrett and Addison had so much chemistry in this hot political romance story. This is a light hearted and easy read. The premise of this story is one of my favorites. I love it when two are forced together to fake their relationship and then end up falling in love. The story flow is amazing and I couldn’t get enough of these two. LOVED IT!
Barrett and Addison are running together towards something extraordinary! Nothing could quite prepare Addison for the proposition she got when she entered campaign headquarters that fateful day. Never in a million years would she have expected that when she offered to do anything to help James Callahan’s Presidential Bid that they would ask her to be James playboy son’s fake fiancée to help clean up his image. Barrett Callahan is very thing and nothing like she expected rolled in on one delicious tempting package. If you were to ask Barrett he would loudly and proudly proclaim he loved his life. Too bad his life apparently is poison to his father’s campaign. When they come to him with a plan to try and clean up his image he knows he has to go along with it for his father. Addison is saucy and sexy and completely everything he never knew he needed or wanted. When the lines of fake and real blur, he knows he can’t let her go, but can he convince her this leopard has changed his spots.
Barrett and Addison …this is their story.
Barrett Callahan is our quintessential player. He is always looking for the next woman that will scratch his itch. He is honest with them and is sure that they don’t expect a real relationship from him. His father is running for President and dear old dad needs to tie up a few loose ends…namely Barrett’s sexual escapades. Dad comes up with a great plan.
Addison is a sweet, smart , savvy young woman that has been working indirectly with Mr. Barrett on his campaign . When she is one day whisked away in the private limo to meet Mr. Barrett. She is certain that she is being fired. Little did she know he has an offer that she cannot refuse.
What happens when two strangers are thrown together for the good of a campaign and expected to get along not only be civil but pretend to be a couple?
Addison and Barrett have an immediate attraction but as soon as he opens his mouth she realizes this egotistical playboy is going to give her trouble. Barrett soon realizes that not only does Ms. Addison have beauty but brains and she will not succumb to his suave playboy tactics .
I loved the chemistry between them and the fabulously witty banter even when they disagreed and oh my did they disagree!
Loved Running Mate !
Provided with an ARC for an Honest review !
~~Michele McMullen ~~
Loved Barrett and Addison’s fake fiancé story. Great characters, great story line, fast paced and a great HEA.
Okay, I really enjoyed this story, more than I thought I would. I loved that Addison was so passionate about supporting her candidate for all the right reasons. I loved her background, it added to her personality without any drama. I loved the relationship she had with her brother and I loved that bit of awkwardness to her.
Barrett started off as so superficial, but discovers so much about himself when he chooses to support his father on the campaign trail. He is a good son. A good person. A good partner for Addison. There were a few laughs, some very tender moments, a bit of heat, and a good story.
In this fake girlfriend romance, the main characters both come across as a bit over the top. The hero is a playboy. The heroine is a political worker for his father who is running for Senate. Her job is to keep his son on the straight and narrow until the election. Plenty of banter and ribbing to keep it light. I had a little trouble understanding the Senator’s son’s behavior which seemed to fluctuate from wild to extreme control, and I agree there were some editing issues. But if you like a fun romance, you will enjoy this one.
2,5 stars
(I found it very hard to rate this book because although I enjoyed the story itself very much, the editing in this book was not good, it really distracted me the whole thing that I was reading the story. I have to admit that the desire to go looking for a red pen during my read was very strong. I don’t mind a few writing errors in my stories, no one is perfect but here it was really bad, I was really disappointed by it, especially because I liked the story. So I will rate this book less for it.)
‘Running mate’ is the first book that I read from the writer Katie Ashley. Although I wasn’t really in the mood to read a story about a manwhore, I still decided to read it because it looked like a light-hearted and fun book and I was right. I really liked Addison, she was a great character, she was intelligent, sassy, loyal, friendly but strict when needed (especially with Barrett) and I liked that. And yes, she was a bit clumsy sometimes but that was part of her charm.
Where, Addison was someone that I liked from the beginning, I can’t say the same for Barrett’s character. He was really a playboy at the beginning of the book but during the story he changed and my opinion of him changed too and I started to like him more and more. He went from a playboy who liked to party a lot to a man who discovers love for the first time. I can understand why Addison felt for him, even with his bad reputation. The man he showed the world was really different than the man he was inside. I really liked the banter between Addison and Barrett.
The build-up of the story was good, the writer really took her time to let the feelings grew between the couple. The story was told from both POV’s and there was no cheating in it. The story had a few little things in it that I didn’t expect and I loved that.
Like I said in the beginning ‘Running mate’ was a great story but the bad editing took a lot of the fun out of it and left me more frustrated than relaxed when I finished it. I was very sorry about that.
A smart, funny fast paced political romance!
Barrett and Addison …this is their story.
Barrett Callahan is our quintessential player. He is always looking for the next woman that will scratch his itch. He is honest with them and is sure that they don’t expect a real relationship from him. His father is running for President and dear old dad needs to tie up a few loose ends…namely Barrett’s sexual escapades. Dad comes up with a great plan.
Addison is a sweet, smart , savvy young woman that has been working indirectly with Mr. Barrett on his campaign . When she is one day whisked away in the private limo to meet Mr. Barrett. She is certain that she is being fired. Little did she know he has an offer that she cannot refuse.
What happens when two strangers are thrown together for the good of a campaign and expected to get along not only be civil but pretend to be a couple?
Addison and Barrett have an immediate attraction but as soon as he opens his mouth she realizes this egotistical playboy is going to give her trouble. Barrett soon realizes that not only does Ms. Addison have beauty but brains and she will not succumb to his suave playboy tactics .
I loved the chemistry between them and the fabulously witty banter even when they disagreed and oh my did they disagree!
Loved Running Mate !
Provided with an ARC for an Honest review !
~~Michele McMullen ~~
4.5+ stars
Addison Monroe just got an unexpected proposition from her boss, who is also a Senator trying to secure a presidential nomination. He needs her to help clean up his son’s image. And to do that he and his advisers think it will take drastic measures…like pretend to be engaged for the remainder of the campaign kind of drastic. It seems like a manageable deal–a little make-believe, a pay out, some social media attention, but ultimately helping out the Senator she believes in.
But then she meets Barrett Callahan…also dubbed “Bare” for some explicit pics that once got leaked online. Her first impression of him is far from favorable. She sees him as not only a womanizing manwhore, but also an egocentric, cocky, unfiltered neanderthal. Their banter is far from friendly and leans more toward antagonistic. They taunt, tease, and provoke. But they’ve got a job to do and a fairy tale love story to fake.
It drives Barrett even more crazy that he cannot seem to charm her and that she seems to be repulsed by him. That is new for a man who is used to being fawned over and pursued. She is independent and does not want to rely on anyone for help. She puts up resistance for most things Barrett suggests. But as they spend more time together on the campaign trail, they begin to start seeing more good points than bad points in each other and even develop a friendship. But they also have a simmering attraction and underlying feelings that they have been afraid to admit even to themselves.
But what happens when lines get blurry or crossed? How much is fake and how much is real?
I liked seeing the softer side of Barrett’s personality and feelings slowly evolve throughout. He has his own insecurities and vulnerability under that cocky facade. He has a real protective streak and a good heart. He is also a man of decision who knows what he wants and says what is on his mind. He challenges her and pushes her out of her comfort zone often. And she is a good match for him by pushing back at him and keeping him on his toes. But she can also be tough and stubborn, and her trust issues plague her. She can get stuck in her own head, and sometimes talks herself right out of things. So they both have a lot to learn about what they truly want and need. But they are living their lives at a stressful pace, in tight spaces, with the media watching. So there is no room for error or excessive drama. But part of the problem of living in the spotlight among wealth and excess, it is sometimes hard to see what is illusion and what is real.
Does Barrett have the capacity to truly change? Will their pasts keep her from believing he even has potential to?
It comes down to either fighting fears or fighting for love. What will it be?
I liked the side characters of Ty, Evan, Bernie, The Senator, and his wife. I was thrilled to see a few old friends in a cameo. The campaign caravan was a fun backdrop and I enjoyed going along with them during the experience. This was humorous, but also emotional. passionate, and heartfelt. It had enough tension, drama, and angst to make it interesting, but it was not overdone. And in these times where politics are volatile, it makes me wish that a candidate like James Callahan and his family truly existed.
I was gifted a copy in exchange for an honest review.