Get ready for your next favorite romantic comedy, THE REAL DEAL, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Lauren Blakely! April Hamilton wants you to know she hasn’t been on GigsForHire since that time she sold her futon after college. She doesn’t even spend that much time online. And even if she did, she would not be looking up personal ads. But going home alone for her family’s summer reunion … going home alone for her family’s summer reunion is an invitation for every single relative to butt into her personal life. She simply can’t handle another blind date with the butcher, the baker or the candlestick maker from her hometown. So when she finds the GigsforHire ad for a boyfriend-for-hire, she’s ready to pay to play.
Heading Home and Need a Buffer? I’m the REAL DEAL.
Theo Banks has been running from the past for years. He’s this close to finally settling all his debts, and one more job as a boyfriend-for-hire will do the trick. He’s no gigolo. Please. He’s something of an actor, and he knows how to slip into any role, including pretending to be April’s new beau — the bad boy with the heart of gold.
Even if it means sleeping in close quarters in that tiny little bed in her parents’ inn. Even if it means spinning tales of a romance that starts to feel all too true. What neither one of them counts on is that amid the egg toss, the arm wrestling, and a fierce game of Lawn Twister that has them tangled up together, they might be feeling the real deal.
She only wanted to show her family once and for all that she had no need to settle down.
He didn’t expect to have the time of his life at her parent’s home.
They didn’t plan on loving every single second of the game.
But can a masterful game of pretend result in true love?
more
3.75 stars–THE REAL DEAL by Lauren Blakely is a contemporary, adult, stand alone, romantic comedy story line focusing on body painter April Hamilton, and twenty eight year old bartender Theo Banks.
Told from dual first person perspectives (April and Theo) THE REAL DEAL follows the fake relationship between twenty-eight year olds body painter April Hamilton, and bartender Theo Banks. April Hamilton dreads the annual family reunion where she will knowingly become the target of her mother and aunt’s need to play matchmaker to her self-imposed singlehood. Hoping to avoid said matchmaking April answers a Craigslist ad offering a boyfriend-for-hire, the perfect foil to the family busybodies. Enter bartender and ‘actor’ Theo Banks, the man with whom April will fall in love. What ensues is the fake to real relationship between April and Theo, and the fall-out as Theo’s past reveals more than he had hoped to tell.
Theo Banks is in desperate need of a financial infusion when his brother’s past comes looking for payment. A boyfriend for hire as finds our hero coming face to race with his future, a future that will all but be destroyed when his brother unknowingly reveals the truth. Theo doesn’t do relationships, and lets April know that the boyfriend for hire is only a platonic arrangement, a platonic arrangement that turns into something more.
The relationship between Theo and April is fun and flirty; sexy and sassy that continues to push the boundaries of their platonic arrangement. Theo and April compliment one another; work together as though they have known one another for a lifetime, and in the end the palpable sexual attraction cannot denied. The $ex scenes are passionate and seductive, without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
THE REAL DEAL is a fake romance trope; a passionate and heart warming story line of family, friendship, forgiveness and love. The premise is entertaining, engaging and fun; the romance is intimate; the characters are colorful and sassy. THE REAL DEAL is an enjoyable, inspiring and uplifting story line.
This is such wonderfully sweet, funny, touching and sexy story. April and Theo just make me so happy. They are both such awesome people and complex characters and absolutely perfect for each other!!April does not have any desire for a man in her life right now. Theo doesn’t do relationships. What he does do is hire himself out as a fake boyfriend to make some cash to pay a debt off for his brother. April hires him to go to her parents for their family reunion so no one tries to set her up. They get along great and have spectacular chemistry and have so much fun making up stories about their fake relationship. This should be easy, right? They can fool everyone, right? But can they fool their own hearts?
This storyline is amazing and different as are all of the secondary characters in the book! I enjoyed this book so much I am still smiling!!!
“Why did I think hiring a hottie would be easy?”
I’ve been a Lauren Blakely fan for a long time. She never fails to deliver with her special brand of sexy, sweet and sometimes silly but always wonderful. There’s nothing better than being able to indulge in one of her books, escaping into the delightful worlds she creates for me so perfectly that it feels like The Real Deal. She can usually inspire giggles and blushes, but this one, it’s so good that I did more than smile; I shed a tear while doing it…perfection.
I was really intrigued by this storyline. I found it amusing and I couldn’t wait to see how things played out between the bad-boy-boyfriend-for-hire and the good-girl-going-home for her nosy and interfering family’s reunion. At first, I thought her decision was a little extreme, until she laid it out for me, and then I was fully onboard the crazy train with her. After getting a taste of her meddling family I realized it was a matter of survival. But at the same time I kinda fell in love with them too.
The author tells the story in dual POV so I understood how Theo ended up with this unconventional career. I can tell you, it was torture knowing his secrets and being unable to whisper them in April’s ear. In spite of his unorthodox resume, it was very impressive. I confess, I was tempted to place a #SatisfactionGuaranteed order for some of his #ALaCarteOptions after reading the menu.
April is desperate but still cautious. He was referred to her by a good friend who trusted him. She knows he’s an actor playing a part and he’s just pretending. But that doesn’t mean he’s not too hot to handle. Because…that voice. It’s deep and gravelly and sexy as hell. His voice might get me pregnant. I better take birth control so I don’t conceive aurally.”
I loved every word on every page of this story. I can’t stop thinking about it and smiling like a dork. If you were to say #JustBecause or #DoYouRemember? I might just melt into a puddle on the floor, because I do remember…sigh. I want more Lauren Blakely, I’m addicted. The line forms here…
Yet another funny, sweet, and cute romance. I really enjoyed reading this book. I read it so fast and easily and was completely consumed by Theo and April. The Real Deal is everything you would expect from a Lauren Blakely book. Definitely love how she wrote this fake relationship.
Whenever I get a chance to read my favorite author, Lauren Blakely, I’m always crazy excited. The Real Deal is a legit fantastic romantic comedy. Fake boyfriend tropes are a good time waiting to happen. Full of funny, fake stories, sexual tension and finally an HEA I’ve been dying for. In the case of April and Theo, I was entranced by their chemistry from the get-go.
April needs a fake boyfriend for a family reunion. While her family keeps trying to set her with town locals to encourage her to move back home, she’s perfectly content living in the big city. Enter, Theo. A little bit of a bad boy with a past, he’s the perfect boyfriend-for-hire with a full menu of characters to chose from. He’s quite the catch.
As they attend the family reunion together, the family antics are hilarious. Never have I read such a FUN and competitive family reunion. What a BLAST!!
While The Real Deal is a ton of fun and torturous with a slow burn, it was a little darker in areas that I’m not used to seeing in LB’s books. Fans of Lauren Blakely will surely like this addition to their summer reading lists.
Theo and April were wonderful together! This book had all the things I love in a Lauren Blakely romance: a sweet and sexy hero, lots of witty dialogue, and a deliciously fun romantic journey. Perfect summer read.
Sweet, funny, swoon worthy, with a little heartache are just a few words that describe this heartwarming romantic comedy.
The Real Deal by Lauren Blakely is exactly that. April and Theo’s story will definitely give your emotions a roller-coaster kind of ride.
April is a young woman looking to prove to her family that she can make a successful living as an artist, if anything could ever be that easy. She hires a boyfriend for a weekend with her family.
Theo Banks is close to paying off his debts and putting his past behind him. One more job and hopefully all will be good, what he didn’t expect is April.
The Real Deal was a quick and fun read, loved it!!
For this romance reader, a new Lauren Blakely novel is like a breath of fresh air. I read a great deal, and while contemporary romance and romantic comedies are generally my favorites, I read many different genres and tropes of romantic fiction. Sometimes it’s a light and breezy read, sometimes it’s a dark and stormy one, and occasionally an emotionally turbulent story will find its way onto my Kindle. I can always count on a Blakely novel to bring me back to center, though, with an amusing plot, a sexy romance between a couple I can’t help but adore and a healthy dose of humor, and it’s precisely that consistency in her storytelling that brings me back to her work time and time again.
Blakely’s painstaking attention detail is my favorite part of her writing, though. Those little details that make two people a couple – the inside jokes, the ways in which they celebrate and acknowledge their budding romance and their love, and the things they do and say and the meaningful places they go. She masterfully blends all these things so vividly and creatively, resulting in a rich love story that not only the captivates the reader but also draws them right into the story. The thoughtfulness she pours into this element of developing her stories always translates into a thoroughly charming reading experience that never fails to endear her characters in the hearts and minds of her readers.
“He holds out a hand. I take it.”
Blakely’s spin on the boyfriend-for-hire trope in The Real Deal was witty, romantic, clever and so very sexy! Theo is gorgeous, smart, and a guy with a colorful past who really wants to leave that part of his life behind him. April was a successful, confident, sexy heroine, who just so happened to be on a dating diet when she hired Theo to play the part of her boyfriend at her family reunion. I loved her sassy nature and how effortlessly she just got Theo. Their whip-quick banter was entertaining and natural, and it was one of the things that made this couple’s whirlwind romance so believable. They were just so perfectly in sync.
“This is what it feels like to fall in love.”
My heart thumped excitedly, and my face practically ached from grinning as I read patiently while Theo and April danced around each other, trying to figure out what was real and what was part of the act. That delicious build-up, that should-we-could-we-what-are-we-doing-here back-and-forth is something Blakely does exceptionally well, and it was fantastically executed in The Real Deal. I was tapping my Kindle furiously as I gobbled this book up in anticipation of that delicious moment when they would finally give in to that attraction, those feelings and the sizzling chemistry between them. Blakely did not disappoint—that explosively sexy moment was well worth the wait!
“…it turned into something more. It turned into the real deal.”
The Real Deal was exactly what I hope for when I pick up a novel by Lauren Blakely. I adored these characters, I loved their story, and this book ticked off all my boxes for the perfect romcom. I smiled and swooned through every page, hoping right along with April and Theo for the chance to see this romance blossom. The Real Deal by Lauren Blakely gets five smooches from me!
April Hamilton is heading home for a family reunion, but she refuses to go alone. Ever since her fall from grace when she dated a married man who said he wasn’t married, her well-intentioned relatives have all banded together to set her up with someone nice. Unfortunately, their version of ‘nice’ means someone back home, taking April away from the city and away from her career. As well meaning as they are, they don’t understand her or her passion for her work. So going on this trip alone is a no-go. So what’s a girl to do?
Boyfriend-For-Hire
And that’s where Theo Banks comes in. Bartender by day, character actor by night (or day or afternoon, really any time you need him). His services come with a price and they are strictly platonic. A reformed grifter, he’s living his life on the straight and narrow. He’s got one debt left and he’s home free. And this gig with April is a win-win for both of them. He gives her the full fake boyfriend package, he gets paid. But what happens when the fake starts feeling more real than either of them have ever felt before?
I believe this was the cutest story I’ve ever read from Lauren Blakely. It was sweet and funny and heartwarming and romantic. These characters had instant chemistry and their banter and intimacy were both comfortable and natural. It was easy to like both of them and get on board with them finding their way to a real relationship. With a merry cast of side characters, this story was a delightful treat!
I think this is the first book that I have read by Lauren Blakely, and I won it from an online contest. After a sting of untrustworthy boyfriends, April Hamilton is on a date diet. She is a talented upcoming skin artists. I didn’t know this was a thing and neither do her parents. In fact, I was more able to relate to her parents, because I also have a single daughter living in the upper west side of Manhattan, who had thought at her age, she would be married with children, but isn’t. So I can understand why her parents, sister and other relatives want her to come home to Wistful, Connecticut and find a local man to fall in love with. Her gay friend was supposed to come with her to the Hamilton Family Reunion, but got a gig in London, but found her a replacement. Theo Banks, a bartender who also has a side business on GigsForHire as a pretend boyfriend. He is quite adept at falling into any role, but mainly his goal is to amass enough money to pay off his older brother, Heath’s debt to a former partner. While April had grown up in a loving family, Theo and Heath were orphaned in their teens and supported themselves by the only means they could- mostly with cons. April and Theo immediately hit it off, but they both are left wondering, is what has developed between them is an act or real.
I really like how the author developed her characters and the story. Lots of witty, easy banter. I am moving from a house to an apartment and have to downsize my books, but this will will be coming with me as I intend to read it again in the future. Bonus Content- recipes.
Audio Review from 2018
This book was awesome! It fell outside your typical boy meets girl just a shade!
The story was beautiful as their relationship unfolded with her family watching.
The epilogue was so incredibly perfect!
Moral of this review is that the book is highly recommended!
The Real Deal is Lauren Blakely’s next funny and sexy rom-com. You all know I am a huge fan of Lauren’s. The person and her words. She just has a way telling a story that makes me laugh, think, and of course, swoon. Every. Single. Time.
Theo needs to payoff a debt. April needs a fake boyfriend to bring home. He will get his payday and one step closer to leaving behind his past. She will get her matchmaking family off her back during their five day family reunion. It’s win-win, really. He gets a break from bartending with a beautiful woman. She gets to relax instead of going on blind date after blind date. Then they will go their separate ways. She is on a dating diet after-all and he doesn’t date clients. He doesn’t even kiss them on the lips. He isn’t a hooker. He is a buffer. But what happens when the line between pretend and real is blurred?
So much.
Theo has a past. It’s not a pretty one. It’s not one for everyone. That is why he doesn’t open up to just anyone. The moment he saw April he knew she was going to be trouble. He suspected it even before the first meeting. She was quick-witted and he knew she would keep him on his toes. What he didn’t expect was to feel the way he did when he was around her. Happy. Relaxed. And that was before he met her family. That was when the real trouble began…
April didn’t see him coming. He made her laugh. He made her family laugh. He was a gentlemen with a side of cocky. But, that was what she asked for. A boyfriend. One to show her family that she didn’t need them to meddle or worry about her. They didn’t understand that she was fine being single. She didn’t need a man to be happy. She had a career as a body painter that did that. It was a passion they never understood. And now, she was confused. She likes him. But did she like the pretend Theo or the real one? Was he ever real with her or was it all an act? She didn’t know but she would find out. Will she run when she finds out who the real Theo is or fall even harder?
I adored this story! It was so much fun and it reminded me of Lauren’s older books. It was a totally mix of new and old and I loved that. And of course it’s always awesome to spot the little cameos of previous characters. So much fun!! Ok…back to Theo and April…
Overall…I thought they were just adorable, funny, witty, flirting, romantic, and sexy. Their banter was fantastic. The writing flowed amazingly. The characters are lovable. Real. It was another kickass book in Lauren’s collection.
Quotes:
“You devil,” I whisper.
His eyebrows waggle.
“You’re trying to cop a feel amongst kids, you Lawn Twister perv,” I whisper, loving the easy banter and teasing we’ve slid into so comfortably.
If this is being kissed, nothing else has ever counted. This is how women should demand to be kissed.
“I’m going to hula-hoop circles around you.”
This was my first Lauren Blakely book and I love it! April and Theo have chemistry from the first sight.
A delightful read!
She only wanted to show her family once and for all that she had no need to settle down…
He didn’t expect to have the time of his life at her parent’s home…
They didn’t plan on loving every single second of the game…
But can a masterful game of pretend result in true love?
Such a delightful, fantastic romantic and laughter filled read. I could not get through the chapters fast enough.
This book had everything and more – laughter, wit and attraction. Incredibly swoon worthy and sexy. A slow burn romance that will ignite you. Characters that you will fall head over heels for, especially the hero.
Full of attraction, wit, banter, romance, trust, laughter, friends and family.
Perfect for readers of romantic comedies/contemporary romances.
Entertaining, happy ending
Charming, sexy, clever, amazing, adorable, sigh-worthy. Going on my All Time Favourites List.
Good
Great book
I enjoyed this book although it was not realistic at all. Having said that, I enjoyed Theo’s striving to be honest but not telling the full truth. If you are looking for a different love story, this could be it.
This was a fun read.