I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to the author for this free copy.
- Title: That Kind of Guy
- Author: Stephanie Archer
- Publisher: self-published
- Pub. date: 11 January 2022
- Series: Queen’s Cove #1
- Page count: 300
- Source: the author
- Genre: adult, romance, contemporary
This post uses affiliate links and I may receive a small commission for purchases made through my links at no additional cost to you.
He’s been into her for years but she can’t stand him. The engagement is fake. The chemistry? All real.
Avery Adams has big dreams of owning the restaurant she manages. It’s finally up for sale, but she’s short on cash and credit.
Cocky and charismatic Emmett Rhodes isn’t the relationship kind of guy, but now that he’s running for mayor of their small coastal town, his bachelor past is hurting the campaign. The solution? Avery, the last woman who would ever fall for him.
They make a deal: she’ll get the restaurant if she plays his devoted fiancé. Strategic dates, a prom night re-do, secret beaches in a Canadian surf town, and a turtle phobia—things heat up and the line between ruse and real gets blurry. They can’t keep their hands off each other, but it’s all for show… right? A sizzling, hilarious enemies-to-lovers fake relationship rom-com.
Content warnings: divorce (mentioned), explicit sexual content, sexism
This romcom came under my radar when I was researching books for my January 2022 book releases post and I was super shocked when the author approached me for a review! Small-town romance with both fake dating and enemies-to-lovers tropes? How can I resist that?
Avery Adams has been in Queen’s Cove, a small seaside tourist-magnet town, for a few years at the start of the story. She had built herself up as the manager of the family-owned restaurant, The Arbutus, and dreams of the day when she can finally call herself owner of this long-time dream of hers.
Emmett Rhodes is the perfect guy who is friends with literally everybody except Avery, who hates his winning smiles and friendly neighbourhood guy persona. Emmett and Avery have always been annoying each other on a regular basis, but when Emmett is the only person who can help Avery finally own the restaurant of her dreams, they decide to get fake-engaged!
I loved Avery Adams. She is smart, beautiful, humble, and independent. She is pretty much one of the most independent female protagonists I have read about so far, so obviously idolized her throughout my read!
Funny thing is that Emmett was just as independent and happy on his own as Avery was. Compared to Avery’s character, I felt that Emmett went through a lot more character development as the story progressed, facing his fear of turtles and relationships with humorous results.
As expected in a small-town romance, there were many side characters who were funny and lovable. I loved Emmett’s family and I am guessing each book in this series will revolve around a Rhodes brother. I also loved Avery’s friends, the relatable bookworm Hannah and the ever-solid presence of Max!
I saw a reviewer point out that Stephanie Archer has a writing style that reminded them of Tessa Bailey books, and I totally agree! I loved the cozy small-town vibes that flowed along with the smooth writing. That pace was perfect and I would have probably finished this book in a day if life wasn’t so busy!
Though a little predictable, I still loved the plot of That Kind of Guy! The banter, the chemistry and the steam was just so good! I loved how the author brought the cheesy but oh-so-good small-town romance to life with both enemies-to-lovers and fake dating tropes!
Another reason why I liked the feel-good romance was because it brought so much escapism at a time when I am going through so many intimidating changes in my life. I feel like this is what small-town romances are meant to feel like: cozy, comforting and a form of escapism.
The author incorporated every wonderful thing about a cozy seaside town into her story. I loved the turtle rescue, the family-owned restaurant and the town bookshop as well the more modern aspects of the town.
I loved that there were nosy neighbours, then the warm motherly characters. There were also some pretty nasty characters to watch out for, but I didn’t mind that. I loved how the author used her characters to encapsulate that small-town vibe and the dynamics. Reading small-town romances like these are really making me wanna live in small seaside towns like Queen’s Cove!
That Kind of Guy by Stephanie Archer is a delicious small-town romance that ticks all the boxes! There were enemies-to-lovers and fake dating, two of my favourite tropes ever! The banter and chemistry between Avery and Emmett had me rooting for them immediately, and the steam was very satisfying! I am definitely adding Archer to my list of authors to look out for, especially since there are more of these amazing small-town romances coming from her in the future!
More That Kind of Guy content: Kaysie’s review
Stephanie is an author of steamy small town romantic comedies and contemporary romances from Vancouver, Canada. Her books feature sharp banter, stubborn women, lots of laughs, and guaranteed HEA’s.
Stephanie is represented by Ashley Herring Blake at Rees Literary Agency.
Have you read That Kind of Guy or will you be picking it up?
