The Charm Offensive Review

Author: Alison Cochrun

Genre: Rom-Com

Publisher: Atria Press

Release Date: Sept. 7, 2021

Order Link: Amazon

My Rating: 4 Charming Hearts

Many thanks to Atria Press for an arc of this book

In this witty and heartwarming romantic comedy—reminiscent of Red, White & Royal Blue and One to Watch—an awkward tech wunderkind on a reality dating show goes off-script when sparks fly with his producer.

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Review:

Dev Deshpande is the highly successful producer of a dating show called Ever After.  Thing is - he believes in love, in happily ever afters and is determined to give the shows next bachelor the best possible experience practically guaranteeing him true love by the end of the show.  Then he meets his newest charge - the awkward, anxious bachelor Charlie Winshaw.  Clearly Dev has his work cut out for him.  Charlie is a tech tycoon who comes on the show to change his image . . . and maybe earn a place back in his own company.  However,  Charlie is cold and awkward on camera, and it soon becomes obvious that he has real issues including severe anxiety and OCD.  Fortunately, Dev soon clues in on Charlie's issues and is able to help him begin opening up - at least when they're alone and on "practice dates".  However, it becomes a problem when sparks fly between them and not between Charlie and the beautiful women contestants.  This can't be happening.  Can it?

I found The Charm Offensive to be utterly charming.  While it's a rom-com with its share of laugh out loud moments, it's so much more.  I love that the author tackled some serious issues, expertly weaving them into the story line - things like severe anxiety and clinical depression are explored through these characters.  Sexual identity and morality also play into the story.  The characters are well fleshed out and easy to pull for.  I laughed, wiped a few tears and generally cheered these two men on.  Highly recommended to fans of rom-com and great romance.

Synopsis:

Dev Deshpande has always believed in fairy tales. So it’s no wonder then that he’s spent his career crafting them on the long-running reality dating show Ever After. As the most successful producer in the franchise’s history, Dev always scripts the perfect love story for his contestants, even as his own love life crashes and burns. But then the show casts disgraced tech wunderkind Charlie Winshaw as its star.

Charlie is far from the romantic Prince Charming Ever After expects. He doesn’t believe in true love, and only agreed to the show as a last-ditch effort to rehabilitate his image. In front of the cameras, he’s a stiff, anxious mess with no idea how to date twenty women on national television. Behind the scenes, he’s cold, awkward, and emotionally closed-off.

As Dev fights to get Charlie to open up to the contestants on a whirlwind, worldwide tour, they begin to open up to each other, and Charlie realizes he has better chemistry with Dev than with any of his female co-stars. But even reality TV has a script, and in order to find to happily ever after, they’ll have to reconsider whose love story gets told. 

Alison Cochrun is a high school English teacher living outside Portland, Oregon. When she's not reading and writing queer love stories, you can find her torturing teenagers with Shakespeare, crafting perfect travel itineraries, hate-watching reality dating shows, and searching for the best happy hour nachos. You can find her on Instagram or at her website www.alisoncochrun.com.