Devon Daniels is keeping it real...plus a book giveaway

Credit: Pete Albert
Photography

Today we are pleased to welcome Devon Daniels, whose sophomore novel, The Rom Con, released this week. It sounds enticing and Melissa has it in her Kindle queue as an upcoming read. We had a fun time learning more about Devon and we know you will too. Thanks to Berkley, we have TWO copies to give away!

Devon Daniels is a born-and-bred California girl whose own love story found her transplanted to the Maryland shores of the Chesapeake Bay. She's a graduate of the University of Southern California (fight on!) and in her past life worked in marketing, product design, and music.
 
Devon loves writing books that make people laugh, cry, and swoon, and feels incredibly lucky that her job is to make people happy. Her debut novel Meet You in the Middle was chosen as one of the Best Books of 2021 by USA Today.
 
When she's not writing, you'll find her clinging to her sanity as mom, chef, chauffeur, and referee to four children, or sneaking off with her husband for date nights. (Bio courtesy of Devon's website.)

Visit Devon online:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * TikTok

s

Synopsis:
After a particularly brutal breakup, Cassidy Sutton has had it with dating. So when her grandmother gives her a 1950’s dating guide entitled 125 Tips to Hook a Husband, she decides to turn the retro advice into an ironic “What not to do” article for Siren, the popular online women’s publication she writes for. And who better to secretly test the old-fashioned tips on than Jack Bradford, chauvinistic creator of rival men’s site Brawler? She’ll write an article that will entertain female readers everywhere and embarrass their sexist nemesis at the same time. Two birds, one stone.
 
But her perfect plan soon proves to be anything but. Those vintage courtship tips Cassidy was so quick to poke fun at? They actually seem to work, calling her most closely-held beliefs into question. Even worse? Jack isn’t falling for any of her tricks—and it’s not long before their ‘fake’ relationship starts to feel like the realest one of her life. As her cat-and-mouse game starts to spiral out of control, Cassidy has to decide if she’s playing to win, or if she’s willing to lose it all for love. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

"If the Doris Day/Rock Hudson battle-of-the-sexes rom-com classics had a baby with How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, the result would be The Rom Con. Devon Daniels has written a surprising, sexy slow-burn romance that’s packed full of enough pop culture references to keep any romantic comedy fan happy."
—Kerry Winfrey, author of Faking Christmas

"I devoured this book. Part How to Lose a Guy a in 10 Days and part Fifty Shades of Grey. Yes, you read that correctly. Daniels captures the very core of what I love most about a rom-com: sexy anticipation and soulful longing wrapped in quick-witted prose. Jack and Cassie are the couple we can't help but root for, and The Rom Con is the perfect rom-com. Daniels has created an absolute gem."
—Rochelle Weinstein, author of What You Do to Me

"With winks to How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days, The Rom Con strikes the perfect balance between feminine and feminist with its clever premise, reminding us that 'old' does not mean 'over.' Readers will delight in the pop culture references from both the past and present, delicious tension, and witty dialogue. This hilarious and heartwarming love letter to classic romance movies and spunky grandmothers everywhere is going on my favorites list!"
—Meredith Schorr, author of Someone Just Like You

What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?
I love when people say that reading my books feels like watching a movie, or that they feel like they’re in the room with my characters. I work really hard to layer setting details (detailed descriptions, sensory elements like sights, sounds, smells, etc.) into my story in an organic way, which I think really contributes to a more immersive reading experience.

I also love when I hear from readers that they appreciate my wide vocabulary! I’m a word nerd, and I personally love coming across and learning new words while I’m reading, and I love that my readers appreciate it, too.

How is Cassidy similar to or different from you?
Cassidy is similar to me in that she’s passionate, headstrong, opinionated, and independent. In general, I like to write heroines who are reflective of the women I surround myself with in real life: smart, fierce, imperfect women with strong opinions. 

But Cassidy is different from me in that she’s single, frustrated with the app-driven dating world, and feeling left behind as all of her friends pair off and get married. I’ve been married for 18 years, so I’m pretty far removed from that experience—and I managed to miss the app-dating world entirely!  

If The Rom Con were made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
While writing, my inspiration for Cassidy was actress Shantel VanSanten (I’ve loved her in everything she’s been in!) For Jack, I pictured Jamie Dornan with a very Christian Grey-esque, power CEO-energy.

What is the last book you read that you would recommend?
Since writing The Rom Con, I’ve found myself drawn to books with a similar 1950s nostalgic energy, and there are a couple I’ve read and loved recently that fit the bill: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (bonus: the TV adaptation is brilliantly done), and Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown. Both are unputdownable.

If your life were a TV series, which celebrity would you want to narrate it?
Kristen Bell. As the voice of Gossip Girl, she’d be the perfect person to make the mundane details of my life sound much more dramatic. Plus, she and I share a similar frenetic energy—and I’ve also been known to spontaneously break out into song!

Tell us about a favorite Thanksgiving tradition in your family.
Thanksgiving has become one of my favorite holidays because years ago, my husband and I decided to change up how we do it. We host a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with our extended family the weekend before, and for the actual holiday we go on a road trip with our kids. We choose a destination within driving distance (basically, our surrounding states—we’ve visited towns in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, and New York). Being flexible and doing little planning is part of the fun—one of everyone’s favorite memories was the year we couldn’t find a single restaurant open on Thanksgiving and ended up having Thanksgiving dinner at Waffle House! Last year, we chose a cabin in the Poconos, and we loved it so much that we picked another cabin in western Maryland this year. The kids loved the hot tub in the forest, and nothing makes my husband happier than a wood-burning fireplace (bonus for me: there’s no cozier reading experience than curling up by a crackling fire!)

Thanks to Devon for chatting with us and to Berkley for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends November 14th at midnight EST.

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us.

Listen to this book on Speechify!