Book Review: That Kind Of Guy by Stephanie Archer

‘That Kind Of Guy’ by Stephanie Archer was published in 2021. It is the first book of her Queen’s Cove series, all of which are available to read via Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited subscription.

This was a book that I kept seeing all over social media, and with a gorgeous cover, the fake dating trope, and less than 300 pages to read, I was sold.

In less than 300 pages, I, like our MC Avery Adams, had fallen in love with Queen’s Cove, as a scenic small-town romance setting and was determined that I would read all of the stories set there so I could be swept away to such a beautiful place.

There was a lot to like about this book. Like many romance novels I’ve read, there’s that sense of escapism from the world around you, with male leads with excessive wealth where they won’t bat an eyelid at the cost of doing something nice for someone else. Especially when they’re the love interest. And Avery had so much personality to be swept up in. The banter between the two was fantastic! I could have cried at some of the things they said to each other.

I really enjoyed seeing how Emmett Rhodes, the popular, successful, oldest son, managed to win Avery over with banter and rapport, merciless teasing and grandiose gestures. The running gag with turtles was fantastic. I was in stitches every time Emmett was caught up with something to do with turtles! How couldn’t you love them? They’re so graceful and beautiful!

I don’t know how to feel about how Emmett and Avery responded to the acknowledgement that Emmett is a lot like Avery’s father, Sigmund Freud was rolling in his grave at that one, but, I would probably overlook how much Emmett had in common with my father if I was Avery, and could see how genuine and caring he is.

Another thing I loved about this book was the pacing that led up to the climax. The seed was planted from the get-go and I was excited to see how all the cogs came into motion and played their part, I liked seeing how Emmett and Avery’s happiness was put in a tailspin from their malcontent.

Admittedly, I felt like the antagonist’s ending may have been a bit of a cop out, but this is the first book in a series, you have to keep the readers wondering whether he will be held accountable for his actions! With that in mind, I was quick to borrow the second book on Kindle Unlimited, not only to see Hannah, a book seller and loyal friend in the background of Avery’s story, get her happy ending, but also to get more of Queen’s Cove!