The Boyfriend Subscription

by Steven Salvatore

Overview

Equal parts sizzling, sweet and irresistibly fresh, Steven Salvatore’s The Boyfriend Subscription is the LGBTQIA+ Pretty Woman rom-com fans have been waiting for.

What happens when a simple deal gets…complicated?

After losing his marriage and his beloved retail plant business, Teddy Hughes is ready to drown his sorrows—or would be, if he could afford another beer in his favorite dive bar. He has no choice but to uproot his dreams and leave New York for good. And then a gorgeous stranger walks in with cheekbones that could cut glass and a confidence that leaves Teddy panting.

Like the leather harness he wears under his designer suit, Cole Vivien is a mass of contradictions. He’s a successful entrepreneur whose app, VERSTL, allows consumers and sex workers to form real—if temporary—connections. But now Cole is in the unfamiliar position of needing something from someone else. A fake boyfriend can help Cole project a more traditional image for a potential investor. And Teddy—shy, smart and so much hotter than he knows—is perfect for the part. Maybe too perfect.

Cole just has two conditions: no kissing and no falling in love. In exchange for one week together, Teddy will get enough money to get back on his feet, and no messy feelings will be in the mix.

But some rules are made to be broken…

From showing up to glowing up, these characters are on the path to leading their best lives and finding sizzling romance along the way.

Don’t miss these other fun titles from Afterglow Books:

The (Fake) Dating Game by Timothy Janovsky
The Bookbinder’s Guide to Love by Katherine Garbera
The Devil in Blue Jeans by Stacey Kennedy
Frenemy Fix-Up by Yahrah St. John
Manila Takes Manhattan by Carla de Guzman
Fake Flame by Adele Buck
Out of Office by A.H. Cunningham

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781335041593
Publisher:	Harlequin
Publication date:	03/26/2024
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	107,807
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Steven Salvatore is an acclaimed author, writing professor and gay chaos agent with an MFA in creative writing from the New School. They are founder and CEO of Queerative Writers, a virtual creative workshop series with editorial services for LGBTQ+ aspiring writers. They're the author of queer YA books And They Lived..., Can’t Take That Away and No Perfect Places: A Novel. They currently live in New York with their espresso machine.

Editorial Reviews

01/08/2024

Salvatore (Can’t Take That Away) delivers all the feels with this charming queer revamp of Pretty Woman. Green-thumbed Teddy Hughes feels “unrooted” after he is bankrupted by his ex-husband and loses his dream store, Plant Daddy. Then he meets the überwealthy Cole Vivien in a dive bar and the men have a one-night stand. Cole, the owner of VERSTL, which is set to become the “first publicly traded sex work company,” is in need of a date for his sister’s wedding, and proposes to pay Teddy to be his fake boyfriend for a week. Cole does not kiss his hook ups as a policy, but sparks still fly so intensely that Teddy has to remind himself it’s not a “real relationship.” When he overhears Cole’s best friend Jason hatching a shady plan to get VERSTL some PR, he debates whether to tell Cole. Meanwhile, Jason puts a bug in Cole’s ear that Teddy is a con artist. Despite betrayals and doubt, Cole eventually realizes that “love is more than a declaration. It’s action,” leading to some swoon-inducing moments. Readers will be anxiously rooting for these guys to stop lying to themselves and others, and couple up for real. For fans of fake-dating romances, this will be a treat. Agent: Jessica Regel, Helm Literary. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

"The Boyfriend Subscription is an unabashed celebration of queer culture, sex positivity, and the healing power of love. I'll never forget Teddy's and Cole's journey to their well-earned happily ever after. Steven Salvatore crafts romance that leaves readers aching, cheering, and breathless." —Courtney Kae, author of In the Event of Love and In the Case of Heartbreak

"Filled with humor and emotional depth, The Boyfriend Subscription is buzzing with current day topics that make these complex characters feel so alive and unforgettable. Salvatore's clever, modern twist on a classic rom-com delivers a highly entertaining story you'll want to experience." —Sidney Karger, author of Best Men and The Bump

From the Publisher

02/05/2024

YA author Salvatore (And They Lived…) makes their adult romance debut. When Teddy Hughes's marriage and business implode simultaneously, moving back home to Louisiana seems like his only choice—until a one-night stand leads to an unexpected second option. Entrepreneur Cole Vivien is in a bind. The creator of a sex-positive app that allows consumers and sex workers to form connections and has taken the world by storm, he's not used to needing help from others. But he has a potential investor to impress and a family wedding to deal with, and both are more likely to go well if he can demonstrate that he's in a solid relationship. One problem—he doesn't do love; he doesn't even believe in kissing anymore. Hiring Teddy to play his fake boyfriend for a week seems like the perfect solution all around. Surely, nothing could go wrong, and he's definitely not going to fall in love. VERDICT This will draw readers in with its Pretty Woman vibes and queer love story.—Rebecca Moe

Library Journal