The Bookseller's Boyfriend

November 9, 2020
Cullinan (The Doctor’s Date) returns to Copper Point, Wis., to inaugurate another enchanting series. Following years of scandal and debauchery, Rasul Youssef, a famous author with a “huge personality and wild reputation,” reluctantly moves to rural Copper Point to teach at Bayview University and complete his long overdue third novel at the urging of his concerned agent. Rasul’s pessimism about his situation dissipates when he meets and flirts with Jacob Moore, the owner of Moore Books. Rasul is charmed by the cardigan-wearing bookseller, whom he privately refers to as “Mr. Rogers,” and Jacob is thrilled to meet his favorite author (Rasul’s books helped him cope with his parent’s death). Jacob agrees to help Rasul rehabilitate his reputation and get his agent off his back by pretending to be his boyfriend—but their fake dating soon turns all too real. Their believable, bookish romance is adorable; the men bond over I Capture the Castle and each sweetly supports the other, especially as Rasul races to meet his deadline. A social media scandal overtakes the later stretches of the plot, posing an unnecessary complication—but by that point readers will already be so invested in the relationship that they won’t mind. This is a gem.