Publication Date: November 7, 2023
A modern battle of the sexes about a journalist who hatches an elaborate plan to take down her professional rival, in a rom-com perfect for fans of How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.
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.
The Rom Con by author Devon Daniels is a romantic comedy at its best, taking us back to the 1950s and how to win a man. The tips to get and keep a husband were a definite throwback to what I grew up hearing since I was born in the 50s in a very traditional Italian family.
It is sometimes romantic and other times cringeworthy—at least to Cassidy, who works at Sirens, an online women’s publication. Jack is a co-owner of Brawler, a rival company that caters to men. So much so the male population takes everything to heart that Brawler stands for. Cassidy and Jack’s story is comical, intriguing, and hard to believe at times, as well as filling a void that neither realizes is there.
Jack gets Cassidy, much to her chagrin, and she doesn’t like knowing there’s an attraction when she’s supposed to be going undercover to destroy him.
There are unexpected twists and turns in the story, along with romance, lies, family and friends, and lots of work. The story has wonderful closure and went in a few directions I certainly wasn’t expecting. The epilogue was the icing on the cake for the happily ever after! I liked the playfulness of the cover, along with the backdrop of the New York City skyline, where the book is set, and the play on the title.
The Rom Con is a delightful romcom with laugh-out-loud moments, a throwback to the fifties, subtle interactions, and wordplay that left me wanting more. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Daniels. 
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 and in her past life worked in marketing, product design, and music. 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 in Washington, DC.
