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Romance

Mason Deaver

The Build-A-Boyfriend Project by Mason Deaver (Afterlight 'Dating Disasters' Exclusive)

£20.00

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About the product

Bestselling and award-winning author Mason Deaver’s adult romance debut follows a journalist in a dead-end job who agrees to teach his disastrous blind date how to be a better boyfriend. Readers will delight in this sweet and steamy queer romance with trans representation!

Eli Francis is stuck. Stuck in an assistant position at the online magazine Vent when he should be a writer. Stuck with a boss who dangles a promotion but would rather he just fetch the coffee. Stuck working alongside the ex who has had no trouble moving up at work…or moving on.

When Eli’s roommates push him to date so he can get over his ex once and for all, they set him up with Peter Park. Tall, handsome, and unbelievably awkward. The date is a complete disaster, and further proof to Eli that love isn’t for him. But when his boss overhears Eli recounting the catastrophic night, he suggests teaching Peter to be a better boyfriend through a series of simulated dates so he can write an article about it.

But Eli has other ideas…Eli plays along, pretending to write the article, while secretly interviewing Peter about growing up queer in the South and coming-of-age dating wise in adulthood. Eli hopes writing this sort of piece will finally get him the promotion he deserves. And in exchange, he will teach Peter how to be a better boyfriend.

But the more time Eli spends with Peter, the closer they become, and the lines between what’s real and what’s fake begin to blur. Before long Eli is forced to face his greatest fears to become the writer he wants to be and secure the love he’s always needed.

Our Afterlight Exclusive edition is a B-format hardback and features:

  • An exclusive redesigned cover (art by @noahdea.art; design by @perrycuffdesigns)
  • Full colour art on the hardback (by @perrycuffdesigns)
  • Digitally printed fore-edge (by @stacey.mcevoy.caunt); block-sprayed top & bottom edge
  • Illustrated endpapers (by @noxarcanaart); different front and back
  • Bound-in author letter
  • Bonus content
  • Digitally signed by the author
  • Adult standalone romance
  • M/M romance; transgender white gay male main character; cisgender Korean gay male love interest

If you like fake dating and queer romance, we think you’ll enjoy this one!

Photos by @bookwormgram

"Deaver sticks the landing. This should earn Deaver a whole new set of fans." — Publishers Weekly

“Sweet and sexy, The Build-a-Boyfriend Project is a delightful romance about taking chances and embracing the unexpected. Disastrous first date to possible true love…what could be more delicious?" — Ashley Herring Blake

Tropes in The Build-a-Boyfriend Project include: fake dating, relationship coaching, trans joy, cinnamon roll love interest

About the Author

Mason Deaver is a bestselling and award-winning author of young adult and adult romance novels. Their books have been awarded stars from Bookpage and Booklist, nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards, and won the Pink News Best Young Adult Book Award.

Content warnings for The Build-a-Boyfriend Project

  • Content Warning

    • Mentions of past racism, homophobia, and transphobia (does not occur on page)
    • Mentions of conversion therapy (does not occur on page)
    • Mentions of medical procedure (top surgery, does not occur on page)
    • Mentions of hospital visits and stays
    • Mentions of scars (from top surgery)
    • Mentions of past gender dysphoria
    • Mentions of gore (amputation of an arm, briefly on page, related to scene from a horror movie)
    • Mentions of anxiety and depression
    • Alcohol consumption
    • Vomiting (from alcohol consumption)
    • Scenes depicting death of a parent due to cancer (past tense/flashback)
    • Grief and depictions of grief
    • Swearing
    • Consensual sex (scenes occur on page)

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All FAQs
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    If you are based in Australia, a 10% sales tax will be added to your order at checkout. 

    If you are based in the US and Canada, your monthly Illumicrate and Afterlight subscription ships from our US warehouse. You can see a list of those shipping rates here.

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