'A simmering slow burn bursting with banter… This is a romance for anyone who’s ever felt too messy to be loved.' ROSIE DANAN, author of The Roommate

In this fierce and funny battle of the exes, Ashley Winstead's Fool Me Once explores the chaos of wanting something you used to have.

Lee Stone is a twenty-first-century woman: she kicks butt at her job as a communications director at a women-run electric car company (that’s better than Tesla, thank you), and after work she is 'Stoner', drinking guys under the table and never letting any of them get too comfortable in her bed...

That’s because Lee’s learned one big lesson: never trust love. Four major heartbreaks set her straight, particularly grad-school boyfriend Ben Laderman – who wasn’t actually cheating, but she could have sworn he was, so she reciprocated in kind.

Then Ben shows up five years later as a policy expert for the Texas governor, just as Lee is trying to get a clean-energy bill rolling. Tension builds as old sparks reignite when they're forced to work together, fanning the flames for a romantic dustup the size of Texas.

Don't miss The Boyfriend Candidate, Ashley Winstead's next laugh-out-loud rom-com about learning to embrace living outside your comfort zone!

'A hilariously sharp-tongued romance with an unforgettable, unapologetic heroine.' RACHEL LYNN SOLOMON

'A love story for every truly hot mess… A romance with bite, wit, and heart.' KIRKUS

'Fool Me Once delivers a wild, sexy ride from start to finish!' TRISH DOLLER

'Fresh, funny, and chaotically wonderful... Winstead weaves an undeniably sexy tale of will-they/won’t-they.' KATE BROMLEY

'Sparks fly and laughs abound.' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“A hilariously sharp-tongued romance with an unforgettable, unapologetic heroine. Fool Me Once is a breath of fresh air!” * Rachel Lynn Solomon, bestselling author of The Ex Talk *
“A love story for every truly hot mess... A romance with bite, wit, and heart.” * Kirkus Reviews, starred review *
“A simmering slow burn bursting with banter, Fool Me Once has all the raunch, humor, and charm of a Judd Apatow movie but with the kind of flawed, dynamic heroine rom-com fans have been waiting for. This is a romance for anyone who’s ever felt too messy to be loved.” * Rosie Danan, author of The Roommate *
“I absolutely love a messy heroine; throw in political schemes and off-the-charts chemistry, and Fool Me Once delivers a wild, sexy ride from start to finish!” * Trish Doller, author of Float Plan *
“Fresh, funny, and chaotically wonderful, Fool Me Once had me hooked from the very first page! Winstead weaves an undeniably sexy tale of will-they/won’t-they that is sure to be a phenomenal addition to every rom-com lover’s library.” * Kate Bromley, author of Talk Bookish to Me *
“Sparks fly and laughs abound as Winstead rides the line between enemies-to-lovers and second-chance romance tropes. Readers will want to snap this up.” * Publishers Weekly *

Ashley Winstead is an academic turned novelist with a Ph.D. in contemporary American literature. She lives in Houston with her husband, two cats, and beloved wine fridge. You can find her at www.ashleywinstead.com.