Running Mate

Under Kansas Skies #1

by Leah Brunner

When making it to congress means faking a marriage… fake it til’ you make it takes on a whole new meaning.

Apparently, the conservative mid-western voters want more than my brains, connections, and good looks to vote me in as a congressman.
I thought I had it all, but missed one glaring requirement: a wife to make me look like the all-American family man Kansas wants.

The lovely Odette Hastings seems to fit the bill. She’s a wholesome small-town girl, and conveniently in need of cash. I’ll give her the money to take care of her elderly parents, and she’ll be the political arm candy I need.

We both win, right?

The only problem is Odette is a little too beautiful, a little too intelligent, and much too distracting. I have to keep my eye on the prize. Even when I’m starting to think there might be something I’d rather have more.

Running Mate was formerly published as A Love Unexpected. This is Book 1 in the Under Kansas Skies series. Running mate is a closed-door romance and can be read as a stand-alone.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Audiobook, Clean Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit

242 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 18, 2021

About the author

Leah Brunner is an Amazon top 25 best selling author who writes romance filled with explosive chemistry and relatable, flawed characters. She loves writing character driven stories that will tug at your heart strings and also make you smile.

When she's not writing, she can be found spoiling her Maine Coon cats, or watching The Office with her kids.

Although she's a Midwestern girl at heart, Leah is a proud Air Force spouse and has moved all over the United States with her husband and three children.

You can find Leah on Instagram @leah.brunner.writes

Or join her Facebook reader group: Leah's Lit Lovers

Reviews

[Heather Adores Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐
Genre ~ contemporary romance
Series ~ Under Kansas Skies #1
Setting ~ Kansas
Publication date ~ June 18, 2021
Est Page Count ~ 237 (p+ 29 chapters +e)
Audio length ~ 6 hours 48 minutes
Narrators ~ Shaina Summerville, Kyle Mason
POV ~ dual 1st, present tense
Featuring ~ caring for parent after stroke, fake relationship, forced proximity, no steamage

Congressman needs a wife to look relatable + Daughter needs money to take care of her ailing father = a marriage of convenience.

Odette (28) & Madden (28) went to high school together, but he had no clue who she was at their 10 year reunion. To save face she pretends she doesn’t know who he is, but then when she shows up for a dinner at his parents house he realizes she is the perfect candidate to be his fake wife. It doesn’t hurt that her background is in political science and she’s gorgeous to boot.

Odette is back home to help her mom take care of her ailing 75 year old father after a stroke. Turns out they are up to their eyeballs in debt, so Odette agrees to marry Madden to help them out.

Overall, cute and predictable with likable characters. There was something heavy hitting towards the end with a side character that I wasn't expecting that made me tear up. I can see myself reading the rest of the series.

Narration notes:
I thought they both did a wonderful job.

Connect with me ➡ Blog ~ Facebook ~ X

[Natali]

DNf at 21%
HE’S BLONDE SO NO

[Suzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Steam Level: 🔥🔥 (kissing and closed door sex scenes)
Trigger Warning: brief mentions of cheating and death of a loved one

Madden Windell has always dreamed of running for public office. As he prepares to launch his Congressional campaign, his advisor tells him that being married is the best way to gain traction with voters. While a marriage of convenience isn't ideal, Madden goes on several dates with no luck. Then Odette Hastings enters the picture. She's beautiful, kind, intelligent, and she had a big crush on Madden in high school. In exchange for being his wife for at least two years, Madden will help pay for her parents' medical expenses. While forced to live together and show affection in public, Madden and Odette soon toy with the idea of making the marriage work. But Madden never had the best example of a loving marriage and was cheated on by his last girlfriend. Maybe Odette deserves better than him. Will Madden be able to survive his marriage of convenience and the stresses of running for Congress?

While I was really excited about books 2 and 3 in this series, I honestly thought about skipping this one. I'm glad I didn't, because not only did it introduce characters that will appear in future books but it was also an interesting story that had me engaged from beginning to end. I haven't read any books with a political storyline, and I found it really interesting without being in my face when it came to the issues being championed. I do think the first half of the book could have allowed for more interaction between Madden and Odette, but the story never felt like it dragged. The second half had some great moments - from the kitchen scene that turned up the heat to the heartbreaking loss that one character faced. I especially liked how Madden and Odette dropped everything to care for that person in a time of need. There was just enough conflict throughout this, and I was pretty pleased with how those problems were handled. Now I'm looking forward to reading more from Leah Brunner!

[Rhonda 🌒🌕🌘 🐈‍⬛ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 🌟
3/5 ❤️‍🩹
3/5 🥰
0/5 🌶️
0/5 🔎
2/5 😰A
3/5 🎭C
2/5 🎭T

⚠️⛔️TRIGGERS:⛔️⚠️

Deception
Fake Marriage
Misrepresentation

🗯️💬BOOK BLURB:💬🗯️

When making it to congress means faking a marriage… fake it til’ you make it takes on a whole new meaning.

Apparently, conservative mid western voters want more than my brains, connections and good looks to vote me in as a congressman.

That’s right, to appear as the all-American family man they want… I need a wife. ASAP.

The lovely Odette Hastings seems to fit the bill. She’s a wholesome small-town girl, and conveniently in need of cash. I’ll give her the money to take care of her elderly parents, and she’ll be the political arm candy I need.

We both win, right?

The only problem is Odette is a little too beautiful, a little too intelligent, and way too distracting.

I have to keep my eye on the prize.

Because there might be something I want more than a seat in congress.


Running Mate was formerly published as A Love Unexpected. This is Book 1 in the Under Kansas Skies series. Running mate is a closed-door romance and can be read as a stand-alone.

🤔🧐🤯MY THOUGHTS:🤯🧐🤔

This was a very sweet, cozy and wholesome rom com. I completely enjoyed it and look forward to reading more from this series by author Leah Brunner.

RATING KEY:

🌟 Stars - based on the overall plot and theme or idea of the book
❤️‍🩹 Emotions - based on how emotional I got while reading
🥰 Romance - based on how well I got invested in the love story aspect
🌶️ Spice - based on how the sex scenes were portrayed and written as well as the number of sex scenes
🔎 Mystery - based on how well it kept me guessing who, how and why
😰 Scared/Anxious - based on how scared or anxious the book made me while reading
🎭 Comedy/Tragedy based on if I laughed or if there was a tragic event and how it affected me. I will mark the Masks with either a C or T to indicate Comedy or Tragedy

[Franzi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know how to spin this positively, so let's just say: This was a very realistic portrayal of a marriage of convenience. Odette only marries Madden because of her financial issues, Madden only marries her because he's gone through all the other available women and doesn't even remember they went to high school together.

There was nothing romantic about this. Madden forgets planned evenings with Odette, forces her to lie to her family (while his family gets to know all the details) and Odette still finds it in herself to forgive him. At some point they (allegedly) develop feelings for each other (which leads to *more* fights for some reasons) but honestly, I didn't see it.

Another issue I had was the pacing. We all know this is gonna be a marriage of convenience, right?? Pray tell, why does it take until 50% for that marriage to actually happen.

Besides my harsh reviews, I'm way too nice of a reader (all authors deserve a second chance!!) and way too much of a sucker for medical romance and so, as this is a debut novel, I'll give the sequel a chance. Will I regret it? Probably.

[Madison Warner Fairbanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Running Mate by Leah Brunner
Under Kansas Skies series #1. Contemporary romance. First person dual POV. Closed door. Marriage of convenience troupe. Previously published under the title A Love Unexpected.
Madden Windell is planning to run for a congressional seat and his advisers say he needs to be married. Odette Hastings is back in town and she seems to fit the bill for a marriage of convenience. Sue needs money for her elderly parents and the marriage arrangement will help make that happen.
Best laid plans. Madden and Odette have history. More importantly, the still feel an attraction. Can they make all the pieces fit together?

The low key political issues were interesting as I’m sure these types of arrangements aren’t unusual. It’s a closed door romance and emotional issues were also rather low key. Good banter and humor.
3.5

[Natalie Walters · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

I've read a few marriage of convenience books but they're usually set in the past so this was the first current day version of one I've read and I'm not sure how I felt about it. From the first chapter it's clear the marriage intention is self-serving and I found it hard to believe any girl would go through with this but of course, there's one and she's in a desperate situation that the hero can fix--they just have to get married.

I think what I missed most in this book is the romantic tension that comes in the beginning of a relationship that makes me anxious, excited, and invested. I didn't have much of that and I felt like the characters really were undecided through most of the story as to whether they really liked each other, not having enough time to build up the tension that made me root for them. They did come together at the end and the truth behind their relationship had consequences that felt realistic but overall I was just kind of left wanting more.

[Tejomai (bible_and_books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay!! Brace yourself(I'm gonna gush for this book) .. this is a beautiful book, the story was very well written and let me tell you Madden and Odette's story is one of the cutest I've read.. it's definitely one of my favorites .. My!! How handsome is Madden.... I read one of the sexiest lines from a man .(about his love for books and Library) I'm out fully at that point.. I don't want to give spoilers 😁😁
My cheeks are hurting from laughing 🤩
Brace yourselves for a beautiful read.. I'm so so happy to read this...
You know this kind of plot seem odd to happen in reality and it's kinda hard to really write everything compellingly true .. but seriously !! It's so well written, the romance was Sooo good
Leah burner had proved her talent in her very first debute novel
(Lord bless her 😁)

Another favorite thing about this book is the depth of characters it's so nice.. ugh!! I find everything about this book good.. really I'm not exaggerating .. you should try for yourself..

Madden's heart and Odette's story will give you such a good time.. I've slept 3'0 clock in the morning.. well who cares
.. it's such a nice book

The honesty part and being open about feelings is best thing , the banter between all the Madden's siblings, Odette's best friend and all their bonding is just so cute.. and I'm really excited to read the next books from the author
I'm looking forward for David and Brook's Story
When Madden really tells out his feelings for Odette in the big event... I'm Swoon😂😂
I know I really liked the inner personalities of every character.. they're so well build
I'll definitely be re-reading this more than I can imagine

Content:Clean romance with some good kisses

[Sarah | Kerosene.Lit · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute marriage of convenience romance with a political twist. With dreams of winning the upcoming election, Madden is begrudgingly convinced by his team to find a wife in order to boost his votes. In comes Odette, a legislative assistant returned home to care for her father.

I really enjoyed the dynamic of their arrangement, both realizing their attraction for each other but remaining guarded. Growing up witnessing a miserable marriage between his parents, it was heartwarming to see Madden conflicted by the possibility of loving Odette and reaching his career goals.

Yet despite plenty of forced proximity opportunities, their interactions felt a little stilted at times—it lacked a spark for me. And while I loved the secretive marriage arrangement, the reaction from some side characters seemed oddly naive. I’d love to try book two, though!

[Cait | GoodeyReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

WONDERFUL DEBUT!

BLOG || INSTAGRAM

Well this is a hidden gem in the sweet romance arena. If you don’t get farther then this first paragraph, know I highly recommend this one!

I LOVE marriage of convenience. Yesss, you do have to suspend a touch of reality, but that’s the best part! I liked how Odette and Madden came together to mutually help each other as their attraction grew. The second half held a lot more romance, banter and angst and that was this books sweet spot. It was SO GOOD. I was wrapped up in this couple without a doubt.

I only wished the first half held a bit more of that. This book is super short (barely over 200 pages) and I think with more page time the romance could have been amped up more. I thought the conflict was handled well and that even more a politically minded book (Madden is running to be a congressman) I didn’t feel beaten over the head with the agenda. It was woven in well and kept the romance at the forefront.

Really excited to get Sophie’s story in the next book!

Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary Romance
- Language: none
- Romance: closed door (married couple)
- Trigger/Content Warnings: blackmail

[Alloverthebooks ✎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

My review : https://alloverthebooks.wordpress.com...




I started this romance because I love fake relationships. Plus, we're in a world where you have to be careful with appearances; elections.
I have to admit that I have a mixed opinion, because on the one hand I liked the way the beginning unfolds, but at the same time, I didn't like the speed of things. I really think that the author would have won if her romance had been a little longer, because she could have developed things in depth. I admit that now I'm still at a stage where I don't understand how the male character fell in love... I also didn't like some of the behavior of this character. Odette is relatively endearing, but nothing more.
That said, I loved the family dynamics of the book; I loved seeing some of the events involving Madden's sister. Besides, I could read that the next volume would be hers. I think I will still read this installment, as I really liked the character of Madden's sister and her brief history.
In conclusion, I would recommend this romance more to characters who want to quickly read a story without getting caught up and have a good time.
N.B.: For French speakers, this story reads very easily and in a few hours, it can be read. The vocabulary is really accessible and from the beginning.

[Leslie Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️

I wasn’t a fan of this book. In fact, I had planned on giving it 2 stars. The way the premise was set up didn’t feel right and the way the book ended was terrible and rushed through.

The only reason for the extra half-star is because the candidate was a Libertarian and because it fulfilled the stereotype that all female Libertarians are redheads.

[Emily F - Seriously Sweet Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet closed-door romance

This was a sweet, closed-door marriage of convenience read. It was fun to see Madden and Odette grow closer together and overcome challenges. This was a sweet and clean read, I'd rate PG/PG-13 for kissing and mild innuendo.

[Travelogged Blogs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book, very enjoyable and I loved Odette!

[Riella Cristobal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Madden has everything he needs to achieve his goal, making it to Congress. However, he is missing a crucial requirement, a wife. Apparently, the conserfative voters of Kansas don’t trust an unmarried man.. So he needs a wife...and Odette Hastings seems perfect. She is a wholesome small-town  girl, who is in need of cash. Her elderly parents need help and Madden can provide the money. In return, she will be his wife.. Unfortunately, Odette seems perfect for Madden…. beautiful, intelligent, and much too distracting. As their relationship begins to shift, will Madden be able to keep his eye on the prize? 
This was really cute! It is Ms. Brunner’s first book and such a fun rom-com! Madden and Odette were really lovely characters. They were really relatable and I enjoyed seeing both of their perspectives. Odette was so sweet. She was trying so hard to take care of her parents. They had a really great relationship and were so supportive of her. Odette was such a fun narrator. She felt very real.. I felt so sorry for her as she struggled to help her parents and deal with her new life, “married” to Madden. She was struggling with how to have a relationship with him. Madden was also such a sweetheart. He was so passionate about getting to Congress. It was his dream! Even though he and Odette got married for political reasons, he really liked her. They were really good together. I did sometimes sigh a little at how clueless he could be! He would get lost in his work and had to figure out the balance for his life.
I really enjoyed reading Madden and Oddete’s story. It was sweet to watch their love story. All of the side characters also made the story so fun. I liked getting to see Madden’s siblings and the guys on his campaign team. I especially liked Kate and Sophie, it was great to see their friendship with Odette. I am excited to read more of Ms. Brunner’s books!
This is a closed-door romance, with a marriage of convenience. I would suggest it for those who enjoy rom-coms! 

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion, I was not required to write a positive review.

[Lianne Anta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a wholesome enjoyable read. I loved the chemistry between Odette and Madden. This is a clean romance but that does not take away from the enjoyment of the story. This is a very well written story. I loved the fake marriage trope and it was nice to have lots of back story with Odette’s parents and Madden’s siblings. I am excited to see whats to come in this series.

[Toni Shiloh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first Leah Brunner read and it certainly won't be my last. This was a great read and I couldn't stop reading because I had to know how it ended. Now to wait for book 2.

[María · Rating 2 out of 5]

¿Fake marriage? Sí, por favor.
¿Aprovecharse de una chica que necesita dinero para cuidar a su padre enfermo? No.

Pintaba bien, pero no me ha gustado nada cómo se ha desarrollado.

[Carinne Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why were they sluts for Wichita. Been there done that. Not cool guys

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars
This book 👌 I was lucky enough to be a beta reader for this one and I'm so glad I was! I'm a sucker for a fake relationship and it was fun to have a fake marriage in a contemporary romance. Madden and Odette are good people that are helping each other reach their dreams and achieve their goals. Then, add love into the mix and you have a sigh inducing story that leaves you with a very content smile at the end.
.
The political aspect was a fun twist, most of the ones I've read are for inheriting family companies.
.
I'm looking forward to reading all of Leah's future books. If you are in the market for a sweet fake relationship romance, absolutely look this one up. You won't regret it!
(Plus, my name is in the acknowledgements. I'm pretty sure that will never not be cool)

[Anna (The_Reading_Pantry) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable!!!

I’ve had my eye on this one for a bit and knew I wanted to read it. I thoroughly enjoyed Leah’s writing style!

To sum up A Love Unexpected, it was really cute!! This was exactly what I needed. It was light, flirty, and just adorable. I loved Madden and Odette’s relationship. Plus, it’s super difficult to make a modern marriage of convenience story work and Leah Brunner did it!

This is a closed-door romance and references to being intimate since the couple is married. It still didn’t go past my level of how much steam I can handle and I can’t handle much. 😅 I loved it!!

[Ashley G. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, but short

[Manee Contreras · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Hey, my problems don’t make yours any less difficult.” 👌🏻

I liked the forced proximity and the arrange marriage. I think it was cute to see them struggling with their attraction💞.

I LOVED that they communicated with each other. Of course they got mad and had drama moments, but they spoke about it almost immediately and I was all in for that!!!🙌🏻

This book have so many good quotes, one of my favorite was: "Behind every splendid marriage is an exhausting amount of communication." I think it was fitting to the plot as well as in real life.

The main plot was good, even with the politic background. I did liked Madden's speech, as well as his chemistry with Odette once they work through their stuff 💋... which takes time haha...but it also had some funny moments.

I did like the kisses and the couple scenes💙, of course at first it seemed stiff.... But if you think about it, it goes with the plot, I loved their interactions towards the end 😍 I think those were my favorites and of course the epilogues!!! I loved it.

It had some intense moments but I was glad to see them both own to their mistakes and just be better. I did wish there was more of them!

All is set to read book 2!

*This book was previously known as A Love Unexpected.*

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

i think i cried 4 or 5 times.

the way leah gets you so attached to madden and odette 😭 i kept reminding myself while reading the title includes “under the kansas skies book 1” which means there’s more to come, but i need it NOW! ahhhh they’re just so cute. i was a little worried the political aspect would be too much, but it was not overwhelming at all, and it was only used to enhance the story.

it reads like a hallmark christmas movie feels, and i wish hallmark would pick it up so i can see madden and odette try to deny their feelings onscreen. definitely pick this up if you’re addicted to hallmark!

in that sense, it is not high caliber reading comprehension or super developed plot line like i am used to with the brunt of YA fantasy i’ve been reading…it is pure contemporary rom com fiction, which is all it claims to be. it’s an easy yet enjoyable read for when you just want to not think for a bit.

keep a box of tissues nearby. the tug on your heartstrings will be very real and incessant. enjoy!

[Analisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

i don’t have any quotes to convince you to read this book hahaha.

it was cute but moved so fast and started so suddenly, i have mixed feelings. i felt like i didn’t really get attached to the characters or anything, they were fine but it was a very predictable story all in all.

i also just didn’t have a ton of thoughts about the story in general, like i wasn’t dying to see how it worked out or what would happen next but i was enjoying it enough to keep reading? so my 3 star review reflects that.

i’m interested if the other books in the series will pick up some or will all be kinda the same.

only time will tell!

[Katie Yarborough · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let’s be real, the most unrealistic thing about this book is that he won an election as a libertarian🫨 I also felt like his immigration policy didn’t match up with a libertarian stance but what do I know🤷🏼‍♀️ HOWEVER!! I ate this up honestly! Loovvveee marriage of convenience (only in books obvi)!! Timeline and pacing her slightly off but eh who cares. Madden annoyed me at times when he was being wishy washy. My least fav trope is when the guy thinks he’s gonna end up “just like his dad.” Like obvi you’re a different person😑 but the book was sweet, pro-family, and pro-life tbh! This series is super pro-family so I like that. And clean!! Thank you, Leah Brunner for closed-door romances!

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story
Odette was working in politics in DC and has recently returned home to Wichita, Kansas, to help her parents after her father’s stroke. Madden is a lawyer who has decided to run for Congress. At 28, he is a very young candidate and his team soon points out that he is at a disadvantage if he doesn’t have a spouse. After a string of disastrous dates with his father’s recommendations, he meets up with his old school acquaintance Odette. Not only is the attraction there, but she may be willing to help him if it can help her parents.

My thoughts
There is something about the fake marriage trope that fills me with happiness 🥰. The pair have to make it work and in this case, they actually fit really well together and complement each other too. I so enjoyed this sweet story and the dual POV that puts forward both Odette’s and Madden’s perspectives. It’s a thumbs up from me! 👍👍👍

[Anna Dempster · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed, I cried, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. As Wichita native I loved reading a love story set in my home town. Can not wait to read the rest of this seties!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A modern marriage of convenience

I'm a fan of marriage of convenience stories, but I haven't read many contemporary ones. Leah Brunner has done it with this book in a big way. I loved Madden and Odette's story.

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute book to read if your looking for a sweet romance