Explore a Queer Happily Ever After
The Charm Offensive
In this witty and heartwarming romantic comedy—reminiscent of Red, White & Royal Blue and One to Watch—an awkward tech wunderkind on a reality dating show goes off-script when sparks fly with his producer.
Reviews
Read some
“The Charm Offensive will sweep you off your feet.”
“Sexy, insightful, and utterly charming” - Buzzfeed
-popsugar
“With its lush locales and LGBTQ and BIPOC representation, this novel shines.”
-library journal
“Nothing short of delightful.”
-hannah Orenstein, author of head over heels
Explore a Queer Happily Ever After
The Charm Offensive
Dev Deshpande has always believed in fairy tales. So it’s no wonder then that he’s spent his career crafting them on the long-running reality dating show Ever After. As the most successful producer in the franchise’s history, Dev always scripts the perfect love story for his contestants, even as his own love life crashes and burns. But then the show casts disgraced tech wunderkind Charlie Winshaw as its star.
Charlie is far from the romantic Prince Charming Ever After expects. He doesn’t believe in true love, and only agreed to the show as a last-ditch effort to rehabilitate his image. In front of the cameras, he’s a stiff, anxious mess with no idea how to date twenty women on national television. Behind the scenes, he’s cold, awkward, and emotionally closed-off.
As Dev fights to get Charlie to connect with the contestants on a whirlwind, worldwide tour, they begin to open up to each other, and Charlie realizes he has better chemistry with Dev than with any of his female co-stars. But even reality TV has a script, and in order to find to happily ever after, they’ll have to reconsider whose love story gets told.
A HOLIDAY SHORT STORY
A Charmed Christmas
It’s six weeks after the finale of Ever After, and Charlie and Dev are throwing a Christmas Eve party. Join Parisa, Jules, Daphne, Skylar, and yes, even Ryan for the holidays.
But behind the festive facade of vegan roast, rainbow Christmas trees, and Thomas Kincaide puzzles, both Charlie and Dev are grappling with an important question: what comes after happily-ever-after?
It’s a short story that’s actually 20 pages long. It’s an epilogue, but with a conflict. It’s bonus content with its own happily-ever-after.
I hope you enjoy it! ❤️💚❄️🎄
Dive Deeper into the Characters with
Charm Offensive Playlists
Dev Deshpande: triple-water sign and Enneagram 7; constantly feels too much and exerts all his energy trying not to feel anything at all.
Minor spoilers for his emotional journey in this playlist. If you listen chronologically, the playlist hits the major emotional beats of his story. Explicit songs.
Charlie Winshaw: Cancer sun, Capricorn moon, Virgo rising; Enneagram 5. Listen to the playlist in chronological order to join Charlie on his quest to find love (minor plot spoilers in the lyrics). Some explicit songs!
Parisa Khadim: Leo sun, Sagittarius moon, Aries rising; enneagram 3. Loyal best-friend and number one hype woman. *No plot, all vibes* MY BOOK IS FOR ADULTS AND SO IS THIS PLAYLIST. *Explicit*.
Jules Lu: Scorpio sun, gemini moon, virgo rising; enneagram 4. Delusions of Greta Gerwig grandeur. Skeptical of romance. *No plot, all vibes* EXPLICIT LYRICS.
Dev Deshpande: triple-water sign and Enneagram 7; constantly feels too much and exerts all his energy trying not to feel anything at all.
Minor spoilers for his emotional journey in this playlist. If you listen chronologically, the playlist hits the major emotional beats of his story. Explicit songs.
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
Content Warmings
For readers who prefer advanced warning about potentially sensitive content in books, I wanted to provide content warnings, which may or may not impact your decision to purchase and read this book. Everything below is technically a spoiler, so proceed with caution.
THE CHARM OFFENSIVE is first and foremost a romantic comedy that celebrates queer love and queer joy, with the happily ever after guaranteed. But it is also a book that centers on mental health, exploration of sexual identity (included multiple open-door sex scenes), and representation in the media. Please be aware of the following potential triggers:
On-page anxiety, panic attacks, and experiences with depression
Conversations surrounding OCD and mental illness stigmas, including workplace discrimination (off-page, alluded to)
Drinking and discussions of alcohol dependency
Familial estrangement and rejection based on mental illness (off-page, alluded to)
Brief references to homophobia and racism (all challenged)