There are going to be lies one way or another, so I might as well go all in with the big one. Difficult as it may be, it’s better than telling people the truth. [loc. 1131]
Max works for the British government in international diplomacy: he has his eye on a position at the British Embassy in Athens, but his boss advises that being single is hurting his chances. Look at Quentin, his rival, and Quentin's sleek, Greek-speaking girlfriend Flora... Max, an inveterate liar, refuses to confess that his maybe-a-date stood him up for a reception at Buckingham Palace: instead, he hires an out-of-work actor to play his boyfriend.
The out-of-work actor -- recruited via the truly delightful Doily, a name-dropping theatrical agent who knows everyone in the business -- is Hunter, a gorgeous American whose visa is due to run out. (And who starred in a gender-switched production of Grease, hence Doily's suggesting him for the role...) Can he persuade Max to marry him? And can the two keep up the pretence for long enough that Max gets the job of his dreams? Or will their very different personalities, goals and approaches to life invite disaster?
Great fun once it got going, though Max's constant lies bothered me. I liked Hunter a great deal, and really appreciated the ways in which each of the protagonists resolved one another's issues without belittling them, or compromising their own goals. Sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, sometimes really poignant (especially Max's relationship with his dad), and with an unexpected but pleasing resolution.
Read because: recommended by a friend, and I fancied a light frothy romcom.