That Kind of Guy Summary: A Fake Romance Turns Real
Introduction
Avery Adams has one goal: to buy The Arbutus, the restaurant she has managed for years.
But when her bank loan falls through, her dream is at risk.
Emmett Rhodes needs a different kind of help. He is running for mayor of Queen’s Cove, and voters see him as a playboy who cannot commit.
Their solution is simple—a fake relationship. In Stephanie Archer’s That Kind of Guy, a small-town deal becomes far more complicated when real feelings enter the picture.
TL;DR: The Deal, The Tension, The Twist
Avery needs a cosigner to secure a loan for her dream restaurant. Emmett needs a fiancée to look responsible for his mayoral campaign.
They agree to a fake engagement. The line between pretense and reality blurs as physical chemistry and genuine emotional connection grow.
A corrupt rival and a town council ruling threaten both their dreams.
They overcome the obstacles, confess their love, and stay married. Emmett wins the election, and Avery becomes the proud owner of The Arbutus.
Story Snapshot
- Genre & Subgenre: Contemporary Romance / Romantic Comedy
- Core Narrative Tropes: Fake Relationship, Marriage of Convenience, Small-Town Romance, Opposites Attract
- Tone & Atmosphere: Warm, humorous, emotionally sizzling, cozy seaside setting
- Primary Conflict: Keeping a fake engagement secret while real feelings develop, plus external political and business interference
- Pacing Style: Fast-paced with snappy dialogue and a linear timeline
- ISBN: 978-1777978006
- Pages: 310
That Kind of Guy Summary: The Full Story
Warning: This section contains major spoilers.
The story opens in Queen’s Cove, a small coastal town on Vancouver Island. Avery Adams manages The Arbutus, a heritage restaurant overlooking the harbor.
She has saved for years to buy it from her mentor, Keiko. Avery’s childhood was shaped by her father’s financial irresponsibility. He ruined her mother’s restaurant and abandoned the family. This made Avery fiercely independent and wary of relying on anyone.
Emmett Rhodes co-owns Rhodes Construction. He is charming, wealthy, and considered a serial dater. His motivation for running for mayor is personal.
His best friend’s daughter has kidney failure. The town’s frequent power outages made her dialysis unsafe, forcing the family to move away. Emmett wants to fix the electrical grid so they can return.
He is losing the race. His campaign assistant explains that voters do not trust a bachelor. Emmett remembers Avery joking about hiring a wife. He approaches her with a business proposition.
He will cosign her loan for The Arbutus. In exchange, she will pretend to be his devoted fiancée. Avery is desperate to prevent her competitor, Chuck, from buying the restaurant. She accepts.
They stage their romance for the town’s gossip mill. They order specific late-night pizza. They attend the local fair, where Emmett wins Avery a giant mushroom hat. Their public debut works.
Emmett’s poll numbers rise. Avery feels guilt about lying to the community, especially Emmett’s mother, Elizabeth.
The physical tension between them explodes when Avery’s apartment gets bedbugs. She temporarily moves into Emmett’s house. They begin a passionate physical relationship.
Both try to label it as a temporary arrangement. Emmett takes her to a secret beach where she opens up about her father. He promises he would never let her down.
Emmett stages a grand public proposal with a vintage diamond ring. The town celebrates the engagement. As the wedding approaches, Avery finds a cream silk vintage gown and cries.
The ceremony at city hall is packed. Their vows are supposed to be fake. They turn out deeply sincere. Afterward, they confess their love at a hotel and agree to make the marriage real.
A crisis hits. Chuck petitions the town council. He argues that Avery owning a restaurant while Emmett is running for mayor is a conflict of interest. The mayor rules that either the sale stops or Emmett drops out. Avery is devastated. She thinks her secret caused the problem.
She finds a solution. With her friend Hannah’s help, she drafts an emergency motion. It exempts council members from decisions about businesses owned by spouses. They gather signatures from nearly all local business owners. The town council passes the motion. Both Avery’s purchase and Emmett’s campaign are saved.
Emmett wins the election by a landslide. He exposes the corrupt mayor’s financial ties. A year later, Avery is a successful restaurant owner. Emmett is the beloved mayor.
They remain happily married.
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Summary by Chapter
Warning: This section contains spoilers. That Kind of Guy has 29 chapters plus an epilogue. This breakdown is for readers who want a detailed look at each stage of the plot.
Chapter 1: Avery manages The Arbutus during a power outage caused by a windstorm. She trades barbs with Emmett Rhodes. Later, Keiko tells Avery she is selling the restaurant. She offers it to Avery, who must get a bank loan quickly. Avery is determined to succeed where her mother failed.
Chapter 2: Emmett watches his best friend Will move away. Will’s daughter has kidney failure and needs reliable power for dialysis. Emmett confronts Mayor Isaac about the town’s outdated grid. Isaac dismisses him. Emmett decides to run for mayor to fix the problem.
Chapter 3: Avery tells her friend Hannah that her loan was rejected. She refuses to ask her parents for help due to her father’s past. She is angered by a large Emmett campaign sign near her restaurant. Emmett and his mother eat lunch at The Arbutus, and Elizabeth mentions Avery’s loan troubles.
Chapter 4: Emmett’s assistant, Divyanshu, says the mayor leads by twenty points. Voters see Emmett as a non-committal bachelor. Emmett gets the idea for a fake girlfriend. He hears about Avery’s rejection and approaches her at a movie theater. He asks her to meet him to discuss a deal.
Chapter 5: Avery visits Emmett’s house. He offers to loan her money for the restaurant. In exchange, she must pretend to be his girlfriend. Avery refuses, saying no one will believe them. She leaves, determined to solve her problem alone. Emmett is confident she will be back.
Chapter 6: Emmett runs through the forest and beach, feeling a mix of excitement and guilt. Avery has called to accept his deal because Keiko’s new home purchase depends on the restaurant sale.
Emmett thinks about how he has been attracted to Avery for years. He plans their public debut at the town festival.
Chapter 7: Avery and Emmett plot to start dating rumors. They order her specific pizza late at night. At the mushroom-themed fair, they hold hands and act like a couple. Emmett spends a lot of money on darts to win her a prize. Avery ends up wearing a giant mushroom hat.
Chapter 8: They have dinner with Scott and Miri Yang. Emmett makes up a story about rescuing Avery from a wave. Scott, a union leader, endorses Emmett.
Miri runs a newlyweds game. Avery teases Emmett by saying his favorite animal is a turtle. He later misreads a moment and assumes Avery is not interested in men. She shuts down his attempted kiss.
Chapter 9: Emmett suggests a fake engagement to boost his poll numbers. He offers to replace The Arbutus’s windows. During a busy dinner service with his family present, Emmett stands, gives a campaign toast, and proposes to Avery with a vintage Art Deco ring.
Chapter 10: Emmett volunteers at the turtle rehabilitation center. He finds turtles gross. Avery enjoys his discomfort. A local reporter takes a photo of them holding turtles. After the shoot, Avery kisses his cheek. Emmett is left dazed and realizes his feelings are real.
Chapter 11: Avery arrives early for their engagement party at Emmett’s house. He is shirtless, and the attraction between them is intense. Emmett takes a cold shower. At the party, he pulls Avery into the kitchen. He proposes they add a wedding to the plan, offering to replace her restaurant’s deck. He announces the wedding to his parents.
Chapter 12: Wyatt finds lacy underwear in the couch. Avery is mortified and runs to the kitchen. Emmett follows her. Their tension erupts into a passionate makeout session. Hannah drives Avery home. Avery confesses to Hannah that the relationship is fake.
Chapter 13: Avery repairs Emmett’s campaign sign. They have a bank meeting where he cosigns her loan. Chuck enters the restaurant and acts rudely. Emmett confronts him with a hard glare. Avery sees a protective side to Emmett and feels a growing attraction.
Chapter 14: The loan paperwork is completed. Avery feels grateful and realizes she would have lost the restaurant to Chuck without Emmett. She asks about his secret charity work.
He admits he trusts her. She suggests they attend prom together to give him a better memory of that night.
Chapter 15: Emmett picks Avery up in his dad’s emerald Porsche. He feels possessive when her neighbor flirts with her. Avery wears a green velvet dress. Before they leave, Emmett pulls her close and kisses her passionately. They pour punch and slow dance at the prom.
Chapter 16: They look at Emmett’s old class photos. He explains he is running for mayor to help Will’s family. On the way home, they find Avery’s building infested with bedbugs. They go to Emmett’s house. He insists they strip outside to avoid bringing pests inside.
Chapter 17: Emmett makes tea, but seeing Avery in his shirt ignites their tension. They begin making out against the counter. They share an intimate encounter involving oral and manual pleasure. Afterward, Emmett carries her to his bed. Avery falls asleep content.
Chapter 18: Avery goes dress shopping in Victoria with Elizabeth, Hannah, Max, and Div. She finds a cream silk vintage dress that makes her cry. Div reveals Emmett paid for it. Avery feels excitement and guilt. She realizes she must call her mother to invite her to the wedding.
Chapter 19: Emmett takes Avery to Castle Beach for sushi. Avery explains why the restaurant matters to her. She reveals her father ran her mother’s restaurant into debt and left. Emmett is furious at her father. He promises he would never abandon her. Avery realizes she trusts him.
Chapter 20: They return home and immediately kiss against the door. Emmett carries her upstairs. They make love for the first time. Emmett realizes he is in love and wants to marry her for real. He asks her to stay with him after the wedding.
Chapter 21: Avery wakes to Emmett pleasing her. Max calls with restaurant problems. Keiko reveals Chuck offered more money but she rejected him. Emmett arrives with roses. Avery realizes she wants their marriage to be real when he says he will not file the certificate.
Chapter 22: Emmett drives Avery home with his hand on her thigh. Inside, he cages her against the door. He carries her upstairs. They make love with deep emotional intensity. Avery realizes she never wants to forget being in love with him.
Chapter 23: On the wedding day, Avery and Hannah get ready in the bookstore. Chuck’s wife Cynthia startles them, making them worry she overheard the secret. Avery’s mother arrives and expresses pride. Avery assures her that Emmett is nothing like her father. They walk to city hall.
Chapter 24: The courtroom is crowded. Avery is nervous until she sees Emmett’s smile. Wyatt officiates. Their vows are sincere and emotional. They kiss passionately and sign the marriage certificate.
Chapter 25: The reception is on The Arbutus patio. Emmett and Avery dance and then sneak into her office to make out. Their friends interrupt and announce they booked a hotel room. At the hotel, Emmett realizes the marriage certificate is missing from his car.
Chapter 26: Avery waits for Emmett in white lace lingerie. They are intimate. Avery confesses her love. Emmett says he loves her too. They agree to make the marriage legal and real.
Chapter 27: On Monday, Div warns them. Chuck has petitioned the town council. The mayor rules that Avery must stop the purchase or Emmett must drop out. Avery flees, feeling guilty. She believes she has ruined everything.
Chapter 28: Avery locks herself in her office. Emmett speaks through the door, promising to fix it. Hannah apologizes for revealing the secret. Inspired by a romance novel trope, Avery creates an emergency motion. She sets out to gather signatures from business owners.
Chapter 29: Emmett is at Castle Beach, ready to drop out of the race. Avery brings the signed motion. The town council votes to pass it, saving the sale and the campaign. Emmett reveals Wyatt accidentally filed their marriage certificate. Avery happily agrees to stay married.
Epilogue: A year later, Avery owns The Arbutus and has promoted Max. Emmett won the election and exposed the mayor’s corruption. Avery’s mother has moved to town and is friends with Elizabeth. The couple attends the opening of the new turtle center. They end the day at Castle Beach, happy and in love.
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Characters In This Book
| Character | Role |
|---|---|
| Avery Adams | Manager of The Arbutus who dreams of owning it. |
| Emmett Rhodes | Wealthy construction company co-owner running for mayor. |
| Keiko | Original owner of The Arbutus who offers to sell it to Avery. |
| Elizabeth Rhodes | Emmett’s warm and intuitive mother. |
| Holden Rhodes | Emmett’s gruff younger brother who works in construction. |
| Wyatt Rhodes | Emmett’s laid-back brother who owns a surf shop and officiates the wedding. |
| Hannah Neilsen | Avery’s shy best friend who owns a bookstore. |
| Divyanshu (Div) | Emmett’s efficient campaign assistant. |
| Will Henry | Emmett’s childhood best friend whose daughter is ill. |
| Chuck | A greedy rival restaurant owner who tries to block Avery. |
| Cynthia | Chuck’s wife who overhears the secret. |
| Mayor Isaac Anderson | The incumbent mayor who is later exposed for corruption. |
Quotes from That Kind of Guy
“Max, our purpose is to deliver a delightful experience to every customer who walks through that door.”
“I’m just not that kind of guy,” he told her. “It’s better this way. I don’t do the wife and kids thing.”
“I only go into business with people I trust.”
“That’s because I have all the power,” she whispered
“I would have had the biggest crush on you.”
“Let me love you, Avery.”
“I love you. I love you so fucking much, Emmett.”
“All I ever wanted, Adams.”
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Books Like That Kind of Guy
- The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood — Features a fake-dating agreement to solve career problems that turns into real attraction.
- It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey — A coastal Pacific Northwest romance with a protective local hero and a determined heroine.
- The Wrong Mr. Right by Stephanie Archer — The second Queen’s Cove book set in the same town with another Rhodes brother.
- Beach Read by Emily Henry — Two writers with opposing styles share a house and a challenge, leading to unexpected romance.
