Title: Rom-Com for Dummies
Author: Tom Diggs
Publisher: NineStar Press
Release Date: 08/26/2025
Heat Level: 3 – Some Sex
Pairing: Male/Male
Length: 89500
Genre: Contemporary, MM romance, open relationship, friends to lovers, cooking, heirloom farming, humor, lawyers, writers, soap opera
Add to Goodreads
Description
Gabe’s only rule in life? Avoid married men at all costs. But when a sexy, married lawyer-cum-farmer, with dreamy eyes and in an open relationship, makes himself indispensable, Gabe’s no-married-men pledge is hard to keep.
Gabe Hartman is an award-winning, workaholic soap opera writer who prefers friends with benefits that don’t interfere with his deadlines. After his mother dies unexpectedly, he returns to his small hometown to settle her affairs, then get back to work ASAP. He schedules the memorial, arranges the burial, but makes no plans to fall for anyone, especially not a married man.
Owen Greene is open-hearted, good looking, and blessed with a charmed life. He’s passionate about all things farm-to-table and isn’t afraid to pursue what he wants—experience optional. When Gabe stumbles into his chaotic farmers market booth, the sparks are instant.
Gabe wants to do right by his mother and get back to work. Owen wants Gabe. Their chemistry? Unavoidable. Between messy estate finances and a fake-date crash course in emotional vulnerability, they just might stumble into something real. If only Gabe could come clean about a secret of his own…
Fall in love with this warm, witty MM rom-com about unexpected connections, complicated timing, and kissing the guy who makes your heart trip.
Rom-Com for Dummies
Tom Diggs © 2025
All Rights Reserved
“You still haven’t told me the last time you went on a date,” said Owen.
“These days,” said Gabe, “work keeps me too busy.”
“You use that excuse a lot. When was your last real date? And app hookups don’t count.”
“The last date-date? A while back I was in a relationship. We went on several dates before we made our relationship official.”
“When was that? A few years ago?”
“More like seven.” Gabe lied. It was over ten years.
“So…at best, you’re rusty; at worst, you have forgotten how to date.”
“Why is my dating history important to you?”
“You’re flat-out boyfriend material, Gabe. It’s selfish of you to deny the world your Gabe yumminess. You’re good-looking, fun…”
“I don’t think so.”
“The self-effacing act is adorable, but you come off as disingenuous. In reality, you’re a hot, sexy guy. You’re smart; you’re a fabulous writer… Your potential is off the charts, dude. Why waste it settling for the crumbs? I saw the mullet you hooked up with today. You’re better than that.”
“His mullet had almost grown out…”
“Unless you’re with someone who loves you dearly, you’re selling yourself short. I know you don’t want my advice, but you need to get your dating mojo back.”
“And how does one do that?”
“First, you need to reenter the dating world, and I’m going to teach you how.”
“Are you going to start sending me instructional dating videos instead of corny barnyard memes?”
“The corny barnyard memes will keep coming. I’m going to take you on a practice date, a fake date.”
“On a fake date, do we eat fake dinner and see a fake movie?”
“So you do know how to date. But the movies here suck. It’ll be more like dinner and a video. And I’ll pick the video.”
“The Notebook?”
“Please! Something more art house. I want you to start dating people who challenge you and bring out the best in you. Like me. I can see how much you need connection. Think about it: you can have love and everything that goes with it. What a concept!”
“You like your projects, don’t you?”
“If I can’t have you—” Owen got up on one elbow and looked him in the eye. “—I want you to have someone amazing, someone nice, but someone you can complain about to me. Someone I can diss and be jealous of, but secretly approve of. What do you say?”
Owen waited for a response.
Gabe feared the velocity with which Owen was moving with their friendship, one that included a future with some commitments. Gabe enjoyed Owen, but he barely knew him. He hadn’t considered much of a future with Owen beyond this current week in Concord Valley.
And yet “fake date” ranked high on the list of rom-com tropes. Accepting Owen’s proposition might add a few days of inspiration for storyline content on the soap.
“Fine,” said Gabe. “When would we go on this fake date?”
“Are you busy Monday night?” asked Owen.
“I don’t think so.”
“Of course you’re not. Nothing happens on Monday night in Concord Valley. I’ll find a nice restaurant that’s open on Mondays. Leave the rest to me.”
“What’s the dress code?”
“Let’s say country club casual.”
“Your privilege is showing.”
Purchase
NineStar Press | Books2Read
Amazon
Tom Diggs is the author of fiction, plays, and musicals. His fiction has been published in The James White Review. His play, FAIR AND DECENT, was developed by the Kennedy Center and nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2008. When he’s not working on his own writing, he enjoys teaching middle schoolers to write. Outside of the world of letters, he bakes, bikes, and keeps up with the latest technology. A lifelong learner, he attended Brown University, the University of Washington, and NYU/Tisch. Once upon a time, he interned on All My Children. He currently spends his time between San Francisco and Santa Fe and is a member of the Dramatists Guild.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Tiktok
One lucky winner will receive a $50.00 NineStar Press Gift Code!
