Full of drama, fun, and scorching love scenes, this love story is worthy of the silver screen.
A fake relationship between an up-and-coming starlet and a down-on-his-luck actor threatens to turn into something real.
Grey Brooks has been acting since she was a child, but her career isn’t exactly where she wants it to be. Fresh off a campy teen soap and hoping for more, she’s writing a script with her best friend and trying to get cast in a new franchise. When her publicist brings up the idea of starting a fake relationship to get press, she’s skeptical—and then she hears the name of her proposed fake boyfriend. It’s Ethan Atkins, a former heartthrob who fell on hard times after his best friend died in an accident years ago. Ethan turned to alcohol, went through a divorce, got dropped from the big movie he’d been filming, and hasn’t acted since. Their publicist thinks that a few strategic outings could be good for both of them—Ethan could show that he’s more stable, and Grey could get attention for being on the arm of a major star. Ethan isn’t sure about the idea, either, but as soon as he meets Grey, he can’t deny his attraction. The two of them enter into a highly choreographed “relationship,” complete with scheduled paparazzi run-ins, mandatory public dates, and a strict nondisclosure agreement. But what they don’t count on is falling for each other for real, and soon they’re juggling their feelings, their careers, and their pasts. Ethan, in particular, struggles to cope with the loss of his best friend and his relationship with alcohol. Can he overcome his demons, or will his relationship with Grey become just another casualty of his self-destructive behavior? In her debut, Wilder creates an angst-y and compelling love story that feels realistically Hollywood. Grey and Ethan’s chemistry burns through the pages, especially in the numerous steamy scenes. Both actors come across sympathetically as humans who are trying their best to have creative careers they’re proud of. Wilder also populates their world with a cadre of richly drawn side characters, like Grey’s no-nonsense agent and Ethan’s supportive ex-wife.
Full of drama, fun, and scorching love scenes, this love story is worthy of the silver screen.Pub Date: June 14, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35895-5
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Dell
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.
After being released from prison, a young woman tries to reconnect with her 5-year-old daughter despite having killed the girl’s father.
Kenna didn’t even know she was pregnant until after she was sent to prison for murdering her boyfriend, Scotty. When her baby girl, Diem, was born, she was forced to give custody to Scotty’s parents. Now that she’s been released, Kenna is intent on getting to know her daughter, but Scotty’s parents won’t give her a chance to tell them what really happened the night their son died. Instead, they file a restraining order preventing Kenna from so much as introducing herself to Diem. Handsome, self-assured Ledger, who was Scotty’s best friend, is another key adult in Diem’s life. He’s helping her grandparents raise her, and he too blames Kenna for Scotty’s death. Even so, there’s something about her that haunts him. Kenna feels the pull, too, and seems to be seeking Ledger out despite his judgmental behavior. As Ledger gets to know Kenna and acknowledges his attraction to her, he begins to wonder if maybe he and Scotty’s parents have judged her unfairly. Even so, Ledger is afraid that if he surrenders to his feelings, Scotty’s parents will kick him out of Diem’s life. As Kenna and Ledger continue to mourn for Scotty, they also grieve the future they cannot have with each other. Told alternatively from Kenna’s and Ledger’s perspectives, the story explores the myriad ways in which snap judgments based on partial information can derail people’s lives. Built on a foundation of death and grief, this story has an undercurrent of sadness. As usual, however, the author has created compelling characters who are magnetic and sympathetic enough to pull readers in. In addition to grief, the novel also deftly explores complex issues such as guilt, self-doubt, redemption, and forgiveness.
With captivating dialogue, angst-y characters, and a couple of steamy sex scenes, Hoover has done it again.Pub Date: Jan. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2560-7
Page Count: 335
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
If you like your romance the darker the better, this one is for you.
A young mother returns to the gothic manor of her childhood to dust off the family secrets and face her old flame.
Maven Blackthorn hasn’t been home since her mom died under suspicious circumstances 12 years ago, but the death of her grandmother, Lorinda, forces her return to Solstice, Vermont. Maven’s daughter, Beatrix, has never seen where her mother grew up, but she quickly learns the Blackthorns have a reputation for witchcraft, largely fueled by a centuries-long feud with the powerful Croft family, whose heir apparent, Ronan, was Maven’s forbidden teenage love and “worst nightmare.” Maven hopes to bid farewell to her grandmother and visit with her aunts without running into Ronan, but he proves hard to avoid. Maven’s hatred for Ronan runs deep and she believes the feeling is mutual. From Ronan’s perspective, it’s clear their painful unraveling was full of misunderstandings. When Lorinda’s body goes missing from the funeral home, Maven is forced to accept Ronan’s help in discovering what happened. While Maven dives into her family history and the many unfortunate events befalling Blackthorn women, Ronan is forever in her ear, seducing her back to him. The push and pull of their romance feels immature, which isn’t helped by the first-person present narration. At times, it’s easy to forget Maven and Ronan aren’t still teenagers, until the erotica is punched up a thousand percent in the final third. Controlling lines from Ronan like “Don’t test my patience, woman” might read better if his perspective were explored more, though fans of Geissinger’s dark erotica, including Brutal Vows (2025), may not be fazed. Maven’s perspective dominates, and though her investigation into family lore and increasing paranoia are the most compelling arc, the million and one ways in which she threatens Ronan with physical violence—“What I really want to do is tie you to a tree, disembowel you with my bare hands, feed your guts to the wolves, and cut off your head”—is a bit one-note. Trigger warnings abound.
If you like your romance the darker the better, this one is for you.Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781250379139
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Bramble Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
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