I read this book during breaks from reading a very dense historical novel (more on that shortly), because I really needed a light, easy-to-read contemporary romance to balance things out. And this fit the bill perfectly.
The book focuses on a backstage romance between Lainie, a feisty stage actress, and her broody snobbish co-star Richard, whose status as a celebrated actor is being tarnished by his off-stage reputation as a jerk. The two of them are thrown together into a fake relationship by his management in order to salvage his public image and the financial fate of their play. This is complicated by the fact that Lainie's ex-boyfriend is also starring in the play with them, and he's none too pleased by her dating anyone new, let alone Richard.
This isn't a flawless book - a lot of the theatre stuff is frankly nonsense, and Richard's poor little rich boy background only somewhat explains away his bad behavior prior to dating Lainie. But the emotional arc of their fake relationship blossoming into something real is perfect, and I always really liked Lainie as a protagonist and how the two of them function as a couple. I prefer a bit more sex in my romance novels than this one had, but the chemistry between the two of them felt convincing and real to me, at least. This is a great book to read on your commute or between other things - engaging enough while you read it, but you won't be in danger of missing a stop because you'll be too engrossed. I liked it a lot.
Grade: B
The book focuses on a backstage romance between Lainie, a feisty stage actress, and her broody snobbish co-star Richard, whose status as a celebrated actor is being tarnished by his off-stage reputation as a jerk. The two of them are thrown together into a fake relationship by his management in order to salvage his public image and the financial fate of their play. This is complicated by the fact that Lainie's ex-boyfriend is also starring in the play with them, and he's none too pleased by her dating anyone new, let alone Richard.
This isn't a flawless book - a lot of the theatre stuff is frankly nonsense, and Richard's poor little rich boy background only somewhat explains away his bad behavior prior to dating Lainie. But the emotional arc of their fake relationship blossoming into something real is perfect, and I always really liked Lainie as a protagonist and how the two of them function as a couple. I prefer a bit more sex in my romance novels than this one had, but the chemistry between the two of them felt convincing and real to me, at least. This is a great book to read on your commute or between other things - engaging enough while you read it, but you won't be in danger of missing a stop because you'll be too engrossed. I liked it a lot.
Grade: B
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