Katherine Center can always be depended on to give us beautiful, closed-door romances with a bit of angst. The Rom-Commers is no exception. She tackles everything from sacrifice in the name of love, abandonment issues, grief, and misplaced guilt to the worthiness of the romantic comedy genre and the challenges of working in the film industry in Los Angeles.
Emma was a promising screenwriter who sacrificed probable success and ten years of her life to take care of her younger sister and her father who suffered a traumatic brain injury when she was a teen. She’s earned a living writing freelance movie reviews, but her former high school boyfriend-turned-talent manager continues to send her job prospects. When the opportunity to work as a ghostwriter for her favorite screenwriter Charlie Yates is offered, it’s a chance she is loath to pass up. He’s famous for “guy” films but is being forced to write a romantic comedy in order to get the green light for his next gangster film. He, like so many other “serious” writers, disdains the genre and, not surprisingly, is no good at writing them. Lucky for him, Emma’s an expert and she refuses to let him ruin “his career, the romantic comedy genre as a whole, and all our lives with this nuclear-waste-fueled dumpster fire of a screenplay.” If she can just get past his curmudgeonly appearance and grumpy demeanor (that makes him seem 20 years older than he is) and break down the walls he has built after being abandoned by both his mother and ex-wife, then she might be able to teach him a thing or two about what makes for a successful romance, that love is real (and not just in the movies), and that sacrifice and risk are worth it if you find the right person.
There’s so much to love about this story: the witty banter and snark (especially the frozen veggies on the bruised tailbone scene); the way Emma challenges Charlie, first by being brutally honest about how bad his first rom-com screenplay is and then by forcing him into immersion research on romance (something he’s committed to in his previous movies but resists for what he considers not worth the effort); the fact that she has a virtual museum of movies kisses on her laptop for Charlie to view with her, but still thinks real-life experience is better; how Emma and Charlie’s relationship is so obviously classic rom-com material, including everything from line dancing to literally falling into each other (which Emma insisted wasn’t the least bit romantic until it happened to her); and, finally, Emma’s take on happily-ever-after: “We act like ‘and they lived happily ever after’ is trying to con us into thinking that nothing bad ever happened to anyone ever again. But that’s never the way I read those words. I read them as ‘and they built a life together, and looked after each other, and made the absolute best of their lives.’" For fans of Center’s The Bodyguard, there is even a cameo from Jack Stapleton who is slated to star in the film. This is rom-com gold for fans of Christina Lauren and Abby Jimenez. Highly recommended!
I received a complimentary ARC of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
With a nod to P.S. I Love You and with parallels to Christina Lauren’s Roomies, Walker has written a movie-worthy rom-com about an American woman, Cara Kennedy who, while nursing a broken heart, decides to take an already planned 3-day holiday to Dublin without the ex-boyfriend. Serendipitously, her Uber driver from the airport is Finn McGuire, a charming, handsome bloke with a killer Irish accent with whom she feels an instant attraction.
On Leap Day in Ireland (once every four years), tradition dictates that women can ask men to marry them, Thanks to copious amounts of Irish whiskey, Cara’s evening in the pub where she meets up with Finn on her last night ends with a proposal followed by a return to her beachfront bungalow in Malibu where they spend days getting to know each other, all while planning an annulment. Given the obvious attraction and easy friendship, it’s no surprise that they keep putting it off.
Cara is an aspiring screenwriter who has been paying her dues at a top talent agency working for Hollywood’s version of Amanda Priestley. Finn shows up at her office on a whim and, in the blink of an eye, finds himself auditioning for the lead in a highly-coveted blockbuster movie. Shortly after, Cara begins questioning if Finn’s affection is real or if she’s just been a pawn in his quest for stardom.
There is so much to love in this story: swoon-worthy book boyfriend who helps buttoned-up Cara learn to be spontaneous, Hollywood boss from hell who unwittingly drives her to finally write a winning screenplay, former starlet and sassy landlady Penelope who provides color, wit, and wisdom, feisty best friend and co-worker Julia who provides an endless supply of homemade Italian treats, tequila shots and a shoulder to cry on, and Oscar, devoted canine sidekick who voices the epilogue.
Highly recommended to readers who can’t resist a man with a panty-melting accent and sparkle in his eye.
I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Sourcebooks Casablanca through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
Love Scenes is a delightful enemies-to-lovers romance about two offspring of Hollywood royalty who made a film together that saw charming Irishman Joseph Donovan’s career trajectory take off and left Sloane Ford’s career almost in ruins, all because she complained about his unprofessional behavior on set. Finding herself unemployed after her character in a crime drama series is killed off, her actor/producer mother asks her to join the crew of her new movie Horizons (a World War II drama) with other extended family members working both behind the scenes and in front of the camera. Having shared with the family her brutal experience co-starring with Joe, she’s shocked to find that he has been cast as the male lead. When she’s asked to take over the female lead, their chemistry is undeniable. He claims to have mended his ways after struggling through the grief of losing his mother and working on his sobriety, but can she trust that his new persona is genuine or all an act?
In a world where every move is scrutinized, fame is fleeting, and careers can be destroyed at the whim of directors and producers, it’s important for Sloane to guard her heart, especially after her ex-boyfriend, who broke up with her, makes her the subject of his heartbreak album. However, as they read lines together in his trailer, she gets a glimpse behind his effortless charm to the vulnerability underneath.
Morrissey has done a wonderful job of describing the nepotism in the movie industry while still getting readers to sympathize with the main protagonists. Yes, they didn’t have to struggle to break into the biz, but they still deal with insecurities and family dynamics that are far from normal. From Sloane’s divorced actor parents and step-parents to her drag queen/composer brother, lesbian sister who is making her directorial debut, and precocious 11-year-old stepsister, she has to navigate the fickle industry and carve out a place for herself while struggling with anxiety. Joseph, although nominated for an Emmy the previous year, still struggles with the perception that he doesn’t take his job seriously enough to learn lines and with living in the shadow of his famous father.
Morrissey mentions the roots of the #metoo movement which tanked Sloane’s mother’s career, and describes the role of an intimacy coordinator in some detail. She also doesn’t shy away from discussing alcoholism, grief, and the impact of being queer in the industry. She balances all of these issues with humor, smoking hot chemistry, and an appreciation of the hard work actors do to bring joy to millions. Highly recommended.
I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Berkley Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
