Tag: celebrity romance

ARC Book Review: One More Made Up Love Song (Midnight Rush #2) by Jenny Proctor

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 341 pages
Author: Jenny Proctor
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: August 29th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Rule #1: Do not fall in love with your very famous boss. Rule #2: See Rule #1.

As the personal assistant of rockstar Freddie Ridgefield, Ivy Conway knows most women would love to have her job. It definitely has its perks. She gets to travel, the pay is great, and she’s among the first to hear Freddie’s new music.

The only problem? When she got the job, Ivy promised herself she would never fall in love with her boss. And it’s taking everything in her to stay true to her word.

Then Freddie kisses Ivy—an impulsive move to save himself from a little bit of bad press—and everything changes. Now, the whole world thinks they’re in love.

Even more Ivy could swear Freddie felt the same fireworks she did when he pressed his lips to hers.

What starts as an accidental publicity stunt quickly turns into something more, but fame makes everything more complicated. As Freddie’s spotlight grows to include her—and her family—Ivy starts to wonder if the life Freddie can offer her is worth the life she’ll give up. And how she’ll ever survive without him if it isn’t.

One More Made Up Love Song is a fake-dating rockstar romance with all the crackling chemistry and tension you want in a closed-door romcom. Perfect for fans of romance with a little less heat.

Thank you to the author for an eARC.

MY NEWEST OBESSION.

GOSH I LOVED IT SO MUCH. This was exactly what friends to lovers, boss x assistant trope romance that I WAAAAAANT. The subtle moments about took me out because it was beautifully nuanced and left this sense of longing and yearning that I CRAVE. CRAVE Y’ALL. Bring back these kind of romances and I will be a happy camper forever.

I can’t even begin to list all of the scenes I loved. The pining was intense and I could not get enough of the glances and touches and the KISSES THAT LIT MY KINDLE ON FIRE.

And I really appreciated the strong friendships for both Freddie and Ivy. There’s something magical about the side characters adding genuine connection to the story that makes it even better. One of my new favorites from Jenny Proctor.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Content warnings: loss of a sibling from drunk driving (recounted)

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Book Review: I’ll Pretend You’re Mine by Tashie Bhuiyan

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Contemporary Romance
Length: 352 pages
Author: Tashie Bhuiyan
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: June 3rd, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Summer Ali has been making a name for herself in the music industry for years, slowly but surely climbing the charts—but the world doesn’t know her stage parents are the ones who molded her entire public persona. Finally eighteen, Summer breaks free of their control and focuses on creating her own path.

Upon running into writer’s block, Summer grows eager to take any opportunity to shake things up—even if it means agreeing to a PR stunt with child-actor-turned-playboy, Jules Moradi, famous for his tabloid escapades.

At first, Jules keeps his distance, maintaining professional boundaries. But as time passes, his walls come down, and Summer uncovers who he is beyond his reputation, and it’s someone more like her than she ever realized. As the lines blur between fake and real, Summer begins questioning who she is and what she wants—and if her dreams are worth sacrificing her heart.

CELEBRITY ROMANCE WIN.

Celebrity romances are hit or miss for me in the romance department and I am happy to report this one was a great read for me. I loved the audiobook, it really brought the book to life for me.

I loved the coming of age theme and the journey Summer went on to find herself and the strength it took to make some hard and big decisions. I loved the close relationships Summer had with her sisters and her friends. I love seeing the balance of positive relationships between the heaviness of Summer’s parents and other circumstances. And I found the anxiety rep to be very relatable.

Jules and Summer had the sweetest chemistry. From a fake dating vibe to the slow friendship build to lovers. I loved all of the tender moments they shared and how you could see them slowly opening up and pulling away from toxic situations.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Contemporary Romance
  • Language: mild
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Content warnings: racism, homophobia, anxiety, parental abuse/neglect

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Book Review: How Jenna Became My Dilemma (Famously in Love #2) by Kortney Keisel

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 302 pages
Author: Kortney Keisel
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: September 22nd, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

I’m fake dating a man I don’t even like. When a tabloid breaks a false story that I’m in a relationship with my co-star, Cody Banner, I’m positive my acting career is over before it’s even begun. I’m Done. Finished. But approval ratings skyrocket overnight, putting the rumors on the front page of every news outlet. Now I’m forced to make a deal with Hollywood’s most notorious bad boy and chain dater. It’s either go along with the fake-dating charade or single-handedly bring down both our careers. No, big deal. If only the lines between fake and real weren’t starting to blur, leaving my heart wondering if Cody’s just a really good actor or if he’s starting to fall for me too. How Jenna Became My Dilemma is a celebrity fake dating romantic comedy. It brings all the banter, sizzle, and chemistry while keeping the romance closed door. This is the second book in the Famously in Love Series.

ENJOYABLE.

I liked this one a lot. It’s a really fast read and I loved how easy it was to fly through. I love how Kortney Keisel writes a sensual/steamy type of read without being spicy. It was written so well in that vein and I love that vibe.

I really liked Jenna and Cody. The enemies banter was there and there were many great celebrity moments that allowed for that kind of forced proximity I love. Even the fake dating was fun to venture into to as well.

What I didn’t love was what felt like forced promotion of the authors other books through Jenna and Cody acting in movies of them. I don’t know, to me it came off kind of odd and took me out of the story multiple times.

Otherwise, an honestly good read. There were many swoony moments I loved and I thought the ending was wonderful.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: none
  • Romance: make-outs
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: mentions of previous custody battle/divorced parents

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Book Review: Faking the Fall (Sweater Weather #4) by Julie Christianson

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Rating: ★★★★☆
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 318 pages
Author: Julie Christianson
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: September 21st, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

What’s a movie star to do when giving up the spotlight could hurt the ones he loves most?
My agent has this idea—an insanely bad idea—to reboot my Hollywood heartthrob status by having my long-lost love dump me … while I’m proposing to her on national TV.
The theory? Women everywhere will swoon over poor Lincoln James, scrambling to repair his vulnerable, shattered heart.
Trouble is, I don’t have any kind of love—long, lost, or otherwise.
To play my fake girlfriend, my agent enlists Hadley Morgan, my secret college crush. The one who dragged me to an audition that launched my career but left her in the dust.
Upping the ante, she offers Hadley a slot on the show she missed out on years ago. When the alternative publicity ploy is for reporters to dig up dirt on my family, I’ve got no choice but to go along with the ruse.
That’s why I’m in Harvest Hollow now—as one half of the dream couple HadLink—at least until Hadley explodes our relationship during a very public proposal.
Our breakup’s built into this deal. Too bad I’ve got real love for this woman.
But if I come clean, I risk Hadley’s big break, my family’s painful past, and my own rebooted heart.

A SWEET GEM.

I went into this with the best of hopes and I was gratefully charmed by the entire story. I absolutely loved the way LInk was written and how we learned more about his background and reasoning. I’m hit or miss on celebrity romances and I loved the way this one was crafted.

I also really liked Hadley too. These were both just two genuinely kind people trying to make the best decisions with the life they’ve been handed. I looooved the mutual pining and the increasingly tender moments they had as their connection reignited. It’s a sweet story with some good fake dating moments and let me tell y’all, the communication towards the end?? LOVED IT SO DANG MUCH. Exactly what I hoped for, made total sense, and really showed that Hadley and Link trusted and cared for each other. I am smitten.

The fall vibes are once again in this series, immaculate. These authors have all done a fantastic job of creating this world. I found this to be a super fast read and once that made my heart flutter.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: None
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: low
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of loved ones (happened prior to book)

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