Rise

by Lynette McCornan

In Hollywood, some love stories are real. Others are carefully crafted by publicists. Eliza May's romance with action star Bear McKnight is decidedly the latter—a strategic arrangement designed to boost both their careers. For a closeted actress on the verge of her big break, it's a game she's willing to play.

But when Eliza meets Cat, Bear's charismatic twin sister, the lines between performance and reality begin to blur. With the industry watching her every move, she’s trapped in a life built on make-believe, and as the cameras keep rolling, she discovers that sometimes the greatest risk isn't losing the part—it's losing your heart.

“Rise” is a captivating exploration of love, authenticity, and the price of fame.

Genres: Lesbian, Romance, Lesbian Fiction, Lesbian Romance

214 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 16, 2025

Reviews

[Diane (IF U'RE PRIVATE, PLEASE SKIP ME!!!) Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

**'It's always good to know your premise before even falling in love with that beginning sentence of the story..'

Nice read!
An enjoyable story..
Recommended book!

[Kexx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely story: yea, no Pulitzer prize winner, but fun, heart-warming and well worth a read. Read in a day! Recommended.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet and Sexy!

This is my first story from this author and I’ll definitely check out the other two! The intense connection between the MCs was so palpable it was jumping off the page! Very low angst. Pretty quick read at just over 200 pages. Recommend if you’re looking for a well paced light, sweet and sexy read!

[cloverxheart · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the two previous books by the author but this one just wasn't it.

The romance was so unbelievable to me.
They didn't have any chemistry and there was basically no build up.
They had like two conversations and suddenly had sex and then suddenly they were in love and saying they had such a strong connection. Huh?
I know nothing about these characters and they know nothing about each other either.

I didn't particularly like any of the characters.
They spent more time with the brother than together as a couple which really annoyed me, cause I honestly didn't like him and I just don't want to constantly read about a man being present when all I want is cute wlw stuff.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

❤️Sapphic Hollywood romance
❤️Falls for fake boyfriends twin sister
❤️Instalove ish

Closeted actress falls for action stars twin sister?! Yes, please 😄 This sapphic romance was just what I needed to keep my out of my book slump.

Bear and Eliza are fake dating to boast their careers. At first, it’s not something either of them want to do but as their fake relationship progresses, a beautiful friendship develops. Eliza meets bears twin sister Cat and all the walls she held up for so long start to crumble. The story is a perfect mixture of the struggles of Hollywood stars being their authentic selves and the exploration of love. The romance between the two MCs is super sweet and sexy with a couple hot intimate scenes. There’s very low angst, the story is past paced but doesn’t feel rushed. Recommend if you’re looking for something sweet and fast paced.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was nice, light, sexy, quick and easy. I'm really into this trope. You know what you get though, so it wasn't very surprising. But I really liked the characters and I enjoyed this read.

[Lydia Beskalo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

This was a book that had me smiling from ear to ear. The love stories along with Bear and Cats parents. Absolutely awesome. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a light hearted romance.

[Candice Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply well written

While I love a good Sapphic read, I grow tired of the ones that are overly emotional. The ones with tears of joy, tears of sorrow, tears of frustration, tears of longing.. and thankfully the emotions are not over the top. Because I'm in love with syntax, elevated diction, and metaphorical imagery I can also say this is not that. No one's trying to impress with this writing style. The book has a simple plot that is plausible with what us plebians know of Hollywood. Characters are believable and the chemistry is hot. And come on, isn't that why we read it in the first place?
Great vacation read!

[Monteeeee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d rate this one 3 stars. The story was fine, but the instant love trope didn’t work for me. it felt rushed, especially with everything happening in just 200 pages. The romance seemed to develop over just a few days, which made it hard to fully believe in or connect with.

That said, Bear was a standout character. His sincerity and warmth added depth, and he’s the reason this wasn’t rated lower.

[Robin Kenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The flash of a strobe light in Hollywood stirs the imagination!

This story written beautifully by Lynette McCornan, is just too good to put down. The characters are drawn clearly and with honesty which just enhances the “catch” they are forced into. The love that is clearly shared by two couples is intense and complicated by the situation they are forced into. The resolution is done well and all loose ends tied up neatly. I totally enjoyed this light read.

[Andrea (looseleftlesbian) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ I loved the story, loved the characters, the chemistry, etc. It was just too “perfect” and “fast” for me. There was very little angst between the couple (yes some with the real world) but I did feel like Eliza and Cat moved waaay too fast to be realistic.

[Georgia Lyme · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[KEEPclose1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5

[Annamarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly 2.5. I liked the vibe and friendship between bear and Eliza more than her and Cat. But as always, rounding up for my queer authors always.