Behind The Limelight

by Kara Flynn

"You're crazy," Ashton whispered.
"Yes," Ryker continued. "For you."
"No. You're just crazy. Period."

When Ashton's acting career hit rock bottom, his last lifeline was accepting the lead role in a guaranteed blockbuster. But the role came with a catch, and the catch had a name—Ryker Cohen, Ashton's sole archnemesis.
Can Ashton share the screen alongside the man he has spent years despising? Will the hate consume him? Or will Ryker's soft touch melt his stone-cold heart?

Genres: Enemies To Lovers, M M Romance, Romance

347 pages, Paperback

Published March 31, 2025

Reviews

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️ 3 stars ⭐️

"Do you think we can ever go back?" "Go back?" "Go back to how we were before," Ryker elaborated. "Back to when you didn't hate my guts."

TROPES:
🎬 Actors
🎬 Friends to rivals to lovers
🎬 Forced proximity
🎬 Secret pining
🎬 Queer awakening

I really thought I was going to love Behind The Limelight, but the execution left me a little wanting.
A great mix of tropes — rival actors, unrequited feelings, tension that turns into passion — but the writing style wasn’t doing it for me. The third person semi-omniscient but still single POV made the story a bit bland, had me feeling detached from the characters.
There were also too many inner monologues, which made this read slightly repetitive.

"You're staring, you know that, right?" Ryker asked with a hint of a smirk.
"You're staring at me too," Ashton finally brought himself to say.
"About time you noticed that," Ryker said.

I did really enjoy the pining, Ryker staring longingly at Ashton, the almost confessions, the tension.
There’s a lot of bantering between them which at first I thought was cute, but honestly the more they went on, the more it became childish.

"Fuck you for making me hate you less and less by the day”

And the more we near the end of the book, the more everything seems rushed. The epilogue is crammed of all the loose ends, all squished together sentence after sentence ‘this is how they resolved the family drama, this is how the switch scene went (too bad you missed that!), this is what they’re doing now, this is how it ends WOW aren’t you glad it’s all tied into a neat little bow no more loose ends here nu-UH)…..
I might be a tad upset about that epilogue.

Overall, I think this book was trying too hard. Trying to be funny, to be emotional, to be deep and super romantic. It just didn’t really hit the mark for me personally, but I still enjoyed parts of it if not most of the first half. The writing style isn’t my preference, so it made this read harder to connect to.

Ryker was Ashton's sun, who fought through the thunderstorm to turn his grey world into a dazzling golden.

I received a copy of this book from Gay Romance Reviews, and this is my honest review.

CW and NSFW info (spoilers):
- Anxiety
- Panic attacks
- Emotionally abusive parent
- Vers MCs
- Rimming
- Frotting

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best friends to enemies to lovers. The reasons for the enemies are vaguely answered, but mostly it’s just squabbling without any in-depth explanation. They’re both petty and vindictive, especially Ryker. You don’t get to be an arsehole just because the person you’ve never told you love dates other people and is annoyed at you. If he’s in the dark about the real reasons, it’s not his fault; if he’s too slow to grasp it, tell him!

The transition from enemies to lovers for me wasn’t very believable; it was a bit too instant, and the constant referring to each other as ‘the other actor’ was annoying as hell. I also feel like little details kept changing; for example, I’m sure at the beginning Ash was blonde, then by the end he was referred to as ‘the brunette’.

Despite all this, their bickering is funny at times because it’s so ridiculous. I’m not sure how old these two are; I don’t believe we’re told (although I could have missed that). But either way, they fight like they’re 10-year-olds, and it just gets more and more immature as time goes on. All the while, it could have been fixed with a simple conversation.

I think most people hate Ash, but for all that he handled things immaturely, he has a good moral compass. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone; he’s tired of being used and hurt by people close to him, and he refuses to help his parents cover up their mess with younger women. If you can look past his petulance, he’s actually a good guy. He didn’t let Ryker explain why he took the role from him, but he was so used to his parents’ manipulation that it made the most sense for him to have this reaction. I don’t think Ryker tried hard enough to be honest, and his methods of getting Ash’s attention were juvenile.

Ryker is a good character too, beyond this, and they both show growth throughout the book. Once Ash accepts his apology, they both try to get back what they had in the beginning.

I’m 50/50 with this book, to be honest. There were some parts I enjoyed, and I think the premise was a good one. However, the petulance and the overly dramatic epilogue were a little too much.




————-
I received an ARC of this from GRR, and this is my honest review.

[Sandali ♥️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating - 3.5 stars
Is it amazing? Not really. But was it a good enemies-to-lovers story? Oh absolutely. Since it was best-friends-to-enemies-to-lovers. The writing was general Wattpad style but although improved. And the story was zero angst 😩♥️ Yessssssss. And it also got me out of a reading slump. There were several hard to believe elements in this but the mental health aspect was genuinely amazing. It was absolutely realistic so I can just ignore the other stuff cause hey maybe I dunno but Hollywood might be like that. All in all the story was actually quite good although I don't think I'll be rereading it. But the author has potential. The plot was good and only the writing needs to be improved.

[Luuzii · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 🌟 I really liked it

[joyce · Rating 1 out of 5]

i had mixed feelings abt ryker. he’s perfect actually if u think abt it on wider perspective but the one thing i hate in books is owd and there’s a pretty detailed scene in this book. i hate how he went after ALL of ashton’s exes and date them just for ashton to notice him and make him jealous. he was gone for two years to “find himself” after seeing how much he hurt ashton but u’d think he’s changed when he went back but nope, the mf went back to his old ways, stole the woman ashton was interested in bc he’s freaking jealous. if this is how he shows love, then he can keep it to himself.

pls dont get me started on that freaking epilogue.

i rly hate it when i picked up a book and just have a fun read only to end up being critical bc the mistakes are pretty glaring. i just cant brush it off. i could list all of them but this book drained my energy and i just want to forget i wasted my time reading this.

[Oreeee🌹]

Maybe 13-year-old, wattpad-obsessed me would have eaten this up, but I can’t read stuff like this anymore. This is childish. Ryker keeps dating Ashton’s exes because he’s in love with Ashton. Why would you do that? Why would that make Ashton realize you like him? Y’all were best friends too, so don’t you care about bro-code? What makes you think he would still wanna be friends with you when you do that?

[Tara Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

MY OPINION: There was a lot about this story I really enjoyed. These two men were the closest of friends for years, but one decision changed the entire trajectory, leaving them estranged. The entire book is from the perspective of only one character, but you still get a great overview of both characters.

Generally, the story covered how these two men might have had feelings for each other a lot longer than they admit to. The banter and snark between the two men once they relax into their rebuilt relationship is cute, and I loved that a lot. Both men were charming, and I think I would have liked seeing the perspective from both sides. There are several loose subplots that get tied up nicely, giving the story a lovely finish.

As I said, there were a lot of things I liked. The concept of a misunderstanding damaging a close friendship and those friends having to figure things out is wonderful. The men finding each other and being intimate for the first time, and Ashton realizing he isn’t straight, is pretty brushed over, but they roll with it. It’s a slow burn with a lot of emotion and patience. There is a lot of fun in the story that made me keep reading; it was a good read. I don’t know if I would call it a rom-com, mainly a contemporary MM romance with two characters trying to figure out how to be together, even if they aren’t sure how that might work. They keep the relationship hidden and really don’t commit to it, even though they behave as if they are committed until the 80% mark. This is a solid start for a debut author, and I am really glad I got to read it. Pick it up if you like a renewed friendship, to lovers story. Lots of snark between the MCs, which is a fun attribute to the story.

[Veronica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bestfriends-enemies- lovers trope. I honestly do not like this book at all. Yes, the writing is good, but I absolutely hate the context like these especially this author tbh cause I’ve read her other book King’s Guard too, she creates the misunderstandings or fights between characters completely unforgivable to read further. See I love reading, and I always put myself in the characters’ shoes while I read, which is exactly why I can’t vibe with Kara’s books. The reasons for the conflict are just too unrealistic and extreme (at least for me). In this book, I especially couldn’t stand Ryker’s character at all. Who in their right mind goes after their best friend’s (whom he loves apparently) exes—just to get his attention, knowing full well it’s going to hurt him? No one does that in real life if they have even two brain cells left. And the worst part? Even after realizing how much it hurt Ash, Ryker just disappeared for two years to “find himself” only to come back and repeat the same actions. And don't even kid me at chapter 6, he even looked smug after getting caught, yet still he tried to deny that it didn't mean anything or it wasn't his intention, like b*tch whotf are you trying to fool? Also I feel like Ryker didn't put much effort into getting them back together —he always talks in circles calling Ashton “dense” for not realizing he loved him, when his own actions conveyed the opposite, if not worse. He did nothing to genuinely prove his feelings; instead, he made Ashton feel insecure and to hate him. Honestly in my opinion, all of this is so unrealistic to connect irl and stupid asf I could never vibe with books like this. Yeah that's all lmao sorry for the long rant and this is just my opinion if you disagree with me idc but don’t come at me about it.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kara Flynn is a new-to-me author, and my introduction to her writing is Behind the Limelight, a contemporary M/M romance featuring two actors who used to be friends but haven't been able to be in the same space without everyone knowing they can't stand each other. So, when Ashton Archer's career flatlines, the film he was hoping to star in becomes his chance to get it back on track. But there's one hitch--Ryker Cohen has signed on as his co-star. As much as Ashton wants to walk away from the project, he knows he can't, not if he wants to prove he's serious about his craft. He's just going to have to try his best to tolerate Ryker, but that's easier said than done, especially when spending so much time together has Ashton seeing his co-star in a whole new--and quite unexpected--light.

Enemies-to-lovers is one of my go-to romance tropes, and when the main characters used to be friends, it adds an extra layer of complexity that tickles my fancy. I'm a stickler for back stories and finding out what history the MCs have, and when it came to what led Ashton and Ryker to go from friends to enemies, albeit the animosity was more on the former's end than the latter's, the reason came off as somewhat flimsy. I also wasn't a huge fan of the single third-person point-of-view, but there was a lot of meat on the bone, so to speak, with a story and banter that kept me entertained. The epilogue did feel like a lot was crammed into it, but hey, that ending still brought a smile to my face, and I did enjoy reading the book overall. I'm giving Behind the Limelight 3.5 stars out of five stars.

[Nuria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started and finished today… I think. I’ve been reading so much everything just kinda blurs together atp. But NOT THIS ONE! This was very entertaining and defo one of the few hidden gems on Wattpad. If I wasn’t a broke uni student, this would be on my bookshelf rn. The dynamics between the characters, the hidden backstories, the set drama? Perfect. It’s perfection. The absolute dumb lovable bitch of a character that is Ashton? I’m in love. The sensitive dickhead idiot that is Ryker? I’m in love. The supporting characters doing exactly what they’re supposed to be doing; supporting, and not being glorified main characters? Absolutely lovely.
It’s a well fleshed out story, however I would like to see a second book on what happens after the epilogue because I think the dynamics between Ryker and Ashton would be interesting as they try to navigate going public and what that would look like for their relationship. I would’ve also loved more fluff and to see a bit more of their romantic relationship after they officially get together, but beggars can’t be choosers.
Anyways, this was a breath of fresh air on Wattpad and when I found out it was on here I was like “might as well log it” and give a good review because I think this author deserves it.
Alright, thanks for reading this far if you have, imma go and continue bing reading BL shit on Wattpad. MUAH

[Amanda Winter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Behind the Limelight is a second-chance, best-friends-to-enemies-to-lovers M/M romance featuring two actors, Ash and Ryker, who reunite on set after a messy falling out. While the setup promises emotional depth, the reasons behind their estrangement are underexplored and often frustratingly vague. Their squabbles feel more immature than intense, and the enemies-to-lovers shift happens a bit too fast to be fully believable.

Ryker comes off as petty and manipulative at times, while Ash—though often painted as petulant—has a strong moral compass and is clearly worn down by a lifetime of being used. Despite their childish antics, both characters do grow, and once apologies are exchanged, their effort to rebuild their bond is genuine.

The writing has entertaining moments—especially in the absurd bickering—and while some inconsistencies (like hair color) and a rushed epilogue detract from the polish, there’s still charm in the chaos. Fans of messy dynamics and Hollywood backdrops might find this worth the ride, even if it doesn't quite hit all the emotional marks.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars!

This was my first read by this author but I loved it! Mostly. I went back and forth between wanting to knock the ever lovin’ CRAP out of Ashton and wanting to hug both MCs but I did really love it. It wasn’t always easy though, they (Ashton mostly but Ryker too) were both stubborn as a mule and kept trying my patience with all the bickering back and forth when it was clear how much they cared for each other. And the snark, oh my gosh, it was ridiculous…you’ll see exactly what I mean when you read it.

This book is sure to please readers who love best friends to enemies to lovers and slow burn romance. There was no third act breakup, thank goodness, though it was pretty close there for a minute but I loved it and think others will too. Give it a try for yourself, I think you’ll be glad you did. 4.5 stars!

I received a copy of this book for free from GRR but am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sarah Wozniak · Rating 2 out of 5]

*ARC received through GRR*
DNF at 52%
Although there was moments I liked throughout this book… it struggled in many areas. The dynamic between the two main characters… I just didn’t really like. I know that it is supposed to be a love to hate trope but it felt off. I understand that Ashton is prickly and has unresolved trauma- but I HATED the way he acted towards Ryker. I also didn’t like the way he blatantly ignored/ ran away from his problems… it just dragged.
I also felt like this book was very long… and it felt long while I was reading it.

[Jo Atkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a bit of a rollercoaster. Ashton was oblivious to what was happening around him due to a very difficult childhood. Ryker had beaten him in all areas but the catalyst for the story was the Best Actor awards night which ended in a punch. Their rivalry was well known but was it really. Move a few years into the future and they are thrust together on a new movie. Animosity turns into something else after a drunken evening out. Reading their realisation was fun and the growth between the two jumped off the page for me. The ending perfect for the story.

[Ella Aileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were parts of this that I liked a lot. The banter and snark were great. Ash's growth (since it's single POV) was definitely seen. And once he and Ryker got together, I enjoyed their relationship a great deal. They were sweet together and I had fun with them.

I struggled to get to some of those points though. The beginning of the book dragged a bit for me and I thought about setting it aside, but I'm happy I continued onward and finished. I did like Ash and Ryker, and I wanted to see what would happen with them. I ended up enjoying the story, and it was a solid read overall!

[KB · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book free as an ARC from GRR for my fair and honest review.

Ok, goddammit, you made me cry.

In the world of fast-paced romances, this is a slow burn. Further, I spent easily the first half of the book wanting to cuff Ashton up the back of his head for being a dumbass. Apparently, a common refrain between the duo. But after meeting the mother face-to-face, it all makes terrible sense.

Somehow though, they pulled it together for a very sweet, lower-stakes romance.

CW: on-page panic attack, manipulation, emotional abuse, gaslighting (not by MCs)

[Ida Umphers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once you accept that Ash and Ryker could fix pretty much everything that has broken their friendship and kept them apart for years with one honest conversation, then you can sit back and enjoy their prickly relationship and wait for them to open their eyes. Their are reasons that both of them have for not expecting the best from other people so they wouldn't really be likely to assume honesty about feelings is the best policy but when they do lay their cards on the table it was wonderful to see them figure things out.

[Crex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whatever this author put in their book, I want it so bad, God damn! I enjoyed myself so much, my cheeks has expanded from smiling so hard😂, I just love and admire the intimacy between Ryker and Asher, the constant reassurance, how Ryker knew he fucked up and apologized for it and Asher realized he never even gave Ryker any chance in the first place and that restraining order against his mom ate so down bad!👌. I just know Ryker and Asher are my new favs..

[Vols77 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this enemies to lovers book but will admit that it moved slowly for me. The characters were realistic written and show growth throughout the book. It is a book about self discovery, acceptance, love, and hope. I will admit the character of Aston was so unlikeable I almost stopped reading from how he treated Ryker but am glad I hung in there to see his growth too. Proof that there is a fine line between love and hate. I did receive an ARC and leave this honest review.

[read.beforeyou.think · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book by Kara Flynn, and yes—it did not disappoint.

There’s a slow development of the characters, starting from dislike, moving through forced proximity as they’re cast in the same movie, and eventually realizing they were absolutely wrong about each other—and that they could, in fact, fall in love.

The rollercoaster of emotions was it for me. Asher and Ryker drove me crazy—I wanted to strangle them more than once! I almost put the book down a few times, but I’m so glad I didn’t. Once they began having real conversations instead of just childish banter, they had my full attention, and I was so curious to see how their story would end.

Their growth felt natural, and their vulnerability made their relationship so satisfying to read. I especially appreciated how the author made them feel like perfect enemies at first, only to flip that and give them the HEA they truly earned.

A well-written, engaging romance that made me a fan. I’ll definitely be checking out more from Kara Flynn!

[VicReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a good enemies to lovers vibe, its one of my favorite tropes and I really thought I was going to enjoy this book but yeah, not for me.

I was left wanting more, the writing style was one I could not mesh with, extremely repetitive and parts felt as if it was dragging on and then once we get towards the end of the book, it was a rush to the finish and it just did not cross that finish line for me.

[Amanda Janssen · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5 I really thought I was going to love this. I'm a sucker for former friends to enemies to lovers, but the reason for them becoming enemies seemed pretty weak when up until that point they were inseparable. Also, they both acted like children most of the time and never had real conversations until the end (and even then it seemed like it wasn't the best communication).

[b00ks_in_nature · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was entertaining, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped I would. I struggle with single POV unless it's vital to the story. That combined with unclear reasons for the rivalry, a too-easy transition from rivals to lovers, with an ending that felt rushed (and was therefore less satisfying) lowered my rating. That said, I enjoyed the characters and the story. Also, I'm a sucker for pining, mental health rep, and forced proximity.

[Mayra Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Behind The Limelight by Kara Flynn
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
This was such an enjoyable read. The cover was the first thing that caught my eye, it’s so pretty! The second thing were the tropes in this story: Best friends to enemies to lovers and slow burn romance. Kara did such a great job of creating a story full of love and emotion. These characters are so easy to love, definitely a must read story.

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED IT 🥰. The enemies to lovers was perfect with awesome mix emotions and feelings that comes along with a new relationship! BTL was something I loved but one thing I would recommend for new readers is to read Tense first cause otherwise you’ll be completely hooked and there may be spoilers for Tense too like what happened for me…. 😅

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a new to me author and I enjoyed the story, it was a friends to enemies to lovers story and there was great banter between Ashton and Ryker, the story kept my interest and I’ll try more from this author in the future.

[Kelsey Rhodes · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover of this book is really cute. I liked the first few chapters, but it felt like our enemies probably should have stayed enemies instead of becoming lovers. Their annoyance with each other felt more genuine than their attraction. But I did like some of the quirks and the overall story arc.

[Marian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it, the intimate scenes were written very well. It just got a bit draggy in some parts in the middle and around the end. I got wary for a bit in the epilogue because it looked like it was going to not end well.

[Ganga S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the third book I read after delicate and tense and I loved it so much . Ashton and Ryker were such a mood . Great book 10/10

[Cristy Elizondo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Major enemies to lovers. Such hate. I like how this became to lovers slowly. It happened over time, not instantly. Poor Ashton. I'm glad Ryker didn't give up on him.