Love, Unscripted: A Marriage of Convenience Celebrity Romance

by Zanielle Hart

One year. One contract. One fake marriage.

Nico

Nicolas Re is a king without a heart…or so they say. He inherited a media empire and rules it with an iron fist. Love? A soiled memory. Marriage? Off the table. That is until his board demands the latter.

That’s why when she walks into his life with an irresistible proposition, he simply can't turn away from it.

Emily

Emily Pinault is Hollywood’s Golden Girl. That is until burnout, trauma, and scandals crack her perfect image. Just when she thought things were looking up, her fiancé cheats on her. Talk about hit after hit.

He doesn’t know she knows. And when he postpones their wedding, he thinks she’ll wait. He thinks she’ll forgive.

He’s wrong.

Emily wants payback. And she knows exactly how to get it—by marrying a man that will make him crawl into his self-dug grave.

His rival. Her temptation. Her undoing.

This was never supposed to be real. But when two people with everything to lose start living under the same roof, the lines blur. The chemistry sizzles. And they start going off script, acting on emotions they both can’t seem to control.

Falling victim to the stage they’d set, the two have no choice but to see it through until the ending credits.

Love, Unscripted is a contemporary celebrity romance with a revenge sub-plot. It’s book one in the Hollywood Stars series but can be read as a standalone.

392 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 12, 2026

Reviews

[Lovelettelore · Rating 3 out of 5]

🎬 A revenge marriage, fake vows, and feelings that weren’t supposed to happen…

📖 Love Unscripted by Zanielle Hart
⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️

Genre: Celebrity Romance

Tropes:
🎭 Celebrity MCs
💍 Secret Marriage of Convenience
🔥 Revenge
🎬 Actress × 💼 Billionaire
🏠 Forced Proximity
💘 He Falls First

Emily is all set to get married—until she finds out her fiancé has been cheating on her. Heartbroken and furious, she decides she’s not going to sit back and take it. When she overhears that Nicolas needs a wife for his own reasons, the two of them strike a deal: a contract marriage for one year. No feelings. No drama. Just mutual benefit… and a little revenge.

This was such a cute and easy read. It’s not overly dramatic or emotionally heavy, which made it feel very safe and comforting for me. Even though Emily’s ex really got me annoyed, I loved her revenge plan—it was so satisfying.

I really enjoyed watching Nicolas fall for her (and then fall even harder). Even when he tried to keep things “business only,” his feelings kept slipping through. And I loved how Emily slowly started seeing him as more than just part of her revenge plan.

What I liked most is how supportive they were of each other. They genuinely showed up, listened, and cared, which made their relationship feel sweet and genuine.

Overall, this was a soft, feel-good celebrity romance that was easy to enjoy.

Thank you Lovenotes PR and Zanielle Hart for this ARC. 💕📚

[Georgia Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly I would like to say I absolutely devoured this book, I honestly could not put it down I absolutely loved it and Zanielle Hart is definitely an author I would read again but what do you mean this is a debuttttt.

I wanted to read this book because of the marriage of convenience but it was done in a way I have never read before, it was two people who actually worked well together from the get go. They were so supportive of each other. They genuinely showed up, listened, and cared, which made their relationship feel sweet and genuine. This book was around rollercoaster of emotions and will say i was left gasping for more.

Zanielle has put a lot of work into this book, it may not be a book that speaks to everyone but the writing style it was immersive, even with it being in third person it did not take away from the storyline. Both Emily and Nicolas showed a ton of development throughout the book. I absolutely adored it but I could have easily done with another 200 pages and seen more.

[Brianna · Rating 5 out of 5]

First read of 2026! I just wanna start this off by saying how longgg I’ve waited for this! And I knew from that amazing prologue, this one was gonna be great (and it was!). Usually the celebrity romance genre gives me the ick but boy was this unique. I don’t think I’ve read a book this well-written in a while. And mind you I’m not a fan of 3rd person but I was LOCKED IN.

First off:

Emily is really better than me because oh my god! The stuff she’s been through! Also, her family (minus Chelsea) sucks! Again she’s better than me because I could never!!! At first I was thinking “not another rich person whining about their plights.” Don’t get me wrong, I was rooting for her in the beginning because FU Jake, but I really started FEELING for her around the 20% mark. And the people pleaser in me was gutted. Her constant fight with getting revenge despite being a genuinely good person was also an interesting take. I wanted her to go all the way but it helped cement her character as not being THAT person which was more of a lesson to me honestly. I would’ve been that person

Her vulnerability and confidence within that was nice to see. I think she’s actually a really strong FMC which thank you for not being completely insufferable. Her struggle with fame and her comeback was also a great development. And thank god she didn’t just comeback for the heck of it. The author did well with highlighting her therapy and showing her progression by getting professional help.

Now Nicolas, OH MY GOD. This man was everything and more. When his “POV” first hit if you can even call it that I was bracing myself for lust or something else idk blame some of the men I’ve read before but the way he thought about her was so beautiful. He spoke about her acting and how he didn’t want to ruin that fantasy and I was like SOLD. Down bad and I’m sold. Loved loved how he defended her and always had her back.

~Because if this was her fight, then it was his now too.~ — SIR WHAT? ❤️❤️❤️ I fell right then and there

Some of my favorite moments:

“Emily Pinault was more than the sum of her scandals and accolades. She was a kaleidoscope, and he’d only ever seen one color. Now the others flashed at Nicolas like a fireworks display he couldn’t look away from.” — THE WRITING HELLO?

“It’s not the first time I’ve had to face reality when it comes to you.” — my heart actually broke for him here 💔

“You’re everything and more. Don’t you ever assume otherwise, okay?” — A MAN

“…And if all I can do is be here when that feeling hits, then I’ll be here. Every time. Helping you through it.” — SOBBING

Extras:

The marriage of convenience was also done in a way I’ve never seen before but somehow…it worked? I was waiting on the way I’ve also seen it happen in books (very cliché of me I guess) but for some reason I vibed with the intimacy of theirs and only the immediate social circle knowing? It was just so different and helped to me to focus on their relationship more

I can’t wait to see what the other books have to offer!

Side note: I could’ve taken a star off but decided not to given this is her debut which is INSANE!

Thank you to the author for providing me with this ARC! All thoughts are my own and are subject to interpretation.

[Dimitra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love,Unscripted 🎥
Firstly,I want to thank LoveNotes PR & Zanielle Hart for trusting me with this ARC!💜
Nico is the heir to the media empire that controls everything in the industry.
Emily is the Hollywood's Golden Girl,& at the moment she is going through THE CRISIS of her life.
Until she sees Nico,and maybe he is the solution for everything.
She has a proposal,a proposal that even iron hearted man cannot resist.

To start with,this is not your usual marriage of convenience romance.There is DRAMA,and the family one,mystery,intrigue,economical empires,Hollywood and a love that should not exist.
Soo,as you see this is gonna be a ROLLER COASTER of emotional,that you,of course,are gonna enjoy 100% and literally wish that there is more.
Our main character Emily,has to forget everything that she knows about her now life,and start again after she found her name tangled up in many scandals.However,this is the BEST thing that could happen to her.
You see,Em lived always on the shadows of others,and only did what she was told to.This time,she FINALLY understands what she is capable of.Durng this marriage is finding herself,her abilities and understands what impact she has on Hollywood.As I love to say she is WALK THEM DOWN EMILY.
Yes,I love her and I can PROUDLY say: I AM ONE OF HER FANS!🥹
Nico, is the classic cold hearted heir that everyone is afraid of.Although,through Emily we see his kind,caring,lovely side that no one has ever experienced.
Due to that,he understands that life should not be only hard cash and maybe he is is not the terrible,useless guy he is thinking himself to be.

Their,romance grew staggered,with the second 50% of the book being just them 🌶️ ,falling in love and experiencing what a relationship should be like. I loved how caring and patient were with each other,and managed perfectly the dynamic show to others the marriage stability while us in private are slowly learning each other and falling in love.
Literally adorable.🤭

Lastly,an other detail that I liked was the idol-fan(s) scenes and moments ,that were going on on different parts of the story.MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE SCENES! (thank you )
After all those,I don't think I have to recommend it,I AM SURE it is already on your TBR!
Out On Feb,12th🪻
4⭐

[Mpho M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d love to start off by saying that this has been one of my most anticipated books of this year.
And I have to say that this book was pretty solid. Especially for a debut.

I appreciated Nicks and Emily relationship from a surface level,I can acknowledge that Nick never played about Emily and was obsessed about his “little actress”

but on a deeper level I just wished that their relationship could have given me more,as it felt like it was missing something…But that doesn’t mean,I didn’t enjoy them as individuals or a couple at all.

In fact I enjoyed a lot of their scenes together, they didn’t fail to put a smile on my face, for example I loved to see the little things Nick did for Emily, like make her breakfast or just be naturally
caring and protective of Emily, who clearly was going through it, and just needed someone to stand by her side , which Nick did without fail

I really enjoyed the first half of the book a lot because of the pace and what the story was about in general, because who doesn’t appreciate a good marriage of convenience romance.

But….i sadly have to say that I didn’t enjoy the second half of the book as much, because I feel like, there wasn’t anything really happening and that a lot of plot story could have been cut out,as it added nothing to the book but unnecessary tension and pages.

when I got to Chapter 49 specifically, I felt like everything was suddenly rushed, like a lot was happening in just a couple of chapters. Everything quite literally went from 0 to 100 really fast.

But overall I enjoyed the story and I am looking forward to the second book.♥️

[Jessicareads · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5 rounded up

ARC review: For this one I'll just go with my current feeling and say this was a great debut. It was a hard choice to know how to rate this honestly. It had a lot going on and gave so much that it was obvious the author didn't write this on a whim. But it may also not be something everyone likes because I think it's so niche (again! this is my personal opinion!) The writing style was immersive but it caught me by surprise of it being third person. For some reason I thought it'd be first but it didn't take away from the story.

The characters all showed some form of development/arc: Emily for realizing her revenge did her more harm than good and Nicolas for his emotional aspect of letting someone in romantically.

I think their open door scenes really did it for me and leaned toward such a higher review. The intimacy was REALLY there. They also have cute moments in which I thought they made a really good pair such as when she got drunk when he came home late and their entire honeymoon.

The pacing of the latter half could have been better imo but I can see why it was done to meet the resolutions. It would have been better if the author just made the book over 400 pages and get it all in.

P.S. Also really wanted more of the Nicolas best friend Chase. He seems like a character to love and I was interested in his backstory

[paula ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 ⭐

Oh boy... Where to begin without giving away too much of the book?

Thank you Love Notes PR and the author for giving me this copy in exchange for my honest opinion of the book

Honestly, the prologue captivated me, and I thought they were going to build on that and make the plot a bit more "mysterious," but that wasn't the case.

The dramas of the secondary characters didn't interest me at all, and I felt like there was hardly any plot in the book overall, just a series of situations that happened, and that's it. I think that could have been improved.

I also didn't feel any connection between the protagonists until almost the end of the book. The ending seemed SUPER rushed to me; I don't think it was necessary to cram that drama and conflict into the last four chapters. Just saying.

[Natalie Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75⭐️
This was a good time. I love celebrity romances even though I don’t read too many of them so this was exciting. I thought it was extremely well done for a debut novel and the romance was well developed. I loved how both character became safe spaces for each other and how they supported each other throughout the entire book. I thought the pacing was well done and the writing style was easy to get through and become invested in. I liked the side characters and the conflict and thought it set the next book up well. My main complaint is that I would’ve loved to have explored Emily’s past a bit more because it was touched upon a few times but I feel like it was glossed over when it could’ve added so much more depth to the story. But overall I had fun with this and I’m excited for the next one.
Thank you to LoveNotes PR for the arc!!

[Kaitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
🎥
Love, Unscripted caught me by surprise in a lot of ways. I loved the idea of a movie star seeking revenge and marrying a billionaire to do it. only, after an arranged marriage, of course, they end up falling head over heels for each other. this book delivered just that, and even gave me some other characters that i may just be rooting for in the future!!
at the end of the day, my rating is usually how i was vibing with it, and i can’t say that writing was working for me. although the characters kept me intrigued, i felt myself drifting off here and there while reading.
with that said, that’s how the experience was for me, but i also know some friends that would eat this up, no questions asked.
it was a solid read, Emily and Nicolas were so freaking cute together, and i’m so happy i was able to read this ARC from Love Notes PR 🩷

[sky ~miss.littlereader~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

🅰🆁🅲 🆁🅴🆅🅸🅴🆆

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Love Unscripted by Zenielle Hart

"𝑰 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅, 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒑𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒆... 𝑶𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝑰 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕."

I had the honor of reading the ARC and I must say WOW! A book debut that is worth reading! Ms. Zanielle clearly put a great deal of care into this book. While it may not resonate with every readers, the writing style is impresive, and the third person perspective never detracts from the story. Both Emily and Nicolas demonstrate significant growth over the course of the book, making their journey engaging and emotionally satisfying, their dynamic was beautifully balanced, presenting a stable, convincing marriage to the outside world while, in private, they slowly learned each other’s rhythms, built trust, and allowed real feelings to grow.

[Kasey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A debut worth reading! I was thrilled to get my hands on this book because I absolutely adore a marriage of convenience! Nico, the heir to the media empire, and Emily, Hollywood’s Golden Girl who’s been on an acting hiatus, are the perfect match on paper. Nico needs to improve his family image, while Emily seeks revenge on an ex-boyfriend. They propose a marriage to benefit both of them, planning to keep it a secret until they’re ready to announce it.

Initially, I found the beginning a bit overwhelming, with a lot happening at once and a bit of clunky writing in the third-person perspective. However, as the story unfolded, it became smoother and more engaging. It was easy to read and couldn’t put down. I particularly enjoyed the sections that focused solely on Emily and Nico’s relationship, allowing the reader to witness their growth from strangers to a couple.

Nico, initially portrayed as cold-hearted, strong, and aloof, reveals a soft spot for Emily. Emily, struggling with self-esteem issues and unable to say no, truly shines with Nico. He uplifts and protects her, helping her discover herself and prioritize her own needs. I was captivated by them falling in love, a beautiful and touching story.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and eagerly anticipate the author’s future works!

[OM · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a roller coaster of a book, and not in a good way. It started in a way that I couldn’t stand the characters and didn’t understand their motivation or their reasoning, then it got kind of good, the couple was finding their footing, and then the drama that happened right after took me back out.

The writing was ok but the story and characters didn’t make sense to me. The plot line lost the plot. The will they won’t they was annoying, though it did have a little arc.

Did I read the whole thing? Yes, I did. I still had this feeling of needing to know exactly what was going to happen, like watching a car crash.

There’s something that her family does that is insane, and the forgiveness for that isn’t earned even a little bit 😭😭😭

[Samantha Lopez · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️2.5

Thank you Lovenotes PR and Zanielle Hart for this arc.

This book had really strong potential, but I just personally feel that the MMC and the FMC do not belong together. The main reason for that is just that I didn’t like the MMC. He just really pissed me off a lot in this book, and they had no chemistry until the end, and it was very rushed.

This book was really long in the beginning, and then the ending felt super rushed. Emily having a stalker was just very unnecessary. I just feel like it added nothing to the story. It really only mattered in the ending, and it gets resolved so quickly.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

well what can I say, this book took me on a rollercoaster! but I absolutely loved it🥰 I don't think I have been so hooked on a book like I wad this one! the storyline was so Interesting! I didn't wan't it to end! I of course adored Nicholas and Emily from the first page😏 their chemistry throughout was absolutely Insane and I just loved their connection! they were obsessed with eachother❤️ I'm glad things (sort of) ended civil with her ex but most of all i'm glad Emily and Nicholas got the happy ending together they truly deserved💖 there was definitely some shocks in this book that I was not expecting, but all in all, I really did love it and will be reading more from Zanielle🫶🏻

[Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Love Notes PR and the author for the arc!

honestly, i feel like i'm still being generous with my ratings. the synopsis was interesting enough, the prologue seemed fun but then i have no idea what happened.
the motivation of the characters seemed to have gotten lost throughout the book. the last bit was so rushed while nothing happened throughout the book. there was no chemistry between them. the "stalking" plot seemed like it was just added for the fun of it.
i feel like this is a case of severely bad editing. this had the potential to be so much better.

[Lindsey Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite part of a marriage of convenience or forced proximity story is when the tension started building because they’re developing feelings, and then you can slowly start to see them crack, even though they’re doing everything they can to fight against it. I love that!!

And when Nicholas is starting to crack we get this amazing line “If you’re serious about keeping that unwritten clause then you should shut your pretty little mouth of yours before it’s put to good use.”

The way I giggled and kicked my feet.

Which leads to the all time greatest line - “F*** it.”

[ReadswithEvyy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the honor of reading the ARC and I must say WOW!

I enjoyed it, it was an easy read and had be engaged. A love at first sight romance that flourished after some years. Though it is a marriage of convenience, there’s no denying the chemistry with Nicholas and Emily. Must I say where can we find our own Nicholas? I don’t want to spoil it too much but the audacity of Jake, Stella and Adriana.

Thank you Zanielle for the ARC!

[Lizzy Bettinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a cute book!! Getting the ARC was has happy surprise! Overall the story was so cute and they had such a cute relationship, however there were some plot points that i felt were rushed or that could’ve been more expanded on but weren’t. There were a lot of plot points in this book and i don’t think all of them were super necessary. It’s a good light hearted book and a quick read!!

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent story of a couple in a fake marriage. Nicolas ends up being so devoted to Emily, and I loved them together. Found this debut novel very delightful. I will definitely be reading future books from this author. Thank you to Love Notes and Danielle Hart for the advance review copy, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Rae Hernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this sweet little romance. I always love a fake relationship trope. Especially when it goes as far as marriage. I was intrigued by the plot of this book and wasn't let down. it was such a fun read! The banter between Nicolas and Emily had my jaw dropping and feet kicking. It was a fun read and is look forward to reading more from this author!

[Leilani Nikole · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC review

I thought this book was hard to get into but about 40-50% in it started to get good. At first I was into the stalker aspect but then it felt like it got forgotten about and was rushed towards the end. All though I really enjoyed Nicholas and Emily’s relationship, the way Nicholas has yearned for Emily since their first meeting 🥹💕