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Staged For The Camera: A Celebrity Romance Novel
Not yet published
Expected 20 Feb 26FAKE DATING RULE 1: NEVER FALL FOR YOUR FAKE BOYFRIEND, ESPECIALLY WHEN HE’S THE MAN YOU HATE.
Kayla Grimm went viral for publicly dragging a celebrity who cost her her job. Now she’s broke, unemployed, and one rejection email away from moving back to Montana to work in her parents’ bakery. The worst part? The internet thinks she’s dating the very man who ruined her life. And his PR team wants to run with it.
Six weeks of pretending to be his girlfriend. Six weeks of smiling, hand-holding, and not punching him in the throat.
Kayla needs the money.
Eldon Douglas needs the image.
Eldon doesn’t do relationships. But when a photo goes viral, the world suddenly believes he’s in love, and the only solution is a fake relationship with the woman who hates him most.
She’s bold, infuriating, and completely unimpressed by his fame. She’s the last woman he should want… and the one he can’t stop thinking about.
Hating your fake boyfriend is easy. Not falling for him? That’s the real challenge.
Perfect for readers who fake dating, celebrity romance, forced proximity, he-falls-first, slow burn, and open-door spice.
Kayla Grimm went viral for publicly dragging a celebrity who cost her her job. Now she’s broke, unemployed, and one rejection email away from moving back to Montana to work in her parents’ bakery. The worst part? The internet thinks she’s dating the very man who ruined her life. And his PR team wants to run with it.
Six weeks of pretending to be his girlfriend. Six weeks of smiling, hand-holding, and not punching him in the throat.
Kayla needs the money.
Eldon Douglas needs the image.
Eldon doesn’t do relationships. But when a photo goes viral, the world suddenly believes he’s in love, and the only solution is a fake relationship with the woman who hates him most.
She’s bold, infuriating, and completely unimpressed by his fame. She’s the last woman he should want… and the one he can’t stop thinking about.
Hating your fake boyfriend is easy. Not falling for him? That’s the real challenge.
Perfect for readers who fake dating, celebrity romance, forced proximity, he-falls-first, slow burn, and open-door spice.
302 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication February 20, 2026
6 people want to read
About the author
Stephine Ovo
1 book3 followersStephine Ovo is a romance author who writes new adult and contemporary love stories filled with emotional tension, slow-burn chemistry, steam, and swoon-worthy characters.
She began pursuing her writing career as a teenager and now focuses on creating immersive, character-driven romance.
When she’s not writing, she enjoys traveling, reading, discovering new food, and watching K-dramas.
She began pursuing her writing career as a teenager and now focuses on creating immersive, character-driven romance.
When she’s not writing, she enjoys traveling, reading, discovering new food, and watching K-dramas.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
February 14, 2026
• BOOK REVIEW — Staged for the Camera by Stephine Ovo
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)
This book is chaotic, witty, and full of delicious enemies-to-lovers tension — fake dating, celebrity scandal, and two people who absolutely cannot stand each other… until they can’t stay away.
Characters:
📱 Kayla Grimm — bold, sarcastic, broke but stubbornly independent
🎬 Eldon Douglas — famous, image-conscious, emotionally unavailable (or so he thinks)
Vibes:
• fake dating
• enemies to lovers
• celebrity romance
• public scandal
• forced proximity
• banter-heavy tension
• “we hate each other but the chemistry says otherwise” energy
What the story gives:
After going viral for calling out a celebrity who cost her her job, Kayla Grimm is left broke, unemployed, and one step away from moving home. The twist? The internet now thinks she’s dating the very man she publicly dragged — Eldon Douglas.
His PR team sees opportunity.
Six weeks.
Fake relationship.
Mutual benefit.
Kayla needs the money. Eldon needs to repair his image. Easy… except they genuinely dislike each other. What starts as staged smiles, forced hand-holding, and carefully curated appearances slowly turns into lingering looks, real laughter, and chemistry neither of them planned for.
And hating your fake boyfriend? Simple.
Not falling for him? Nearly impossible.
What I Loved:
• Kayla’s sharp, no-nonsense FMC energy
• Eldon’s cocky exterior slowly cracking
• the banter — sarcastic, fast, and genuinely funny
• fake dating with real emotional buildup
• public pressure adding tension to private moments
• watching enemies slowly become something softer
Final Vibe:
Fun, flirty, and full of spark.
Staged for the Camera is perfect if you love celebrity fake-dating romances with sharp banter, forced proximity, and enemies-to-lovers chemistry that sneaks up on everyone.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5 stars)
This book is chaotic, witty, and full of delicious enemies-to-lovers tension — fake dating, celebrity scandal, and two people who absolutely cannot stand each other… until they can’t stay away.
Characters:
📱 Kayla Grimm — bold, sarcastic, broke but stubbornly independent
🎬 Eldon Douglas — famous, image-conscious, emotionally unavailable (or so he thinks)
Vibes:
• fake dating
• enemies to lovers
• celebrity romance
• public scandal
• forced proximity
• banter-heavy tension
• “we hate each other but the chemistry says otherwise” energy
What the story gives:
After going viral for calling out a celebrity who cost her her job, Kayla Grimm is left broke, unemployed, and one step away from moving home. The twist? The internet now thinks she’s dating the very man she publicly dragged — Eldon Douglas.
His PR team sees opportunity.
Six weeks.
Fake relationship.
Mutual benefit.
Kayla needs the money. Eldon needs to repair his image. Easy… except they genuinely dislike each other. What starts as staged smiles, forced hand-holding, and carefully curated appearances slowly turns into lingering looks, real laughter, and chemistry neither of them planned for.
And hating your fake boyfriend? Simple.
Not falling for him? Nearly impossible.
What I Loved:
• Kayla’s sharp, no-nonsense FMC energy
• Eldon’s cocky exterior slowly cracking
• the banter — sarcastic, fast, and genuinely funny
• fake dating with real emotional buildup
• public pressure adding tension to private moments
• watching enemies slowly become something softer
Final Vibe:
Fun, flirty, and full of spark.
Staged for the Camera is perfect if you love celebrity fake-dating romances with sharp banter, forced proximity, and enemies-to-lovers chemistry that sneaks up on everyone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Author
MMC/MFC: Eldon and Kayla
Tropes:
* Celebrity romance
* Enemies to more
* Forced proximity
* Only one bed
* Fake relationship
* He falls first
* Slow burn
Safety:
Mentions of depression, suicide, terminal illness and death of a parent, stalking
She went viral for the wrong reasons.
His career is in jeopardy.
Apparently, the only way to fix it is to help each other out… except… their problems are linked…
It took a little time to work out exactly what was going on, but I pegged Eldon as an a-z, and Kayla as the wronged employee treated badly by the celebrity (because of course, he’s right…. even when he’s wrong). He was arrogant, insufferable and a bit of an a-z.
The tension between them built, and things started to improve between them.
It took until almost 70% for the steam to arrive, and then it seems like they were making up for lost time. They were a little awkward, and a little sweet, until drama hit at the end. The fact that he didn’t approach her until he had proof pissed me off. It actually made me doubt their HEA, which is so disappointing.
Tropes:
* Celebrity romance
* Enemies to more
* Forced proximity
* Only one bed
* Fake relationship
* He falls first
* Slow burn
Safety:
Mentions of depression, suicide, terminal illness and death of a parent, stalking
She went viral for the wrong reasons.
His career is in jeopardy.
Apparently, the only way to fix it is to help each other out… except… their problems are linked…
It took a little time to work out exactly what was going on, but I pegged Eldon as an a-z, and Kayla as the wronged employee treated badly by the celebrity (because of course, he’s right…. even when he’s wrong). He was arrogant, insufferable and a bit of an a-z.
The tension between them built, and things started to improve between them.
It took until almost 70% for the steam to arrive, and then it seems like they were making up for lost time. They were a little awkward, and a little sweet, until drama hit at the end. The fact that he didn’t approach her until he had proof pissed me off. It actually made me doubt their HEA, which is so disappointing.
Review of advance copy received from Autorin bzw. Autor
Kayla is fired by Eldon Douglas when spills coffee on him before an interview. The hate post she writes afterwards ruins Eldon the show he wanted to do for his mother. So when they end up on the same cruise ship they're not amused. Unfortunately they both are left behind on an island when the ship leaves so Eldon offers her to stay with him in his mansion for a night. Nobody knew that paparazzi took a picture of them when entering the mansion. It goes viral so Eldon's management offers Kayla a job: playing his girlfriend for 6 weeks to push the release of his new album.
They hate each other's guts but Kayla agrees because the money is too good to be true. Eldon makes sure she better not catch any feelings for him...
6 weeks can turn everything around though and people change, some not for the better.. but read for yourself.
This was my first book from this author and I enjoyed it a lot.
They hate each other's guts but Kayla agrees because the money is too good to be true. Eldon makes sure she better not catch any feelings for him...
6 weeks can turn everything around though and people change, some not for the better.. but read for yourself.
This was my first book from this author and I enjoyed it a lot.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I really loved Staged for the Camera. Watching Kayla and Eldon’s relationship develop was so much fun, especially as we learned more about the original tension between them. Their dynamic started with that perfect spark of friction—but it felt like the universe had other plans and kept nudging them closer together.
What I enjoyed most was seeing how their love and support for one another helped them grow individually. Kayla slowly softened some of Eldon’s grumpy edges, while Eldon truly came to appreciate and value the woman she was. Their connection felt intentional and earned, which made every moment hit that much harder.
If you love a beautiful slow-burn romance with emotional growth and tension that turns into something tender and meaningful, I highly recommend this one.
What I enjoyed most was seeing how their love and support for one another helped them grow individually. Kayla slowly softened some of Eldon’s grumpy edges, while Eldon truly came to appreciate and value the woman she was. Their connection felt intentional and earned, which made every moment hit that much harder.
If you love a beautiful slow-burn romance with emotional growth and tension that turns into something tender and meaningful, I highly recommend this one.
Review of advance copy received from Author
3.5 stars
I was able to read this ahead of release, thank you for the opportunity.
I wanted to love this book, it started out so strong, the tension, the plot, the enemies to lovers, good character building. But somewhere after the first steamy scene it fell a little flat for me. I felt there was an over use of baby/ sweetheart pet names and tha characters suddenly felt a little weaker, the story a bit more rushed and just not as engaging.
Overall I did enjoy it, but the first half of the book defiantly felt stronger. A good debut novel and I hope to read more in the future and watch the author grow as she has such good potential!
I was able to read this ahead of release, thank you for the opportunity.
I wanted to love this book, it started out so strong, the tension, the plot, the enemies to lovers, good character building. But somewhere after the first steamy scene it fell a little flat for me. I felt there was an over use of baby/ sweetheart pet names and tha characters suddenly felt a little weaker, the story a bit more rushed and just not as engaging.
Overall I did enjoy it, but the first half of the book defiantly felt stronger. A good debut novel and I hope to read more in the future and watch the author grow as she has such good potential!
February 9, 2026
✨Arc Review ✨
The tropes for this books are right up my alley. A Celebrity romance, fake dating, enemies to lovers? Everything I love!
However this book fell a little flat for me.
The overall storyline and plot were so good and had so much potential, but the characters felt a little flat to me.
I would’ve loved to see more in depth background stories for the characters. It really felt like they went from hatred to love extremely fast without much development.
Overall, I believe the author has a lot of potential as the storyline and plot were really good!
I would like to thank the author for giving me the opportunity to read this as an advanced copy!
The tropes for this books are right up my alley. A Celebrity romance, fake dating, enemies to lovers? Everything I love!
However this book fell a little flat for me.
The overall storyline and plot were so good and had so much potential, but the characters felt a little flat to me.
I would’ve loved to see more in depth background stories for the characters. It really felt like they went from hatred to love extremely fast without much development.
Overall, I believe the author has a lot of potential as the storyline and plot were really good!
I would like to thank the author for giving me the opportunity to read this as an advanced copy!
February 9, 2026
This book was a pleasant surprise and exactly what I needed after being in a reading slump. I was looking for something to kick-start my reading again, and this did just that. I absolutely loved the author’s writing and I’m already looking forward to reading more of her books and her coming series.
It was a delightful, quick read, and I especially loved how mental health wasn’t included just for the sake of the plot, but actually shaped the characters and their development in a meaningful way.
Kayla and Eldon had me in a chokehold—one moment I was blushing, the next I was gutted. 😭
I’ll definitely be rereading this one again.
It was a delightful, quick read, and I especially loved how mental health wasn’t included just for the sake of the plot, but actually shaped the characters and their development in a meaningful way.
Kayla and Eldon had me in a chokehold—one moment I was blushing, the next I was gutted. 😭
I’ll definitely be rereading this one again.
Review of advance copy received from Author
*ARC Review*
Staged for the Camera is a fresh take on the fake dating trope. It’s the story of Kayla who is sweet and a bit down on her luck that ends up in a fake dating situation with her enemy who just happens to be singing sensation Eldon. Both Eldon and Kayla have issues they are working through and they both are stubborn which makes them an unlikely pair. This story is so well written and I couldn’t put it down because I wanted to know what was going to happen next and the plot twist did not disappoint. A definite must read!
Staged for the Camera is a fresh take on the fake dating trope. It’s the story of Kayla who is sweet and a bit down on her luck that ends up in a fake dating situation with her enemy who just happens to be singing sensation Eldon. Both Eldon and Kayla have issues they are working through and they both are stubborn which makes them an unlikely pair. This story is so well written and I couldn’t put it down because I wanted to know what was going to happen next and the plot twist did not disappoint. A definite must read!
Review of advance copy received from Author
This debut came in swinging. Enemies to lovers, fake dating gone very real, and chemistry that refused to stay fictional. Just when I thought I had the plot figured out—boom, twist. The mental health awareness was such a strong addition, and I appreciated seeing fame stripped down to real human struggles. Consider me locked in for this author’s future books.
Review of advance copy
I enjoyed the story, ido enjoy damage grumpy/ hurt sunshine, but there are some things that didn't make sense to me. I feel like the second half was written by someone else. the dialogue was very formal and not conversational to me. also, there were some common phrases that were worded or used incorrectly.
Review of advance copy received from Author
It is a cute book but it's too fast paced, they go from enemies to lovers to fast and most of the events are happening at high speed.
I really liked the plot itself and the struggles the characters go through but the pace really messed up the reading experience for me.
I want to thank the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review
I really liked the plot itself and the struggles the characters go through but the pace really messed up the reading experience for me.
I want to thank the author for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review
Review of advance copy received from Author
ARC review, all thoughts are my own. I liked this book, it’s a good debut. It had a twist at the end that even I could enjoy and appreciate (I normally guess or am disappointed). I feel like the book could’ve been longer! For me, it felt like they caught feelings too quick and started using nicknames so soon. I do look forward to reading more from this author and watching them grow!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Received from Author. This is a great light hearted enemies to lovers contemporary romance. Both the FMC and MMC are relatable and I found myself rooting for them pretty early on. I would have liked to have more time spent on the main problem/how it was fixed but overall it was a satisfying ending.
February 12, 2026
Advanced readers copy
Thank you to the author for the opportunity to read this ahead of time. Enemies to lovers along side with fake dating is my jam and Staged for the Camera gave me that. The twist was twisting (could have put a little more into the resolution of the twist but it was still good!) and I loved the ending!
Thank you to the author for the opportunity to read this ahead of time. Enemies to lovers along side with fake dating is my jam and Staged for the Camera gave me that. The twist was twisting (could have put a little more into the resolution of the twist but it was still good!) and I loved the ending!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Just finished the arc read . It was really good I finished it in a week. If you are looking for a slow burn with spice when it gets there enemy’s to lovers with celebrity life style this is a must read.
Kayla and Eldon make for a very interesting love story that has it all.
Highly recommend
Kayla and Eldon make for a very interesting love story that has it all.
Highly recommend
Review of advance copy received from Author
I’m really thankful to the author for the opportunity to be an ARC reader for this book. It wasn’t my usual genre, so I approached it with some skepticism. Safe to say, it exceeded my expectations, and I’m looking forward to the her next work.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I really enjoyed this book. I especially liked the fact that it had real world problems. the only thing was it felt like they forgot each others actual names with all the pet names. but as far as the story line, loved it
Review of advance copy received from Author
ARC Review
A celebrity fake dating, enemies to lovers romance? Count me in! I really enjoyed reading about Kayla and Eldon. I can't wait to read the next book!
A celebrity fake dating, enemies to lovers romance? Count me in! I really enjoyed reading about Kayla and Eldon. I can't wait to read the next book!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews