False Idols: A 1970s MM Romance

by Lillian Empire

Austin
I used to play a cute little kid on a TV show. It made me famous. It also made me one of the biggest teen idols of all time. I couldn’t go anywhere without girls screaming my name. Now I’m a has-been, struggling just to get a bit part. My solution? Numbing myself with substances and meaningless sex while I wait for Hollywood to take me seriously again.

When I finally get an offer, there’s a I have to spend six weeks in rehab.

I let my best friend and my parents talk me into it, but nothing prepares me for who I find there.

Harvey Laden.

The arrogant, spoiled son of a rock legend. Fame was handed to him while I had to work for every ounce of mine. We have a history that typically involved my fists connecting with his face and vice versa. And now I’m supposed to live with him? Eat with him? Work on a project with him?

It should be a nightmare.

So why does it feel like something raw, dangerous, and impossible is sparking between us?

Harvey
Being the son of a rock star isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It gave me a level of fame I never deserved. I released albums, filled the pages of magazines, and coasted on a “talent” I didn’t have. Now I’m just a disaster. Fights, hookups, arrests, and a court order that sends me to a rehab in the middle of nowhere.

Fine. I probably need it.

What I don’t need is Austin Rivers showing up.

We used to be side-by-side in the same magazines. He was The Boy Next Door, and I was The Bad Boy. Turns out, Mr. Hollywood isn’t so wholesome after all. I should know. We’ve thrown punches more times than I can count—except for one night that I’m sure we both want to forget.

Being stuck here with him for weeks should be torture.

So why does it feel like what’s happening between us is the kind of addiction that a stint in rehab can’t cure?

False Idols is an enemies-to-lovers MM Romance about two former teen idols with a rocky history. Expect forced proximity, messy emotions, sizzling encounters, and all the grit and glam of the late 1970s.

Genres: Historical

348 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 29, 2026

About the author

Lillian first attempted to write a novel in the fifth grade but failed horribly. She was born in the mountains of West Virginia, but she was raised in the valleys of Virginia. Lillian majored in history and conducted her primary research on crime and gender in Victorian England. When she’s not writing, Lillian enjoys pretending she has a green thumb, reading gay romance or any type of thriller/mystery, and doing genealogical research on her family. Lillian’s special talents include reciting all US states in alphabetical order and (kind of) singing classical pieces in her mezzo-soprano voice.

Lillian hopes that her stories and characters will resonate with her readers. Want to know what else she’s working on or to send her a message? Visit her website or find her on social media: https://linktr.ee/lillianempire

Reviews

[✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

✨ ARC review ✨

🧡 False Idols by Lillian Empire 🧡

“All I wanted was you”

obsessed. that’s the word id use to describe my feelings about this book. the 70’s are probably my favorite time period.. add in some MM romance and ugh.. perfection. EASILY a five star read.

Harvey Laden and Austin Rivers hate each other. or, at least, they think they do. they were always being put up against each other in magazines as teens, with Austin being ‘The Boy Next Door’ and Harvey being ‘The Bad Boy’ for pretty much no reason other than to gain traction.

one day, they are both forced into a hippie rehab (for different reasons) and while they’re there, of course, they get into a fight. you’d think maybe they’d get kicked out for it, but noooo. these hippies had another idea 🤭 the boys are made to stay in a cabin together, and this is where things get interesting. between having to share a cabin and getting trapped in a metal shed together, the two begin to understand each other a little more.. confessions are made.. and things change.

outside of rehab, things go great, until Phil, the producer of the show that Austin’s on, starts his bullshit. GOD I HATE PHIL. long story short, Phil threatens Harvey behind Austin’s back, and things get messy. and heartbreaking. but.. as with all great stories.. in the end, love prevails 🥹🤍 (thanks to Clarence.. HES A REAL ONE!!!)

there’s so much i could say about Harvey and Austin’s story, but i don’t want to give away too much. plz just read it. you won’t regret it. check the content warnings first tho 🤍

some tidbits:
🧡 enemies to lovers
🧡 POSSESSIVE MCS
🧡 it’s the 70’s, man
🧡 hippies that i totally want to be besties with
🧡 forced proximity
🧡 ‘My Angel’ 😭🎶
🧡 a sassy lil firecracker named Sunny
🧡 stalking???
🧡 the SPICE be SPICIN 🔥

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow… I’m honestly still sitting here trying to process the beauty 😳✨ like??? what did I just EXPERIENCE. I went in not knowing what to expect and came out a completely different person (dramatic? yes. accurate? ALSO YES).

Not gonna lie, it took me a hot second to settle into the story and figure out what was going on — but the SECOND it clicked?? I was GONE. Mentally unavailable. Emotionally compromised. Work? Irrelevant. Responsibilities? What’s that? I was fully sneaking in pages like my life depended on it 👀📖

Harvey and Austin?? Oh I was DOWN BAD for both of them almost immediately. They both have these painfully real traits that just latch onto you and refuse to let go. And their dynamic?? The tension?? The petty dislike?? Inject it into my veins. Watching all of that slowly unravel — especially once they’re stuck in rehab together?? HELLO??? That’s when things got GOOD good. I was rooting for them like my life depended on it 🥺🔥

And the 70s Hollywood setting?? EXCUSE ME??? Lillian Empire DELIVERED that throwback vibe 🌟 The atmosphere, the chaos, the glamour mixed with the messiness… and the 70s slang?? I was giggling like an idiot 😂 It just made everything feel so alive and unhinged in the best way.

The chemistry between Harvey and Austin??? Absolutely INSANE. Like hot isn’t even the right word for it. The way they just understand each other on this deeper level, like they were always meant to find their way to each other??? Yeah… I was a melted mess 🫠

But also… these boys are STRUGGLING. Like actually going THROUGH it. Austin getting a glimpse of a second chance, Harvey dealing with family issues that made me want to fight someone… and both of them terrified of losing what they care about?? RUDE. My feelings did not consent 🖤

This book completely pulled me in, broke me a little, and then put me back together again. Definitely a must read 🙌✨

*I received a complimentary copy of this book but this is my honest and voluntary review!*

[Kiki Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the mood for the nostalgia of 1970s Hollywood? False Idols has the sex and drugs and rock and roll and gossipy showbiz buzz of a Jackie Collins novel.
Imagine two former teen idols pitted against each other. Good boy Austin, the freckled, red-haired cutie starring in a popular sitcom and bad boy Harvey, son of a rock god, pretending at being a pop star.
Now both are in their early twenties and looking to put their Tiger Beat days behind them.
Oh the animosity! They can’t cross paths without it resulting in fisticuffs.
Then Austin gets a chance at a grown-up role, and Harvey gets into a bit of bother with the police. And they both end up in the same discreet rehab on the other side of the country.
I liked how this book went in unexpected directions. And I really warmed to both MCs once they stopped fighting and started talking. Austin was so much more than the former child star and had struggles he kept well hidden. Harvey may have looked like a cocky nepobaby but the way he loved and protected his half-sister showed first impressions aren’t always right.
Their chemistry is off the charts.
Their journey to a HEA is a fun tour a chaotically messy era of cop shows, power ballads, and new agey spiruality.
The secondary character were amazing: Austin’s former co-star/fake girlfriend who gets a fantastic second act, a sassy half-sister who more than lives up to her name, and the band mate who is the father Harvey should have had.
Plus a wanna be mobster bad guy producer you will actively root against. He’s truly heinous.
Yes, they’re young, hot, and very sexy, but there’s also a rather lovely selfless kind of love between Austin and Harvey that totally drew me in.

[Dee Layton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know where to start with this book it was so amazing. When you mix a MM romance, 1970’s Vibes, and 2 very amazing characters. YES PLEASE!
My review may have some spoilers so if you do not want to know please keep scrolling past my review.

I settled in this story so fast and ate it all up. Paying attention to every word. Austin your child star with the boy next door vibes. Then Harvey the spoiled, arrogant rock legend son with The Bad Boy Vibes. They both have a similar issue that were painfully authentic situations going on. They did both hate each other, Or so they made themselves think.

Things got real and they both forced into a hippie style rehab. While in rehab they got into a fight. Both hoping to get kicked out but nope, the place had other plans for the both of them. They decided to make them share a cabin and be together always. During this time, they talked and confessed and things changed for them.

Then outside of rehab things were going so great. Until a twat goblin named Phil the producer of Austin’s show decided to start mess, he should not have. P.S. I do not like Phil can’t stand him. Come to find out Phil had threatened Harvey behind Austin’s back and things turned sour. Yet thanks to this amazing author she came through and gave these to amazing characters a very deserved HEA. Even after things had become messy and heartbreaking Austin and Harvey got the happiness they deserved. I will say I loved Clarence so much he was an absolutely amazing character. Overall, this was an amazing book, and I am so happy I got to read this I was so excited and can't wait to see what else the author comes out with.

[Lauralee · Rating 5 out of 5]

False Idols by Lillian Empire perfectly captures the grit and glamour of late 1970s Hollywood. While the story centers on two former child stars who initially dislike each other, it poignantly reveals the underlying sadness they both share and how they come together to try and fix what makes them feel the way they do.

I have been reading Lillian Empire’s work since she began, and she consistently excels at character development. Both Harvey and Austin are in dire straits when they arrive at rehab, but their growth and developing care for one another by the time they leave is remarkable. Additionally, Lillian’s thorough research truly makes the time period feel authentic.

Harvey and Austin are two very different types of people, but at the end of it all, they are so much more similar than they both realize, and seeing how they began to really start to care for each other and eventually love each other in a time in their lives where everything really feels uncertain it truly so beautiful.

Overall, I will continuously pick up Lillian's books as they just give something that so many other books don't. She is really doing something that so few others are, and I loved this book.

[Deb Kel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This had all the messy, high-drama energy of fame, rivalry, and forced proximity done right. Austin and Harvey start off exactly as you’d expect, sharp-tongued, defensive, and ready to swing but once they’re stuck together, the cracks begin to show in a way that makes their dynamic far more interesting than simple enemies-to-lovers.

What really worked for me was how both of them are more than their public personas. Austin’s “good boy” image hides a lot of struggle, while Harvey’s reckless, spoiled reputation masks something softer underneath. Watching them slowly drop the act though reluctantly & stubbornly was where the story really hooked me.

The rehab setting adds just the right amount of pressure, forcing them to actually deal with themselves and each other. Their chemistry is intense, shifting from anger to something much more complicated, and once they stop fighting it, it’s hard not to root for them.

It’s dramatic, a little chaotic, and full of that 70s showbiz atmosphere, but underneath all of that is a genuinely emotional story about identity, vulnerability, and figuring out who you are when the spotlight fades.

[Michael Raasch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being the first book I read by Lillian Empire, I am glad that it was this book. Set in the 1970s, you are transported to that era; sex, drugs, and the life style of the rich and famous.

Harvey and Austin, our couple, have a history of "hating" each other. With the tabloids and paparazzi putting these two against each other, they always end up fighting in public. But, when both end up at the same rehab across the country, they start understanding each other, thanks to a broken door on the shed on a hot summer day.


When they finally realized that they truly did not hate each other, they wanted to be with each other. But, back in LA, there are some people that are making sure that they don't. Going through that moment within their lives of being separated, it really solidfide their love for each other, even though they have not said those words to each other yet.

Overall, False Idols is a great story and I really enjoyed having a story based in an era that I feel like some of us wanted to live that life at times.

[2am_book_readers · Rating 5 out of 5]

In all honesty, I wasn't too sure in the first couple of chapters if I was going to enjoy this book, but then everything just fell into place and I was rooting for Austin and Harvey all the way.
In all Lillian's books I love exploring MM romance from decades past. This one was Hollywood set, between a has been child actor and the son of a rockstar.
Both men had their struggles, and what had always shown as hatred between them begins to change when they reluctantly take steps to better themselves. Individually, Austin and Harvey both had a lot to battle with. Austin getting a peek at a second chance, and Harvey dealing with family. Both men terrified of losing what and who they love.
I would beg anyone struggling at the start of this book to persevere, it is so worth it. I should never have doubted Lillian, and False Idols might have actually become my favourite of her books so far.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story that dives into the way it really was to love your same gender in the 70s. It wasn't easy, especially if you lived in the spotlight like Harvey and Austin do.

This is such a breathtaking journey these two go through, the rawness of the feelings, from the love, the hate, to the yearning, this story goes through it all. I couldn't stop reading as I had to see how this book ended!

This is definitely one of those stories that'll stick with me for awhile (in a good way). It was very authentic and I liked how it was written in a way that made you think about how differently it was to love who you wanted in the 70s as opposed to today.

I highly recommend reading this story as you won't regret it!

[ShePetty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Austin the child star and Harvey the rockstar’s son.
This is set in the 70s and the author did a great job of taking us back. The lingo, the drugs, the scene - all top tier.

Austin and Harvey are the same age so a magazine like Tiger Beat pits them against eachother to sell more copies. Now they’re in their early 20s and they’re both fighting their own demons.

Cut to the hippie rehab they both unwittingly get shipped to and add in a forced proximity to get them to stop fighting and things start to get fun. They get to know eachother through vulnerability and some spicy nights but what’s going to happen they get back to LA and their real lives?

Even though there were some deep topics this book was an overall good time.

[Regina Marie Hatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5

Not at all what I was expecting! Lillian wrote some AMAZING palpable tension between Harvey and Austin. Classic case of The Boy Next Door falls for The Bad Boy. In this case, the good angel and the bad angel. I loved the dual timeline in the beginning of the story because it truly explained why these two felt the way they did and their inner thoughts towards the other. This being my very first 1970’s male romance I completely understood why Austin kept his true feelings a secret. These once childhood stars have to find their way out of their downward spirals as they reach early adulthood and not everything is as it seems.

Harvey, oooooh how I love him! There’s a reason as to why he is the way he is and his character growth, oh how it made my heart so happy.

Austin, nothing sexier than a man finally standing up for him and the one he loves, consequences be damned.

And the spice, ooooh the spice I ate it up, especially once feelings we’re FINALLY acknowledged 🥵🤤

[DR Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Addicting

​What makes this a five-star read isn't just the "enemies-to-lovers" trope (though the fist-fighting history adds a delicious layer of genuine animosity); it’s the brutal honesty regarding addiction and the loss of identity. The "project" they’re forced to work on serves as a brilliant pressure cooker, stripping away the tabloid personas of The Boy Next Door and The Rock Heir until there’s nothing left but two broken men who might be the only people on earth who truly understand one another

[acalithas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story was so beautiful oh my god. The 70s feel was very authentic. I loved the dynamic between Austin and Harvey. I loved learning their backstory and how that contributed to their current and developing relationship. Ugh this was SO good. So beautifully romantic and I’m so glad they got their happy ending!

[A reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harvey & Austin 🪩💙

"I'm his and he's mine. Forever."

Lillian Empire does not get ENOUGH hype!!! Literally every single book is a 5⭐ read. Harvey and Austin are absolute heartthrobs, and sooo gone for each other. The longing made my chest hurt. The possessiveness, feral. Their loyalty is legendary. Truly, such a beautiful, touching, character driven romance.

**ARC for honest review**

[Mattie Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

No joke, I read this in less than 12 hours. It was heartbreaking, it was heartwarming, it was absolutely so many amazing things. Harvey and Austin were so sweet together. I still am such a huge fan of character growth, and with them I definitely felt that. It truly was such a great read, I'm gonna have to dive into more of Lillian's books for sure!

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Rating 4.5 ⭐ 

Spice Rating 🥵 🥵 🥵

I love a good enemies to lovers trope and this book did not fall short on that. Austin and Harvey are made for me each other. There is sooo much good writing in this fabulous book, from every time Harvey called Austin Hollywood I wanted to melt into a puddle on the floor. 🥰  Pg 323 that paragraph of dialogue from Austin where he says he would do anything, just WOW 😭😭😭 Their love is written in the stars. This was my first time reading a book by Lillian Empire and it won't be my last.


If you haven't read False Idols yet, please do 😊 you'll love it!

[JEANNIE HOBBS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sex, drugs, and everything you’d expect from Hollywood circa 1970. As a kid who grew up in the 70s, this hit my nostalgia buttons. 5 stars.