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Spotlight
Everyone heads to Hollywood with a dream...
The last thing Micah Hart expects when he follows his best friend to L.A. is to come face-to-face with the man whose hot, big-screen love scenes were instrumental in his own sexual awakening. Micah--along with a million other movie goers--has fantasized about Asher Cain for as long as he can remember, but actually living out those fantasies awakens something else altogether... his heart.
And some achieve it, for a price...
Asher Cain's agent has steered his career into box-office gold, and after fifteen years in Hollywood, Ash has achieved everything he's ever wanted. The only price has been staying in the closet, but the adulation of millions has made up for never having love of his own. Until he meets Micah.
Is it possible to have it all?
When the two meet, sparks fly, and Micah will have to balance his star-struck infatuation with his own self-respect while Ash is finally pushed to decide once and for all if he's willing to risk everything he's built for the one thing he's never had. Love.
Spotlight is a steamy, standalone gay romance of approximately 25,000 words, with a HEA and no cliffhangers.
Portions of this book were previously published under the title, "Secrets and Desires."
103 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 6, 2016
7 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 24, 2016
~1.5~
Rounded up to two stars because few typos, but what the hell did I just read? Talk about whiplash-inducing insta love.
Nothing about this story was believable . . . not the shallow, cookie-cutter characters, not the coming out melodrama, certainly not the forced HEA (discovery to casting to filming to production to Best Actor Oscar in nine months! Yeah, not on this planet.)
And almost no steam!
Bad story was bad.
Rounded up to two stars because few typos, but what the hell did I just read? Talk about whiplash-inducing insta love.
Nothing about this story was believable . . . not the shallow, cookie-cutter characters, not the coming out melodrama, certainly not the forced HEA (discovery to casting to filming to production to Best Actor Oscar in nine months! Yeah, not on this planet.)
And almost no steam!
Bad story was bad.
July 12, 2016
The plot goes down exactly as the reader would expect it to from the blurb. Many unrealistic things happen way too quickly. The MCs are one-dimensional at best and lack any communication skills. The epilogue states that it is only nine months later; however, that is not enough time to film an entire movie, release it, and then have the ending take place. Here, there is the bare minimum of a plot about a beautiful closeted actor who will risk it all for a man he barely even talks to at a party. This story has been told before and there is nothing new here.
July 19, 2017
Title: Spotlight
Author: Dillon Hunter
Series: Standalone
Publisher: LoveLight Press
Reviewer: Mollien
Release Date: July 8, 2016
Genre(s): Male/Male Contemporary Romance
Page Count: 96 pages
Heat Level: 2 flames out of 5
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Blurb:
Review:
This is a short story about a successful Hollywood actor who wants to come out of the closet after meeting the perfect man for him. It is a fast read set in the moment. There is hardly any back story, giving us little to no information about the characters in this story. That being said. I enjoyed this book for what it was. The plot of this story has a successful actor, Asher Cain in a dilemma. He is at the top of his career in the middle of one movie and set to start another with the completion of the one he is making. At one of the many parties, he is forced to attend he meets Micah Hart. Micah is a beautiful man who seems untouched by the Hollywood drama. When Asher tries to pursue something with Micah, Asher’s agent is dead set against his cash cow coming out of the closet. Micah has been out since high school and although he understands Asher’s situation, he doesn’t want to be someone’s dirty secret, but they might not be given the choice. The chemistry between Asher and Micah is sweet, but to me, it felt a little forced. This story reads fast. It is a short and easy read. Yes, it has a happy ever after ending. As mentioned there is little to no character development to this story.
PLOT: 4 Stars
CHEMISTRY: 3 Stars
PACING: 4 Stars
ENDING: 4 Stars
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 3 Stars
Review Copy of Spotlight provided by the LoveLight Press I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. Reviewed by Mollien from Alpha Book Club
Author: Dillon Hunter
Series: Standalone
Publisher: LoveLight Press
Reviewer: Mollien
Release Date: July 8, 2016
Genre(s): Male/Male Contemporary Romance
Page Count: 96 pages
Heat Level: 2 flames out of 5
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Blurb:
Everyone heads to Hollywood with a dream...
The last thing Micah Hart expects when he follows his best friend to L.A. is to come face-to-face with the man whose hot, big-screen love scenes were instrumental in his own sexual awakening. Micah--along with a million other movie goers--has fantasized about Asher Cain for as long as he can remember, but actually living out those fantasies awakens something else altogether... his heart.
And some achieve it, for a price...
Asher Cain's agent has steered his career into box-office gold, and after fifteen years in Hollywood, Ash has achieved everything he's ever wanted. The only price has been staying in the closet, but the adulation of millions has made up for never having love of his own. Until he meets Micah.
Is it possible to have it all?
When the two meet, sparks fly, and Micah will have to balance his star-struck infatuation with his own self-respect while Ash is finally pushed to decide once and for all if he's willing to risk everything he's built for the one thing he's never had. Love.
Spotlight is a steamy, standalone gay romance of approximately 25,000 words, with a HEA and no cliffhangers.
Review:
This is a short story about a successful Hollywood actor who wants to come out of the closet after meeting the perfect man for him. It is a fast read set in the moment. There is hardly any back story, giving us little to no information about the characters in this story. That being said. I enjoyed this book for what it was. The plot of this story has a successful actor, Asher Cain in a dilemma. He is at the top of his career in the middle of one movie and set to start another with the completion of the one he is making. At one of the many parties, he is forced to attend he meets Micah Hart. Micah is a beautiful man who seems untouched by the Hollywood drama. When Asher tries to pursue something with Micah, Asher’s agent is dead set against his cash cow coming out of the closet. Micah has been out since high school and although he understands Asher’s situation, he doesn’t want to be someone’s dirty secret, but they might not be given the choice. The chemistry between Asher and Micah is sweet, but to me, it felt a little forced. This story reads fast. It is a short and easy read. Yes, it has a happy ever after ending. As mentioned there is little to no character development to this story.
PLOT: 4 Stars
CHEMISTRY: 3 Stars
PACING: 4 Stars
ENDING: 4 Stars
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 3 Stars
Review Copy of Spotlight provided by the LoveLight Press I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book. Reviewed by Mollien from Alpha Book Club
September 14, 2019
2.5 stars rounded up.
Rather unrealistic but if you enter fantasyland and just go with it, it is sort of a sweet story. But even in fantasyland, everything was so rushed and much too insta-love. It would have been nice to have a better idea of their ages because if Asher was in the business for fifteen years and Micah was just starting out, was this a May-December romance?
Even with all of the over-the-top drama, I was still holding out for a decent and plausible ending. But nope, my expectations were too high. Even in fantasyland, I can’t believe anything in Hollywood moves fast enough to go from audition, to the rest of casting, to contract negotiations, to production and editing, to premiere and general release to winning a Best Actor. Whew! I’m exhausted!
Rather unrealistic but if you enter fantasyland and just go with it, it is sort of a sweet story. But even in fantasyland, everything was so rushed and much too insta-love. It would have been nice to have a better idea of their ages because if Asher was in the business for fifteen years and Micah was just starting out, was this a May-December romance?
Even with all of the over-the-top drama, I was still holding out for a decent and plausible ending. But nope, my expectations were too high. Even in fantasyland, I can’t believe anything in Hollywood moves fast enough to go from audition, to the rest of casting, to contract negotiations, to production and editing, to premiere and general release to winning a Best Actor. Whew! I’m exhausted!
August 21, 2020
Hollywood leading actor and a newbie in Tinsel town: trite. Adequate plot and characters, but nothing particularly creative. Heat was a flash.
October 30, 2016
Fan meets his Idol and they fall in love. Asher Cain is famous and Micah Hart is not–not yet, anyway. As the reigning king of rom-coms, Asher has an image to uphold and his agent will probably suffer a coronary making sure he does. At an industry party, Asher is going through the motions, bored out of his mind. Micah’s there with his BBF, Brittany, herself and actress, when he spots his idol. He tries to be inconspicuous as he wanders close to the huddle Asher is in when Asher catches his gaze and winks. Micah was already smitten, but the one interaction was all it took for Asher to want more.
Very early in the story, Asher is waiting for Micah to arrive and he’s going through his inner monologue, going on and on about how intriguing and attractive and magnetic Micah is. Now, I’m not saying Micah isn’t all those things but the story has not revealed any of that yet, so I’m hard-pressed to take Asher’s word for it. Asher’s a star, so it’s easier to accept Micah’s awe. However, just passed 50% of the story and I was still not feeling the need for the praise or the chemistry between them. They were just two people who kept trying to convince me that the object of their lust was a gift to humanity and that, together, they have this undeniable chemistry, but I don’t see it.
Because of that, I don’t get why Asher wants disrupt his star-studded life for Micah or why Micah sees any reason to wait around for Asher to come out of the closet. Micah decided that he wanted to go ahead and try and see where things between them would go and he went in fully aware, but it is kind of difficult for him because he’s not in the closet and he doesn’t want to live there again.
It was one thing for them to have discreet dates at Asher’s house, but the one time that they went out, Asher pretty much had to ignore his acquaintance with Micah. I was glad that that incident became the breaking point for Micah because it wasn’t his thing to be ignored or dismissed or pushed aside because he was a person and he didn’t deserve that and if Asher wanted to be with him, he was going to have to be out.
It took a invasion of privacy, a paparazzi swarm, a media storm, and a grand public gesture, but of course they got back together and lived happily and successfully ever after.
This was a relatively short story, so there wasn’t enough time to properly deal with all the drama that happened in between. If I just take it as a snack and ignore that the characters never actually exhibited any kind of dynamic, Spotlight was okay, nice, even. It wasn’t all that exciting, but it was fine.
Very early in the story, Asher is waiting for Micah to arrive and he’s going through his inner monologue, going on and on about how intriguing and attractive and magnetic Micah is. Now, I’m not saying Micah isn’t all those things but the story has not revealed any of that yet, so I’m hard-pressed to take Asher’s word for it. Asher’s a star, so it’s easier to accept Micah’s awe. However, just passed 50% of the story and I was still not feeling the need for the praise or the chemistry between them. They were just two people who kept trying to convince me that the object of their lust was a gift to humanity and that, together, they have this undeniable chemistry, but I don’t see it.
Because of that, I don’t get why Asher wants disrupt his star-studded life for Micah or why Micah sees any reason to wait around for Asher to come out of the closet. Micah decided that he wanted to go ahead and try and see where things between them would go and he went in fully aware, but it is kind of difficult for him because he’s not in the closet and he doesn’t want to live there again.
It was one thing for them to have discreet dates at Asher’s house, but the one time that they went out, Asher pretty much had to ignore his acquaintance with Micah. I was glad that that incident became the breaking point for Micah because it wasn’t his thing to be ignored or dismissed or pushed aside because he was a person and he didn’t deserve that and if Asher wanted to be with him, he was going to have to be out.
It took a invasion of privacy, a paparazzi swarm, a media storm, and a grand public gesture, but of course they got back together and lived happily and successfully ever after.
This was a relatively short story, so there wasn’t enough time to properly deal with all the drama that happened in between. If I just take it as a snack and ignore that the characters never actually exhibited any kind of dynamic, Spotlight was okay, nice, even. It wasn’t all that exciting, but it was fine.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2016
Bit hurried but a decent romance
This is a decently written romance with two MCs who are both actors, one is in the closet and one is out of work when they meet.
I can appreciate a quick attraction but sometimes I wish authors would allow a bit of time even in passing to get to the head over heels lifetime commitment stage.
Otherwise not a great deal of depth given to either MC and not enough time spent building up the world or their romance before the turbulence and hurdles arrive to put a damper on things and it all resolves a bit rapidly too.
This has had a deft hand in the editing process though, there's none of the irritating grammatical or stylistic errors which can sometimes befall Kindle Unlimited releases and the story doesn't ramble on with unnecessary waffle.
I did find it a touch unbelievable at the time between Micah being discovered to him at the big awards ceremony but I guess that's what makes this a romantic fiction story and not a documentary!
This is a decently written romance with two MCs who are both actors, one is in the closet and one is out of work when they meet.
I can appreciate a quick attraction but sometimes I wish authors would allow a bit of time even in passing to get to the head over heels lifetime commitment stage.
Otherwise not a great deal of depth given to either MC and not enough time spent building up the world or their romance before the turbulence and hurdles arrive to put a damper on things and it all resolves a bit rapidly too.
This has had a deft hand in the editing process though, there's none of the irritating grammatical or stylistic errors which can sometimes befall Kindle Unlimited releases and the story doesn't ramble on with unnecessary waffle.
I did find it a touch unbelievable at the time between Micah being discovered to him at the big awards ceremony but I guess that's what makes this a romantic fiction story and not a documentary!
August 4, 2016
A good story, but too short as a novella. Not that I didn't enjoy it, but it was too short for the characters and their relationship to grow. A closeted movie star meets a young man, is instantly attracted, starts dating him, only to break up when the young man wants more than what the closet allows. This story is rather cliched, but good characters can make all the difference in the world. There were also many time jumps of weeks at a time. An expanded version would fill in the gaps and develop the characters better. I liked the characters and wanted to know more about them.
All in all, a quick weekend read to pass the time enjoyably.
All in all, a quick weekend read to pass the time enjoyably.
July 15, 2016
A sweet, fun heartwarming story. Asher has put his personal life on the back burner for years to become one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. He meets Micah and realizes that even with all his fame and fortune something is missing. I absolutely loved Micah he was so sweet and honest and couldn't believe that Asher would be interested in him. I really wanted to smack Asher's agent Lou, he didn't seem to care about his clients happiness at all. This was the perfect lazy Sunday afternoon read.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
July 9, 2016
Asher is a movie star, while Micah is just starting out his career in the movie industry. The two meet by chance at a party and are instantly attracted to each other. The problem is that Asher is keeping his sexuality quiet. The road to their HEA is not simple but makes for a fun and fast read.
This was my first story by this author so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was very pleasantly surprised.
I received an ARC copy in return for an honest review.
This was my first story by this author so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was very pleasantly surprised.
I received an ARC copy in return for an honest review.
September 4, 2016
Wonderful Read
Everyone should have a dream, but when achieving your dream you are forced to hide who you really are, is it worth it. Asher Cain has just this struggle. He has accepted living a lie in order to achieve his dream. Enter Micah, a great of fresh air, and he starts to realize it just may not be worth it any more. Great story about dreams, compromising, and being true to yourself.
Everyone should have a dream, but when achieving your dream you are forced to hide who you really are, is it worth it. Asher Cain has just this struggle. He has accepted living a lie in order to achieve his dream. Enter Micah, a great of fresh air, and he starts to realize it just may not be worth it any more. Great story about dreams, compromising, and being true to yourself.
July 24, 2016
That was a quick story, which I can appreciate because I'm not a fan of unnecessarily long stories. However, this story went to fast. There also wasn't any backstory to the main characters. I wanted to know they ended up in Hollywood. It wasn't the worst but it could have been better.
August 3, 2016
I made one note in this, and it was to point out that Micah had been around Asher all of twenty minutes when he told the reader the "whole night had been perfect."
That just might be the instaist instalove ever written.
That just might be the instaist instalove ever written.
August 13, 2016
Spot On
This is a well written short story. The two main protagonists are wonderfully delightful. I liked how typical stereotypes between mid-America and the West coast were turned around. Tightly scripted and well edited.
This is a well written short story. The two main protagonists are wonderfully delightful. I liked how typical stereotypes between mid-America and the West coast were turned around. Tightly scripted and well edited.
July 17, 2016
A cute short story, with strong Main characters, and a good storyline. I liked the writer's style of writing. I liked how the characters, and the story was developed. 5 stars
July 15, 2016
A nice surprise
A great quick read, minimal angst, minimal sexy scenes, but altogether an enjoyable story. Micah and Ash were definitely sexy together.
A great quick read, minimal angst, minimal sexy scenes, but altogether an enjoyable story. Micah and Ash were definitely sexy together.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews