Total Trainwreck

Hollywood Hot Mess #2

by Evie Claire

In a town where every illusion comes with a price, a girl can have love or fame. Carly Klein wants both. The A-list drama continues in this compulsively readable follow-up to Evie Claire's Hollywood Hot MessHurricane Carly hits the big leagues and her offscreen drama hits DEFCON-level F*ckFrom tabloid trainwreck child star to award-nominated starlet, Carly Klein wants it all. And being silver fox Devon Hayes's f*ck buddy isn't cutting it anymore. The gloves are off as she comes out swinging for the man she loves.Devon Hayes, aka the sexiest man alive, is the toast of Tinseltown as half of a Hollywood power couple HeaVon—but he doesn't want to be. Yet his A-list showmance lover will stop at nothing to keep their marital sham alive. So when Carly and Devon's scorching connection off set threatens his soon-to-be ex's dynasty, a sh*tstorm of trouble is unleashed.But pussing out isn't in Carly's DNA. Through sex tapes, murder and epic Hollywood takedowns, Carly and Devon will be together and HeaVon will burn in Hollywood Hell…Part Two of TwoOne-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance all the romance you're looking for with an HEA/HFN. It's a promise! Find out more at CarinaPress.com/RomancePromise

Genres: Romance

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 19, 2016

About the author

Evie Claire lives in Athens, GA with her husband, two daughters and one very spoiled rescue dog. After graduating from the University of Georgia she worked as a pharmaceutical sales representative before becoming a writer.

An avid equestrian, devoted wino, coffee snob, and occasional runner, Evie is in a monogamous relationship with her favorite yoga pants. When not chasing toddlers or writing, Evie can be found nursing her online shopping addiction, planning elaborate DIY projects that never happen, and discreetly eavesdropping on the juicy conversations of local college students for inspiration. She can tie a cherry stem in a knot with her tongue, counts afternoon naps among life’s great indulgences, and randomly belts out the whistle solo from GNR’s Patience… because why not?

Evie obsessively stalks her favorite Hollywood gossip sites and lives life by one simple rule: If you don’t have anything nice to say, come sit next to me!

Evie also writes YA/Paranormal Romance under the pen name Rosemary Clair.

Reviews

[✰ Bianca ✰ BJ's Book Blog ✰ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book #2 starts right where book #1 ended.
Carly's had it with Devon & Heather. She can't stand seeing them together.
That's why she's spending the night at Spence's - partying it up like crazy.

But of course she can't forget the love of her life - Devon.
And also, shooting for the second movie will start soon, so she has to get her feelings under control.

Ultimatum time....

It's either 100% Carly and Devon or nothing. She doesn't want to be a dirty secret and she doesn't want to be the other woman for the rest of her life.



But Devon's secrets are in Heather's hands .... will he risk everything for Carly?

What will happen to Carly & Devon?
Will there finally be a HEA?
Will everybody survive the book???



I'm not telling you that of course!



═════════════════════════════════





Perfect ending to Carly's story.
She came a long way since we started that journey with her.
Ok, she still has some of that spoiled little princess in her, but she's grown up a lot.
She's had to. All those secrets and everything that happened in her past. It all had to be dealt with.
And instead of hiding behind drugs, she really did it this time around.
With the help of Devon and her friends and her own inner strength.

I really enjoyed reading those 2 books.
There were some moments when I wanted to slap the hell out of some people - especially Carly - but I really loved reading the story! ☺

Full of sexiness, frustration, love, hate, blackmail, mystery...the perfect romance!

TOTAL TRAINWRECK was the perfect ending to Carly & Devon's love story ...... Run to your nearest amazon to find out if they will finally get their HEA ♥

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[✰ BJ's Book Blog ✰Janeane ✰ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Copy received via Netgalley for an honest review

Total Trainwreck follows on right where Hollywood Hot Mess finishes, so you will need to have read it first.

After the end of Hot Mess, I needed to know what happened with Carly. She had come such a long way from the beginning to the end of the first book, and when we learn where she is today, ugh my heart broke for her.

And I wanted to slap the crap out of Devon - ugh, really, really slap him.

But then we got to about 30% and finally
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Devon grew a pair... but then I think they forgot to drop as he carried on the same for most of the rest of the book.

I felt that Devon didn't really grow at all through the books. Whereas Carly grew and owned up to her actions and became a better person, I felt that Devon stalled. Even almost to the end of this second book, he was still dealing with the things he was at the beginning of the first. I felt that if it was wasn't for Carly thing would have still been the same at the end of this one.

And Carly, I thought the poor girls eyes were going to fall out of her head the amount of times she rolled them! (this might just bother me though!!)

I did like that Devon and Carly kept working at their relationship, but at times I felt that it was the same argument/problem/hurdle over and over again and nothing would change.

Through it all I wanted them to make it. To have the fairytale, Hollywood ending they deserved.

But to find out if they get it, you will need to read for yourself.

There is plenty of drama, intrigue, blackmail and suspense, with a fair share of horrible people to boot.

While I did like Total Trainwreck, I didn't like it as much as Hollywood Hot Mess, but it was still an enjoyable read for me.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like my view of Hollywood life has been irrevocably altered after reading this book. Between crazy celebs and even crazier secrets, this book is part cautionary tale, part tabloid fun and 100% awesome.

When last we saw former child star, comeback starlet and total trainwreck Carly Klein, she had turned her back on the man she loves and the career she was trying to rebuild. A-List star and love of her life Devon Hayes has told her the score, and for a while Carly was OK with being his dirty little secret, but she's sick and tired of being shit on every day of her life. Sick of being clean and sober. Sick of pining after a man she'll never completely have. Carly has one shot to stage her comeback, to finally be the star she's always wanted to be, but her addictions (both drugs and Devon) could be her downfall.

And then there's Devon's longtime publicist-arranged girlfriend Heather, aka the Hea in HeaVon, the female half of one of Hollywood's A-List power couples and a mega bitch in heels. She will stop at nothing to make sure her cushy life remains perfect for the spotlight and is holding some pretty heavy blackmail over Devon's head. But she's never gone toe to toe with Carly fucking Klein, a woman who has nothing to lose and everything to gain.

So. TOTAL TRAINWRECK is the follow up novel to the seriously incredible Hollywood Hot Mess. Carly's special brand of insanity reaches new highs as she falls off the wagon, goes crazy psycho girlfriend on Devon, throws her BFF's clothes in the toilet…and basically makes a damn spectacle of herself for the world to gawk over. I'm on the fence as to whether I love or hate Spence. He's definitely a bad influence, but he's also a terrific friend to Carly (in a fucked up kinda way). Devon…oh Devon. I just want to smack the shit out of this man! He wants it all, his happy tabloid family life and Carly as his beck and call girl, and despite his declarations of love he does little to nothing to get Heather out of his life 'till Carly pushes the issue.

With Carly's former TV sister and BFF Maria a hot mess and Devon's skanktastic pseudo-wife refusing to let him go, Carly is barely holding her shit together. And she repeatedly implodes in dramatic fashion throughout the book, much to my continued glee! She's immature as hell, a bit of a bitch and is desperate to be with Devon. The desperation thing is so familiar, as I see many women act like Carly when they feel backed into a corner, and Ms. Claire makes her patheticness into a living, breathing, AWESOME story. While I'm happy to have gotten Carly and Devon's whole story, I've got a total book hangover and am not sure anything I read next is going to measure up.

Bottom Line: This is not a glitter and unicorns Hollywood story. This tale is gritty and emotionally raw and so SO brilliant. Just do yourself a favor and pick Hollywood Hot Mess and TOTAL TRAINWRECK up as soon as possible. - See more at: http://erotic.theromancereviews.com/v...

- See more at: http://erotic.theromancereviews.com/v...

[Sassafrass · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5 STARS*

TOTAL TRAINWRECK is the follow up to HOLLYWOOD HOT MESS and the saga continues. I tell you, it was definitely like a train wreck watching all of this unfold. And just like the saying goes, it was impossible for me to look away.

TOTAL TRAINWRECK picks up right where the cliffhanger in the first book left off. Carly is spiraling out of control after the disaster of what was her clandestine relationship with Devon Hayes seems to be on the rocks. However, the connection between the two of them won't keep them apart for long. There's only one problem with them being together though: Devon's long time "girlfriend" who all the media and fans love. It could mean the end of both Devon and Carly if it got out that she broke up America's favorite couple.

Carly won't go down without a fight though. And commences is blackmail, sex tapes, viscous attacks, and of course a lot of posing for the cameras. It's Hollywood at it's finest.

I have to admit, I wasn't sure how I was going to like this book after reading the first one, but I couldn't NOT read it. I had to know what was going to happen between Carly and Devon. But, I really enjoyed this one more than the first one. It think it was because I could empathize with both Carly and Devon a lot more. Don't get me wrong, I still thought they were spoiler and superficial most of the time, but I had a lot more back story and could see where they were coming from a little more.

Regardless of how I felt about the characters, TOTAL TRAINWRECK was an engrossing story in a completely guilty pleasure kind of way. To think that people would actually act like this in real life is a bit horrifying, but as entertainment, I was enthralled.

Overall though, I thought this follow up story was an improvement over the first. And while I couldn't imagine how they were going to have their HEA, the author pulled it out in the end and made a movie worthy ending that brought a smile to my face.

I'm giving this one *3.5 STARS* that I rounded up to four because it kept me entertained and had me actually rooting for Devon and Carly by the end.

*ARC provided by NetGalley and Publisher in exchange for an honest review*

[Alissan Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️ 📚 READ THIS BOOK ❤️ 📚

I stumbled across this book because I have a soft spot for the whole Hollywood romance love story. I devoured Hollywood Dirt (❤️ Alessandra Torre) and dove right into this book thinking it would be along the same lines. Boy was I wrong!

I don't want to give away too much, but this book was SO MUCH MORE than a traditional romance novel. If you like you happily-ever-afters tied up with a pretty bow in 70,000 words or less - this book is NOT for you. However, if you love gritty plot twists and the women's fiction genre just as much as you do romance, do NOT MISS this book.

If you DON'T like Hollywood romances, you should still read this book. It's not a glitzy/glittery portrayal of the movie industry at all. It's actually really negative, and makes you think twice about the "Fabulous" lives these celebs live.

The characters...what can I say...you will probably have a love/hate relationship with just about everyone of Claire's characters. Carly is hard to like, but when you find out her reasons for being the way she is, you seriously don't have a heart if you can't feel a little sympathy for the girl. Devon is caught up in lie that's become bigger than he is and has totally shut himself off. They are both incomplete characters but find life in each other.

I was crying and laughing and seething almost simultaneously over this story. The characters are so real you seriously want to call them up at times and tell them to get their sh*t together already. But that's what makes this book so awesome. Just when you *think* you know what's on the next page, you are taken on a whole other roller coaster ride.

Buy this book. Then buy a nice bottle of something strong. Curl up and get ready. You're gonna fall in ❤️ with Evie's world.

[Jeannie Zelos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Total Trainwreck,  Evie Claire

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:  Romance,  

I’m a real sucker for the film/rock star romance trope so when I saw total train wreck I clicked request, got it, opened it and started, and was totally lost. Then, and only then, I realised it was book two and I needed to request book one, which somehow I’d missed. Jeannie Fail yet again ;-)
 
Anyway, there’s so many in this trope that its hard to pick a winner, there’s an awful lot of ( in my opinion) dross among them so I tend to be a bit cautious usually. In the start of book one I was convinced this would be a fail for me, as I really didn't like Carly,and wasn’t very keen on Devon, but I quickly became hooked on the story.
 
By the end of book one I had a better grip of them both, but was still cross at them so many times, Carly for being so changeable, she’d be hot then cold, sober then at the end of book one she crashes big time. TBH I wasn’t quite convinced after all they’d been through that she’d react quite like that, but it was a disaster setting right from the off, and I just knew something bad was going to happen. Devon was being very have-his-cake-and-eat-it in what he wanted andit was clear it just wasn’t going to work. I did love their chaotic, roller coaster romance, even if I was so frustrated, so angry at them sometimes.

Like so many Celebrities the life they really lead is far from the one publicised, and poor Carly, we learned so much about her awful childhood and yet there’s still more coming out, and I so felt for the child she was when it all happened, a kid with fame but no family so to speak, no one to care about her and what she wanted. She was just a money tree to her parents, to the studio, no one seemed to think about the child and that damaged her. Then this other awful thing happened and she seems to have closed herself off, coped with drink and drugs and shut down all emotions and kindness.
It comes through a couple of times, when she helps her old co-star Maria, when she talks to and is with her friend Spence.
I’m not really sure how he fits in but could see a book between him and Maria in the future. Hopefully ;-)
Devon wants Carly but wanted/needed to stay in the HeaVon mould too, at least that's what he thinks. Carly just can’t understand why, nor can I, but in this book we get the answer.
She tells Devon things about herself too and they grow even closer, but can they

free of all ties, get past old memories and make a future together?  That can’t  happen quickly though, we start this book right where book one left off, where they’ve fallen apart and yet still have two films to make together.

Heather,  as half of HeaVon, is determined to keep it that way, and she’s  terrific, a really grasping, greedy woman who wants the fame and money that being the other half of HeaVon brings and she’s not giving in. She has cards in her hand that could bring everything toppling down and its up to Carly and Devon to find a way round her huge block.
Its something I didn’t expect, didn’t see coming and worked well. I did feel though, after all the build up that this part kind of fizzled to an end when it deserved a huge bonfire earsplitting bang.
 
Like book one its an intense  read, a great debut and full of intense plots and dramatic characters.  I surprised myself in how much I liked these books, when to begin I really couldn’t feel for, empathise with the two main leads. For me that’s usually essential, but as we learned more about them, about their problems and see them making attempts to change I began to like them – a little, didn’t love them – but that's enough.

 Neither book was a cantputdown read for me, but they could have been that way with a few changes. don’t ask me what, I’m a reader not an author, I just felt there were areas that felt a bit lacking and undeveloped, and others that could have been cropped, plus of course I really wanted to love Carly and Devon, but never got beyond liking them, Carly more so than Devon. Of course for many readers they'll be perfect just as they are – thats how it goes * shrug *

I'm unlikely to re read these two books, but the potential is there for stories to come that I may, as Evie’s writing style develops.  Overall it was a great duo, a wonderful debut story  and with the way she can spin drama Evie is an author I’ll be looking out for.

Stars: Five, a terrific read, full of drama and emotion, but probably a one off for me
ARC supplied by Netgalley and publisher 

[JP · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, that was a trainwreck!

Carly is a former child star who is trying to make a career come back, Devon is the biggest star in Hollywood and they are two of the most awful characters I have read. Carly is mean, nasty, pathetic and obsessive. Devon is selfish and just an entitled jerk who has fling after fling while hiding behind a fake marriage. Are we supposed to feel sorry four him because his fake wife is a black mailing b#tch? Well I dont . Carly is not redeemable at all, she yells at her assistants on set, says demeaning things to them and sees them as "peons." This coming from an addict who is chasing around a seemingly married man and willing to take scraps of him in secret (even disguising herself as his fake wife so they can spend time in public making out and having s#x in public). The she loses her year of sobriety because she is forced to spend time with Devon and his wife in public and Devon doesn't act like they are together or won't sneak off with her to have s#x in a closet. Carly is seriously a terrible character to read. She drinks, smokes excessively, daydreams about killing herself to get attention, relapses, begs Devon to keep having s#x with her and wonders why he doesn't act like he likes her in public. She's a loser. One of the worst scenes written ever- Devon forces his director to film Carly and him having real s#x on camera during the love scenes in their movie!! This us so they can have s#x without being seen together off set, WTF? That's just gross and ridiculous that this author should just stop. Stop writing if that's all she can come up with. This book actually both books (and maybe this author) are absolutely awful, don't waste your hard earned money.

[Obsessive Book Nerd Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sigh. I don't know. I don't know what to think about Total Trainwreck. Was it as good as book one? Probably. But I really don't know how I feel about this book.

I still didn't like Carly. BUT she was a lot better in book two. She was still a ticking time bomb, but maybe more manageable. When I was reading the book, I was engrossed and enjoyed what I was reading. But when I wasn't, I really didn't want to read it. I'd find something else to do. Overall, I'm glad that I read the follow-up to Hollywood Hot Mess, but maybe I read them just too close together. It was a whole lotta drama!

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. To read more reviews like this one, check out Obsessive Book Nerd!

[Jennifer Oloughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carly, is my girl. I loved her. She is messy and honest and feels to the bottom of her soul. The drama that is standing in the way of her and Devon, is overwhelming. She had so many knocks given to her, she dealt with things the best she could. I loved the story. Devon was lucky to be loved by a woman like Carly. He might still be living his nightmare without her. Once she sets her mind to something she achieves it.

**** I was given an arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***

[C bond · Rating 3 out of 5]

an ok read. things were tied up. I liked book 1 more.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: Hollywood Hot Mess