That’s how this public relations romance – a showmance – was described to best selling author Paige Mitchell. Dating Hollywood heartthrob Nate Mason is all for the publicity. He’ll hold her hand down the red carpet and in return she’ll let him star in the movie based on her book. It’s a win-win for both of them.
Nate is charming and sexy with perfectly polished cheekbones and a smooth as chocolate British accent. She’s an American soccer mom who has had less than good luck in the love department. They shouldn’t have anything in common except ambition.
The more time they spend together, the more Paige begins to see the man behind the spoiled movie star façade. In private, he’s a different person and things are starting to get very personal. It’s going to be difficult to remember…
Olivia Jaymes is a wife, mother, lover of sexy romance, and caffeine addict. She lives with her husband and son in central Florida and spends her days with handsome alpha males and spunky heroines. She currently has five series: Cowboy Justice Association, Danger Incorporated, and Military Moguls, Midnight Blue Beach Trilogy, and her brand new contemporary romance series The Hollywood Showmance Chronicles.
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ISOLATED. That is the first word that comes to mind for this book. The characters are mostly isolated from everyone and everything going on around them. Apart from a few 'small' scenes about a red carpet do, a social event, or a meeting or two, they don't really interact with anyone much. And when I say they are small, I mean there's not much more than a couple of paragraphs before we are back to their contained world, sometimes less. On top of that, there's lots of 'telling us that happened', without actually showing us the scene. I'm not quite sure how she's managed it, but there are even a couple of times I found myself rereading a few scenes because I'm sure OJ has actually managed to 'tell' us what's going on IN the CURRENT scene, rather than show us as it unfolds. I never would have thought that was possible, but it's there.
PSYCHOLOGICALLY PC & PREACHY. From the start to the end, it's like sitting thru a counselling session. I kept expecting them to start saying 'H, please tell us how you feeeeeeel'... 'right, now h, how does hearing that make you feeeeeel?'
There was no real evidence of her being widowed mother. She didn't come across as 40, and the teenage son has just been shipped off to college and was covered by two teeny weeny appearances and a few throwaway comments to show he existed. Throw in some stupid childish martyr-ing, childish misunderstandings and interpretation stuff, accept that it jumps from place to place with no flow and you're pretty much covered.
Not entirely sure why or how I managed to finish this book. It's time I will never get back. I think it was because the idea of a showmance series was so fun, so it had to get better right? No. No, it didn't get better. At all. Ever.
Paige and Nate made a deal to have a showmance. It worked out until they had real feeling for each other. In the end it all worked out for the best of them. 😊
Didn't finish after page 49. Between the generic, straightforward writing and my dislike for the lead female, Paige I just didn't care to go any farther in the story. It didn't feel natural in the slightest. The author needed to completely take out the part at the very beginning where Paige and her friend randomly see the hot celebrity, Nate at a coffee shop and jokingly talk about how he should play her book character in the movie she was trying to get made. And then, lo and behold, that very same day Nate requests a meeting with Paige to discuss that very thing-him playing the lead in her movie. It's so unrealistic that she would just see him that morning and then he would just just as suddenly seek her out. It also takes away the surprise or anticipation of the whole set up. It would be so much better if Paige never would have even thought of casting Nate until the meeting. That way it would be more of a shock to her and us, the readers. Anyways, the whole book felt that way. Very set up and author contrived. Not a natural flow or a lot of believability. Also, the writing is over explainy and repetitive. Although I think it's repetitive because of the over explainy-ness. 😆. What I mean is that the characters over analyze every situation via inner monologuing to the reader and it's just not necessary. Also, the author over emphasized points she wants to be made rather than just letting the readers come to our own conclusions. I hate when an author tells us what we should think about the characters instead of just having the story speak for itself. Just One example is whenever Paige sees girls hitting on Nate. After every time, she monologues all about it and what she thinks of it and what I as the reader should think about it and I'd rather the author just let it be. Let us see the girls hitting on Nate and come to our own conclusions. I don't need Paige to analyze it for us every time. I could see for myself that he is getting hit on I don't then need Paige to rehash it for me and make sure to drive the point home at how attractive Nate is due to the frequency of girls hitting on him. Pretty sure I can see for myself that he's obviously attractive. Anyways, that type of writing happens the whole book, not just a few instances so I'm not too fond of that. But I also just do not like Paige. So far I feel like all she does is complain and kinda whine. And she's called Nate an asshole twice now in a rude way, not joking around and for no good reason. He's way nice. She's just not very likable to me. Also I didn't like when she was swearing. I don't love a ton of cussing by girls anyways, but in this book it felt so forced. Like the author was trying way too hard to show us that Paige swears. But for what purpose, I'm not sure. I can kinda get past the swearing if it at least feels natural and truly part of the character but this was done clumsily in this book. Paige's swearing felt like a 4th grader who is just learning to swear for the first time and is over eager to do it. it's not that Paige was swearing every second or anything. Not at all. It's just that when she did, it felt so author forced that it took me out of the story. So overall this author isn't a terrible writer or anything. There were just subtle things in the writing that could be elevated in my opinion. If she'd rise above being so straightforward with the storytelling and dug just a bit deeper it could be a better read in my opinion.
So I went up and down on this book by Ms Jaymes - I love all of her Cowboy Justice books - Cowboy Truth is easily one of my favourites and have reread it more than once.
I have to say that generally I do not like "rock star" "movie star" or "celebrity" type books - so I am a little biased against this showmance. I think I didn't like Nate (and for me if I don't like the hero I generally give up on a book). I finished the book but will think long and slow about buying the next in the series - particularly at Australian $6.99 per ebook - that is one fifth of my monthly allowance so I expect a really good book for that.
Have to say I can't wait for the next books in Danger Incorporated and Cowboy Justice books
Pros: 1. The grammar was good most of the time, and there were only a few typos. 2. It was free. 3. I really liked Max and Carrie.
Cons: 1. The book is not about Max and Carrie. 2. It's about Nate and Paige. I liked Paige more than Nate, but the biggest problem with both is that the author wasn't consistent with their personalities. For example, Paige is described as extremely introverted but tough and honest, sometimes blunt. Those things are "shown" by panic attacks for large events and nerves for smaller events and plain speaking. But this isn't consistent. Jaymes has Paige using profanity occasionally, except for one scene that's supposed to show how honest and tough she is; there it's so often as to be off-putting. Meanwhile, the actor who's spent a lot of time in Hollywood rarely curses. She's also inconsistent in her desire to be open and above board. Sometimes she's confident in who she is, then she turns into a mass of "I'm not good enough." Speaking of Nate, he's first described as a boring guy who enjoys staying home and reading; in fact that's mentioned several times. But he's also described and shown as a true extrovert who has issues with being alone, loves the limelight, and is highly energetic. He is never shown as the stay home and read a book type; in fact, I seriously doubt that he is capable of doing that very often--he needs people. And Nate was truly vicious to Paige at one point. No matter his excuses, that's not love. The author seems to want her characters to fit the needs of the story instead of letting the characters be who they are. 3. Plot points were sometimes dragged out, and sometimes you couldn't help but wonder, why didn't you say that in the first place? 4. Too long! By several chapters. I was so ready for it to end, and it just kept going. I started skimming whole chapters and then just turning pages looking for anything even slightly important. It should have ended once they made up. Instead the author set up the next book, which was not necessary because as soon as the two people met, the reader knew.
I said I liked Max and Carrie, but not enough to read the next book, The postcard in my head as soon as they met works just fine. This is not an author I'll read again. The book kept be awake, but not in a good way. I was just completely irritated.
This was a sweet contemporary romance which is is full of drama, emotion and fun. It was my first time reading a book by Olivia James and I enjoyed her dual point of view writing style because it enabled the reader to understand both Nate and Paige. I liked Nate's character with his British accent and romantic side,but he got a little annoying when he decided he knew what was best for Paige and when his self esteem was getting in the way of his relationship. Paige's character was my favorite because she was strong, intelligent and independent and she never tolerated anyone's bullshit and always called Nate out on his bad behavior. The chemistry between Nate and Page was good, but there was definitely room for improvement. The secondary characters of both Nate and Paige's friend was well written and conceived and definitely set a good platform for a wonderful series. Overall this was a wonderful and light romance which will definitely leave you with warm feelings and I cannot wait to read Max and Carrie's story.
Nate is a British actor, charming, a playboy, and has had a rough couple of years due to his ex girlfriend, but it was only for show. His people tell him he needs to get some positive publicity. Paige is a writer and widow with a teenage son. She wants to have her books made into a movie but she wants creative control and have a saw in who plays the lead character Flynn. Her publicist tells her she has to be seen by the public more. They want her to enter into a "showmance". It's a romance only for show. She hates being the center of attention and crowds but to get the movie producers to take her seriously, she must do it. Nate and Paige come to an agreement after she has a panic attack at a red carpet event. The more time Paige spends with Nate, the more she sees the real him not the person he shows the fans. This is a steamy, sweet, funny story. The characters are lovable and the sex is hot ( not many scenes ).
This book garnered my attention from the beginning. Paige had loved and lost when her husband passed away. She was left a piece of him in her son. She's a New York bestselling author and a book of her's could be possibly made into a movie. When Paige's publicist tells her about an idea to help her gain public interest she says no but later decides to give it a shot. Nate didn't expect to be where he is now, but after the year he's had it's better than nothing. He's a great actor that had Hollywodd turn their back on him. When he sells Paige on a showmance between them, she automatically tells him no. He thinks his chance is gone but Paige decides to give it a shot after all. What they never expected was for sparks to fly as they get to know each other. Paige thinks she's to little for him and Nate isn't sure he can be what she needs. Will they both grow to realize that they are what they both want and need?
A romance novel that encourages healthy emotional interactions? How novel!
I seriously love that this book focuses on the characters building a healthy relationship. They call each other on their crap and work to improve it. They both make mistakes, because people do, but they don't let it slide. The author chooses not to fall into the damaging tropes of controlling behavior being "romantic". I wish more authors would follow her example.
This isn't great literature, and the characters didn't make me fall in love with them, but I did care about them and their interplay frequently made me laugh. Even with the flaws in the writing, this is one of the best romance novels I've read in a long time simply because it didn't continue to spread the damaging tripe that seems to fill most books in the genre.
Nate and Paige. I liked the premise for the book, but I had to rate it lower because of the jarring foul language, her continuously calling him "handsome", him continuously calling her "darling" or "love", and him calling her baby doll (blech!) during intimate moments. There were, unfortunately, repetition problems with some of the writing as well. There was a section where Paige was making a movie recommendation to someone - this took a couple of paragraphs. A few pages later, the EXACT same conversation took place between her and someone else. I can't believe that no one noticed that when they were editing the book. I got so tired of her being referred to as 'middle-aged'. THEN, there were repeated referenced to the main characters "internally rolling their eyes" - what the heck does that even mean?!?!
I enjoyed the story very much, and I appreciated that the characters behaved like real people who have to solve relationship problems. The main characters, flaws and all, seemed like people I could get to know and I was certainly rooting for them to find a HEA. Even the supporting characters were interesting and know-able. I kept thinking that I could picture this as a Hugh Grant movie!
Still, I would have preferred a "sweeter" version with fewer bedroom scenes and less language. I am adept at skipping over that stuff, and it didn't drastically effect my enjoyment of the principle story line, but there was a LOT to skim through. Unfortunately, those same issues mean I likely won't be reading others in the the series... a shame, because I would love to know what happens to Max in book 2!
DNF @ 15% because if I roll my eyes any more, they might just pop out of my head. Perhaps if wasn't British, I might swallow this shit down but alas, I am. Nate doesn't speak like he's actually British. He's a caricature, a stereotype. Crammed full of words like "darling" and "trifle". Two dimensional. Created merely to be swooned over.
I'm also faintly troubled by a couple of conversations the protagonists had. The first, disappointingly, has the heroine describe women the hero has been with as Barbies who spread their legs or some such. Not slutshaming or demeaning at all, is it? The second has the heroine ask the hero if he's surprised she eats. Naturally all the women he knows always say they aren't hungry. It rather seems as though we're slipping into "real woman" territory here and that's unfair - all women are real women.
I enjoyed the first half of this book, although I was not convinced by the British portrayals (maybe because I am English). The combination of a bestselling romance writer and a film star was interesting. I wish there had been more about the filming (or stage work) and the writing process, but it was all about publicity. The love story between two very different personalities worked well. I did find it hard to imagine the age of the hero - apart from the fact that he was younger than Paige (who is in her 40s) and was worrying about a receding hairline. Once they have confessed their love for each other the story goes a bit haywire. I found his behaviour very childish and unbelievable. The last few chapters seemed a bit unnecessary (but might be there to help lead into the next book in the series).
Man, I had no idea what to expect when I came across this book in a newsletter for freebies. I usually pick up whatever is highly rated, give it a try and this time I was far from disappointed. Actually, I liked it so much that I'm giving it one of my rare reviews. A cute story with a dash of drama, but not so much that I feel like I have to hide under my covers and pray for it to end so I can go out in public without a purple face. (I'm a blusher) Its worth a read. I'm planning on getting the rest of the series as well. I don't want to give away any spoilers or anything in this review but just read the book. If the description sounds the least bit interesting to you, then you will love it. #noregrets
Very enjoyable light read about an Author and the Actor she swore she didn't want playing her leading man in her book series that Hollywood wants on the big screen. Well best laid plans and all that have a different outcome as they start a "Showmance" Said Actor Nate has a scandal that is costing him his reputation and the Author Paige would rather sit at home in her pj's writing (to all my author friends, does this sound familiar?) than do major public appearances. The story is light, quirky and fun with the awesome Paige and the sometimes clueless Nate making a match that 's a definite HEA. Next book up features Max, Nate's actor friend and Cassie, Paige's PA, let the fun begin.
I felt myself skim reading a lot of it and didn't really feel like there was any real drama, like there was issues in the relationship but they felt forced to keep the reader engaged. I guess it annoyed me because I feel like a simple conversation would've cut this book in half and a lot of the drama was unnecessary.
I also would've liked to of gotten to know Jason, her son, more. I know this wasn't his relationship but I think involving him a bit more in his mums new life would've been important or at least something that Paige would've felt was important.
I really fell in love with this book. Paige is a romance writer who has a chance to turn her book into a movie. However she wants creative control over it. To do that her Publicist recommends a "showmance" with a famous actor to get her in the spotlight. Enter Nate the hunk of British actor wanting some good publicity after a "bad incident" with a manipulative diva actress that has almost destroy his career. These characters are so cute and lovable. The author draws you into the story right away. You will love this book.
This was a cute and enjoyable read. I liked how strong Paige was and how she wasn't afraid to say it straight. It was very refreshing. The only thing that really bothered me was the ending. Nate said some pretty harsh things to her. He should've been the one to reach out to her and grovel for forgiveness, not Paige giving in and going to him...and her friend saying it was on her to do that. Umm...no, it's on him for being such a jerk! That's really the only part that bothered me, and sorta made me not love the ending. But overall, I enjoyed this.
This was a cute read. It was a bit of a slow start, but became more entertaining the more I read. I enjoyed that our heroine was a successful author working to take control of how her works were presented to the world. Given the set up for the book, it felt like the author missed a chance for potential conflict. The idea of a "showmance" is in the title, but isn't really talked about for most of the book. While I enjoyed the story, it just felt a little disconnected from the title and the set up.
This love story has all the emotions. What was so enjoyable is that there was no repeat of what the story was about. So many romance novels repeat and repeat a situation. The main characters Paige and Mate were terrific. I couldn't put this book down. Wouldn't it be just wonderful if we all found love like this. Olivia James you are a wonderful writer. Thank you so much for this book.😊 I would highly recommend this book, just a wonderful love story!!!
An enjoyable contemporary ‘movie star’ romance with likable characters. Paige is particularly relatable. I like how down to earth she is, her honesty and her anxiety. And I can especially relate to her love of pjs and food. The romance was believable – the characters spend time together and actually get to know one another and while Paige may not be an A-list star (yet) she is still famous in her own right so she isn’t too intimidated by Nate’s fame.
I made it about 2/3 of the way through the book, but I had to call it quits. I didn't feel any chemistry between the main characters. The story line didn't do much for me, either. It just kind of dragged on. No twists. I really push to finish books, but I couldn't do it with this one. I do think the author is a skilled writer, though. Good sentence structure and there weren't grammatical errors all over the place.
A very good romance with no cliffhanger and a happy ending. I appreciate the good proofreading. Although a few mistakes, nothing that stumbled the flow. There are characters to love and some to really dislike. If you like a wee bit of steam with your romance, you will definitely enjoy this read.
Olivia shows us that "famous people" can be just as nerdy and stupid as "everyday people". I love all the characters in this book and can not wait to read more about them. Nate and Paige are a perfect compliment to each other, and they help heal each other.
Silly story of a writer who wants control over her best seller being made into a movie but, she's an introvert so her agent sets her up with an actor who is aging. He needs to be the lead in her movie and wants to direct it to. Showmance set up has a few twists and turns.....seems like it could be real or close to it.