Starf**ker: a Red Carpet novella

Red Carpet

by Kali Decker

When a newbie screenwriter and a rising star secretly hook up at their movie premiere afterparty, it’s a steamy preview for what could be a full-length feature—if they can just figure out what's reel and what's real.

NINA
I want him. I’ve always wanted him. Even before we ever met. And now there’s a chance to have him. I just don’t know if I can keep him. If that’s a thing I’m allowed. I write stories for the big screen. Is it even possible to write a future for us?

SETH
She’s a dream come true. Impulsive. Passionate. Sexy as hell. Taking me places I didn’t know I wanted to go. But she’s not as fearless as she pretends to be. Being her man might be the toughest role I’ve ever played.

Genres: Romance, Novella, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, LGBT, Fiction, Celebrity

109 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 24, 2022

Reviews

[b.andherbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

a bang-fest from the first chapter through the entire novella, what a gloriously fun sex-a-thon novella featuring two horny folks trying all the sex acts while falling in love. There's no third act break-up, I laughed, it was hot, what more could you want? Loved especially that they played with their kinks (breeding, daddy, pegging) safely and consensually. Grateful that the "I've only had sex with your dick, but I'm not a virgin" concept was explored, as Nina is gloriously bisexual and had explored sex in many other ways (and Seth is so here for it).

Basically imagining this couple as one that would be on Melanie Rose's Sex Room show!

I hope this author writes a zillion more.

Contents included in the book description;

[GigiReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I liked: it was a quick and dirty read a script writer and a movie star bang constantly and manage to fall in love. Filled with delightful kinks like
Daddy/little girl ( the little girl stuff made cringe a lot ngl)
Pegging
Spanking
Mentions of fisting 👀

What didn't work for me:
90% of it was telling and 10% showing. I get this is a novella but still I would have liked more than them just rehashing everything in their heads. And while the book was hot a lot of the sex is told and not shown. I also had a hard time with the heroine. She was great until she admitted she thought he was married and was still willing to sleep with him. After he told her he was divorced and just wasn't public, she was relieved but thought to herself she would have still had sex with him and she didn't care either way. Nope. Lost all respect for her. Cheating is cheating and it says a lot about a person or a fictional character if they're okay with it.

Still I had a good time and I'm curious about the next book.

⭐⭐⭐/5
🔥🔥🔥🔥/5

[Paige]

DNF at 7%

Voice not working for me. Don’t buy the instalust.

9/5

[Izzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an absolutely fantastic novella.

RTC

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot, filthy, one night stand unexpectedly turns into a full fledged relationship. Really enjoyed this a lot.

[mari (givemaribooks) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book just didn’t work for me. Lots of telling and not showing. It moves so fast and we mostly find out what’s happening from the characters’ internal dialogue, even most of the sex happens “off screen.”

[Lynsey A]

Nope. Daddy has made too much mention. I say, adieu. Plus, not really into these characters.

It was kind of hot but Tessa Bailey is much hotter. Hello, My Killer Vacation. 🥵😊

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was sexy and satisfying with more emotional heft than the title suggests. It hit the spot if you're craving something sweet and filthy.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 1/2 - fun.

[Starfire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considering this novella was only 109 pages, it felt like it took forever for me to finish.

I liked the concept, but the execution just didn't work for me, and other than the first couple of times they got together, I didn't actually find it that hot (I suspect it was too much telling me that one of the characters thought other one was hot, and not enough ... well.. anything else really)

I suspect based on this one I'm not likely to pick up anything else by Ms (Mx?) Decker. But hey, at least it was just a KU title.

[Leigh Kramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. That age old tale of screenwriter writes a movie with an actor in mind for the starring role and then hooks up with him after the movie premieres. And then they just keep hooking up. Nina and Seth had chemistry for days! This started off with a bang and I had high hopes it would stay that way. However, the writing was more tell than show and the 3rd person present tense made me feel even more removed from the characters. I wanted to feel what Nina and Seth were feeling and to actually experience more of what they were experiencing, instead of hearing about it after the fact. For as much as they thought about how kinky they were, the kink is pretty light and most sex scenes are far too brief. It would have been easy to expand on everything and let us more into their heads.

I wasn’t sure what to make of Nina at first, mostly because she was willing to sleep with Seth even though she knew he was married. Turns out he’s divorced but it wasn’t public information yet so it was fine but it gave me major pause about her character. Luckily, after that, I really enjoyed her. She’s a virtual assistant like me and it was fun to see that, even if her work doesn’t appear much on page. Mostly what I appreciated about Nina was that she’s never treated like a “virgin”. Seth may be her first penetrative sex partner but she’s had other sexual experiences both solo and with an ex-girlfriend. I wish it wasn’t so refreshing to encounter a m/f romance that understands p-in-v isn’t the only real sex but here we are.

Despite the writing style not entirely working for me, this was a steamy treat and I enjoyed the glimpse of the story the author is working on next. I would give it a shot!

Thank you to Beth for putting this on my radar!

Characters: Nina is a 36 year old bisexual white screenwriter and virtual assistant. Seth is a Jewish white actor in his 40s. This is set in Chicago.

Content notes: MMC is divorced (filed a year ago, signed a few months ago but it isn’t public news), FMC did not know MMC was divorced and was willing to cheat, MMC’s ex-wife miscarried early in their marriage, FMC is mostly estranged from parents (talks on phone to mom once during story), past parental homophobia, FMC is writing a screenplay set at an abortion clinic, safeword use (respected), on page sex, pegging, impact play, breeding kink, mild Daddy kink, public sex, video sex, alcohol, gendered pejorative, ableist language, mentions of past corporal punishment, reference to past death of grandmother and parents

[Beth Mallett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crude but accurate title aside, this spicy romance novella was surprisingly solid 3.5 stars! I rounded up to 4 because the author fit a truly impressive amount of character development in between jaw dropping amounts of 🔥. The plot was not rushed and the HEA felt authentic. The biggest thing missing between this novella and a full length romance was the 3rd act drama, to which I say good riddance, WHO NEEDS IT?! Not Nina and Seth, and definitely not me!

Kali Decker is the pen name of a contemporary romance author who clearly knows her craft well. I'd love to see her graduate to full length novels on the spicier side of the genre but I am super grateful for well written novellas like Starf*cker. Because sometimes you just want a snack, not a full meal, but you still want it to be delicious! 👏

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

The word I’m looking for is:


Fuckfest from beginning to end, but with heart and depth.
I feel spoiled. SO spoiled, and it’s the fucking best.
These two could absolutely step on my neck:








……………….


🎵 Memory Note(s):

Tate McRae - 2 hands
Olivia Barton, Bridey Costello & Holiday Break - Free Treasure
Holly Humberstone - Blue Dream
Olivia Rodrigo - drop dead

[A. Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, this is a very racy little book, but what it makes it work for me is the language. The prose is vivid without being overly specific. It's a bit stream-of-consciousness, with lots of fragmentary sentences. I can see how it doesn't work for some folks, but for me it was really appropriate to the overall vibe of two people caught up in something sudden and fierce. I was not at all surprised to learn that this is an established author playing with edgy (but negotiated, and consensual) themes. I'm curious who the writer behind the curtain is, but absolutely onboard for the teased follow-up novella.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book so much up until the end. There's an HEA, but we had the third-act breakup (kind of) straight into "let's go to Vegas and elope!" and I didn't enjoy that. What I did enjoy was how open to exploring kinks Nina and Seth were with each other. It was purely consensual, and the idea that they were comfortable enough from the beginning to learn what they liked and what they didn't. It was also really nice to see someone use a safe-word in a situation where they were just not in the headspace to try something new.

I so enjoyed this book. I had some good back and forth with one of my friends about who Seth Frazier was based on. I have theories though.

[Coral · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wham bam thank you ma’am. This Hollywood romance in Chicago is a contradiction within itself: hero is a star but mid list and on the rise; heroine has fantasised about him for years to be point she writes a screenplay for him to star in, but immediately sees him as a person rather than a fantasy; heroine is a technical-virgin-but-not and yet that also affirms their relationship; they talk a lot about how kinky they are but on page it only goes as far as some dirty talk and pegging.
Despite all these things it still meshed together well. And the preview of the next story 👀

[Amanda Nan Dillon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jesus Christ on a cracker. This had got to be one of the hottest novellas I've ever read. Decker packs in all kinds of sex and play between Nina and Seth but intertwines their love story and day-t0-day life with the spice beautifully. You're rooting for Nina from the jump. I mean, who's never seen a celebrity and wondered "Man, what would one night with him be like? Just throw me down and have your way with me." Decker thoroughly makes you believe that Seth is just a regular dude who happens to be in movies. He never feels like a big celebrity, not even after his leading role in the movie Nina wrote especially for him. He couldn't really care less about the fame that comes along with acting -- he just wants to do his job and bang his Nina into next week, fuck everything else.

Sidenote: The author tweeted about this book under some romance hashtag I happened to be scrolling through but warned she was probably going to delete the tweet. I stupidly didn't follow her and now I can't find her on Twitter to thank her for this fucking amazing novella. Wherever you are, pen named author Kali Decker -- you're a GEM, and I really hope more Red Carpet novellas are brewing.

[Salpy KS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really more 2.5 starts. It’s written in 3rd person present, which kept throwing me out of the story. It was a solid beginning, those early sec scenes are HOT, but then it started to feel like a flip book with an abrupt ending. Maybe the author realized it was supposed to be a novella and tried to wrap it up quickly?

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed

She had a crush. She even wrote a movie with him in mind. Can her secret fantasies really come true?

He falls fast and hard. He really isn't sure what's happening. He just NEEDS her. (Love this in a main character.)

They both struggle with believing something so fast and wonderful can be real.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this probably should have been in first-person rather than third (and I am usually a third-person type of girl!). A really interesting meta discussion of romance going on underneath the story.

[Himantra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot and kinky

Loved the story, a quick, hot, and romantic read. Few stories manage to balance the spice and fluff as deftly as this one. Glad i picked it up and can't wait for the next one!

[Emmalita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starf**ker has Kali Decker’s signature sweet emotion and scorching sex. Nina has been lusting after Seth for years, she even wrote a movie for him to be the sexy, romantic, action hero. A weekend hook-up becomes a relationship. A lovely short read.

[aMotleyBook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very spicy from the jump. It is mostly erotica with a love story attached. The pacing is fast, it really pulls you through the story. Both our main characters are interesting to follow. We get both points of view, which really balances out the quickness of the story. A fun fast read.

[Teghan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started strong, but then became really dull, very quickly as it shifted from showing to telling. I Ended up DNF'ing around 20% because I knew how the rest of the book would go and I'd probably end up giving it 2 stars, but why waste my time.

[Melissa Cutler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dnf at 41% because the writing style isn't working for me.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, hot, and sweet, but I agree with other reviewers that there was far too much telling rather than showing!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hot Novella. He’s a 40+ actor, she’s a 34 year old screen writer. They hook up, and never stop seeing each other.

[N.G. Peltier · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHEW! This was a quick, hot read! And now I need the follow up story like nowwwww!

[NAT]

at 3%- stilted exposition dialogue and the author is clearly confused about what a script supervisor is- bold to make it part of heroine's job without knowing what those words mean. Doesn't bode well.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Equal parts sexy and sweet. I enjoyed it.

I actually liked it better the second time.

I'd forgotten how perfect the ending was.