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True Hollywood Lies
For Hannah Fairchild, jaded Hollywood trust fund baby and aspiring astronomer, life as she knows it (financially secure, albeit emotionally frail) goes out of orbit when her father -- the larger-than-life legendary actor and playboy, Leo Fairchild -- drops dead while making love to a nineteen year-old C-list television starlet. Not only has Leo's conniving fourth wife frozen Hannah's trust fund -- putting a pinch on her ability to gaze at the only stars she feels are worth watching -- but the grieving widow has also been having an affair with Hannah's indie producer boyfriend.
Faced with a Fred Segal's credit card bill that rivals the national debt, Hannah is forced to put her planet search project on hold while she takes the job of personal assistant to British actor and People's "Sexiest Man Alive," Louis Trollope. Because Louis is just as egotistical, self-centered, insecure, demanding, flirtatious -- and yes, irresistible -- as her father had been, Hannah is determined to keep him and his super-model girlfriend, bad boy entourage, and over-sexed agent at arm's length. Besides, she's falling in love with his best friend, the screenwriter Mick Bradshaw.
"Brown captures the humor of working for a megalomaniac...A well-paced, entertaining story." --Publishers Weekly
"The tone is confessional, the writing laced with venomous humor." -- Wall Street Journal
"A fine piece of literary work." -- New York Post, Page Six
Faced with a Fred Segal's credit card bill that rivals the national debt, Hannah is forced to put her planet search project on hold while she takes the job of personal assistant to British actor and People's "Sexiest Man Alive," Louis Trollope. Because Louis is just as egotistical, self-centered, insecure, demanding, flirtatious -- and yes, irresistible -- as her father had been, Hannah is determined to keep him and his super-model girlfriend, bad boy entourage, and over-sexed agent at arm's length. Besides, she's falling in love with his best friend, the screenwriter Mick Bradshaw.
"Brown captures the humor of working for a megalomaniac...A well-paced, entertaining story." --Publishers Weekly
"The tone is confessional, the writing laced with venomous humor." -- Wall Street Journal
"A fine piece of literary work." -- New York Post, Page Six
- GenresChick Lit
337 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2005
49 people are currently reading
232 people want to read
About the author
Josie Brown
76 books701 followersJosie Brown's forty-two novels are now in the hands of over two million readers.
She has been published by St. Martin's Press, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins Publishers, Penguin Books.
Read Josie’s books. You’ll get a good idea of her sense of humor. https://www.JosieBrown.com
You'll also find Josie on
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JosieBrownCA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josiebrownau...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josiebrownn...
Visit her podcast, where she discusses writing with other authors:
http://bit.ly/AuthorProvocateurApple
Josie is the author of these novels:
The Housewife Assassin Novel Series, including
- Handbook (Book 1)
- Guide to Gracious Killing (Book 2)
- Killer Christmas Tips (Book 3)
- Relationship Survival Guide (Book 4)
- Vacation to Die For (Book 5)
- Recipes for Disaster (Book 6)
- Hollywood Scream Play (Book 7) [2014, Signal Press]
- Killer App (Book 8) [August 2014, Signal Press]
- Hostage Hosting Tips (Book 9)
- Garden of Deadly Delights (Book 10)
- Tips for Weddings, Weapons, and Warfare Hosting Tips (Book 11)
- Husband Hunting Hints (Book 12)
- Ghost Protocol (Book 13)
- Terrorist TV Guide (Book 14)
- Deadly Dossier (Book 15 - SERIES PREQUEL)
- Greatest Hits (Book 16 )
- Fourth Estate Sale (Book 17 )
- Horrorscope (Book 18 )
- White House Keeping Seal of Approval (Book 19)
- Assassination Vacation Tips (Book 20)
- Antisocial Media Tips (Book 21)
- Manners, Missiles & Mayhem (Book 22)
- Gambit (Book 23)
- Underwater Assets (Book 24)
The Candidate (Steamy Political Thriller)
Extracurricular - 3 episodic Novels (2020; Signal Press)
Totlandia - 8 episodic Novels (2014-2017; Signal Press)
The Baby Planner
[2011, Simon & Schuster]
The Housewife Assassin Gets Lucky (written with Deborah Coonts)
Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives
[2010, Simon & Schuster 2014 Signal Press]]
Hollywood Hunk (Book 1 - True Hollywood Lies)
[2005, HarperCollins; 2010 Signal Press]
Her novel, Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives (Simon & Schuster), is being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer as a dramatic series for NBC-TV.
She is also the author of three non-fiction books: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Finding Mr. Right [Penguin/Alpha]; Marriage Confidential: 102 Honest Answers to the Questions Every Husband Wants to Ask, and Every Wife Needs to Know [Signal Press]; and Last Night I Dreamt of Cosmopolitans: A Modern Girl's Dream Dictionary [St. Martin's Press]
Before becoming a full-time novelist, Josie also worked in advertising (JWT, DDB/Needham, BBM&B) and radio (WPLO-AM, Atlanta; WZGC-FM, Atlanta).
As a journalist, Josie has interviewed Maya Angelou, Brenda Blethyn, Julian Bond, Kenneth Branagh, Jackie Collins, Costa-Gavras, Craig Ferguson, John Gray, Derek Jacobi, Debbie Reynolds, and John Woo. Her celebrity interviews and relationships trends articles have been featured in Los Angeles Times Syndicate International, Redbook, and Complete Woman, as well as AOL, Yahoo, AskMen.com, Divorce360.com, and SingleMindedWomen.com, where she serves as the Relationships Channel editor.
Josie's interviews for her podcast, Author Provocateur, and for the International Thriller Writers magazine THE BIG THRILL include such notable authors as David Baldacci, Samantha M. Bailey, C.J. Box, Allison Brennan, Lee Child, Deborah Coonts, Robert Dugoni, Barry Eisler, JT Ellison, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, Tess Gerritsen, Andrew Gross, Kristan Higgins, Jon Land, John Lescroart, John Lutz, James Rollins, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Brad Thor, and Debra Webb.
Although born and raised (a Southern expression) in and around Atlanta, Georgia, Josie is proudly one-hundred percent Puerto Rican: her father was born in Ponce, and her mother was from Humacao. Does this make Josie a Georgiarican? She thinks so, and proudly claims that title.
She now lives in San Francisco with her husband and two children.
She has been published by St. Martin's Press, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins Publishers, Penguin Books.
Read Josie’s books. You’ll get a good idea of her sense of humor. https://www.JosieBrown.com
You'll also find Josie on
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JosieBrownCA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josiebrownau...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josiebrownn...
Visit her podcast, where she discusses writing with other authors:
http://bit.ly/AuthorProvocateurApple
Josie is the author of these novels:
The Housewife Assassin Novel Series, including
- Handbook (Book 1)
- Guide to Gracious Killing (Book 2)
- Killer Christmas Tips (Book 3)
- Relationship Survival Guide (Book 4)
- Vacation to Die For (Book 5)
- Recipes for Disaster (Book 6)
- Hollywood Scream Play (Book 7) [2014, Signal Press]
- Killer App (Book 8) [August 2014, Signal Press]
- Hostage Hosting Tips (Book 9)
- Garden of Deadly Delights (Book 10)
- Tips for Weddings, Weapons, and Warfare Hosting Tips (Book 11)
- Husband Hunting Hints (Book 12)
- Ghost Protocol (Book 13)
- Terrorist TV Guide (Book 14)
- Deadly Dossier (Book 15 - SERIES PREQUEL)
- Greatest Hits (Book 16 )
- Fourth Estate Sale (Book 17 )
- Horrorscope (Book 18 )
- White House Keeping Seal of Approval (Book 19)
- Assassination Vacation Tips (Book 20)
- Antisocial Media Tips (Book 21)
- Manners, Missiles & Mayhem (Book 22)
- Gambit (Book 23)
- Underwater Assets (Book 24)
The Candidate (Steamy Political Thriller)
Extracurricular - 3 episodic Novels (2020; Signal Press)
Totlandia - 8 episodic Novels (2014-2017; Signal Press)
The Baby Planner
[2011, Simon & Schuster]
The Housewife Assassin Gets Lucky (written with Deborah Coonts)
Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives
[2010, Simon & Schuster 2014 Signal Press]]
Hollywood Hunk (Book 1 - True Hollywood Lies)
[2005, HarperCollins; 2010 Signal Press]
Her novel, Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives (Simon & Schuster), is being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer as a dramatic series for NBC-TV.
She is also the author of three non-fiction books: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Finding Mr. Right [Penguin/Alpha]; Marriage Confidential: 102 Honest Answers to the Questions Every Husband Wants to Ask, and Every Wife Needs to Know [Signal Press]; and Last Night I Dreamt of Cosmopolitans: A Modern Girl's Dream Dictionary [St. Martin's Press]
Before becoming a full-time novelist, Josie also worked in advertising (JWT, DDB/Needham, BBM&B) and radio (WPLO-AM, Atlanta; WZGC-FM, Atlanta).
As a journalist, Josie has interviewed Maya Angelou, Brenda Blethyn, Julian Bond, Kenneth Branagh, Jackie Collins, Costa-Gavras, Craig Ferguson, John Gray, Derek Jacobi, Debbie Reynolds, and John Woo. Her celebrity interviews and relationships trends articles have been featured in Los Angeles Times Syndicate International, Redbook, and Complete Woman, as well as AOL, Yahoo, AskMen.com, Divorce360.com, and SingleMindedWomen.com, where she serves as the Relationships Channel editor.
Josie's interviews for her podcast, Author Provocateur, and for the International Thriller Writers magazine THE BIG THRILL include such notable authors as David Baldacci, Samantha M. Bailey, C.J. Box, Allison Brennan, Lee Child, Deborah Coonts, Robert Dugoni, Barry Eisler, JT Ellison, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, Tess Gerritsen, Andrew Gross, Kristan Higgins, Jon Land, John Lescroart, John Lutz, James Rollins, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Brad Thor, and Debra Webb.
Although born and raised (a Southern expression) in and around Atlanta, Georgia, Josie is proudly one-hundred percent Puerto Rican: her father was born in Ponce, and her mother was from Humacao. Does this make Josie a Georgiarican? She thinks so, and proudly claims that title.
She now lives in San Francisco with her husband and two children.
Ratings & Reviews
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 22, 2012
Review contrains some spoilers!! (nothing major)
When I first started reading this book I was excited to see how it would turn out, and for a British boy (who doesn't love them?) The book started out wel for me, the plot was good, I thought the heroine was a likable character. We have two love interests here, Mick, the screenwriter who is a genuine guy, and of course Louis, hot British actor whom everyone wants to call their own. When first introduced to Mick I liked him right off the bat. He was definitely a guy that someone could see themselves with. Then we have the counterpart, Louis, who is a complete ass-hole who needs to get that stick out of his ass (pardon me), but my god. I tried, over and over, to see his good qualities, and they were there sometimes when he had them. I had hoped that they would win over, but they for sure did not. And our heroine, Hannah kept falling for it each time. I thought since she had grown up she would be used to it but she still got the Hollywood bug, though it can happen to the best of us. The end was...good but written terribly. For my taste it was waaayy to abrupt and short. It happened within the last 5 pages and this happened, then this, then this. Ta da, the end. I was happy with the end, I just wished the author had actually given the time to write it better and take the time to explain everything.
Well I guess this is more of a rant, I did enjoy the book, I was very captivated, I just feel it should have been executed better.
When I first started reading this book I was excited to see how it would turn out, and for a British boy (who doesn't love them?) The book started out wel for me, the plot was good, I thought the heroine was a likable character. We have two love interests here, Mick, the screenwriter who is a genuine guy, and of course Louis, hot British actor whom everyone wants to call their own. When first introduced to Mick I liked him right off the bat. He was definitely a guy that someone could see themselves with. Then we have the counterpart, Louis, who is a complete ass-hole who needs to get that stick out of his ass (pardon me), but my god. I tried, over and over, to see his good qualities, and they were there sometimes when he had them. I had hoped that they would win over, but they for sure did not. And our heroine, Hannah kept falling for it each time. I thought since she had grown up she would be used to it but she still got the Hollywood bug, though it can happen to the best of us. The end was...good but written terribly. For my taste it was waaayy to abrupt and short. It happened within the last 5 pages and this happened, then this, then this. Ta da, the end. I was happy with the end, I just wished the author had actually given the time to write it better and take the time to explain everything.
Well I guess this is more of a rant, I did enjoy the book, I was very captivated, I just feel it should have been executed better.
December 27, 2011
I really liked this book. this is the second book I have ready from this author and I am really enjoying her books. They are nice, light chick lit books. I actually read this book in less then 24 hours!!
March 17, 2011
Surprisingly good despite the fact there were times I wanted to reach into the book and shake some sense into the heroine.
January 15, 2012
One of the darkest, funniest books about Hollywood I've read. Totally a quick, fun read.
March 10, 2017
2.5 stars. Campy story and you want to punch Hannah about half way through the story. It has a total hollywood ending, too.
Want to read
October 11, 2020🎁 FREE on Amazon today (10/11/2020)! 🎁
September 30, 2009
Adult version of the A-List, but not a series. [return][return]When her assets are frozen by a vengeful stepmother after the death of her unfaithful actor father, Hannah Fairchild takes a job working as a personal assistant to competitive British superstar Louis Trollope, who tries to seduce Hannah when she falls in love with a screenwriter.
November 2, 2007
I love trashy Hollywood fiction stories.
June 2, 2009
This is chicklit at its finest....fashion, celebrities, romance, drama, etc.
August 18, 2020
Will love win?
I love this book. The characters were very well developed. Hannah was a awesome character. She was just blind where Louis was concerned. They say love is blind. I kept rooting for her to wake up. Hollywood must just be a crazy place. I am just glad it was a trilogy, I could not put it down.
I love this book. The characters were very well developed. Hannah was a awesome character. She was just blind where Louis was concerned. They say love is blind. I kept rooting for her to wake up. Hollywood must just be a crazy place. I am just glad it was a trilogy, I could not put it down.
September 29, 2019
O livro conta a história da jovem Hannah, na qual é filha de um famoso ator de Hollywood. Encafifada desde adolescente com os rumores, olhares e atenção apreciável e apesar de ter um posto de dar inveja, ela não se importa muito com a fama e o valor. Ela gosta mesmo é de outro tipo de estrelas, as do céu.
Após uma perda lamentosa ela tem de se contentar com um novo emprego, observando bem de perto novamente uma vida de notoriedade e dinheiro, na qual gostaria de se manter longe — menos do dinheiro.
E então, nós, leitores, nos deparamos com um triângulo amoroso: aquele típico “certo” ou “errado”, onde a moça se apaixona por dois amigos bem diferentes um do outro.
O problema começa mais ou menos aí, quando Hannah começa a sair com Mick. Especialmente, porque ainda assim contando com o final do livro, o desenvolvimento do romance dos dois é bem ínfimo e ligeiro.
Com relação ao outro casal, Hannah e Louis — no qual você sabe que não dará certo desde o início —, vemos aí sim, a exploração do relacionamento entre dois personagens.
Tanto que você começa a pensar que o fim vai ser maçante e o término do relacionamento de Hannah-Louis começa a ser necessário. Feito isso, voltamos ao problema, Hannah-Mick. Simplesmente depois de meses afastados, após um mental breakdown por conta do pé na bunda que Louis deu nela, Mick milagrosamente aparece e a salva. Ah, o herói.
E depois de uma noite daquelas... A pede em casamento (???)
Ok, queria mesmo um final feliz, mas pra terminar com a trama deste jeito curto e rápido, preferia que fosse mais dramático e transformador.
Se eu fosse a escritora, teria deixado uns dois capítulos da incessante trajetória chata de Hannah-Louis de lado, para desenvolver o caso dos futuros noivos. Muitos dos acontecimentos deles só foram para afirmar de que realmente Louis era um péssimo partido para ela.
Tais considerações sendo feitas e sendo colocadas à parte...
Alguns personagens secundários merecem uma menção. A Gangue dos Quatro ficou muito boa e engraçada. Gostaria de ver mais sobre Freddy, Christy e quais foram seus destinos depois dos apresentados no livro.
Enfim, o livro é cheio de referências à cultura popular no geral, e foi bem divertido de ler por conta disso. O cenário em que Hannah se encontra poderia muito bem ser mesmo uma história verídica.
Após uma perda lamentosa ela tem de se contentar com um novo emprego, observando bem de perto novamente uma vida de notoriedade e dinheiro, na qual gostaria de se manter longe — menos do dinheiro.
E então, nós, leitores, nos deparamos com um triângulo amoroso: aquele típico “certo” ou “errado”, onde a moça se apaixona por dois amigos bem diferentes um do outro.
O problema começa mais ou menos aí, quando Hannah começa a sair com Mick. Especialmente, porque ainda assim contando com o final do livro, o desenvolvimento do romance dos dois é bem ínfimo e ligeiro.
Com relação ao outro casal, Hannah e Louis — no qual você sabe que não dará certo desde o início —, vemos aí sim, a exploração do relacionamento entre dois personagens.
Tanto que você começa a pensar que o fim vai ser maçante e o término do relacionamento de Hannah-Louis começa a ser necessário. Feito isso, voltamos ao problema, Hannah-Mick. Simplesmente depois de meses afastados, após um mental breakdown por conta do pé na bunda que Louis deu nela, Mick milagrosamente aparece e a salva. Ah, o herói.
E depois de uma noite daquelas... A pede em casamento (???)
Ok, queria mesmo um final feliz, mas pra terminar com a trama deste jeito curto e rápido, preferia que fosse mais dramático e transformador.
Se eu fosse a escritora, teria deixado uns dois capítulos da incessante trajetória chata de Hannah-Louis de lado, para desenvolver o caso dos futuros noivos. Muitos dos acontecimentos deles só foram para afirmar de que realmente Louis era um péssimo partido para ela.
Tais considerações sendo feitas e sendo colocadas à parte...
Alguns personagens secundários merecem uma menção. A Gangue dos Quatro ficou muito boa e engraçada. Gostaria de ver mais sobre Freddy, Christy e quais foram seus destinos depois dos apresentados no livro.
Enfim, o livro é cheio de referências à cultura popular no geral, e foi bem divertido de ler por conta disso. O cenário em que Hannah se encontra poderia muito bem ser mesmo uma história verídica.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 6, 2012
Too much of the actor, not enough of the writer.
April 7, 2013
So predictable, just not my cup of tea.
May 19, 2015
Awalnya semangat baca. Agak melambat menuju tengah. Gregetnya menurun. Tapi mau habis menaik lagi. Dikit sih.
January 15, 2012
One of the darkest, funniest books about Hollywood I've read. Totally a quick, fun read.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews