Starling (Love in Los Angeles #1) by Erin McRae and Racheline Maltese 3.5 Star Review!
Hollywood's newest star, 21-year-old J. Alex Cook never wanted to be famous, he just wanted to get out of Indiana. When he hooks up with Paul, a writer on a hit TV show, Alex is thrown into a web of relationships involving friends, lovers, and everything in between.
Forced to figure out what it means to live -- and love -- in the public eye, Alex's quest to find his own happily ever after will make you believe love is possible... even in Los Angeles.
Please be aware, this is a high-heat, high-angst romance and includes characters with a past history of self-harm.
Review
We get a hard earned Happily for Now in this romance about two heroes who have a great deal of emotionial unrepressing to do.
It is a compelling read as the heroes struggle with fame and ambitions and creativity and inexperience in many aspects of their lives.
The age gap is handled with depth. There is a separation which off putting while reading a romance as the heroes get together with other people, it reads true to character and the story.
The writing... in some ways it is great but in others the tone is too removed for me. I feel like I am looking through a peephole at times because of the shut down emotions or swallowed ones anyway and lack of self awareness or rich conversations of the heroes. Not my favorite.
I will check out other books in the series as these writers explore some complex ideas about friendship and love.
It is a compelling read as the heroes struggle with fame and ambitions and creativity and inexperience in many aspects of their lives.
The age gap is handled with depth. There is a separation which off putting while reading a romance as the heroes get together with other people, it reads true to character and the story.
The writing... in some ways it is great but in others the tone is too removed for me. I feel like I am looking through a peephole at times because of the shut down emotions or swallowed ones anyway and lack of self awareness or rich conversations of the heroes. Not my favorite.
I will check out other books in the series as these writers explore some complex ideas about friendship and love.
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