Off Script

Crossed Lines #1

by Ivy Vera Gray

Two men. One script. And the role that changes their lives.

Liam Hart has it all. He’s Hollywood’s golden boy, with a loving wife and a baby on the way. When he signs on for a risky, intimate role in a gay love story, it feels like just another professional challenge.
Until Jacob Wolfe walks in—brooding, magnetic, and untouchable. A legendary actor with a presence that strips Liam bare.

On screen, their chemistry is electric.
Off screen… it’s something else entirely.

Rehearsals blur the lines. One kiss shatters everything Liam thought he knew—about the role, about Jacob, and about himself. Somewhere between scripted lines and silent looks, something real ignites. Something raw, hungry and impossible to ignore.

OFF SCRIPT is a medium-burn, high-heat MM romance packed with forbidden longing, emotional intensity, and a love story that hits hard, aches deep, and leaves nothing untouched.

Tropes & Themes: Double Bi Awakening ∣ Cheating ∣ Age Gap ∣ Forbidden Love ∣ Co-stars to Lovers ∣ HEA

Content Warning: This story contains explicit themes of cheating and infidelity throughout the plot. Please only continue if this is a trope you are comfortable reading.

Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, LGBT, Gay For You, Forced Proximity, Emotional

335 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 19, 2025

About the author

Ivy Vera Gray writes emotional, high-heat MM romance novels. Her stories are driven by unexpected connections, messy love, and flawed characters with chemistry that burns. She’s obsessed with creating tension that keeps you turning pages.

Find her on Instagram @ivyveragray.author.

Reviews

[Chelsea · Rating 1 out of 5]

What in the chatGPT FUCK did I just read??

But for a book about movie stars acting WE NEVER get shown any shooting scenes (only told about them)....
We don't get set descriptions outside of "there was lights and cameras".....
We don't even get told what the movie actually is??
Like it is a murder mystery? Is it sci fi? Is it romance? Is it a romcom?? NO FUCKING IDEA.


Meant to be the gay film to change their lives, and we don’t get to be there? 🙄

We got a story of.... 2 hetero actors, 1 practically bullied himself into the role and the other... well, he was just soooooooooo good at the chemistry that he got the second role obviously. 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

(We didn't get to see any of this chemistry. but we were TOLD that it was very electic and everyone was amazed...... 🙄🙄🙄🙄 I can't eyeroll any fucking harder at how surface level this shit was or I will disconnect my eyeballs from their sockets)

Honestly, this book just gave me fetishizer ick. NGL.
And the similarities between this and the Hudcon craziness are TOO similar….. that’s suspicious, that’s weird…..

You literally need to read the 1 star (and there is an insanely good in depth 2 star review) review of this.
Because collectively, they say everything you need to know.

I knew there was cheating, and admittedly I knew I would struggle with this as I don't enjoy that trope but I thought, give it a go, maybe it will be the exception...... it was not the exception.

Pregnant wife, undeserving of being cheated on.
Boring robot safe-option wife, also undeserving of being cheated omg.
The poor movie crew/make up artists who had to do make up and covers up for these two cheating fucks too. Iccccccccccccck because they can't not give eachother hickeys like 15 year olds, grow the fuck up. Unprofessionalism at it's finest.

Also, do we need to disrespect women in MM. why? Why can't we be girls girls IRL and in books too?
Why are don't matter as long as the men are inlove and get their HEA???
FUCK THE WOMEN I GUESS LOL......
Where is the empathy?
Anyway, that's a me (and everyone else who despises cheating trope) problem, and not a lover of cheating trope problem hahaha.

(I highly congratulate the author for admitting to AI in the original cover and remediating this, so props to them for that even if the cover looks the same)

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review update:

I recently noticed a 1*star review accusing this book of being AI-generated, and because I loved this story so much, I want to give my 2 cents on this allegation.

Off Script is hands down one of the best stories I have read this year. It was not perfect, I overlooked something here and there, but goddammit! It totally consumed me, which is a rarity nowadays. So... the AI allegation: I don’t believe that the kind of depth portrayed in this story, so human and raw, could be conveyed by AI. The amount of emotions poured into this story cannot be grasped by a machine. Period.

Now, I am nearly 60 and not an expert in this matter, BUT I have a daughter at Uni, and we often discuss AI. With limited ways to write, even basic AI correction may result in it being flagged, even though it's the author's original work.

I'm very sorry if I sound repetitive. This allegation is serious and could harm the author’s work. It cannot be proved or verified with certainty by AI detectors, as they are unreliable. And because of that, I find this claim unfairly risks someone who is starting a career.

For those who can handle the cheating, give this a chance and see how you feel.

****************************************************
Original review: Rounding it to 5 Stars.



First of all, I’m not here to judge. I’m here for the pain, the yearning, the heartbreak… and the author delivered.



The torment and anguish of two characters desperately trying not to fall in love was everything.



Their rawness and vulnerability felt painfully real, with many layers of depth. Their perspective is heartbreaking, their actions can't excuse them, but it is their truth.



I loved both characters, but I must confess I had a soft spot for Jacob. Quiet, serious and controlled Jacob.

"In his mind, control was the only thing standing between his family and the chaos waiting on the other side. He understood it was a scar left by trauma, but understanding didn’t make the grip loosen."

The writing shines by conveying deep emotion without drowning in inner monologues (a huge win for me).

The story was addictive; that constant itch of thinking about it and the nervous anticipation of how it would end stayed with me all the way through.



And last but not least, it was so freaking hot! I can't even.

I can't wait for book 2!

[Renae Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

My goodness, I couldn't get enough of this forbidden romance. The premise of two strangers, who are actors, falling for each other instantly during their first audition together, was something I knew I would become obsessed with, and this story did not disappoint.

Liam and Jacob immediately have incredible chemistry. From their audition to their first meeting with the intimacy coordinator, to their first kiss scene, every moment intensifies their forbidden attraction, and the line between acting and real feelings quickly blurs into something neither can ignore or stop.

Overall, the forbidden feelings and yearning for each other, while trying to stay professional without destroying their careers or their families, were perfectly executed, making the slow-burning tension even more intense and captivating. The journey Liam and Jacob undertake is full of heart within such a forbidden environment, creating a fantastic story I couldn’t get enough of.

I look forward to the next forbidden entry in this series.

*** I reviewed a complimentary copy of this story.***

[lakshmi · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is one of those moments where I desperately wished goodreads had a .5 or .75 star rating 😭😭 because this is way more than 3 stars but not 4?

Sooo this is cheating cheating . This is the kind of cheating that makes me HATE the mcs and also love the author for making me LOATHE the characters because YES. WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS WRONG. also, I’m so sad that i hate them because they’re affair is kind of hot. This is a point of view of an affair that I’ve never read before, I think in many books their personal relationships take a back seat but here, everything is at stakes with many factors making this affair seem literally disgusting. And then there’s a side of the affair that’s just two men falling in love. Nothing they do excuses anything but it’s still interesting to read their journey and experience with both their partners, families and the each other. 💞🥴

This is a great debut!! I will for sure be reading more by the author because the writing is calling to me🤌🌸✨.

The ONLY issue I had was the pacing? Because you’re telling me they started getting tension and feelings like 20% into the book? I get sexual tension but these guys are in like 10 year marriages and shit. There’s NO WAY they can just switch up like that? But then again, we’re talking about cheating on spouses here sooo.

[Whitney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Liam + Jacob 🖤
Double-awakening | Tension for days | Age gap | All the feels


"Tell me to stop. Tell me to fucking stop."
"I... can't."

The tensionnnn, the raw emotion, the vulnerability 🔥🔥🔥
You will feel EVERYTHING
Two guys who thought they were straight, co-starring in a gay romance movie. The line between acting and reality were very quickly blurred.
I won't stop thinking about these two for a long time.

Also a quick note:
Anyone who said this was AI clearly never read it. These feelings, this tension, the raw emotion pouring over the pages. That is something that can only be expressed by a human.
Shame on yall for jumping on the bandwagon and trying to ruin this new author. ONE person claimed this was AI without even reading it themselves first and the rest of you dummies just blindly followed.



⚠️ potential spoilers below in detailed tropes, content and warning lists






Tropes/content:
Actors
Acting that felt real from the start
18 year age gap (25 and 43)
Double awakening
Cheating to be together
Both married to women
Jacob has two kids
Liam's wife is pregnant
Tensionnnn
Pining and longing
Broken man hiding behind a persona
Gay for you
Calls him beautiful
Soulmates
They both cum in their pants while filming a sex scene
All scripts and pre discussed boundaries go out the window once they get their lips and hands on each other
Late night phone calls til 3 am just to hear each others voice and then sit there in silence forever just knowing that the other was there
Jealousy watching each other with their wives at work parties
Stolen touches, hidden hand grazes, pinky touching
"Tell me to stop"
Biting
Marking
Constantly going off script - continued kissing after the scene is supposed to be over, kissing with tongue when its supposed to be a peck, etc.
Bareback
Praise
"Baby"
Hand necklaces
Liam discovers he likes submitting
Showering together
Shower BJ
Calls and talks him through a panic attack
Phone sex
They start to feel like they're cheating on each other when their wives touch them
Clear consent
Rough sex
Face fuck
Breath play
Possessiveness
Mine
Hands free 💦
Good boy
Vulnerability level that they never even reached with their wives
Conversation admitting what they are to each other and that neither of them even want to touch their own wives anymore - leads to frantic, desperate sex in a hallway at a party while their wives and others are nearby
Spit for lube
Strict roles
A chapter from each of the wives POV (was a little weird but interesting I guess)
3 month breakup
Epilogue - 4 months later - they both live together and coparent their kids with their wives
Hard earned HEA



Warnings:
Cheating cheating cheating (not between MCs) - this isn't like a lot of cheating books where the ones getting cheated on are horrible people and abusive. These were good women and it was hard to see them betrayed that way.
Childhood trauma (Jacob) - dad left when he was 6, mom kicked him out at 16 when her boyfriend didn't want a kid around
On page sex scene with Jacob and his wife while he thinks of Liam the whole time (at this point him and Liam have only kissed on camera)
Panic attack
Jacob's father dies during the book
There's a scene where Jacob's wife starts touching him and trying to get him hard. This happens after him and Liam have been together several times off camera. But he ends up turning her down.
Sex without lube and almost no prep

[Gaby · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was such a horrible book. Seriously, I tried to be objective and give it a fair chance, but after a while, I just knew I needed to finish it basically as a community service, because I can’t comprehend how many positive reviews this book has. Like, did we all read a different book? I have so many things to complain about. I feel like the author read Bent & Bent Backwards, and decided to use all the angst Oliver & Ethan had surrounding their relationship while cheating on their girlfriends, but none of the self-awareness.

This book was an absolute dumpster fire. Like, even if I completely ignore the whole AI discourse and how unethical it is, although I 100% believe AI was involved in the creation of this book, the plot is just as terrible.

This is supposed to be a double bi awakening story between two actors. Jacob, who acts completely like a robot throughout the whole book. Seriously, the dude has the most absurd inner monologues. He constantly alludes to some past trauma from when he was a child and how that impacted his current personality. Excuse me, is the personality in the room with us? Because I don’t see it. From the start, he talks about his wife as a convenient factor on the way to getting a perfect life, including his two children. At no point do we get the sense that the wife feels anything but love for him, so like… be prepared.

Then there’s Liam, a young actor married to a lovely woman who, by all means, seems to be the love of his life. They have been together for a while now and are over the moon about expecting their first baby. Of course, it’ll all go to shit.

For reasons that are never explained, both actors are super into getting cast for a TV show where they will play gay lovers. What is this show about that they feel so strongly the need to be in it? Who knows, not me, and probably not even the author, because it is never clarified. For real, you cannot tell me these guys had the most amazing on-screen chemistry and not even tell me what the scene was about. That’s just lazy.

As you can imagine, these guys can’t differentiate between acting and real life and soon start a sordid affair. Let’s not forget that both of them are married and that their wives have no idea they’re being lied to. That’s bad enough, but the seemingly perfect romance between Liam and Jacob never made sense. We kept getting told how intense the scenes they made were and how hot their chemistry was, but in reality, their relationship was never developed beyond some cringey sex scenes.

This book felt fetishizing and weird in all the worst ways. The secondhand embarrassment peaked when Liam is having a full-on panic attack because of the cheating and lying, and Jacob’s solution is to suddenly act like a Dom so he “snaps out of it” (?) 🤦🏻‍♀️

As if this were not awful enough, we get a POV from each of the wives. Like… why? So we can see even more of their suffering? I have never rooted more against a couple in a book.

Absolute garbage. Do not recommend.

[acalithas · Rating 5 out of 5]

God I loved this book. So messy and complicated, and so fucking romantic! Their relationship felt genuine despite it being fastburn. I enjoyed Liam and Jacob’s characters a lot. I did think that Liam didn’t even think twice about suddenly being bi which was sort of funny lol. I loved this so much!!

[Lizzy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t even know where to start with this book.

I nearly DNF’d before the end of the first chapter because it paints Jacob as so inherently unlikeable I honestly wasn’t sure if I could continue. I know sometimes we need to see the worst in a character to build them back up to being lovable, but Lord, give me something to hang on to. I don’t know if my first impression of an MC needed to be that he was a narcissistic wanker.

Then we meet Liam, the happy go lucky, pretty boy whose whole character initially hangs on him being the social butterfly in the room, the human ray of sunshine if you will.
This is where I started to feel like these men aren’t really characters, they’re just a handful of tropes dressed up in human clothing.
It definitely becomes more apparent later on in the story when (eye roll) the dark and moody, brooding, strong silent, alpha energy, older man automatically assumes he’s going to top the sweet, sunshine, younger guy. And when I say assumes, I mean it literally. Their first penetrative sex scene, involves bare minimum prep (which is done to Liam without prior knowledge that this is the role he wants to take), zero consent - there is no conversation about prior experience, wants, needs, expectations AT ALL. AND, when the issue of not having condoms comes up Jacob proudly states (I paraphrase) ‘don’t worry, I’m clean and I only fuck my wife’. I’m sorry my dude but fidelity does not mean you don’t need protection.
I am always slightly nervous when reading a double bi-awakening because my first thought is always ‘but who the hell is gonna know what’s going on’, I’ve seen most authors handle this by showing them learning together and it’s often a very sweet, intimate moment of them being vulnerable together. Not whatever non consensual, assumptive thing this was.

Don’t get me started on the aftermath of this scene. So these two have penetrative sex for the first time (and their first time with a man), sleep in their own fluids all night, then get up for work the next day, don’t shower, go off to their film set and do a days filming (subjecting countless people who work there to god knows what), THEN go off on a hike together in their costumes after.

There are countless mentions throughout of Jacob ‘marking’ Liam, usually with bite marks and hickies and I’m just supposed to believe two professional actors at (supposedly) the top of their game didn’t once stop and think about the continuity? I know it’s supposed to symbolise how feral for each other they are but none of the character work actually leads me to believe that they are. They genuinely seem like two men who want to do their best work and I just couldn’t suspend belief enough to get on board with the idea that at no point did they stop and think about the whole reason they are there. Jacob seems to display a lot of possessive energy towards Liam and there’s just no character work to make me believe this is how he would behave. I found lots of elements like this to be just too far on the side of unbelievability. They were able to get off together while filming, I don’t believe that for a second. These are both seasoned pro’s who would have 101 things going on in their heads while at work, not to mention that they’re in a room full of people and Jacob even mentions in his inner monologue that he’s not into exhibitionism.

This now brings me to a phone call Liam makes to Jacob while he’s having a panic attack. Suddenly Jacob decides he’s going to Dom Liam out of his panic attack using sex. I know that these dynamics exist and that for some people this would actually work. But….they do not have a d/s dynamic, at no point have they set up rules or boundaries for this lifestyle. The fact that it’s not mentioned in the TW’s suggests that the author doesn’t find this to be odd behaviour. This is dangerously misleading information about a lifestyle that is built almost exclusively on enthusiastic consent.

The less said about the fact that Jacob suddenly can deep throat without prior experience the better. I don’t even wanna touch that tbh.

Then we get chapters from both the wives?! I don’t feel like I particularly want the POV of the woman being cheated on during their break up. It felt like a cop out to get away with not writing the MC’s emotions during these scenes. And seriously? Jacob asks his wife not to tell Liam’s wife what they’re doing ‘cos she’s pregnant’ and his wife just goes along with it. What happened to sisterhood? It’s disgusting enough the way men cover for each other in these sorts of situations and call it ‘bro code’ but the author just had to take the innocent women down with them. I already knew I would question my morals slightly reading a book about two men cheating together, at least the women could have been written as decent humans. Not to mention that Liam’s wife’s whole POV is basically ‘I’m ok if he leaves me cos I got a baby out of it’ totally gross. Like motherhood is the consolation prize for losing your husband.
Oh and an honourable mention to Jacob’s wife who decides she’s going to hop on her husbands (previously mentioned massive) d*ck with no foreplay - not even kissing - and just ride it dry. RIP her vagina I guess.

Once again the d/s lifestyle rears its head between these two men in the bedroom when they suddenly start discussing colours. I feel like a bit of basic character building could’ve solved a lot of these issues. Just something, anything, to explain why they know these things and feel comfortable using them.
I felt like the author finally remembered to give them some personality beyond ‘I’m a cheating cheater who cheats’ in the epilogue but it was too little too late for me. They finally became likeable people just as the book was ending.

All in all I found this book to be bordering on perpetuating dangerous stereotypes of
1. Bisexual men, ie all bisexual men will cheat.
2. Big Dom, older guy must top and smaller, pretty boy, younger guy must bottom.

This book feels like it was written for the ‘must be strict roles’ crowd. It’s very trope heavy to the point where these don’t feel like real men. When people talk about gay men being fetishised, this is the sort of thing they mean. These don’t feel like well rounded characters, they feel like a handful of plot lines thrown together to string the story along between sex scenes. Jacob’s obsessive, possessive energy feels like it was lifted from another character and added here because it makes everything ‘more sexy’ when none of his character motivations have lead me to believe he posses this sort of energy. Liams submissive nature seems to come out of nowhere. At no point did he strike me as someone looking to hand over the reigns of control. He seemed perhaps a little chaotic (because let’s not forget he has ADHD) but he had already managed to build a successful and happy life for himself.

I would briefly like to mention that I don’t think this author is a bad writer. The emotional moments during the third act break actually mostly hit for me. They are clearly skilled at portraying emotion, I only wish they had used that skill more during the rest of their writing. Also the sex scenes later in the book were actually pretty hot. It made me wonder if this complete work was perhaps a few scenes the author had written previously and attempted to string them together into a complete story, because while they were good writing, often times they felt slightly disconnected from the rest of their story, almost formulaic like (insert sex scene here).

Needless to say I won’t be rushing to read book two in this series, which, after a glance at the trope list is going to be all the same tropes except make it mafia x small town bad boy.

I am writing this honest review in exchange for an arc from the author. All thoughts are my own.

[Papie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fucking obsessed with this book.

Insta lust. Double bi awakening. Acting turned real life. Cheating. Heartbreak. Passion. So much heat.

I felt all the feelings. The lovely peaceful relationships they had with their wives. This unexpected incredible passion that burnt through everything. The blowing up of two families. Four hearts breaking.

That’s why I read romance. For the feelings. The tears. The burning in my loins (lol).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About the AI allegations. I use AI at work. Most of us do. It’s a useful tool for drafting, writing, editing, brainstorming. I don’t see how it’s different from professional editing in terms of helping the author’s writing. I don’t think it can create lust, passion, tears, heartbreak. Maybe one day, but not in 2025.

[Mandella Carona · Rating 5 out of 5]

This *debut*... whew! I have so much highlighted. I could not put it down!

Ivy Vera Gray is going to be an author I will be sure to devour, because if every work is going to be this epic, look out. I ate this book UP!

I love a good forbidden romance, and this delivers that throughout. So much rawness and realness. I felt the torture both men were going through, warring with their betrayal- yet still yearning for them to fall into that love they both needed.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to advance read this. It was truly an honor. Loved this book, and will hype it up 💯. Congrats on a stellar debut.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMFG

[ivy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️
Well, I finished this with a squeal and huge smile on my face. So that’s how that went. A few inconsistencies but I ignored them.

[my_fleetingmind · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rare, precious gem of a book!

An outstanding debut novel by Ivy Vera Gray.

Ivy displays true writing artistry with this novel - vivid characterisation, evocative storytelling and ALL the feels.

Both Jacob and Liam captured my interest from the outset and I adored the portrayal of these very different but complimentary souls.

Two men who seemingly have it all. Living “content” family lives but always with something missing…until they meet each other.

Jacob: Brooding, intense and deeply focused. A well established and successful actor with a wife and two children. Outwardly living a perfect life but beneath the carefully manicured surface he feels lonely and incomplete.

Liam: Warm and joyful, like literal sunshine. A young actor with a career built on “golden retriever roles”. Recently married with a baby on the way, he is living the comfortable and happy life that he always expected he would live. He has a restless energy (ADHD) and is looking for a challenge.

The role: A risky, erotic MM love story.

From the moment they meet, Jacob and Liam’s attraction is electric. The tension between them is palpable. They are drawn to each other like magnets and the pull between them feels powerful and inescapable.

The want, the need, the longing...

But they face a desperate battle to try to resist it. To be professional. To stay faithful to their wives, their families and their safe and comfortable lives.

Jacob and Liam’s forbidden love story aches and it burns. It is raw, intense and messy and their journey is captured perfectly in every beautiful word of this incredible novel.

Spicy yet sensual - I had goosebumps and butterflies throughout.

My book of the year!

Read it and read it again and fall in love with Jacob and Liam as they fall in love with each other.

[Virginia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow wow wow!!!!!

What an incredible debut by Ivy Vera Gray!!! Off Script was amazing!

It’s well written, emotional, and steamy, with characters you will fall in love with. Jacob and Liam’s love story is everything. It’s beautiful. A forbidden affair that leads to a love so strong they can’t live without each other. Ivy does an amazing job of making us feel for the characters, of having us root for them. I couldn’t put it down and read it in less than 2 days.

A must read!!

Thank you to Ivy for the arc.

[patrícia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This just didn’t work for me, and not for the usual reasons like the cheating trope, AI editing, or how women are supposedly treated. The problem is that it’s all tell, no show. I kept being told there was tension, chemistry, connection… but I didn’t feel any of it. I have no idea what they’re even filming, what the scenes are, where the chemistry is supposed to be. It’s frustrating, especially because I went in hoping for the sparks to actually land.

The hot-and-cold thing? Already exhausting. The guilt? Handled terribly so far. Even the sex scenes? Just… weird. I wanted to be hooked, to be on the edge of my seat, but instead I was just annoyed.

It makes me sad, because the potential was endless. This could have been electric, messy, intense, but it just… wasn’t.

And, what was the show even about? Do you know? Because i dont....

[Steeped In Stories · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, I have a lot to say about this book, essay-level thoughts, because I am genuinely baffled by how highly rated it is. I found this to be a poorly written, poorly executed book that relies on aesthetic affectation rather than evocative storytelling; there is little invested in the actual development of plot, characters, relationship, conflict, etc. The romance doesn’t play out believably, and the consequences of the characters choices are largely ignored or brushed aside.

Let’s break all that down, starting with the writing itself, because it’s bad y’all. Like objectively bad. In addition to an excessive amount of telling versus showing and use of passive voice, the language was overly bloated and repetitive. A great deal is written, but very little is actually said.

In chapters that appeared to be from either Jacob’s or Liam’s point of view, the narrative would suddenly dip into the mind of the other character without warning or purpose. This pseudo-omniscient perspective didn’t feel deliberate and pulled me out of the story.

The prose itself was either awkward or overwrought, often both. Now, I love me some purple prose, big fan. But this wasn’t that (though I think that’s what it was going for). There were metaphors and clauses that were meant to be poetic, I think, but never quite landed. The figurative language was often used incorrectly and mostly didn’t make sense. Phrasing was pretty on the surface but ultimately meaningless.

Some examples that illustrate how awful the writing actually is:

“The words tore out of him like something ripped free, shattering in the air between them.”

This is just muddy. “The words tore out of him” already conveys lack of control. The simile that follows adds no new information not to mention it’s a synonym, not an effective comparison. It’s also imageless (something a simile shouldn’t be) Ripped free from what? What is the “something”? This doesn’t clarify or deepen understanding.

There are an insane number of empty descriptions like this that run amuck throughout the story. The book also relies heavily on "as if” phrasing (count em’ 79 instances) many of which acts as filler, only repeating information the paragraph already shared, but in weaker more abstract terms without offering meaningful comparison.

Let’s take a look at some shall we.

“When he finally forced himself to raise his head, the man in the mirror looked lost, as if the hunger clinging to his skin had stripped away every piece of who he thought he was.”

WTF is this? The phrase “hunger clinging to his skin” is jarringly nonsensical. Hunger is an internal state. When used figuratively its meant to symbolize deprivation. Having it serve an external tactile purpose and cling to skin is... well, it's certainly a choice. Not a good one. The language is ornate for the sake of it without any real sense or narrative work behind it

Another example of empty lyricism and odd phrasing that doesn’t quite hit the mark:

“Liam sat rigid in the glow of a thousand eyes, certain that if he turned his head even an inch, everyone would see the truth written across his face.”

“Glow of eyes” is drivel. It pulls focus away from the stronger element, Liam’s fear of exposure. When metaphor competes with the moment it doesn’t enrich or serve the writing, it weakens it.

Compounding these issues is extensive use of formulaic rhythm and misplaced and awkward modifiers. Expressions like “Jacob gave a low chuckle, easy and measured” recur with minimal variation and then there are sooooooooo many sentences that use redundancy for emphasis. Gems such as, “He reached out without thinking, the motion automatic.“ All of this makes the book read robotic at times.

Outside of these specific examples the overarching problem with the writing is events, emotions, and dialogue that should carry the narrative forward and immerse the readers in the story are merely summarized or gestured at. Emotional events blur together because they are not distinguished by specific sensation, thought, or consequence. Rather than accumulating tension and emotion the prose gives us an endless loop of generalized feeling, telling the reader that something matters without ever showing why or how it does.

This becomes especially damaging in the context of the story’s main plot. The novel centers on two actors who fall in love while working on a show described as daring, risky, transformative, and emotionally complex, a love story between two men that many straight actors would have avoided. Their work on this show is what brings them together. It profoundly alters their lives. The script supposedly mirrors their off-screen emotional journey making it particularly emotional to film. Intriguing right? Well, none of this is ever meaningfully shown. We never see the script. We never experience the scenes as they play out. We are given only vague summaries such as:

“Liam's lines hit sharp, his voice braced and cutting, and Jacob answered in kind. The back-and-forth was winding tighter until the air between them felt ready to break.” and “The scene today was emotional. Nothing romantic on paper, just two characters laying things bare. Which only made it harder, because there was no distance to hide behind, no action to mask what was bleeding through.”

That means nothing to me. Show me. Show me all that. Let it play out in real time on the page. Because the show is the catalyst for the characters’ connection, the refusal to dramatize it leaves the romance without a concrete foundation. We are asked to invest in a relationship whose development is repeatedly asserted but never demonstrated.

This nondescript summation carries into the romance itself. The writing informs us that Jacob and Liam have been circling each other for a long time, that the tension is unbearable, that they ache deeply for one another. Yet there is no sustained build-up of emotional or physical tension on the page. Their dialogue outside of filming is minimal and largely impersonal. Key moments of emotional development are skipped over via time jumps. Desire is named, not experienced (and arrives far too quickly for two straight men who have never contemplated being with a man. Jacob even asserts at the beginning of the book that he doesn't want to be with a man physically or emotionally).

Which brings me to my next point. The bi-awakening. We have a man in his forties, who has vehemently asserted his heterosexuality and has never had even the faintest awareness that he isn’t straight, but then suddenly has this realization that arrives fully formed only because of one person. Ugh. I am sick and tired of these narratives. They imply that queer desire does not exist until it is externally activated by a singular, “magical” catalyst. That framing removes agency from the character. For the majority of queer people that isn’t how self-awareness works. Attraction doesn’t materialize out of nowhere. Even when it’s buried, denied, or rationalized, there is often some prior sense of queerness. Research even shows that the vast majority of bisexual people report at least some awareness of their bisexuality by their late teens or early twenties. The number of people who reach their forties with zero prior awareness is statistically minimal. But fiction treats this as the norm. This framing reinforces the idea that bisexuality is reactive rather than intrinsic, and validates the myth that same-gender attraction only “counts” if it’s intense enough or tied to one exceptional person. It perpetuates erasure, stereotypes, and gatekeeping, and serves as narrative convenience rather than realism. Authors writing bi-awakenings need to do better and this is a prime example of a story that represents it in a very problematic way and doesn't do the actual experience justice.

Additionally, if you are going to write a double bi-awakening romance between two publicly straight men both with established careers and families, the story needs to grapple with the weight of that reality. The characters acceptance of their attraction towards each other and giving into it is mostly frictionless. This and the lack of establishing anything of substance between them makes their connection lose all credibility.

The handling of the infidelity further undermines the story. The book never convincingly establishes that either man is genuinely unhappy in his marriage. Liam’s opening scene explicitly describes his attraction to his wife and gratitude for his life. As for Jacob, though there is reference early to his boredom and apathy about his “perfect life,” I wouldn’t consider that sufficient justification for betraying a partner of ten years and the mother of his children with his co-star. Without establishing emotional neglect or unmet needs, the affair feels unmotivated and callous.

And then there’s the bizarre decision to include chapters from the respective wives POV. This might be a me thing, but I hate when authors include the perspective of side characters in a story where they aren’t emotionally centered, especially in romance and doubly so in cheating narratives. In this case the POV switch added no emotional complexity or narrative momentum. The chapters were short, thankfully, but they were pointless and unnecessary and only reinforced how much the author was doing them dirty.

Let’s talk characterization.

Neither Jacob nor Liam had a truly distinct voice. I never got a strong sense of who these men were beneath the surface. Everything about them is pretty general and lacking. Not only that, but their personality traits are told to us rather than revealed through action, dialogue, or internal narrative. Without well-defined identities, their struggles lack contrast and makes the want-to-be compelling emotional journey these characters undergo not engaging.

In conjunction with this, Liam’s supposed ADHD is mishandled. Beyond a few surface-level references, it has no integrated impact on his behavior, communication, or emotional regulation. If the text had not explicitly told us of it, I never would have known. Thoughtful representation requires more than a label; it should be present in how the character moves through and interacts with the world. Here, it does not.

Finally, we arrive at the story’s overwhelmingly underwhelming conclusion.

For a novel built on betrayal and upheaval, the fallout is shockingly minimal. The wives accept the situation with minimal confrontation. Liam's family accepts the new relationship without so much of a hiccup. Professional consequences are zero, with the public even supporting their affair. These are high-profile individuals with everything to lose, yet they lose nothing. The story grants a happy ending without requiring the characters to meaningfully confront or reckon with the damage they cause. Yes, romance operates on a HEA convention but given the circumstances everything was too easy for these men. It came across as narratively dishonest.

This book clearly aspires to be deep, raw, and artistic. Unfortunately, it never produces that depth. What we get is an underdeveloped and frankly horrendous book that uses lyrical language to obscure the absence of substantive character development, relational complexity, and moral consquence. The story asks the reader to invest a great deal of belief without doing the necessary work to earn it. For me, there is nothing in this story that supports the acclaim it is receiving.

[Sofi · Rating 5 out of 5]

“It stopped being about the characters or the film. It became the unraveling of two men who couldn’t separate themselves from one another no matter how hard they bled trying.”

Beautifully crafted tension, anguish, guilt, torment, unstoppable desire, the yearning, just sooo many emotions, and WOW I felt it all. From the moment I read the blurb of this book, I knew it had the potential to be incredibly good, and it really didn’t disappoint.

This book is soooo messy, it’s definitely not an easy romance. Jacob and Liam are two actors whose world changes from the moment they meet, and it’s such a beautiful story in its complicated, disastrous journey.

It made me fight with my values. There is both emotional and physical cheating, something that was hard for me to ignore and by no means condone, but the pull between Jacob and Liam burned through the pages so strongly that you can’t help but want them together. I could literally feel their internal fight between their desire and love for each other and the need to do the right thing.

And there was definitely a fight, it wasn’t ignored. They both felt the guilt of their actions, and it was heartbreaking to witness because it wasn’t just their lives that were affected. I have to say that I applaud the author for the way the wives were portrayed. They weren’t made into villains, they felt real, and I actually liked them. They reacted as anyone would, even with a bit more grace than I expected, and they were good mothers, lovely people, at least in the few moments they were included. The addition of their POVs was cruel to my heart but really good for the book. It just made everything hit harder.

“Loving someone doesn’t go away just because you want it to. You can run from it, you can bury it, you can hate yourself for it, but it’s still there when you wake up the next day. So maybe stop asking how to kill it, and start asking how to live with it.”

I absolutely fell captive to Liam and Jacob’s story and absolutely adored them both. Liam, who is a sunshine-filled, restless energy kind of man, and Jacob, the quiet, intense, and controlled one. I loved the contrast between their personalities and the easy way they just fit. It felt inevitable, it just felt right, and despite how they started, it felt truly genuine.

Tension between two characters can break or make a book for me, especially if it is a forbidden romance trope, and these two had it in a way that felt palpable. It was the raw desire, the way they just couldn’t stop wanting each other, but the thing is, it never lacked feelings. The emotional side of their relationship was always there, the way they opened up to each other, the understanding of who they each are. It was just like they were finally with the person they were meant to be.

I honestly could talk for hours about every moment, secret touch, look, and word these two share, because everything was intense and dripping with emotion, and I just can’t stop thinking about them.

“Liam was all heart and emotion; everything Jacob had spent his life avoiding. Soft where Jacob was sharp. Loud where Jacob was silent. Chaos in the space Jacob had carved out for control.”

“He loved Jacob with a fierceness that scared him, a longing as dangerous as it was undeniable. They both belonged to others, but in the end, he knew—it would always be him. There was no coming back from this.”

“You want the truth? I haven’t touched her since the first time I fucked you.”
Liam’s heart stumbled.
“I don’t kiss her,” Jacob went on, each word deliberate. “Her mouth feels all wrong. I can’t touch her—she doesn’t make those desperate little sounds you make. She doesn’t claw at me. And she never falls apart in my hands the way you do.”
The air between them was molten.
“And her eyes?” His gaze locked on Liam’s. “They’re not that shade of whiskey that ruins me every damn time.”

And I have to talk about the plot because it was something I didn’t know I needed, but now I want more. Getting into the world of two actors filming a TV show, seeing the process of the audition, table reads, rehearsal, and especially the intimacy coordinator (which I could talk about for hours because the tension in that scene was insane, I swear I even blushed just reading it), I loved the whole filming part of the book as much as the romance. I kept wishing the author had included more about the TV show they were making, I wanted to see the dialogue and more of the actual process. But other than that, I absolutely loved the plot, and I mean, I would love to see this TV show… just saying.

“Most actors stay in control. They sell the moment but stay behind the glass. You two?” Her voice dropped. “You shattered it. No one in that room thought it was acting.”

“They cut, reset, and tried again. Except nothing really reset; the cameras started over, but Liam’s body didn’t. Each new take blurred more lines than the last. Mouths pressing harder, hands gripping tighter, every movement slipping further from the boundaries they had agreed upon.”

“They turned their faces toward each other, eyes locking, and the cameras rolled. The first kiss was everything it was supposed to be; mouths moving just enough to sell the illusion before pulling apart. The second mirrored it, precise and planned, except Liam already felt it—the spark hidden behind Jacob’s restraint. His inhale caught a little too sharply, and the closeness hummed with something no script could write.”

I am truly obsessed with this book. I really have nothing bad to say, and I loved every second of it. It made me feel so much, and I will definitely be rereading it in the future. An incredible debut novel from this author. I will definitely be waiting for the second book in this series and future novels.

[LaBrie James · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a bold, devastating, unforgettable way to start 2026.

I genuinely cannot believe this is a debut novel. The absolute balls of steel it takes to publish this as your first independently released book is astonishing.

As an indie author myself, I know how hard it is to get your name out there, to appeal to readers, to take risks when every choice feels like it could make or break you. And this author didn’t just take a risk—she leapt off a cliff.

The cheating trope is notoriously difficult to handle well, and she didn’t play it safe at all. Both main characters are married to women. They have young children. One wife is pregnant for the entire book. That is not an easy line to walk—and yet, somehow, she did it.

My heart absolutely bled for Caroline and Emma. I wanted to shake both men and scream at them for being selfish assholes. As someone who has been cheated on—who has had their heart broken by someone I was engaged to—this book genuinely pissed me off in the most visceral way. And that right there? That’s the mark of powerful writing.

Because despite my anger, despite my heartbreak for these women, I still found myself rooting for the men. I wanted them to find love. I wanted their happily ever after. Their pain felt real. Their conflict felt earned. I could not put the book down—I read it in a single day.

What impressed me even more is that this is written in third person, which is usually hard for me to stay engaged with. But from page one, I was pulled in completely. No distance. No detachment. Just immersion.

If this is where this author starts, I am incredibly excited to see where she goes from here. The talent is undeniable, and the courage it took to lead with a story like this deserves real recognition.

What a bold, devastating, unforgettable way to start 2026.
Congratulations on a job exceptionally well done.

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

The main trope in this book couldn’t be farther from what I usually choose to read, but sometimes I decide to challenge myself, because I’ve learned that the right combo of story and writing (and mood) can make me like almost anything. That’s how I ended up giving a try to a book with two actors as MCs and, even more surprising, (this spoiler also doubles as a content warning) cheating. A lot of cheating.
I didn’t hate it and I didn’t love it. I fell somewhere in the middle, although I liked it more than I thought I would.
I think the author nailed a scenario in which such a trope could work without making the reader despise the characters (at least, I didn’t). Jacob and Liam definitely wronged their wives the moment they cheated on them, but here the lines get blurry. When did the cheating begin and how? When they first kissed during the chemistry read and came face to face for the first time with the effect they had on each other? But that was work, the only thing that made it something else was their personal reaction to a scripted scene and that’s not something they had any way of controlling beforehand or ever. They definitely crossed a line while filming the first kiss, when they didn’t stop after the director called the cut, but even then, you could argue that they got carried away by something professionally required, their wives found out almost immediately after it was leaked on the internet and, apart from a pretty mild moment from Emma, Liam’s wife, the wives themselves seemed to chalk it up to work. Even if they had wanted to stop after that scene, there was no realistic way they could’ve done that without seriously hurting their careers and livelihood, all for something that they still thought they could keep under control (first mistake). That was the cleverness of the scenario, in most other cases they would be guilty from the start for exposing themselves to temptation, which would’ve been pretty shitty given their existing relationships.
Jacob and Liam tried to resist the pull they felt for each other, after they became aware of it (and despite the shock of feeling what they felt, I might add), but they kept being put in situations (acting the roles of a gay couple) that seemed designed to push them together and give them the chance to build on that first, immediate attraction and find out how compatible they are (they were of course, by the author, but that’s not the point). If that hadn’t been the case, I believe that they would’ve avoided each other without never having the chance to find out how deep that connection run between them and that it was more than sex. They would’ve stayed with their wives (because they genuinely cared for them even though they stopped being their first priority as their own relationship grew), without a clue about what they were missing, but chance and opportunity made it possible for them to become aware of the possibilities and the pull between them, once allowed the chance to grow, did the rest. It was pretty much the only scenario in which I could keep reading instead of closing the book in disgust over two selfish MCs who made the choice to cheat on their wives and the mothers of their children instead of ending their previous relationships before acting on their attraction for each other.
I’m not saying that Jacob and Liam didn’t make questionable choices, wrong choices. They did, they kept making them and they were aware of that every step of the way, they just reached a point in which the other person became more important to them than the partners they already had. Jacob especially was pretty honest with himself and with Liam and that made him seem a bit cold at times, but I preferred his kind of honesty than some bullshit excuse that wouldn’t have hold water anyway. Not that Liam tried that, he was also aware of how wrong their choices were, it’s just that of the two, Liam was definitely the more emotionally scattered one, when it came to everything: their relationship, his relationship with Emma, pretty much everything. Given their age gap (Liam is 25, Jacob 43), that makes sense even without taking into account their different personalities.
I think the author made a good job portraying two likable characters who have good relationships in their lives already, but they still make a mess of it because something better, something neither of them was expecting or could imagine existing, came along to make the balance shatter.

I liked that Caroline found out because Jacob, who’s control personified, couldn’t hide his feelings for Liam. I liked that she agreed to keep Liam’s name out of their divorce when Jacob asked for Emma’s sake, because she wanted to protect a woman she barely knew from having to deal with something like that when she was about to have a child.
I liked (and hated) that Liam ended things when his daughter was born, even though Jacob and Caroline were already getting a divorce. It was obvious that it wouldn’t last and that he was making the wrong choice anyway, for himself, for Jacob, for Emma and even for Nora, because two happy separate parents will always be a better choice for a happy child, as long as they act in her interest, than two miserable parents who stay together for the wrong reason, but he wouldn’t have been Liam if he hadn’t tried.
So, yes, I liked this more than I thought I would, but there were a few things that didn’t quite work for me as well as they could have. I had some trouble connecting with the relationship at an emotional level, even though Jacob and Liam are perfect for each other, I think the writing failed to pull me in completely in the more emotional scenes. I couldn’t point out what or why exactly, so I have to assume it was a me-thing.
What I can point out was the way the sex was written, which didn’t feel very realistic to me, especially considering that the two people involved were two until-then-completely-straight men with no experience at all with other men. Research, assumed that’s what they did, can only take you so far. Let’s just say that I don’t believe two inexperienced men would be able to do what they did, as soon as they did, and with that kind of ease.
Also, I’ve no idea if that’s a realistic portrait of the industry or not, but WTH about the director and everybody else involved in the filming practically not batting an eyelash at the fact that Liam and Jacob were cheating on their wives in broad daylight? The director kind of addressed the issue at least, but it was still only from a production POV. The makeup artist flat out said that it was none of his business when he had to cover up Jacob’s bite marks from Liam’s neck and he was perfectly aware they had happened after filming… I wasn’t expecting them to be judged and quartered in a public square by the moral police, but still, that kind of unanimous nonchalance seemed a bit too much. I would’ve preferred at least one or two hints that not everybody was perfectly okay with it… somebody giving them the stink-eye would’ve sufficed.

Everything considered, though, I’m putting this one in the win column because for being a debut by a not-native-speaker author, it reads (to this not-native-speaker reader, at least) much better written than a lot of books in this genre. Also, I think the author was brave to go for such a dangerous trope in a first book.

[Sharon Elias · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a debut novel!! 🤩

The moment I saw this pop up : the tropes, the blurb , I just knew I was going to love it.
And yes. I loved it!! ♥️


Two actors: Jacob, a 43-year-old established icon, and Liam, a 25-year-old rising star.
They take on a role that will change their lives forever.

Both married . Jacob with kids,Liam with a baby on the way.
They try to resist the temptation… but they just can’t stay away from each other.

That inner battle of not wanting to hurt anyone, constantly putting yourself last, while you’re slowly dying inside. 💔

And then there’s that one person who brings you back to life, who makes you want again…
Everything is on the line : their marriages, their careers…

But the pull between them is just too strong…

Wow, what a debut!!♥️
I was immediately sucked into the story and needed to know how things would play out.
The longing between these two, fighting their feelings, wanting to be together… or to walk away.

To stop, or to go all in.
My heart ached for them , in the best possible way.

A beautiful book!
5⭐️
🌶️🌶️,5

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prepare to be absolutely devastated every step of the way in this one.

I’m not sure what else to say? I’m crushed. Fully ruined by all of it.

[Julia (bookish.jka) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"He pushed Liam back a step, then another, until his shoulders met the wall. Jacob caged him there with one firm hand at his waist while his mouth devoured him. Teeth grazing just enough to leave a sting. Liam let him and took it all, giving himself over in complete surrender. It made Jacob want to ruin him, claim him, and own him in ways he had no right to. “Cut!” Louder this time, the word cracking through the haze."

I loved everything about this debut novel from Ivy Vera Gray! Off Script was angsty, heart-wrenching, devastating, endearing, steamy and all the things inbetween. This is Liam and Jacob's story.

NB: If you have an issue with cheating in books, then this is most definitely NOT the book for you. Both the male main characters are married when the story begins. They are straight actors and both experience a bi-awakening during the course of filming, which obviously causes major ramifications in both their personal lives.

This was a 5 star 🌟 read for me.

[DeniReadsMostlyMM · Rating 5 out of 5]

The premise of this book drew me in, as did the tropes. This forbidden, forced proximity romance is exquisite. It cuts to the core of what people who fall for the one person they were meant to be with and can’t deal with. Jacob and Liam are good men at heart. They’re both married and respect their wives and families. They also both struggle with unanticipated attraction during their first audition for a new television show together. The chemistry is unparalleled and unplanned. They can’t stop thinking about it at different intervals in time. I appreciate that they try to do the right thing in this story. I also appreciate the honesty in their resignation when they can’t. They are drawn to one another and get under each other’s skin in ways that were never expected. There is a visceral and palpable connection between these two MCs. The comfort and care they have for one another is top tier. Watching their feelings blossom into love is fitting for their journey. It definitely tugs on the heartstrings, in all the best ways.

There is a lot of captivating moments in this story. The age-gap factor, the opposite personalities, the trust and acceptance between the pair, the double bi-awakening, the quiet unraveling of their realities. Jacob and Liam have neutrally honest conversations. They never lie to one another. There is a little bit of messiness in this story as well. It’s fitting when you have MCs who cheat on their spouses. That’s a potential trigger for some I know. And while I never like spoiling parts of a story; it should be mentioned that Jacob has two young children and Liam has one on the way. I think the author does a good job of setting up warnings in her Content Notes. That said, there is no cheating between the MCs. They stay faithful to one another. Their journey is a winding one, but I found their HEA satisfying.

Side note: I appreciate how well the wives are written in this book. They aren’t caricatures used as props for the MCs to get together. They are real characters dealing with a very real fallout.

Ivy Vera Gray crafts a beautiful, complex, complicated story. It drew me in from the first chapter. I couldn’t put it down. I am excited to read her next book in the Crossed Lines series. I want to know more about Knox.

[Elsbeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was amazing. Uncomfortable sometimes but inevitable.. I’m not a fan of cheating so that hurt in this book. Liam and Jacob had great chemistry though and it was obvious there was no other way than to be together.
I did feel the story was rushed towards the end. A pity. But this story had me in chokehold. Read it in one sitting.

[Seraphina Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Off Script
Crossed Lines Book 1
Ivy Vera Gray

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶🌶

Double B! Awakening
Grumpy/ Sunshine
Medium Burn
Cheating (not between MC’s)
Co-Stars to lovers
Angsty tension

Oh, my word, I loved this. I cannot believe this was a debut book.

The angst, tension, passion, intensity, spice … phenomenal

I was at the edge of my seat at page 20 and sat there the whole time 😂 I ate this book up.

But honestly incredible writing and story.

Both men are married, one has 2 children, one with one on the way.

Liam and Jacob are both cast in a new MM series and from the moment they meet there was just something between them. Undeniable.

“The pull between them was insane, raw and consuming, sparking hotter each time they circled a scene.”

Ugh I know the cheating trope is controversial, but I love it. It creates some of the best true love stories. The angst and tension and heartache. I love that stuff. The neediness and passion.

This was so good. The spice between these two was fantastic. The pull between them was inevitable.

They did not want to blow up their lives but they also could not continue as things were before they met.

“The cruelest truth was knowing that eventually he’d have to give him up— just not yet. For now, Liam was his.”

I don't even know what to say, this was so good.

The writing was so well done. The push and pull, the angst. The whimpers lol. The hand necklaces. The “you're mine” 🤭🫠

All the stars. I loved every word of this book. I ate it up. I honestly highlighted half the book. I was shook with the quotes and how great this was written. So hot, filled with passion, angst and tension.

I cannot wait for the next book 👀




Possible Spoilers: .........





Some Favorite Quotes:

There he was, Jacob Wolfe. All six- foot- five of masculine severity in a perfectly tailored charcoal suit. No tie. Black shirt unbuttoned just enough to be indecent. His hair was perfectly styled, not a strand out of place. There wasn’t a wrinkle on him, like he was carved, not born. His eyes were already scanning the room like it had personally offended him.

“You ruined me,” Jacob hissed into Liam’s skin. “You— fucking— ruined me.”

“I’m not letting you go again. I’ll burn the fucking world down to keep you.”

“I don’t kiss her,” Jacob went on, each word deliberate. “Her mouth feels all wrong. I can’t touch her— she doesn’t make those desperate little sounds you make. She doesn’t claw at me. And she never falls apart in my hands the way you do.”

[Nicanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense, taboo, tons of longing and absolutely perfect. A definite MUST read!

📚Book = Standalone,
💕Burn = Med,
🎭OW/OM Drama = No,
🔥Heat/spice = 10/10,
😬Angst = Low,
🍆🌮 MM/FF = Yes, MM,
🔹POV = 3rd Person, MPV,
🔸Genre = Contemporary Romance
🔹Tropes = MM✨Co-stars to Lovers✨Grumpy x Sunshine✨Age Gap✨Førbídden Love✨Double Bi-äwakėning✨Emøtíonal & Pħysícal Īnfídelity (not between MCs)✨Märítal strain during pregnancy✨Morally Complex Decisions✨HEA✨
‼️Check TW’s before reading‼️

The intense longing between Jacob & Liam, was so däm hot, it caught my attention and sucked me into their story from the very first time their eyes locked onto each other across the stage…….I mean, it was just….wow!! It was just perfectly written and even though they were both married (to woman nonetheless) and should have been a totally taboo trope, I was so totally invested in them making it together.

The double bí-äwakėning and their inner battle to fight their scorchingly høt chėmistry, just got more intense as their feelings grew. It was an intense, forbidden attraction they both fought as they tried to stay professional, in a bid to save their families and their careers. And yet with every explosive interaction, lines were blurred and it was inevitable someone would be hurt, it was just the case of who that would be in the end.

Jacob had two kids and Liam had a baby on the way, and I must say I shed a few tears as Liam fought to hold onto his family, it honestly broke my heart for everyone involved. With that being said, the ending was just perfect. 🥰

I have to say I‘m totally smitten with Ivy’s writing style and the plot was brilliant. For Ivy’s very first book and I am absolutely a fan and can highly recommend this book, I am really excited for the her next endeavour.

[labibliofille · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to verify Off Script by Ivy Very Gray was actually a debut novel because it's so well written.

We follow two actors as they audition and subsequently star in a brand new mm limited series. They're both married and have, or are starting, families. But...the chemistry between the costars is unreal, simply undeniable. Over several months both MMCs have an affair, fall in love, and have to deal with the consequences of their actions.

This novel was unputdownable. I was locked in - every time I had time to read, this is what I was reaching for.

My only criticism is that sometimes I wish there was just *more*. The specifics of the scenes and lines from the show weren't discussed, just that they were running scenes, lines, etc. I'm a nosy Nelly and I want all the information, haha.

I'm so excited to see what else Ivy Vera Gray comes out with in the future!

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this a little hard to get into at first, but once they gave in to each other I liked it so much more. TBH when I read books where the mc’s cheat together, I prefer much less resistance. There was sooo much resisting by Jacob in the beginning that I was getting frustrated with him and how cold/aloof he was being. Also, maybe unpopular opinion, but I didn’t want or need chapters in their wives pov’s 😭 I’m literally rooting for them to get cheated on, so I obviously don’t care about their feelings meaning I don’t need to read their thoughts 😭

[Malavika Salim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating-4.5
I can’t believe this is a debut work. Forbidden love is usually supposed to be exciting, but this was breaking me into pieces. The characters, Jacob and Liam, and their story hooked me from the very beginning. Their desire and sexual chemistry were off the charts. I am not an ardent fan of the cheating trope, but their trepidation and yearning gripped me. In spite of all the push and pull happening inside their heads, they can’t help but fall for each other. When their world came crashing down, I loved how their best friends offered them a safe, non-judgmental space. The inner conflict over what is right or wrong made me gasp for air. The last chapters ruined me, drowning me in their guilt, shame, passion, and pain. I really want to offer them a hug. It was so beautiful to watch people fall so deeply in love that it wrecks them.

[AnnaKitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m still a mess writing this, which probably says more than some polished sentences. Not many books have twisted me so hard, and I’m not sure any of them have felt this real. It's not a popular trope or type of story; you have to be really careful with it.
In terms of the feels, it reminded me of Oleander - hundreds of pages of emotional torture where you sit there all day reading, unable to stop or breathe properly.

This was a similar kind of experience. I literally INHALED this book, like I can't remember what else happened today at all 🤯

I’ve read many great books, sweet ones, intense ones, can't-put-down ones.
But this one had me in a literal chokehold, like not metaphorically, I felt it in my throat, tight and hard to swallow, like my body was reacting before my mind could catch up.

As I've said, it is far from familiar tropes. And maybe that’s why it cut so deep. It felt raw, uncomfortable, and painfully human.

“Out here, he was someone’s husband, and he had to play the part.”

I can’t ignore the fact that I’m a wife and a mother myself, and that undoubtedly amplified everything. The guilt, the responsibility, the weight of choices that can’t be undone. I felt it physically, like pressure in my chest.

“He hated himself for what he’d done.
And worse—for what he still wanted to do.”

For most of the book, my stomach was in knots. I genuinely could not imagine how this story could possibly end without breaking everyone involved. The tension wasn’t dramatic for the sake of drama; it was moral, emotional, and suffocating.

“It was more than touch—it was a confession, a conversation in a language Jacob hadn’t known he could speak until now. One written in silence and skin.”

There were moments where I caught myself literally biting my hand, only realizing that when it hurt.

This was not an easy read and probably not comforting.
But it was so honest, it was liberating.

A story about real, grown-up people, imperfect, flawed, and deeply human; people who are still responsible for their choices, no matter how badly it hurts. And I loved it for exactly that.

This book didn’t just move me. It is a brilliant story to remind us that people can make mistakes. And as long as they can live up to their choices, they still deserve love and happiness 🤍