Method

by Ash Robbins, Marcie Roberts (Editor), Aleisha Mollen (Editor)

Tully Sutton is an artist who has lost herself after years of heartbreaks and struggling to meet her family’s expectations. James Cade Bennett is a world-famous actor lost inside his bad-boy image and the characters he plays. Tully’s life is tipped sideways when she agrees to work on a film and catches the attention of the superstar. She becomes so entangled in Bennett’s world of method acting and ‘pretend’ that she can’t be sure if she’s falling for him or one of his characters.

METHOD is a slow-burn, contemporary romance about two lost people who have a chance at finding themselves after they find each other.

530 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 26, 2026

About the author

Ash Robbins is an author, actress, director, and general funny person. She has learned that everything works best when she just releases control to her ADD and lets it pull her towards whatever medium and/or genre will be best for telling the stories she's constantly conjuring. When not starting fictional relationships or wars between paranormal creatures, she's meddling in the lives of her husband and three boys. She's a Southern girl at heart who feels most at home in her tiny Arkansas farm house or terrorizing picturesque towns in her 1976 Airstrem, but Prosper, Texas is the city saddled with the daunting task of enduring the majority of her daily shenanigans.

Reviews

[Aleisha Mollen]

This book hooked me in from the very beginning! The setting around movie sets and makeup trailers was quite intriguing, but what really made me keep turning pages was what I saw in the heroine - vulnerability, strength, a woman with a backstory that I couldn't wait to hear about. Then you meet our method actor and you see the same things in him. They are two puzzle pieces that you just know are meant to interlock (pun totally intended) and you're just waiting to see if they can figure it out! Ash has a way of writing that gives you just enough at a time to keep turning pages and wanting more until all the layers build up to exactly what you want.
Amazing book, definitely recommended!

[Christina Yielding]

I truly liked this book! The romance was great, but I really loved the relationship between the two best friends.

[Lauren]

4.30 🌟 rounded down because there were times when Tully was figuring herself out that I was too, for lack of a better word, annoyed, at her growth. I understand why she made the decisions she did, and that her anxiety would not allow her to see beyond the information in front of her, but it took me out of the story a little bit because of how naive she was in that moment — for several recurring moments. There is a ton of character development in this story, and I love the complexity of the characters and Robbins’ skill at molding them into real, relatable people. However, real people also go through their own shit and it’s not always pretty to watch.

Tully Sutton is an artist who lost herself amidst societal expectations.
James Cade Bennett… or Captain Mayhew… or Dante… erm whomever he is, is a world-famous actor who gets lost in the characters he plays.
A chance meeting on set puts the whole story in motion and allows these two people who can’t answer the question, “who am I?” to explore and evolve.
This story is not about fast-flying fireworks, it’s about restraint and pauses.
It simmers.
The emotional payouts are earned.
At its core, this is a story about being seen, and the fear that comes with it. If you’re looking for instant gratification, this won’t be it. But if you want a story that lingers, this one absolutely will.

Favorite quotes:
“I will always choose truth because it’s rare and pure” (p. 66)

“‘It’s all smoke and mirrors,’ she laughed, pulling out the waistband of her Spanx with her thumb and releasing them with a snap” (p. 70)

“Being in elevators and small rooms didn’t make me crazy, but having bodies pushed up against me made my anxiety spike” (p. 73)

“‘Life is short … don’t settle for water when you really want whiskey’” (p. 78)

“…the betrayed take longer to heal than the betrayer” (p. 91)

“‘If I have to lie to get it—I don’t want it’” (p. 222)

“If he could believe he was a murderous crime boss, couldn’t I believe that I was a woman worth worshiping?” (p. 241)

“There had to be an incredible loneliness to a life that never allowed you to bleed into the obscurity of a crowd” (p. 298)

“‘…I mean, why? Why are people okay with hurting me?’” (p. 326)

“He continued to suggest that we could somehow work out our problems, which really meant confirming, once again, that he could treat me however he wanted” (p. 349)

“My own mother couldn't even listen to my side of things, but a group of strangers had sent me a collection of mandatory healing supplies” (p. 354)

“‘Sometimes it only takes a moment to know that you've stumbled across something your soul needs’” (p. 367)

“‘How good you are wasn’t a factor. You said that you needed to paint and that's all that mattered’” (p. 371)

“‘Your chivalry is safe with me’” (p. 398)

“‘Actors just tend to be good at seeing the stories in others’” (p. 405)

“Carter had talked me back in too many times. I’d made a decision and, for once, I was going to stand by it” (p. 484)

[Alden Price]

Romance isn’t my typical go-to genre. I tend to not enjoy the frequented tropes, the push/pull of the tension between the characters as their connection grows, and I feel let down once they finally do connect. But the best things in life make you admit that there’s an exception, don’t they?

That’s what Ash Robbins’ “Method” was for me: the exception.

First off, I know nothing about film/television but it’s always fascinated me. I felt like this book had a secondary love story to all of the behind the scenes people who work on films and truly make the films happen. I read “Romantic Comedy” back in 2023 and felt a little let down that it didn’t give me what I was hoping for in a “pull back the curtain” sort of way on the film/television industry, but this hit the spot for me. I loved picturing all the MUA’s lined up next to one another frantically going through their call sheets. And the friendship between Tully and Jules was next level. I loved to read about their authentic friendship and it made me want to reach out to my own best friend to connect.

Okay, now the main romance… Tully and James.

I don’t know how she did it, but Robbins somehow figured out how to make James both a moving target AND solid ground. I loved that James was distinctly 3 different people balancing similar thoughts, needs, and desires through different personalities all while it still feeling like a cohesive character. I also loved how she wrote this character to be so grounded for our lovely leading lady, Tully. What a tricky character to write and make people actually care about him. The “method” acting approach was great fun to envision throughout the story and made each “Act” of the book feel fresh and exciting!

Tully. Finally! A leading lady that has dreams, ambitions, insecurities, creativity, confidence, honesty, earnesty, growth, a voice, strength, tenderness, loyalty, and so many other things that made me connect with her. Here I am talking about balance again, but in my opinion, Robbins found a way to write a strong female lead who not only wanted to be more in control and independent, but also wanted to be completely loved and cherished by a man. I find so many books I try nowadays are either a female who doesn’t think they can do anything WITHOUT a man or a female who doesn’t think they NEED a man. The balance between these two things made Tully so real to me and made her even more beautiful than Robbins described her.

I hope Robbins releases something again soon because whatever she’s putting out there, I’ll be right there ready for it!

[Vanessa]

Ash Robbins has a masterful gift for prose! The writing in this novel is exceptionally well crafted, carrying a beautiful flow from start to finish. The three-dimensional characters drew me in, and the story kept me hooked.
The writer flawlessly painted her world around me with every turn of the page. Tully is so incredibly relatable! I feel like I know her! Both Tully and James found their way into my heart. I would love to read a continuing story of these characters!
This book is a captivating read which showcases a highly talented writer, and I can't wait to see what she writes next. I highly recommend this book for fans of sharp, well-written contemporary romance!

[Amy Rouse]

Wow! Ok, as someone who doesn’t normally read romance with its predictable tropes and pat formulas, you got me with this one. Ash brings something different to the table with a fascinating setting of movies, makeup, and method acting. I honestly learned a lot and enjoyed every minute of it. We got to see our MMC in two different roles and how the method acting affected him and all those around him as well. Our FMC is a talented Southern belle artist battling her own demons across multiple relationships, including friendships and family. Trust me when I say this will take you on a ride and leave you breathless in the end.

[Christina]

Ash Robbins is a magician at creating lovable characters. In just the first few pages, I felt like I truly *knew* Tully and her character just developed further from there. Every bit of this book was so relatable, from neurodivergent struggles to dealing with crummy dudes, family expectations and learning to love.

I laughed, I sad cried, I cheered, then I happy cried. I would have clapped, but I would have dropped the book on my face. I can't wait to see what's next from this author

[Joan Moore]

I just finished reading Method By Ash Robbins and it was so good I just couldn't put it down. The story line was so interesting and romantic. I would highly recommend this book.

[Taylor]

I was hooked from the beginning. I loved the mental game of figuring out who the person really is. Highly recommend!