Heartstrings

Hollywood Hearts

by Belinda Williams

A CHRISTMAS PARTY TO REMEMBER . . .

Arabella 'Bella' Valenti has big dreams for the future. Thanks to her fashion designer cousin, Ally, Bella has the right connections to become an event planner to the stars. She's just secured her first job—planning a Christmas party for an actor notorious for playing the villain.

Bennett Moss is nothing like Bella expects. For a start, he's super nice and the last thing she wants to do is crush on her first client. Not to mention his party isn't exactly the dream job she'd hoped for . . .

Then Bella lands another event that is a dream job, but it also puts her in a very awkward position. If she holds both parties, there will be a conflict of interest and Bella could make or break her career before it's even begun. Will she organize the event Bennett's asked for or will she take a risk and throw a party to remember?

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Holiday

114 pages, ebook

First published October 29, 2018

About the author

Belinda Williams is an award-winning Australian author who writes romantic comedy and romantic suspense featuring good guys. She’s occasionally tempted by bad boys, but prefers to write strong women characters and men with big hearts.

When she’s not writing, Belinda is a music lover who sings lead vocals in cover bands. Her other love is the water and she can often be found counting laps instead of words at her local swimming pool.

Reviews

[♡ Jeri's Book Attic ♡ Jeri the Romance Bibiliophile ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a novella Heartstrings by Belinda Williams is significantly shorter than her previous books in the series – therefore the reader cannot expect the same character depth as her other books.

But surprisingly the characters work well even without that background- maybe because I know the series and read the other books? Not sure because as I read them I cannot “un - know” what I read #laughing – But maybe to be sure I would not recommend reading this book as a standalone.

Even though this novella has a Christmas setting it is not one of these typically oversweet holiday reads which is a fact I enjoyed very much and fits the series well.

I was confused by the Blurb with its mention of the “other event” but – it turns out to be a clever twist in the story.

The characters were interesting – funny enough I think it’s the first time I read a book that featured an actor that is notorious for playing the villains – very refreshing fact.

There is not much I can add when it comes to the story – because the Blurb already gives away what should be told - more and it would be too much.

When reading the series and enjoying it – I can recommend adding the novella around Christmas time as it is a nice add-on

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[LJT · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!

Belinda Williams has authored another entertaining book with Heartstrings, a Christmas novella from her Hollywood Hearts series. It is a fun read, replete with an engaging plot, well-defined characters and a lighthearted romance. This story takes place in Hollywood, where the holiday parties are simply amazing.

Arabella Valenti, or Bella to her friends and family, is on the cusp of being a successful party planner. Thanks to her cousin Ally, a very hot fashion designer, she gets her initial break in the event planning business. Her first client is Bennett Moss, a famous actor known for his wicked roles. Bennett hires Bella to plan a three person Christmas gathering for himself, his mom, and his ten-ear-old niece. Simultaneously and secretly, Bennett's mom has Bella plan a large holiday party, replete with Wonder Woman herself, Gal Gadot.

Bella and Bennett share an immediate chemistry, which they explore in a heated pool on Christmas Eve.

This is a quick read that I truly enjoyed. If you are in the mood for a holiday novella with a strong heroine and a kind hero, then spend sometime in Hollywood with Heartstrings.

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Amy (Lost in a Good Book) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Heartstrings is technically a standalone novella but is also in part connected through the characters to Williams’ Hollywood Hearts series. The story follows Bella and her dreams of launching an event planning business. We've seen Bella pop up in Heartthrob as she supported Ally's story and seeing her with her own story is a nice circle back to the first story.

This is a charming Christmas novella that captures the holiday spirit with a touch of romance and a gradual friendship turn romance. There are bristles and confrontations but there is heart and like all Williams' romance novels there is a happily ever after but not before there are some feathers ruffled and a genuine possibility that they destined couple may not end up together.

Bella is a sweet character, her chance at her dream job drives her decisions and her naivety is evident but so too is her passion. The characters aren’t overly complicated but they show enough substance for this kind of story and certainly for one this length. I enjoyed seeing Bella interact with Bennett and while I might have been more enamoured by him rather than her, I enjoyed seeing her adjust her viewpoint based on her discoveries.

There is a lot of family love through this story which brings out the wonderful emotional soft side of Bennett which is one thing I love about Williams’ men; they have complicated emotions that we get to explore and even in this simple novella there is old love and new love which is wonderfully endearing.

This review was published on my blog Lost in a Good Book

[IMHO · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartstrings is an intelligent, heart-warming, very contemporary romantic read, with scenes painted vividly and with characters you can believe in. Williams has a knack for getting you inside the heads—and hearts—of her characters, and this bite-sized book reveals to us the feisty but soft-centred Arabella (Bella) Valenti, a complex character who falls headlong into… (no, not just love, that would be too predictable!)… let’s call it a quandary. Bella is a bright and gorgeous young event planner trying to make her mark in Tinsel Town (LA is the setting for the other books in Williams’ Hollywood Hearts series), who is asked to arrange an unusual Xmas function in a palatial mansion worthy of being Dr Evil’s lair (her description made me laugh out loud...) overlooking the Hollywood Hills. But Bella’s ideas about extravagant menus, decorations, and entertainment took a U-turn when she found out about the surprisingly minimalist guest list. Without spilling the beans too much, there’s a twist which puts her professionalism on the line and makes her think twice about the immediate chemistry she feels toward her client, Bennett Moss, an A-list actor famous for playing the villain role. (Turns out he’s a bit of a softy—although certainly wicked enough to quicken Bella’s pulse.) Other twisty cards are deftly played by Williams, and as in her last book Heartbeat (which I loved), they tap you on the shoulder when you least expect them.

[Sarah Marler-moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great little Novella!!

We first met our leading lady, Arabella back in the first Hollywood Hearts book (Heartthrob), when she was a gutsy teenager, full of raw enthusiasm. This book is set a few years down the track and its clear from the outset that the girl has matured into a classy and more professional young women who's looking to make her mark on the world. While Bella has leveraged her cousin's success to develop her experience as an event coordinator, she's is now branching out on her own. But when her first solo job isn't quite what she was hoping for and alternative opportunities open up, Bella has to grapple with her professional and emotional judgement to find her way.

This book is more than just a romance, and I loved how this book stands on its own two feet, even though it a Novella in a series of full length novels, and it was great to find out how some of the previous Hollywood Heart ladies (and their leading men) are getting along!!

Belinda Williams has developed a captivating read that will pull on your heartstrings and I'm very much looking forward to the next big read in the Hollywood Hearts Series!

Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book I have read by this author, and I totally love her characters! Arabella (or Bella) is the star of this one. Her independence and ambition are on display as she branches out from being her cousin Ally's assistant to starting her own business...with Ally's encouragement, of course. And what a start it gets. A referral to a famous Hollywood actor to plan a party for him. Bella has lots of experience planning events for Ally's fashion shows, but this new opportunity brings new challenges.

Of course one of the challenges turns out to be the attraction Bella and her new client feel for each other. The interaction of the two of them as they get to know each other provides the bulk of the story. Bella's anxiety over not wanting to seem unprofessional draws things out and makes everything entertaining and interesting.

The book is such a quick read I don't want to tell any more about it. You just need to read it for yourself and see if you don't love it, too.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Heartstrings is a novella in the Hollywood Hearts series by Belinda Williams. I have not read any of the other books in this series. This book is a quick read—I finished it in less than two hours. I didn’t develop an emotional connection to either the hero or the heroine. They seem rather unremarkable. Bella and Bennett meet when he hires her to plan a party for him. The emotional angst in the book is because Bella has competing interests in two parties she is being asked to plan. I just couldn’t get excited about this book at all and was not at all invested in Bella and Ben getting their HEA.

[Pelusa Rivera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rcvd an ARC at no cost to authors..(netgalley) We met Bella in the first book, so I hope you have started from that book since the previous characters make an appearance. So thanks to her cousins connections Bella is able to go solo as an event coordinator but the first job she gets on her own isn't what she was hoping for, but then another opportunity arises and she is conflicted professionally and emotionally..It was ok, my favorite part was reading of the others..

[Sheena ☆ Book Sheenanigans · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've received a ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A cute and short series that is definitely worth the read if you're looking for something quick and easy.

[Carole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick. cute read, but Hollywood Glitz and Extravaganzas are not my catnip. Ok read but did not care enough about the characters to want to reread.

[Janice Liedl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Characters are fun but I felt the pacing was really uneven and the conclusion unsatisfying.

[Allison Henle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, fluffy, insignificant