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London Celebrities #5
Headliners
Sparks fly when two feuding TV presenters are thrown together to host a live morning show in Lucy Parker’s latest enemies-to-lovers contemporary romance.
He might be the sexiest man in London, according to his fan site (which he definitely writes himself), but he’s also the most arrogant man she’s ever met.
She might have the longest legs he’s ever seen, but she also has the sharpest tongue.
For years, rival TV presenters Sabrina Carlton and Nick Davenport have traded barbs on their respective shows. The public can’t get enough of their feud, but after Nick airs Sabrina’s family scandals to all of Britain, the gloves are off. They can barely be in the same room together—but these longtime enemies are about to become the unlikeliest of cohosts.
With their reputations on the rocks, Sabrina and Nick have one last chance to save their careers. If they can resurrect a sinking morning show, they’ll still have a future in television. But with ratings at an all-time low and a Christmas Eve deadline to win back the nation’s favor, the clock is ticking—and someone on their staff doesn’t want them to succeed.
Small mishaps on set start adding up, and Sabrina and Nick find themselves—quelle horreur—working together to hunt down the saboteur…and discovering they might have more in common than they thought. When a fiery encounter is caught on camera, the public is convinced that the reluctant cohosts are secretly lusting after one another.
The public might not be wrong.
Their chemistry has always been explosive, but with hate turning to love, the stakes are rising and everything is on the line. Neither is sure if they can trust these new feelings…or if they’ll still have a job in the New Year.
He might be the sexiest man in London, according to his fan site (which he definitely writes himself), but he’s also the most arrogant man she’s ever met.
She might have the longest legs he’s ever seen, but she also has the sharpest tongue.
For years, rival TV presenters Sabrina Carlton and Nick Davenport have traded barbs on their respective shows. The public can’t get enough of their feud, but after Nick airs Sabrina’s family scandals to all of Britain, the gloves are off. They can barely be in the same room together—but these longtime enemies are about to become the unlikeliest of cohosts.
With their reputations on the rocks, Sabrina and Nick have one last chance to save their careers. If they can resurrect a sinking morning show, they’ll still have a future in television. But with ratings at an all-time low and a Christmas Eve deadline to win back the nation’s favor, the clock is ticking—and someone on their staff doesn’t want them to succeed.
Small mishaps on set start adding up, and Sabrina and Nick find themselves—quelle horreur—working together to hunt down the saboteur…and discovering they might have more in common than they thought. When a fiery encounter is caught on camera, the public is convinced that the reluctant cohosts are secretly lusting after one another.
The public might not be wrong.
Their chemistry has always been explosive, but with hate turning to love, the stakes are rising and everything is on the line. Neither is sure if they can trust these new feelings…or if they’ll still have a job in the New Year.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 20, 2020
About the author
Lucy Parker
14 books1,733 followersLucy Parker lives in New Zealand, where she feels lucky every day to look out at mountains, lakes, and vineyards. She has a degree in Art History, loves museums and art galleries, and doodles unrecognizable flowers when she has writer’s block.
When she’s not writing, working or sleeping, she happily tackles the towering pile of to-be-read books that never gets any smaller. Thankfully, there’s always another story waiting.
Her interest in romantic fiction began with a pre-teen viewing of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (Firth-style), which prompted her to read the book as well. A family friend introduced her to Georgette Heyer, and the rest was history.
When she’s not writing, working or sleeping, she happily tackles the towering pile of to-be-read books that never gets any smaller. Thankfully, there’s always another story waiting.
Her interest in romantic fiction began with a pre-teen viewing of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (Firth-style), which prompted her to read the book as well. A family friend introduced her to Georgette Heyer, and the rest was history.
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January 22, 2020
This will likely come as no surprise to readers who have experienced, and loved, Parker's previous London Celebrities books but HEADLINERS just made me so happy. This book was like a warm, funny, sweet hug and it was everything I wanted it to be and everything I needed right now.
This was Nick Davenport. He was Nick. She kept silently repeating that as a sort of protective mantra. But it was starting to — it was starting to mean something different.
I'm a huge fan of Parker's opposites attract stories, her grumpy heroes, her lovely heroines, but this particular match up was a real hate-to-love. Or maybe extremely dislike, not quite hate. In book four, Nick did something truly terrible that impacted Sabrina and her family. I couldn't wait to see how their dynamic would shift into something a lot less murdery and a whole lot swoonier. And the author, and her characters, did not disappoint. Every little bit of common ground won was hard earned, every brush of the shoulders, every touch of the hand, every single interaction was.. palpable. It was such a great build-up and I loved every second of it.
"Nick's no longer the one dimensional comic-book foe, then?"
"No. It's very upsetting."
Not only did this match-up work for me, but individually so did the characters. The cherry ontop of this sundae was also seeing almost all of the familiar faces from the previous books and, with this particular story set around the holidays, it really reinforced that feeling of warmth and loveliness that I almost always get from the author’s writing.
If you've loved prior books in this series, I have no doubt you’ll love this one, too.
4.5 stars
Fuller review to come on release!
** I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
This was Nick Davenport. He was Nick. She kept silently repeating that as a sort of protective mantra. But it was starting to — it was starting to mean something different.
I'm a huge fan of Parker's opposites attract stories, her grumpy heroes, her lovely heroines, but this particular match up was a real hate-to-love. Or maybe extremely dislike, not quite hate. In book four, Nick did something truly terrible that impacted Sabrina and her family. I couldn't wait to see how their dynamic would shift into something a lot less murdery and a whole lot swoonier. And the author, and her characters, did not disappoint. Every little bit of common ground won was hard earned, every brush of the shoulders, every touch of the hand, every single interaction was.. palpable. It was such a great build-up and I loved every second of it.
"Nick's no longer the one dimensional comic-book foe, then?"
"No. It's very upsetting."
Not only did this match-up work for me, but individually so did the characters. The cherry ontop of this sundae was also seeing almost all of the familiar faces from the previous books and, with this particular story set around the holidays, it really reinforced that feeling of warmth and loveliness that I almost always get from the author’s writing.
If you've loved prior books in this series, I have no doubt you’ll love this one, too.
4.5 stars
Fuller review to come on release!
** I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
July 26, 2020
On Kindle sale today for USD 1.99
(Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Work Colleagues, Opposites Attract, Forced Proximity, Love Triangle)
I adore Lucy Parker’s books. Several are among my favourite contemporary romance books of all time, and this was a strong delivery.
This book is somewhat of a continuation of the previous in the series, The Austen Playbook, and it doesn’t work great as a stand-alone – but it works. The main lead, Nick Davenport did something pretty bad in the last book, but I knew LP would find a way to make me like him. I just wasn’t sure how.
Although I do feel LP writes men the way she wants them to behave, rather than the reality, I don’t mind. I don’t read these books for that. Then again, she lifts conversation to a mature and adult level, which a lot of romance books fail to do.
I loved the change in scenery (sort of) from theatre to television, and I loved that we got to briefly catch up with characters from book 1 and 4.
Like most of her books (if not all so far), there are major parental issues for all the main characters that has left them all a bit wounded, battered and in need of some attention, love, tenderness and comfort. And Lucy Parker combines those ingredients SO well.
The only negative is that I find there to be too many unnecessary characters and biplots, which at times can make me feel as exhausted as her characters often do.
*****
Nick Davenport: as of today, her partner in crime. Her – as the security guard at the reception has put it with a twinkle in her eye – work hubby.
*****
- At their worst, the two of them could do a cracker impression of circling warplanes. She came in as the Spitfire, all weapons blazing; Nick was the Avro Lancaster, biding his time and then suddenly dropping the high-damage bombs.
- Despite their history, she was still a stranger in a lot of ways. There were a million things he didn’t know about her, couldn’t answer about her. But he was also certain that if someone gave him a piece of paper and a pen, he’d be able to draw her profile accurately down to the last eyelash.
- This was Nick Davenport. He was Nick. She kept silently repeating that as a sort of protective mantra. But it was starting to – It was starting to mean something different. And that, in turn, was the stirring of fear.
- Very slowly, Sabrina lifted her hands, and without hesitation, he took them in his. He tugged, once, gently, and she stepped into the shelter of his chest so fluidly and naturally it was frightening. His back felt hard and muscular against her palms as she laid her cheek against him, and felt his arm wrap around her shoulders, his hand moving over her hair.
- Their lips brushed and came apart. He dusted a soft kiss on her Cupid’s bow, then nuzzled his lips to her neck, her cheeks, the tip of her nose-teasing, making her smile despite the warmth pulsing through her. His smiling mouth returned to hers, and the kiss deepened naturally, his tongue pushing against hers, stroking, tingling.
- She jumped a little when Nick’s weight and warmth moved close to her, and his lips touched her cheek. With the lightest of kisses there and on her ear, he said, his usually smooth voice still a throaty rumble, “I wasn’t expecting-“
That’s they’d go up in flames?
Likewise.
- She was cautious. An inconvenient, mutual physical attraction was one thing. This was rapidly moving well beyond that, and he could see something in her eyes balk when the walls of her comfort zone rattled. Considering her past, and particularly considering their past, he got it.
Fuck, he shared it.
And, so far, she was wary – but she was still moving forward, towards him. With him.
*****
4 stars
I cannot recommend this series enough.
My other reviews in the series:
Book One 5 stars
Book Two 5 stars
Book Three 3 stars
Book Four 4 stars
I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
(Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Work Colleagues, Opposites Attract, Forced Proximity, Love Triangle)
I adore Lucy Parker’s books. Several are among my favourite contemporary romance books of all time, and this was a strong delivery.
This book is somewhat of a continuation of the previous in the series, The Austen Playbook, and it doesn’t work great as a stand-alone – but it works. The main lead, Nick Davenport did something pretty bad in the last book, but I knew LP would find a way to make me like him. I just wasn’t sure how.
Although I do feel LP writes men the way she wants them to behave, rather than the reality, I don’t mind. I don’t read these books for that. Then again, she lifts conversation to a mature and adult level, which a lot of romance books fail to do.
I loved the change in scenery (sort of) from theatre to television, and I loved that we got to briefly catch up with characters from book 1 and 4.
Like most of her books (if not all so far), there are major parental issues for all the main characters that has left them all a bit wounded, battered and in need of some attention, love, tenderness and comfort. And Lucy Parker combines those ingredients SO well.
The only negative is that I find there to be too many unnecessary characters and biplots, which at times can make me feel as exhausted as her characters often do.
*****
Nick Davenport: as of today, her partner in crime. Her – as the security guard at the reception has put it with a twinkle in her eye – work hubby.
*****
- At their worst, the two of them could do a cracker impression of circling warplanes. She came in as the Spitfire, all weapons blazing; Nick was the Avro Lancaster, biding his time and then suddenly dropping the high-damage bombs.
- Despite their history, she was still a stranger in a lot of ways. There were a million things he didn’t know about her, couldn’t answer about her. But he was also certain that if someone gave him a piece of paper and a pen, he’d be able to draw her profile accurately down to the last eyelash.
- This was Nick Davenport. He was Nick. She kept silently repeating that as a sort of protective mantra. But it was starting to – It was starting to mean something different. And that, in turn, was the stirring of fear.
- Very slowly, Sabrina lifted her hands, and without hesitation, he took them in his. He tugged, once, gently, and she stepped into the shelter of his chest so fluidly and naturally it was frightening. His back felt hard and muscular against her palms as she laid her cheek against him, and felt his arm wrap around her shoulders, his hand moving over her hair.
- Their lips brushed and came apart. He dusted a soft kiss on her Cupid’s bow, then nuzzled his lips to her neck, her cheeks, the tip of her nose-teasing, making her smile despite the warmth pulsing through her. His smiling mouth returned to hers, and the kiss deepened naturally, his tongue pushing against hers, stroking, tingling.
- She jumped a little when Nick’s weight and warmth moved close to her, and his lips touched her cheek. With the lightest of kisses there and on her ear, he said, his usually smooth voice still a throaty rumble, “I wasn’t expecting-“
That’s they’d go up in flames?
Likewise.
- She was cautious. An inconvenient, mutual physical attraction was one thing. This was rapidly moving well beyond that, and he could see something in her eyes balk when the walls of her comfort zone rattled. Considering her past, and particularly considering their past, he got it.
Fuck, he shared it.
And, so far, she was wary – but she was still moving forward, towards him. With him.
*****
4 stars
I cannot recommend this series enough.
My other reviews in the series:
Book One 5 stars
Book Two 5 stars
Book Three 3 stars
Book Four 4 stars
I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
November 23, 2022
At several times during Headliners, our heroine Sabrina Carlton sarcastically wonders if her extremely bad luck is due to cosmic irony (aka the universe's method of laughing at her). Like Sabrina, I also attributed my present circumstances to the universe. Unlike Sabrina, it wasn't cosmic irony but rather cosmic fortune. This book is so freaking good that I paused every two chapters and profusely thanked the unknown entity upstairs for delivering this book to my tablet (all right, it isn't unknown. Thanks, awesome Carina Press publicist!).
A few things right out the gate:
1) This will be spoiler-free flailing. But if you want to read without knowing anything, then stop right here. I loved it. The end.
2) Unlike the previous London Celebrities books, I don't think Headliners works as a standalone. A lot of the conflict stems from events that transpired in The Austen Playbook, and I highly recommend that you read that first. Will you be totally lost if you haven't read The Austen Playbook? Well, no, but I think you would lose nuance and fail to appreciate character/plot development.
3) Aside from the first and last chapters, Headliners is set in London during December. I said this on social media already, but I'll say it again. I was lucky enough to once visit London near Christmas, and it was the most magical December of my life. This book is the closest I’ve felt to recapturing that magic.
However, it is NOT a Christmas romance. Since Sabrina and Nick are hosts of a morning show, they occasionally attend holiday-themed events (e.g., a Christmas whodunnit murder train). And they hunt down out-of-stock toys for the children in their lives. The festiveness is in the setting: snow, sparkly lights, yummy pastries, company holiday parties, a looming deadline that they need to get ratings up by Christmas Eve, charity events, and uncomfortable family relationships (hey, that last one is definitely a marker of the holiday season). But the actual holiday is not relevant. The book ends before Christmas! It's very much a story set in December but not focused on Christmas.
Okay, now on to the squeeing. This will be short because I want to keep it spoiler-free. If I ramble on too long, I don't want to accidentally ruin the magic of discovering the best parts of the book when you read it. Here are some spoiler-free and vague things that I love. It's going to be numbers again because I like numerical order and if I hit ten, I'll know I've talked too much!
1) Slytherin/Slytherin match-ups feed my soul. Ambitious career-oriented individuals who have really good reasons to dislike each other but begrudging have private respect? Perfection. Enemies-to-lovers is my favorite trope, and the level of humor and snark in every line kept it from veering into uncomfortable "oh, they really hate each other and not in a sexy way" levels. I mean, I want some hate, but I don't want loathing to the point of "oh no, nothing is going to solve this." I am not the biggest fan of hate-sex and that wasn't here. They only have sex once they have mutual admiration of each other and like each other! Yay, liking-each-other-sex! Though I will admit that everyone thinking that they were shagging (when they weren't) was hilarious. I'm down for imaginary hate-sex it seems!
2) I loved that they both individually expressed desires to not have children and instead be adoring aunts/uncles. They never have a conversation of "Oh, I don't want children" together but they both think it so much that I'm confident that they're on the same page. I'm always on board for characters who love children but realize that it's not a responsibility they want.
3) Nick really f'ed up big time in the last book, and Sabrina has excellent reasons for loathing him beyond professional rivalries. Not going into much detail, but I really appreciated how his backstory explained some of his actions and his eventual sincere apology. And not just to Sabrina, but also to Griff (the hero of the last book and Nick's ex-friend). It didn't feel contrite or unearned. Nick isn't perfect, but he isn't some melodramatic villain either. Sabrina realizing that fact is one of my favorite parts of the book.
4) The shadows of parents, both dead and alive. Ooof. This was painful to read but so excellently drawn out. Nick and Sabrina have different but complicated relationships with their fathers (and mothers, too). They both suffer from gaping wounds of grief, regret, and bitterness. And things aren't 100% solved and tied up neatly into a bow, but I was really satisfied with how they confronted the past and came to Important Revelations. I realize this paragraph explains nothing but that's what trying to be spoiler-free is, unfortunately. Just know that I really appreciated the exploration of parental relationships. Not only for Nick and Sabrina, but for minor characters as well (I cried buckets during the scene when Sabrina is talking to REDACTED about her dead mother). F'ed up parental relationships and grief are on full display in Headliners. I'd go so far to say that it might be the main theme.
5) The morning show was brilliant. Utterly brilliant. I wasn't sure how I'd feel now that London Celebrities isn't focusing on theater anymore, but IT IS SO GOOD. Every day brought new hilarious segments and guests. I'm biting my tongue now because I really want to give examples, but I won't. Read it, y'all. You'll thank me between giggles.
6) Can I just say how much I endorse the London Celebrities Cinematic Universe? These books mostly work as standalones, but it is also SUCH a treat for readers who have read the entire series. From cameos of previous MCs to minor allusions, it's all there for eagle-eyed fans. At one point, I shrieked when there was a mention of a familiar opera singer (the mother of a previous MC). It's exciting to realize that even though we've left the theater, they all run around in similar circles. And it's not just old characters that I love. With every new introduction of an intriguing secondary character, I'm praying for a new book. Headliners introduced a few rugby players and the LCCU's equivalent of The Great British Bake-Off. Now I want those books, too (as though I'm not already crossing my fingers for a million other books. I want Charlie's story really bad!).
Okay, I'm already at #6 and show no signs of wanting to stop. Which means I really should stop because my fingers will soon overrule any spoiler-free caution. I really freaking loved this book, which isn't surprising this series strokes my id perfectly. I hope you'll love it, too.
Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I have interacted with the author on social media, but these are my honest opinions about the book.
A few things right out the gate:
1) This will be spoiler-free flailing. But if you want to read without knowing anything, then stop right here. I loved it. The end.
2) Unlike the previous London Celebrities books, I don't think Headliners works as a standalone. A lot of the conflict stems from events that transpired in The Austen Playbook, and I highly recommend that you read that first. Will you be totally lost if you haven't read The Austen Playbook? Well, no, but I think you would lose nuance and fail to appreciate character/plot development.
3) Aside from the first and last chapters, Headliners is set in London during December. I said this on social media already, but I'll say it again. I was lucky enough to once visit London near Christmas, and it was the most magical December of my life. This book is the closest I’ve felt to recapturing that magic.
However, it is NOT a Christmas romance. Since Sabrina and Nick are hosts of a morning show, they occasionally attend holiday-themed events (e.g., a Christmas whodunnit murder train). And they hunt down out-of-stock toys for the children in their lives. The festiveness is in the setting: snow, sparkly lights, yummy pastries, company holiday parties, a looming deadline that they need to get ratings up by Christmas Eve, charity events, and uncomfortable family relationships (hey, that last one is definitely a marker of the holiday season). But the actual holiday is not relevant. The book ends before Christmas! It's very much a story set in December but not focused on Christmas.
Okay, now on to the squeeing. This will be short because I want to keep it spoiler-free. If I ramble on too long, I don't want to accidentally ruin the magic of discovering the best parts of the book when you read it. Here are some spoiler-free and vague things that I love. It's going to be numbers again because I like numerical order and if I hit ten, I'll know I've talked too much!
1) Slytherin/Slytherin match-ups feed my soul. Ambitious career-oriented individuals who have really good reasons to dislike each other but begrudging have private respect? Perfection. Enemies-to-lovers is my favorite trope, and the level of humor and snark in every line kept it from veering into uncomfortable "oh, they really hate each other and not in a sexy way" levels. I mean, I want some hate, but I don't want loathing to the point of "oh no, nothing is going to solve this." I am not the biggest fan of hate-sex and that wasn't here. They only have sex once they have mutual admiration of each other and like each other! Yay, liking-each-other-sex! Though I will admit that everyone thinking that they were shagging (when they weren't) was hilarious. I'm down for imaginary hate-sex it seems!
2) I loved that they both individually expressed desires to not have children and instead be adoring aunts/uncles. They never have a conversation of "Oh, I don't want children" together but they both think it so much that I'm confident that they're on the same page. I'm always on board for characters who love children but realize that it's not a responsibility they want.
3) Nick really f'ed up big time in the last book, and Sabrina has excellent reasons for loathing him beyond professional rivalries. Not going into much detail, but I really appreciated how his backstory explained some of his actions and his eventual sincere apology. And not just to Sabrina, but also to Griff (the hero of the last book and Nick's ex-friend). It didn't feel contrite or unearned. Nick isn't perfect, but he isn't some melodramatic villain either. Sabrina realizing that fact is one of my favorite parts of the book.
4) The shadows of parents, both dead and alive. Ooof. This was painful to read but so excellently drawn out. Nick and Sabrina have different but complicated relationships with their fathers (and mothers, too). They both suffer from gaping wounds of grief, regret, and bitterness. And things aren't 100% solved and tied up neatly into a bow, but I was really satisfied with how they confronted the past and came to Important Revelations. I realize this paragraph explains nothing but that's what trying to be spoiler-free is, unfortunately. Just know that I really appreciated the exploration of parental relationships. Not only for Nick and Sabrina, but for minor characters as well (I cried buckets during the scene when Sabrina is talking to REDACTED about her dead mother). F'ed up parental relationships and grief are on full display in Headliners. I'd go so far to say that it might be the main theme.
5) The morning show was brilliant. Utterly brilliant. I wasn't sure how I'd feel now that London Celebrities isn't focusing on theater anymore, but IT IS SO GOOD. Every day brought new hilarious segments and guests. I'm biting my tongue now because I really want to give examples, but I won't. Read it, y'all. You'll thank me between giggles.
6) Can I just say how much I endorse the London Celebrities Cinematic Universe? These books mostly work as standalones, but it is also SUCH a treat for readers who have read the entire series. From cameos of previous MCs to minor allusions, it's all there for eagle-eyed fans. At one point, I shrieked when there was a mention of a familiar opera singer (the mother of a previous MC). It's exciting to realize that even though we've left the theater, they all run around in similar circles. And it's not just old characters that I love. With every new introduction of an intriguing secondary character, I'm praying for a new book. Headliners introduced a few rugby players and the LCCU's equivalent of The Great British Bake-Off. Now I want those books, too (as though I'm not already crossing my fingers for a million other books. I want Charlie's story really bad!).
Okay, I'm already at #6 and show no signs of wanting to stop. Which means I really should stop because my fingers will soon overrule any spoiler-free caution. I really freaking loved this book, which isn't surprising this series strokes my id perfectly. I hope you'll love it, too.
Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I have interacted with the author on social media, but these are my honest opinions about the book.
May 25, 2021
3.5 stars
Headliners is my first book from Lucy Parker. When I heard this was an enemies to lovers story I knew I needed to check it out. I liked this one, but honestly, I had trouble staying engaged. Most of the time when I'm listening to an audiobook I am captivated. With this one, my mind was wondering more often than not and I'm not sure why. This could very well be me and not the book. Maybe if I would have read it I would have liked it more. I liked Sabrina and I liked Nick but nothing really stuck out to me.
Headliners is my first book from Lucy Parker. When I heard this was an enemies to lovers story I knew I needed to check it out. I liked this one, but honestly, I had trouble staying engaged. Most of the time when I'm listening to an audiobook I am captivated. With this one, my mind was wondering more often than not and I'm not sure why. This could very well be me and not the book. Maybe if I would have read it I would have liked it more. I liked Sabrina and I liked Nick but nothing really stuck out to me.
Audio book source: Hoopla (library borrow)
Story Rating: 3.5 stars
Narrators: Billie Fulford-Brown
Narration Rating: 3.5 stars
Genre: Romance (Enemies to lovers)
Length: 10 hours and 21 minutes
August 1, 2020
Enemies to lovers at its finest. While each book in the series has had a play on the this trope, this was probably the most true to theme. There was great setup in the previous book The Austen Playbook for this showdown between Nick and Serena, and this story delivered on its delicious promise.
Nick and Serena are rival broadcasters vying for prime time at their recently merged network. Having known each other for years, they knew the competition would be fierce because they knew the other was talented. Going into this story, Nick had a leg up having broken a story months earlier that had hurt Serena’s credibility. However, at the start of this book, Nick had hurt his own chances by being caught on camera talking disparagingly about the big boss. So both are in the dog house, but due to their popularity, they are given a chance for redemption — co-hosting the network’s dismally-rated morning show. Once on the same team, things begin to change for both of them. After a series of mishaps throws them more intimately together, they find they have a chemistry unlike they’ve previously felt.
I thought this was a fantastic addition to the series. It was fun, funny and romantic. It was also fun seeing several of the previous couples/characters, and there was plenty of Freddy and Griff. I do think this can be read as a stand-alone, but it is probably best to read The Austen Playbook to get the full feel on why they start out as foes.
*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title. This is my honest opinion.
Nick and Serena are rival broadcasters vying for prime time at their recently merged network. Having known each other for years, they knew the competition would be fierce because they knew the other was talented. Going into this story, Nick had a leg up having broken a story months earlier that had hurt Serena’s credibility. However, at the start of this book, Nick had hurt his own chances by being caught on camera talking disparagingly about the big boss. So both are in the dog house, but due to their popularity, they are given a chance for redemption — co-hosting the network’s dismally-rated morning show. Once on the same team, things begin to change for both of them. After a series of mishaps throws them more intimately together, they find they have a chemistry unlike they’ve previously felt.
I thought this was a fantastic addition to the series. It was fun, funny and romantic. It was also fun seeing several of the previous couples/characters, and there was plenty of Freddy and Griff. I do think this can be read as a stand-alone, but it is probably best to read The Austen Playbook to get the full feel on why they start out as foes.
*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title. This is my honest opinion.
January 9, 2020
Of course I loved this. Lucy Parker writes the best romance novels and I have enjoyed every single book in this series. I was beyond ecstatic to receive an ARC of this book I could read over my Christmas break - because this is a Christmas novel at heart. Headliners follows on from the events of The Austen Playbook which for me had the advantage that the dual time-lines usually employed for hate-to-love romances was not necessary, dual time-lines being something I do not particularly enjoy in this genre.
As always, Parker's characterisation is on point, the snark level is off the charts and the romance at heart is lovely and brilliant and so very funny. Sabrina is a wonderful character whose ambition never means that she sacrifices her own morals, while Nick is actually (underneath his douchebag front) nice and funny - even if he has to realize that ambition should not come before common decency. There were as usual incredibly funny scenes between scenes with genuine heart. Parker's romances feel real in a way that I find rare in the genre. The romantic gestures are often smaller ones that feel incredibly true to life.
While I thought the book was a tad too long, overall I sped through this and cannot wait to see what Lucy Parker does next.
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
As always, Parker's characterisation is on point, the snark level is off the charts and the romance at heart is lovely and brilliant and so very funny. Sabrina is a wonderful character whose ambition never means that she sacrifices her own morals, while Nick is actually (underneath his douchebag front) nice and funny - even if he has to realize that ambition should not come before common decency. There were as usual incredibly funny scenes between scenes with genuine heart. Parker's romances feel real in a way that I find rare in the genre. The romantic gestures are often smaller ones that feel incredibly true to life.
While I thought the book was a tad too long, overall I sped through this and cannot wait to see what Lucy Parker does next.
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
January 18, 2020
I didn’t read the synopsis before I started this one. Thank goodness!
(Total side thing here - but within the last year another reader pointed out the fallacy of the “trope.” How that word is dismissive and groups together books in a sort of random and unimportant way - creating impressions that all books with a similar storyline must be alike. And frequently that does a great disservice to the reader and the book. I’ve said it before - I’m sure I’ll say it again - I think I don’t like certain story lines and really I just don’t enjoy the way common authors handle them.)
Whew. That was a mouthful. Back to the point - Bc of my issues with physicality I struggle with an “enemies to lovers” storyline (assuming for argument’s sake that that is a real thing but not conceding my above argument that it really isn’t.) I generally cannot fathom the idea of disliking someone but wanting to be physically intimate with them. For me love is cerebral.
And I wouldn’t have requested this book had I realized what it was going to be about. At 5% I had my ew face on. They hate one another. They’ll be thrown together. Cue making out followed by intense inner-loathing and resentment.
But - I request books by Lucy Parker without reading the synopsis for good reason. The woman is brilliant. Nick and Sabrina, to whom I felt no draw or connection in the previous book, came at this thing with such total honesty. There was one line - one thing that Sabrina said - addressing their conundrum head on. In that moment I relaxed and began to thoroughly enjoy myself.
I am fascinated by relationships. Love to see two people with believable issues work through them and come out in love. I enjoy ups and downs that don’t feel contrived, unnecessary, awkward, foolish or dependent on the reader being a complete moron.
Lucy Parker just nails this. Her characters are the perfect combination of real enough to be relatable and fictional enough to be wildly interesting. Their problems, while being glamorous and show biz, also feel familiar - we see ourselves in their struggles and triumphs. And, make no mistake, for Lucy Parker fans this one is all triumph.
*as always, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
(Total side thing here - but within the last year another reader pointed out the fallacy of the “trope.” How that word is dismissive and groups together books in a sort of random and unimportant way - creating impressions that all books with a similar storyline must be alike. And frequently that does a great disservice to the reader and the book. I’ve said it before - I’m sure I’ll say it again - I think I don’t like certain story lines and really I just don’t enjoy the way common authors handle them.)
Whew. That was a mouthful. Back to the point - Bc of my issues with physicality I struggle with an “enemies to lovers” storyline (assuming for argument’s sake that that is a real thing but not conceding my above argument that it really isn’t.) I generally cannot fathom the idea of disliking someone but wanting to be physically intimate with them. For me love is cerebral.
And I wouldn’t have requested this book had I realized what it was going to be about. At 5% I had my ew face on. They hate one another. They’ll be thrown together. Cue making out followed by intense inner-loathing and resentment.
But - I request books by Lucy Parker without reading the synopsis for good reason. The woman is brilliant. Nick and Sabrina, to whom I felt no draw or connection in the previous book, came at this thing with such total honesty. There was one line - one thing that Sabrina said - addressing their conundrum head on. In that moment I relaxed and began to thoroughly enjoy myself.
I am fascinated by relationships. Love to see two people with believable issues work through them and come out in love. I enjoy ups and downs that don’t feel contrived, unnecessary, awkward, foolish or dependent on the reader being a complete moron.
Lucy Parker just nails this. Her characters are the perfect combination of real enough to be relatable and fictional enough to be wildly interesting. Their problems, while being glamorous and show biz, also feel familiar - we see ourselves in their struggles and triumphs. And, make no mistake, for Lucy Parker fans this one is all triumph.
*as always, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review
January 20, 2020
How damn adorable is that cover? It gave me vibes before I started the book, but it gives me serious heart eyes on finishing. HEADLINERS took me a little while to get into, but once I did (about 20%), I was hook, line and sinker for this story and these characters.
This interconnected standalone in the London Celebrities series was a enemies to more trope but I want to impress that this gave so much more than that phrasing suggests. There was a longish standing dislike between Nick and Sabrina but events in the previous book led to an all-out hatred between these two that was not comedic at all, it was real. This was no fakey-hate. No, I believed their lines in the sand when they were thrust together to present a new show.
All that said, there was total tangibility in Lucy Parker’s ability to move this pair from presenting couple to real-life couple. As co-presenters, they spent a lot of time together having to seem to be on the same team. It was amusing, almost slapstick at times and I loved reading about them. What I loved even more was the trickle of real connection and feelings that evolved. The chemistry went from non-existent, to subtle to sizzle and I was glued to my kindle.
She was beautiful – she was fucking gorgeous, but he couldn’t even objectively see her physical features anymore. He just saw her, which was something that only happened with the people he cared about the most.
There was a bit of banter, some fun dialogue but generally, I think this might have been a tad more serious than some of Lucy Parker’s others in the series. I didn’t enjoy it any the less for this fact. Not all couples are super funny, some are just who they are and these two captured your attention and kept it.
This was another fabulous read in one of the most consistently good contemporary romance series I’ve enjoyed in years. You can’t go wrong with a bit of Lucy Parker.
Thank you to Carina Press and Netgalley for this early review copy.
This review can be found on A Take From Two Cities.
This interconnected standalone in the London Celebrities series was a enemies to more trope but I want to impress that this gave so much more than that phrasing suggests. There was a longish standing dislike between Nick and Sabrina but events in the previous book led to an all-out hatred between these two that was not comedic at all, it was real. This was no fakey-hate. No, I believed their lines in the sand when they were thrust together to present a new show.
All that said, there was total tangibility in Lucy Parker’s ability to move this pair from presenting couple to real-life couple. As co-presenters, they spent a lot of time together having to seem to be on the same team. It was amusing, almost slapstick at times and I loved reading about them. What I loved even more was the trickle of real connection and feelings that evolved. The chemistry went from non-existent, to subtle to sizzle and I was glued to my kindle.
She was beautiful – she was fucking gorgeous, but he couldn’t even objectively see her physical features anymore. He just saw her, which was something that only happened with the people he cared about the most.
There was a bit of banter, some fun dialogue but generally, I think this might have been a tad more serious than some of Lucy Parker’s others in the series. I didn’t enjoy it any the less for this fact. Not all couples are super funny, some are just who they are and these two captured your attention and kept it.
This was another fabulous read in one of the most consistently good contemporary romance series I’ve enjoyed in years. You can’t go wrong with a bit of Lucy Parker.
Thank you to Carina Press and Netgalley for this early review copy.
This review can be found on A Take From Two Cities.
January 11, 2020
Headliners is a contemporary romance novel.
This is book five in the London Celebrity series. Even though it can be read as standalone I advise you to read book four before reading this one. Which is not a hardship. Book four- The Austen Playbook is one of my favorite reads of 2019.
Comparing this to the previous books in the series this book moves from theater to television. Sabrina and Nick are tv host that need to work together on a morning show. That wouldn't be a problem, but they are not getting along. Nick did something awful to her in the past.
There is a lot of tropes in this one;
- enemies to lovers
- workplace romance
- close proximity
- fake relationship
- holiday romance
Lucy ties every plotline really well. I loved glimpses of Freddie and Griff. There was a lot of heart but also a lot of humor in this book.
To be a perfect read for me I was missing more of groveling from Nick and a little less page time from all the other characters.
I can't recommend you enough Act like it & Pretty Face by Lucy Parker.
If you are a contemporary reader, she is a must-read author!
This is book five in the London Celebrity series. Even though it can be read as standalone I advise you to read book four before reading this one. Which is not a hardship. Book four- The Austen Playbook is one of my favorite reads of 2019.
Comparing this to the previous books in the series this book moves from theater to television. Sabrina and Nick are tv host that need to work together on a morning show. That wouldn't be a problem, but they are not getting along. Nick did something awful to her in the past.
There is a lot of tropes in this one;
- enemies to lovers
- workplace romance
- close proximity
- fake relationship
- holiday romance
Lucy ties every plotline really well. I loved glimpses of Freddie and Griff. There was a lot of heart but also a lot of humor in this book.
To be a perfect read for me I was missing more of groveling from Nick and a little less page time from all the other characters.
I can't recommend you enough Act like it & Pretty Face by Lucy Parker.
If you are a contemporary reader, she is a must-read author!
February 24, 2020
In Headliners, the fifth book in her
London Celebrity
series, author Lucy Parker shifts her focus from London’s Theatreland to the world of television, to bring readers a wonderfully sharp, funny, sexy and grown-up romance between a pair of rival TV presenters who profess to hate each other’s guts, but who, of course, doth protest too much.
[Unlike the other books in this series, Headliners isn’t really a standalone and readers would benefit from reading [book:The Austen Playbook|42279630] first, as part of this story deals with the fallout of events which took place in that book. ]
The sparks flew fast and explosive between current affairs presenters Sabrina Carlton and Nick Davenport when we met them in The Austen Playbook. The pair have been trading barbs on screen for years, the jabs and jibes at each other made on their respective shows starting off relatively light-hearted and encouraged by their production teams as a way of generating publicity. As time has passed, those jabs and jibes have become sharper, and what had begun as contemptuous amusement has soured into actual antipathy. But things reached an all-time low after (at the end of the previous book) Nick broke the story of a decades-old Carlton family secret in the most damaging way possible, and even though the story and ensuing scandal had absolutely nothing to do with Sabrina, her popularity has taken a dive and her career is hanging in the balance.
So her gleeful reaction to the news of a massive faux-pas by Nick is hardly surprising. He’s been caught on video bad-mouthing the CEO of the network, who - naturally – is pissed as hell. Nick is promptly removed from the nightly show he’s hosted for the past four years, The Davenport Report, and he and Sabrina – whose contract is up for renewal – are given Hobson’s Choice; they’re out unless they agree to team up throughout December to present the network’s flagging breakfast show, Wake Me Up London. They have until Christmas Eve to improve the show’s embarrassingly shit ratings – and if they deliver (without actually killing each other in the process), then their immediate boss will agree to discuss the renewal of their contracts.
Of course, neither Nick nor Sabrina is thrilled with this idea, and not just because of their mutual dislike. The early-morning show is a bit of a joke, not at all the sort of serious-minded, current affairs material they’re used to dealing with. But both of them have worked incredibly hard and made a lot of personal sacrifices to get where they are in an exceptionally cut-throat business, and neither of them is willing to throw that away. They agree to the deal.
You can read the rest of this review at All About Romance.
Nick and Sabrina are multi-faceted, complex characters who feel like real people, and their romance is really well done, the move from animosity to partnership to love evolving naturally and organically. Ambitious and career-minded, they’re alike in many ways, and have a – grudging – respect for each other on a professional level, but when forced to work together, they also have to face up to the fact that there’s something else going on that they’ve been supressing for quite some time. Nick actually realises he’s in love fairly early on, and is completely honest with himself about it (which I loved), and although Sabrina takes a bit longer to connect the dots, once they’re together, they’re together; there’s no dithering or second-guessing, and the way they support each other through some difficult times is just lovely to see. One of the things I so love about Lucy Parker’s romances is that her protagonists behave like mature adults; they communicate well and are honest with themselves – and each other. Things could have veered into Big Mis territory a couple of times, but instead, Nick and Sabrina confront the problems head on, talk about them and resolve them together, showing clearly that trust and respect are the strongest of all foundations for love.
As always, the writing is top notch, the dialogue sparkles with wit and humour, the pop culture references are spot on and most of all, I love knowing that I can pick up a Lucy Parker book and feel instantly as though I’m in a place I recognise. It’s an idealised version of the London I know and love perhaps, but it’s completely recognisable and the author captures the British idiom incredibly well. I enjoyed catching up with other characters from the series – Richard and Lainey, Lily, Freddie and Griff (and Charlie – I hope he’s going to get his own book soon) – and I did adore watching the awful Sadie Frost get a well-deserved comeuppance! In fact, I have only one quibble with the story. It’s hard to say much without spoilers, but I did find it just a little bit difficult to believe that someone like Nick, with a background in hard-hitting investigative journalism, would make the transition to an essentially fluffy ‘lifestyle’ show so easily. (It would be like Jeremy Paxman presenting The One Show. Just – nope.) That said, the author does make it work, and once we know the backstory of his difficult relationship with a demanding father, it’s perhaps easier to understand. Like Nick, Sabrina has a difficult relationship with her father, feeling he’s dismissed her because of her career choices (among other things), so both characters have to confront those relationships in order to reach some important realisations and decisions about themselves and who they want to be.
If you’ve enjoyed the other books in the London CelebritiesHeadliners delivered everything I wanted and expected. It’s warm, funny and gorgeously romantic, the characters are rounded and engaging, the writing is terrific and everything about it works on every level. It’s the sort of book that wraps you up in a big cuddle and leaves you smiling.
[Unlike the other books in this series, Headliners isn’t really a standalone and readers would benefit from reading [book:The Austen Playbook|42279630] first, as part of this story deals with the fallout of events which took place in that book. ]
The sparks flew fast and explosive between current affairs presenters Sabrina Carlton and Nick Davenport when we met them in The Austen Playbook. The pair have been trading barbs on screen for years, the jabs and jibes at each other made on their respective shows starting off relatively light-hearted and encouraged by their production teams as a way of generating publicity. As time has passed, those jabs and jibes have become sharper, and what had begun as contemptuous amusement has soured into actual antipathy. But things reached an all-time low after (at the end of the previous book) Nick broke the story of a decades-old Carlton family secret in the most damaging way possible, and even though the story and ensuing scandal had absolutely nothing to do with Sabrina, her popularity has taken a dive and her career is hanging in the balance.
So her gleeful reaction to the news of a massive faux-pas by Nick is hardly surprising. He’s been caught on video bad-mouthing the CEO of the network, who - naturally – is pissed as hell. Nick is promptly removed from the nightly show he’s hosted for the past four years, The Davenport Report, and he and Sabrina – whose contract is up for renewal – are given Hobson’s Choice; they’re out unless they agree to team up throughout December to present the network’s flagging breakfast show, Wake Me Up London. They have until Christmas Eve to improve the show’s embarrassingly shit ratings – and if they deliver (without actually killing each other in the process), then their immediate boss will agree to discuss the renewal of their contracts.
Of course, neither Nick nor Sabrina is thrilled with this idea, and not just because of their mutual dislike. The early-morning show is a bit of a joke, not at all the sort of serious-minded, current affairs material they’re used to dealing with. But both of them have worked incredibly hard and made a lot of personal sacrifices to get where they are in an exceptionally cut-throat business, and neither of them is willing to throw that away. They agree to the deal.
You can read the rest of this review at All About Romance.
Nick and Sabrina are multi-faceted, complex characters who feel like real people, and their romance is really well done, the move from animosity to partnership to love evolving naturally and organically. Ambitious and career-minded, they’re alike in many ways, and have a – grudging – respect for each other on a professional level, but when forced to work together, they also have to face up to the fact that there’s something else going on that they’ve been supressing for quite some time. Nick actually realises he’s in love fairly early on, and is completely honest with himself about it (which I loved), and although Sabrina takes a bit longer to connect the dots, once they’re together, they’re together; there’s no dithering or second-guessing, and the way they support each other through some difficult times is just lovely to see. One of the things I so love about Lucy Parker’s romances is that her protagonists behave like mature adults; they communicate well and are honest with themselves – and each other. Things could have veered into Big Mis territory a couple of times, but instead, Nick and Sabrina confront the problems head on, talk about them and resolve them together, showing clearly that trust and respect are the strongest of all foundations for love.
As always, the writing is top notch, the dialogue sparkles with wit and humour, the pop culture references are spot on and most of all, I love knowing that I can pick up a Lucy Parker book and feel instantly as though I’m in a place I recognise. It’s an idealised version of the London I know and love perhaps, but it’s completely recognisable and the author captures the British idiom incredibly well. I enjoyed catching up with other characters from the series – Richard and Lainey, Lily, Freddie and Griff (and Charlie – I hope he’s going to get his own book soon) – and I did adore watching the awful Sadie Frost get a well-deserved comeuppance! In fact, I have only one quibble with the story. It’s hard to say much without spoilers, but I did find it just a little bit difficult to believe that someone like Nick, with a background in hard-hitting investigative journalism, would make the transition to an essentially fluffy ‘lifestyle’ show so easily. (It would be like Jeremy Paxman presenting The One Show. Just – nope.) That said, the author does make it work, and once we know the backstory of his difficult relationship with a demanding father, it’s perhaps easier to understand. Like Nick, Sabrina has a difficult relationship with her father, feeling he’s dismissed her because of her career choices (among other things), so both characters have to confront those relationships in order to reach some important realisations and decisions about themselves and who they want to be.
If you’ve enjoyed the other books in the London CelebritiesHeadliners delivered everything I wanted and expected. It’s warm, funny and gorgeously romantic, the characters are rounded and engaging, the writing is terrific and everything about it works on every level. It’s the sort of book that wraps you up in a big cuddle and leaves you smiling.
January 16, 2020
This is fifth in a series that, until now, has been only tangentially related. This one, however, is rather tightly tied to The Austen Playbook with key preparatory events happening there. So I definitely recommend reading at least that one first.
This was a really good enemies to lovers story and one I enjoyed immensely—though honestly, Sabrina doesn't really do enemies... Sabrina was kind of awesome and I loved having more from her family, too. I like how strong she is while leaning into her femininity (and not in any frail way, either). She plays the celebrity game by necessity, but truly enjoys getting to know people and finding ways to connect with them. I really liked how Nick, in later stages of the story, can sincerely compliment her as someone who pulls the best from those around her by being kind and inviting. And I liked Nick way better than I expected to and was gratified that Parker managed to show his remorse for earlier actions believably and without completely changing his character. I particularly liked his relationship with his ex-wife and her new husband.
The only detraction from this is the paper-thin sabotage plot and its eventual resolution. That said, I was very happy to find that the abominable Sadie and that she got what I hope is her final comeuppance in this story, too. That alone pretty much compels this to a five-star story.
And I think I'll leave it there. Nick is lovely and I liked getting to know him while he finds and explores and eventually leans into his softer side. And Sabrina was always going to be an easy character to engage with. I don't know if this is the end of the series, but it's an excellent wrapping place and I'm very happy with how things are at this point. Though honestly? I'd be eager to read more if Parker thinks she wants to go for it.
A note about Steamy: I had an unfortunate interruption in the middle of this so I don't have any idea how many explicit sex scenes there were. I'm pretty sure its the middle of my steam tolerance and I do recall that it was that same warts-and-all thing we got in the previous that I liked so much.
This was a really good enemies to lovers story and one I enjoyed immensely—though honestly, Sabrina doesn't really do enemies... Sabrina was kind of awesome and I loved having more from her family, too. I like how strong she is while leaning into her femininity (and not in any frail way, either). She plays the celebrity game by necessity, but truly enjoys getting to know people and finding ways to connect with them. I really liked how Nick, in later stages of the story, can sincerely compliment her as someone who pulls the best from those around her by being kind and inviting. And I liked Nick way better than I expected to and was gratified that Parker managed to show his remorse for earlier actions believably and without completely changing his character. I particularly liked his relationship with his ex-wife and her new husband.
The only detraction from this is the paper-thin sabotage plot and its eventual resolution. That said, I was very happy to find that the abominable Sadie and that she got what I hope is her final comeuppance in this story, too. That alone pretty much compels this to a five-star story.
And I think I'll leave it there. Nick is lovely and I liked getting to know him while he finds and explores and eventually leans into his softer side. And Sabrina was always going to be an easy character to engage with. I don't know if this is the end of the series, but it's an excellent wrapping place and I'm very happy with how things are at this point. Though honestly? I'd be eager to read more if Parker thinks she wants to go for it.
A note about Steamy: I had an unfortunate interruption in the middle of this so I don't have any idea how many explicit sex scenes there were. I'm pretty sure its the middle of my steam tolerance and I do recall that it was that same warts-and-all thing we got in the previous that I liked so much.
January 22, 2020
Fun enemies to lovers story. H/h were introduced in the first book in the series as rival evening talk show hosts. The plot deepened for them in the Austen Playbook when the hero broke a story about the heroine's grandmother's plagiarism.
When the story opens both the H/h are under scrutiny by the public and their bosses. As punishment and proving ground, the H/h are to co-host the morning show for the month of December.
As you can see, that premise is a lot of fun. Morning TV is ridiculous and varied and the H/h both approach it with their game faces on. A saboteur on the show draws them closer together and the chemistry they have been fighting does the rest.
I also liked how this author handled forgiveness. Feelings were expressed and acknowledged before meaningless expressions of remorse. Also, Sadie, the villain from book four,
If you loved the first four in the series, you'll love this one.
When the story opens both the H/h are under scrutiny by the public and their bosses. As punishment and proving ground, the H/h are to co-host the morning show for the month of December.
As you can see, that premise is a lot of fun. Morning TV is ridiculous and varied and the H/h both approach it with their game faces on. A saboteur on the show draws them closer together and the chemistry they have been fighting does the rest.
I also liked how this author handled forgiveness. Feelings were expressed and acknowledged before meaningless expressions of remorse. Also, Sadie, the villain from book four,
If you loved the first four in the series, you'll love this one.
December 30, 2019
The well-loved tropes in this delightful contemporary cornucopia runneth over -- we've got hate to love, we've got office romance, we got huddling for warmth, we got fake relationship, we got Slytherin & Slytherin romance. All the tropes! And surprising no one, Lucy Parker totally pulls all these elements together in a lovely, believable way. This is one of the funnier entries in her London Celebrities series (driven mainly by the hijinks on the main couple's morning show), but that doesn't take away from the genuine internal & familial conflicts she's able to weave into the plot. Her character work remains stellar: these are characters that are imbued with a real interiority and motivations that make sense.
The things that kept me from loving this as much as ACT LIKE IT or THE AUSTEN PLAYBOOK (which is an admittedly high standard, as these are 2 of my favorite contemporaries ever :)), were a) a true hate to love dynamic (rather than disdain or annoyance to love) is always a bit of hard sell to me, and b) I wasn't 100% sold on the speed of Nick's redemption with Sab.
That said, I still think this is an excellent contemporary romance that I would happily recommend to just about anyone... I think it could be read as a standalone, but the character work will have a bigger impact if you read THE AUSTEN PLAYBOOK first
The things that kept me from loving this as much as ACT LIKE IT or THE AUSTEN PLAYBOOK (which is an admittedly high standard, as these are 2 of my favorite contemporaries ever :)), were a) a true hate to love dynamic (rather than disdain or annoyance to love) is always a bit of hard sell to me, and b) I wasn't 100% sold on the speed of Nick's redemption with Sab.
That said, I still think this is an excellent contemporary romance that I would happily recommend to just about anyone... I think it could be read as a standalone, but the character work will have a bigger impact if you read THE AUSTEN PLAYBOOK first
January 12, 2020
The fifth book in Lucy Parker's London Celebrities series may not have displaced Pretty Face for my personal favorite, but I did have a big smile on my face the entire time I read this one. One of the recurring themes is that the main characters, celebrity journalists Sabrina Carlton and Nick Davenport, have magic when they are together, regardless of whether they are antagonists, co-workers, or lovers. I felt absolutely convinced of their chemistry, on and off screen, and that's despite everyone in their lives pointing it out to them at every opportunity. As astute TV personalities, they are frustratingly aware that chemistry is nothing to brush aside.
At the start of the novel, Sabrina and Nick are respectively chastised in HR for bad professional behavior (some of this is spillover from the fourth book in the series) and subsequently demoted to morning rather than evening news. They are given the entire month of December to work together as a team and bring up the ratings on Wake Me Up London, a folksy, morning magazine type show filled with human-interest stories. Reluctantly agreeing, and being competitive pros, they are determined to succeed, and in the process, rescue their flailing careers. As far as forced proximity tropes, the set up here is one of the best I've read, and I loved the countdown to Christmas as the culture of a morning talk show slowly takes over their lives. The book has a number of laugh out loud moments with two serious journalists thrust into ridiculous scenarios involving baking on set, test driving some truly bizarre Christmas toys, interviewing London locals in silly settings like a row boat on the Thames, or cosplaying on the Murder Train. There are too many scenarios to name here, but all of them are highly entertaining on their own merits, and each successive one forces Sabrina and Nick to confront the feelings they have long had for each other. There is also a subplot involving a mysterious person trying to sabotage their collaboration, and it is fun to try along with the couple to determine who is out to get them.
One of the few drawbacks (maybe?) to the enemies-to-lovers theme here though is that I did at times wish for a peek into some moments of antagonism prior to the start of the novel; we are told they are two big personalities with a great deal of friction between them. We don't really ever actually see them as enemies in this book though, and once Sabrina and Nick set off on their joint venture to save the morning show, they quickly come to an agreement to set aside past strife and work together as harmoniously as possible. I think a book like The Hating Game handled the co-worker’s enemies-to-lovers theme especially well because we get a bit of time with the couples' juvenile hostility before romance inevitably takes over, and I couldn't help but wonder if such a set up would have worked well here too. On the other hand, we instead get so many lovely scenes of the two characters sincerely trying to work together as adults, and it's clear pretty early that chemistry is a facade for deeper feelings. Also, Nick realizes he's in love early in the book and is honest with himself, and so this is a book that really stands out to me with respect to mature characters who work through their difficulties. Any time I felt anxious that misunderstandings or conflict would create obstacles, I was pleasantly surprised by Parker's insistence that respect and maturity are foundations for love.
There is here a slightly underdeveloped examination of journalism that I found curious, though I'm not quite willing to call it a flaw in the book. Nick comes to the morning show with a strong background in hardcore journalism and a professional goal of making a name for himself in this field. The novel though is fairly apolitical and never ventures far into contentious issues, and there is not that much scrutiny of the ultimate decision Nick needs to make whether to stay in morning versus night time news. Along these lines, it's pretty much unexamined in this book that Nick is black and Sabrina is white. I don't know if that is a flaw in the book either, as interracial relationships have been a matter-of-fact focus of other Parker novels. Maybe interracial relationships should be unremarked upon, even in such racially charged times as we currently live. I’m genuinely divided on this topic. To complicate the racial dynamics, both main characters are celebrities, and so neither are simply ordinary people. Nick, in fact, is one of London's sexiest bachelors and even has a FB page devoted to “Nick's Chicks,” for which Sabrina relentlessly teases him. Does all of that negate the racial histories and identities of his character? Maybe it doesn’t matter because I fully bought into the romance between Sabrina and Nick, but in some ways the book feels like a fairy tale of a world where macro conflict, including racial unrest, does not exist.
As with all of Parker's books, I simply adore the focus on the arts and the culture of city life. I think too that a shift from theater to television worked very well here as the London Celebrities series continues to broaden its scope. I think the hero of the next book is present and quite active in this story, and if it is who I think it is, I'm excited to read his book. I love Alan the Yorkshire terrier - how adorable is it that he is Nick's darling little baby. I loved the many secondary characters who populate this world, and I enjoyed reconnecting with past main characters from the previous books in this series. Parker never fails to entertain, and this fifth book is as romantic and charming as all of the books in this wonderful series. Highly recommend!
December 11, 2019
4.5 stars rounded up for mature adults having actual conversations! And because it's Lucy Parker, after all. She's one of my go-to authors for sweet and hilarious contemporary romances that just leave you feeling giddy and warm.
This was another excellent addition to the series, and I loved seeing all of the previous couples again. Ok, mostly just Richard and Lainie. They remain one of my favorite couples ever. But I digress…
It's very rare I enjoy an "enemies" to lovers story, but in the capable hands of Lucy Parker, this becomes a story about setting aside past hurts and moving past them, of letting go and forgiving, and I adored every second of it. It's so rare to find two characters I both love as individuals and as a couple, and Nick and Sabrina were both awesome people who I genuinely loved spending time with. I loved how openly they addressed their issues and gradually realized that they are kind of made for each other, always knowing instinctively when to challenge and tease, and when to just be there for each other. It was incredibly sweet to see them work things out, and my only slight criticism is that the sub-plot of someone trying to sabotage their show dragged on a tiny bit too long for me.
But other than that, this book was just perfect for sitting all cuddled up on a couch, hot cocoa in hand, and just ignoring the world for a while.
*I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
This was another excellent addition to the series, and I loved seeing all of the previous couples again. Ok, mostly just Richard and Lainie. They remain one of my favorite couples ever. But I digress…
It's very rare I enjoy an "enemies" to lovers story, but in the capable hands of Lucy Parker, this becomes a story about setting aside past hurts and moving past them, of letting go and forgiving, and I adored every second of it. It's so rare to find two characters I both love as individuals and as a couple, and Nick and Sabrina were both awesome people who I genuinely loved spending time with. I loved how openly they addressed their issues and gradually realized that they are kind of made for each other, always knowing instinctively when to challenge and tease, and when to just be there for each other. It was incredibly sweet to see them work things out, and my only slight criticism is that the sub-plot of someone trying to sabotage their show dragged on a tiny bit too long for me.
But other than that, this book was just perfect for sitting all cuddled up on a couch, hot cocoa in hand, and just ignoring the world for a while.
*I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
December 26, 2019
Okay, I adore this book!
Everything about Headliners was a home-run for me. It was funny, it was sweet, it was enjoyable, it had banter and witty dialogue, mature characters who voice their opinions and beliefs, and just enough steam to spice it all up.
You know, somewhere around the middle I realized it's one of those rare books that has heart. I know it sounds weird, but you'll get it if you read it. The way Nick and Sabrina act around each other just gives you warm, fuzzy feelings.
I can't tell how much I appreciated that there were no dumb misunderstandings or plot machinations that bring nothing to the story but unnecessary drama. Now, don't get me wrong, there were some shenanigans and as expected or incredulous they seemed, they complemented the story nicely, and honestly, it was funny. Like laugh out loud funny.
By now you can tell that I am a fan of Headliners, but trust me it is deserved. I highly recommend reading it (even if you haven't read the prequels, it's easy to follow), it's incredibly fun and sweet.
A big thank you to Carina Press for providing me with an early copy through NetGalley.
Everything about Headliners was a home-run for me. It was funny, it was sweet, it was enjoyable, it had banter and witty dialogue, mature characters who voice their opinions and beliefs, and just enough steam to spice it all up.
You know, somewhere around the middle I realized it's one of those rare books that has heart. I know it sounds weird, but you'll get it if you read it. The way Nick and Sabrina act around each other just gives you warm, fuzzy feelings.
I can't tell how much I appreciated that there were no dumb misunderstandings or plot machinations that bring nothing to the story but unnecessary drama. Now, don't get me wrong, there were some shenanigans and as expected or incredulous they seemed, they complemented the story nicely, and honestly, it was funny. Like laugh out loud funny.
By now you can tell that I am a fan of Headliners, but trust me it is deserved. I highly recommend reading it (even if you haven't read the prequels, it's easy to follow), it's incredibly fun and sweet.
A big thank you to Carina Press for providing me with an early copy through NetGalley.
April 30, 2021
From enemies (you’ve got a co-presenter who’ll take the first opportunity to castrate you with a rusty teaspoon) to lovers.
Another good one from Lucy Parker.
Another good one from Lucy Parker.
February 15, 2020
I sincerely doubt that my review and rating for Headliners will come to anyone's surprise, especially with the hero being called Nick. Reading Lucy Parker's books is equivalent to coming home for me. They are warm, comforting, and pack some powerful emotions. Headliners is another excellent novel from a massively talented author!
Sabrina and Nick's love story began in The Austen Playbook. I think it's important to check out that book (and all of Lucy's books for that matter) to see the relationship build up between the two. They had some major enemies/rivals vibes going on in that book that led to a big blow up towards the end of The Austen Playbook. Nick was a bit of an ass previously, so my man had some serious work to do to convince me that he was worthy of my name love. Fret not, friends! Lucy Parker is an absolute genius at genuine character development and writing gratifying grovel. I have to say, Nick is probably at the top of my favorite heroes of all time list. I had these expectations about the kind of person he was based on the previous book and Lucy's writing style in general, but they were blown out of the water. I really enjoyed getting to know the surprisingly softer side to his character. I think there is something to be said about a romance hero who can make you laugh and melt constantly. His heartfelt apology to Sabrina in particular had me wanting to shout my love for him from a rooftop. Then, there was his relationship with his family members. Clearly, this is a man who respected and loved them. Oof, my heart is just fluttering writing about him. :) If you're wondering if Sabrina is a good fit for him, the answer is a resounding yes. They were made for each other. Sabrina is an equally brilliant protagonist, who was fierce, passionate, and very kind. We see her deal with the aftermath of Nick's betrayal in the previous book with her head held high here and I could not have been prouder of her. How she faces her hurdles in moments of vulnerability is particularly admirable and you'll find yourself easily wanting to defend her with your everything. You know how there are characters whose personality traits you wish you could simply absorb because you love them that much? Sabrina is that kind of character for me.
Both Nick and Sabrina are very headstrong characters, which makes their romance just perfect. Watching them lovingly dance around each other and slowly become acquainted with each other in the process was an experience for me as a reader. Despite their mutual attraction, they had obstacles to work through and Lucy Parker takes her time with building up their relationship. And the communication between these two? Perfection! Their romance truly was a work of art! Undeniably, the chemistry and constant banter was a strong element of Headliners, but it's watching them open up emotionally during their low moments that's the most rewarding part of this book. When I ask for good satisfying romances, this is exactly what I expect. The backdrop of the morning show and their careers as talk show hosts forced to work together was an excellent idea on Lucy's part because it brought about so much humor and just the right dose of drama. Of course, I also have to mention just how much I loved all the cameos from characters in the previous books. I just love all of them so much that even a mere mention of them has me squealing in utter delight.
If you're a romance fan, I sure hope you religiously read Lucy Parker's books. Headliners was a book after my heart and I have no doubt that it will completely enamor readers who love a good enemies-to-lovers story.
Sabrina and Nick's love story began in The Austen Playbook. I think it's important to check out that book (and all of Lucy's books for that matter) to see the relationship build up between the two. They had some major enemies/rivals vibes going on in that book that led to a big blow up towards the end of The Austen Playbook. Nick was a bit of an ass previously, so my man had some serious work to do to convince me that he was worthy of my name love. Fret not, friends! Lucy Parker is an absolute genius at genuine character development and writing gratifying grovel. I have to say, Nick is probably at the top of my favorite heroes of all time list. I had these expectations about the kind of person he was based on the previous book and Lucy's writing style in general, but they were blown out of the water. I really enjoyed getting to know the surprisingly softer side to his character. I think there is something to be said about a romance hero who can make you laugh and melt constantly. His heartfelt apology to Sabrina in particular had me wanting to shout my love for him from a rooftop. Then, there was his relationship with his family members. Clearly, this is a man who respected and loved them. Oof, my heart is just fluttering writing about him. :) If you're wondering if Sabrina is a good fit for him, the answer is a resounding yes. They were made for each other. Sabrina is an equally brilliant protagonist, who was fierce, passionate, and very kind. We see her deal with the aftermath of Nick's betrayal in the previous book with her head held high here and I could not have been prouder of her. How she faces her hurdles in moments of vulnerability is particularly admirable and you'll find yourself easily wanting to defend her with your everything. You know how there are characters whose personality traits you wish you could simply absorb because you love them that much? Sabrina is that kind of character for me.
Both Nick and Sabrina are very headstrong characters, which makes their romance just perfect. Watching them lovingly dance around each other and slowly become acquainted with each other in the process was an experience for me as a reader. Despite their mutual attraction, they had obstacles to work through and Lucy Parker takes her time with building up their relationship. And the communication between these two? Perfection! Their romance truly was a work of art! Undeniably, the chemistry and constant banter was a strong element of Headliners, but it's watching them open up emotionally during their low moments that's the most rewarding part of this book. When I ask for good satisfying romances, this is exactly what I expect. The backdrop of the morning show and their careers as talk show hosts forced to work together was an excellent idea on Lucy's part because it brought about so much humor and just the right dose of drama. Of course, I also have to mention just how much I loved all the cameos from characters in the previous books. I just love all of them so much that even a mere mention of them has me squealing in utter delight.
If you're a romance fan, I sure hope you religiously read Lucy Parker's books. Headliners was a book after my heart and I have no doubt that it will completely enamor readers who love a good enemies-to-lovers story.
![Profile Image for madandelion [hiatus 160420].](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1591089383i/32497601._UX200_CR0,0,200,200_.jpg)
February 19, 2020
Another Lucy Parker book?
I'm more than ready.
...to have a sleepless night ahead.
I'm more than ready.
...to have a sleepless night ahead.
November 14, 2019
4.5 stars...I'd round up.
Nick Davenport and Sabrina Carlton are petty rivals on and off tv, but there’s good cause for it…up until the point where both their careers are suddenly in jeopardy. A twist of events forces them to co-host the dreaded early-morning show which no one bothers with, since it’s not quite the ‘serious’ stuff compared to what they used to do, and with the list of grievances sitting between them, neither’s looking good at all. This status quo doesn’t look like it’s about to change, until mishap after mishap spring the comedy into the story and Nick/Sabrina find themselves in various compromising positions which make everyone else think that they are public enemies but secret shaggers.
I’ve never felt so rewarded by a Lucy Parker book as I have with ‘Headliners’. (To be fair, I had a good feeling about it when I read the blurb and got started.) I can’t entirely remember what transpired at the end of the last book even, but as a standalone, ‘Headliners’ functions perfectly legitimately. Characters from Parker’s previous books who have already found their HEA do flit in and out however, and if you’ve not read the rest of the books, there’s a bit of an insider-wink-wink sort of joke that you could miss out on.
Still, Parker crafts a holiday rom-com with so much panache and style and comedy—it’s hilarious to read how one thing after another befalls the ill-fated couple as they wear out the enemies-to-lovers trope to the fullest. In the previous books, I’d always found a particular sort of imbalance when it came to quirk, dialogue and characterisation, but ‘Headliners’ seemed to have perfected these somehow: not too many quirks, snappy and funny dialogue and spot-on ‘Love-Actually’ type characters. Might be a bit of a bias here, but I’m voting this as Parker’s crowning glory.
*ARC by the publisher via Netgalley
Nick Davenport and Sabrina Carlton are petty rivals on and off tv, but there’s good cause for it…up until the point where both their careers are suddenly in jeopardy. A twist of events forces them to co-host the dreaded early-morning show which no one bothers with, since it’s not quite the ‘serious’ stuff compared to what they used to do, and with the list of grievances sitting between them, neither’s looking good at all. This status quo doesn’t look like it’s about to change, until mishap after mishap spring the comedy into the story and Nick/Sabrina find themselves in various compromising positions which make everyone else think that they are public enemies but secret shaggers.
I’ve never felt so rewarded by a Lucy Parker book as I have with ‘Headliners’. (To be fair, I had a good feeling about it when I read the blurb and got started.) I can’t entirely remember what transpired at the end of the last book even, but as a standalone, ‘Headliners’ functions perfectly legitimately. Characters from Parker’s previous books who have already found their HEA do flit in and out however, and if you’ve not read the rest of the books, there’s a bit of an insider-wink-wink sort of joke that you could miss out on.
Still, Parker crafts a holiday rom-com with so much panache and style and comedy—it’s hilarious to read how one thing after another befalls the ill-fated couple as they wear out the enemies-to-lovers trope to the fullest. In the previous books, I’d always found a particular sort of imbalance when it came to quirk, dialogue and characterisation, but ‘Headliners’ seemed to have perfected these somehow: not too many quirks, snappy and funny dialogue and spot-on ‘Love-Actually’ type characters. Might be a bit of a bias here, but I’m voting this as Parker’s crowning glory.
*ARC by the publisher via Netgalley
January 20, 2020
Every time I read a new book from Lucy Parker, I think, oh, THIS one is my favorite. And it's happened again! - which is even more surprising because at the end of her last book, the guy who's the hero of this book did something so unforgivable, I thought, nope, he'll never work as the hero of this one.
But he did! He stayed the same person, but he genuinely did the work to make up for a REALLY terrible lapse of ethical judgment (as a journalist) and exarned forgiveness from his friends and from the heroine. The sparks between them were AMAZING, their banter was to die for, and as always with LP's romances, their emotional arc was SOOOOOOO swoonworthy. (Also, I am SO here for a romance hero who responds to the arrival of a heroine's period by immediately going out to buy her practical supplies, including both maxipads AND a huge bar of chocolate.)
This book is funny and sharp and romantic and has important things to say about family and love - AND we get dueling presenters on a TV show where everything goes hilariously wrong. It's just perfect!
This is the first of Lucy Parker's books that might not work as a standalone, because the hero is having to work so hard to make up for his behavior in the last book (The Austen Playbook). However, I loved The Austen Playbook SO MUCH that, honestly - why *wouldn't* you buy and read them both? They're both deliciously fun and full of heart, and they work so beautifully as a duology (with two smart, fantastic sisters as the two heroines).
I *loved* the early copy I read, and I can't wait to read it again now that it's published!
But he did! He stayed the same person, but he genuinely did the work to make up for a REALLY terrible lapse of ethical judgment (as a journalist) and exarned forgiveness from his friends and from the heroine. The sparks between them were AMAZING, their banter was to die for, and as always with LP's romances, their emotional arc was SOOOOOOO swoonworthy. (Also, I am SO here for a romance hero who responds to the arrival of a heroine's period by immediately going out to buy her practical supplies, including both maxipads AND a huge bar of chocolate.)
This book is funny and sharp and romantic and has important things to say about family and love - AND we get dueling presenters on a TV show where everything goes hilariously wrong. It's just perfect!
This is the first of Lucy Parker's books that might not work as a standalone, because the hero is having to work so hard to make up for his behavior in the last book (The Austen Playbook). However, I loved The Austen Playbook SO MUCH that, honestly - why *wouldn't* you buy and read them both? They're both deliciously fun and full of heart, and they work so beautifully as a duology (with two smart, fantastic sisters as the two heroines).
I *loved* the early copy I read, and I can't wait to read it again now that it's published!
January 26, 2020
Headliners by Lucy Parker is book five in her London Celebrities series. Though part of a series, it reads well as a standalone. This is my first novel by this author, so I was happy to discover a fine example of contemporary romance.
Sabrina Carlton and Nick Davenport have both had recent scandals affect their reputations and careers. They’ve been bumped from their respective evening programs and slated to cohost a failing morning show. This is a tall order because their professional relationship has always been contentious, and they have no personal relationship. At least not yet. Surprisingly, Sabrina and Nick find themselves liking both the show and each other, and a saboteur only brings them closer together, allowing them to savor their budding romance.
Headliners is laugh out loud funny. It’s as good as any big screen romantic comedy. I throughly enjoyed this novel and rate it 4 out of 5 stars. This is a must-read for lovers of contemporary romance. There is some explicit sexual content that may be offensive to some readers.
My thanks to HARLEQUIN – Carina Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However, the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.
Sabrina Carlton and Nick Davenport have both had recent scandals affect their reputations and careers. They’ve been bumped from their respective evening programs and slated to cohost a failing morning show. This is a tall order because their professional relationship has always been contentious, and they have no personal relationship. At least not yet. Surprisingly, Sabrina and Nick find themselves liking both the show and each other, and a saboteur only brings them closer together, allowing them to savor their budding romance.
Headliners is laugh out loud funny. It’s as good as any big screen romantic comedy. I throughly enjoyed this novel and rate it 4 out of 5 stars. This is a must-read for lovers of contemporary romance. There is some explicit sexual content that may be offensive to some readers.
My thanks to HARLEQUIN – Carina Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However, the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.
January 13, 2020
What a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful book! (Yes, that is three wonderfuls. Be glad I didn't fill the page with them. Cause I wanted too,) I loved this book so much! If you haven't read any Lucy Parker books yet, climb out from under the rock and grab some. She's brilliant!
In this installment of the London Celebrities we have two talk show folks. She is the sister of a previous character and he is her nemesis. . Interested yet? Wait till you hear the rest of it. The two of them have been at each other for years. But due to a professional mistake on his side and sabotage on her side in the last book, they are both scrambling to salvage their careers. Enter the Daily Show. You know that talk show/news/ all the other stuff you used to read in magazines. They each have until Christmas to make their marks. But they have to work together. Tune in tomorrow to see sparks fly and what the newest saboteur has planned to keep them on their toes.
Thank you so much to @_LucyParker and @NetGalley for the wonderful (that would be 4) opportunity to read and review this awesome (thought I'd shake it up) book!
In this installment of the London Celebrities we have two talk show folks. She is the sister of a previous character and he is her nemesis. . Interested yet? Wait till you hear the rest of it. The two of them have been at each other for years. But due to a professional mistake on his side and sabotage on her side in the last book, they are both scrambling to salvage their careers. Enter the Daily Show. You know that talk show/news/ all the other stuff you used to read in magazines. They each have until Christmas to make their marks. But they have to work together. Tune in tomorrow to see sparks fly and what the newest saboteur has planned to keep them on their toes.
Thank you so much to @_LucyParker and @NetGalley for the wonderful (that would be 4) opportunity to read and review this awesome (thought I'd shake it up) book!
July 13, 2020
While I enjoyed this book, and the writing, and the characters, I was thoroughly disappointed in the pacing and plot, which are two things I've struggled with in Parker's books before.
It seems the characters went from conflict, based solely on the prior book really, to conversation and a bunch of mishaps that just didn't feel organic or convincing. The animosity-conflict-conversation-and saboteur plot were just too much taken together.
Fortunately, underpinning this were likable cast and characters, sparkling dialogue and swoony moments. Luckily, this romance was super enjoyable when the two main characters interacted.
And this is where I have the disclaimer that historically (now anyway) Parker bats about 45% for me. (Pretty Face gives a little extra credit for a crazy lovable heroine) She's so talented, I'll keep reading. I'll also give the disclaimer I felt a touch impatient and probably went into this with exceedingly high expectations. There was so much good, and it was torpedoed by a weak plot that didn't actually develop tension and manipulative situations that were just extra
BR w/ Gaufre and Joanna.
It seems the characters went from conflict, based solely on the prior book really, to conversation and a bunch of mishaps that just didn't feel organic or convincing. The animosity-conflict-conversation-and saboteur plot were just too much taken together.
Fortunately, underpinning this were likable cast and characters, sparkling dialogue and swoony moments. Luckily, this romance was super enjoyable when the two main characters interacted.
And this is where I have the disclaimer that historically (now anyway) Parker bats about 45% for me. (Pretty Face gives a little extra credit for a crazy lovable heroine) She's so talented, I'll keep reading. I'll also give the disclaimer I felt a touch impatient and probably went into this with exceedingly high expectations. There was so much good, and it was torpedoed by a weak plot that didn't actually develop tension and manipulative situations that were just extra
BR w/ Gaufre and Joanna.
January 19, 2020
4.25 Stars / 2 Steam Fans
I love good enemies to lovers' stories, and this story is everything I LOVE!! Sabrina and Nick are rival TV Show hosts thrown together to rebuild their images and careers. The banter and sexual chemistry is off the chart between Sabrina and Nick, and everyone sees it but them.
Video review available in Week 3 Jan 12 – 18 weekly book reviews.
For other video book reviews, check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk.
I love good enemies to lovers' stories, and this story is everything I LOVE!! Sabrina and Nick are rival TV Show hosts thrown together to rebuild their images and careers. The banter and sexual chemistry is off the chart between Sabrina and Nick, and everyone sees it but them.
Video review available in Week 3 Jan 12 – 18 weekly book reviews.
For other video book reviews, check out my YouTube Channel: Steph's Romance Book Talk.
January 21, 2020
LUCY PARKER IS A GENIUS. This was excellent. I am only sad this series seems to be at an end.
November 5, 2020
Puedes encontrar esta reseña en español al final.
It is so difficult to find good stories. It seems easy, but it is not. But, between thousands and thousands of clichés, melodrama and pompous prose, occasionally you meet one. Because there are authors who decide that telling a story is more than a HEA. Something more than a bag of trite ideas wrapped in cheap melodrama that lead to the deliberate happy end. Sometimes I meet authors like Ms. Parker who decide that in romance, more important than the usual happy ending is the path that leads to it. To my everlasting joy (and enjoyment).
The background in this series are the performing arts and TV world in all its forms: cinema, theater, circus and finally television.
But the most important thing is how the story is told. Is all about the people who struggle every day to achieve their dreams. And we are the privileged spectators who see how this happens.
Where other authors fall into the temptation to turn the lifestyle of these controversial characters into the focus of the story, namely high-end cars, jewelry, fancy dresses, high performance brands and houses like castles, etc., Ms. Parker focuses all her attention on the little things that can go unnoticed: family and friends relationships and the day-to-day life of the characters that give them that third dimension that some of us readers need to connect with the story.
And although the MC´s are obviously at the center of the story, around them swarm ideas, images, situations and secondary characters enough to turn the story into a little piece of reality.
And the icing on the cake was the end. Because, as I said before, is more about the journey than the destination, and this time Ms. Parker has turned that end into something beautiful and original forgetting the so dreading pre-established script. Perfect.
To sum it up, flawed but charming characters, interesting dialogues, zero melodrama and a HEA that will last long after closing the book. I can´t say this a lot.
I loved it.
e-ARC kindly provided by Harlequin-Carina Press via Netgalley.
Es muy difícil encontrar buenas historias. Parece fácil pero no lo es. Pero entre miles y miles de clichés, de melodrama y de pomposa prosa de vez en cuando se encuentran. Porque hay autoras que deciden que contar una historia es algo más que un final feliz. Algo más que un saco de ideas manidas envueltas en melodrama fácil que llevan al deliberado Final Feliz. En ocasiones me encuentro con autoras como Ms. Parker que deciden que en el romance, más importante que el consabido final feliz es el camino que lleva a él. Para mi eterna alegría y disfrute.
Esta serie tiene como trasfondo el mundo del espectáculo en todas sus formas: cine, teatro, circo y finalmente televisión.
Pero lo más importante es lo que cuentan. Historias de personas que luchan día a día para lograr sus sueños y nosotros somos las espectadoras privilegiadas que ven cómo esto sucede.
Donde otras autoras caen en la tentaci��n de convertir el estilo de vida de estos personajes tan controvertidos en el protagonista de la historia, a saber, coches de alta gama, joyas, vestidos de lujo, grandes marcas y aún mayores casas, etc. Ms. Parker enfoca toda su atención en las pequeñas cosas que pueden pasar desapercibidas: relaciones familiares y amistosas y el día a día de los personajes que les dan esa tercera dimensión que algunas lectoras necesitamos para conectar con la historia.
Y aunque los protagonistas son, evidentemente, el centro de la historia, a su alrededor pululan ideas, imágenes, situaciones y secundarios suficientes para convertir a la historia en un trocito de realidad.
Y ya como colofón el final. Porque cómo dije anteriormente, es más importante el camino que el final, y esta vez Ms. Parker ha convertido ese final en algo precioso. Y olvidándose de guiones preestablecidos. Perfecto.
Por hacer un resumen, personajes imperfectos pero encantadores, diálogos interesantes, cero melodrama y un final feliz que sí que durará después de cerrar el libro. No de muchas se puede decir eso.
Me ha encantado.
It is so difficult to find good stories. It seems easy, but it is not. But, between thousands and thousands of clichés, melodrama and pompous prose, occasionally you meet one. Because there are authors who decide that telling a story is more than a HEA. Something more than a bag of trite ideas wrapped in cheap melodrama that lead to the deliberate happy end. Sometimes I meet authors like Ms. Parker who decide that in romance, more important than the usual happy ending is the path that leads to it. To my everlasting joy (and enjoyment).
The background in this series are the performing arts and TV world in all its forms: cinema, theater, circus and finally television.
But the most important thing is how the story is told. Is all about the people who struggle every day to achieve their dreams. And we are the privileged spectators who see how this happens.
Where other authors fall into the temptation to turn the lifestyle of these controversial characters into the focus of the story, namely high-end cars, jewelry, fancy dresses, high performance brands and houses like castles, etc., Ms. Parker focuses all her attention on the little things that can go unnoticed: family and friends relationships and the day-to-day life of the characters that give them that third dimension that some of us readers need to connect with the story.
And although the MC´s are obviously at the center of the story, around them swarm ideas, images, situations and secondary characters enough to turn the story into a little piece of reality.
And the icing on the cake was the end. Because, as I said before, is more about the journey than the destination, and this time Ms. Parker has turned that end into something beautiful and original forgetting the so dreading pre-established script. Perfect.
To sum it up, flawed but charming characters, interesting dialogues, zero melodrama and a HEA that will last long after closing the book. I can´t say this a lot.
I loved it.
e-ARC kindly provided by Harlequin-Carina Press via Netgalley.
Es muy difícil encontrar buenas historias. Parece fácil pero no lo es. Pero entre miles y miles de clichés, de melodrama y de pomposa prosa de vez en cuando se encuentran. Porque hay autoras que deciden que contar una historia es algo más que un final feliz. Algo más que un saco de ideas manidas envueltas en melodrama fácil que llevan al deliberado Final Feliz. En ocasiones me encuentro con autoras como Ms. Parker que deciden que en el romance, más importante que el consabido final feliz es el camino que lleva a él. Para mi eterna alegría y disfrute.
Esta serie tiene como trasfondo el mundo del espectáculo en todas sus formas: cine, teatro, circo y finalmente televisión.
Pero lo más importante es lo que cuentan. Historias de personas que luchan día a día para lograr sus sueños y nosotros somos las espectadoras privilegiadas que ven cómo esto sucede.
Donde otras autoras caen en la tentaci��n de convertir el estilo de vida de estos personajes tan controvertidos en el protagonista de la historia, a saber, coches de alta gama, joyas, vestidos de lujo, grandes marcas y aún mayores casas, etc. Ms. Parker enfoca toda su atención en las pequeñas cosas que pueden pasar desapercibidas: relaciones familiares y amistosas y el día a día de los personajes que les dan esa tercera dimensión que algunas lectoras necesitamos para conectar con la historia.
Y aunque los protagonistas son, evidentemente, el centro de la historia, a su alrededor pululan ideas, imágenes, situaciones y secundarios suficientes para convertir a la historia en un trocito de realidad.
Y ya como colofón el final. Porque cómo dije anteriormente, es más importante el camino que el final, y esta vez Ms. Parker ha convertido ese final en algo precioso. Y olvidándose de guiones preestablecidos. Perfecto.
Por hacer un resumen, personajes imperfectos pero encantadores, diálogos interesantes, cero melodrama y un final feliz que sí que durará después de cerrar el libro. No de muchas se puede decir eso.
Me ha encantado.
November 22, 2021
This is the fifth book in the London Celebrities series and it's another winner. I loved it! It can be read as a standalone but I recommend you read book 4 first since there are spoilers for that plot in book 5.
Sabrina has every reason to hate Nick, her competition in the evening news shows. But their networks have been bought out and after a few bad months they are reassigned to the early morning news show--together. The sparks fly as we watch these two bicker and fling insults but grow closer due to proximity. They also begin to join forces to find out just who is sabotaging their show and trying to make them look inept and lose their jobs.
Sabrina and Nick are both fiercely competitive and ambitious. But Nick took this too far when he broke a story that hurt and humiliated Sabrina and her family (This took place in book 4). I was prepared to like Nick but not sure how the author was going to dig him out of the hole he put himself in. He damaged his own reputation with his ruthlessness and he lost a good friend over the news story. He was starting to realize that he made a big mistake and he truly felt sorry. We learn more about his background and his motivation and see more clearly what happened that night. He apologized sincerely and groveled nicely. I believed his remorse. Sabrina has her own issues to deal with and the romance and friendship that develops between the MCs was just lovely. Nick became very protective of Sabrina and she lights him up and shows him how much joy life can bring.
I have loved every book in this series. I can't shout it from the rooftops enough. I believe that this is the last entry in the series although there are more characters I'd love to read about (Iain for one). I hope Lucy Parker keeps writing and I'll be the first in line to pay full price and read any book she writes (and coming from a cheapskate like me, that is a glowing recommendation) 😉
Safety
Sabrina has every reason to hate Nick, her competition in the evening news shows. But their networks have been bought out and after a few bad months they are reassigned to the early morning news show--together. The sparks fly as we watch these two bicker and fling insults but grow closer due to proximity. They also begin to join forces to find out just who is sabotaging their show and trying to make them look inept and lose their jobs.
Sabrina and Nick are both fiercely competitive and ambitious. But Nick took this too far when he broke a story that hurt and humiliated Sabrina and her family (This took place in book 4). I was prepared to like Nick but not sure how the author was going to dig him out of the hole he put himself in. He damaged his own reputation with his ruthlessness and he lost a good friend over the news story. He was starting to realize that he made a big mistake and he truly felt sorry. We learn more about his background and his motivation and see more clearly what happened that night. He apologized sincerely and groveled nicely. I believed his remorse. Sabrina has her own issues to deal with and the romance and friendship that develops between the MCs was just lovely. Nick became very protective of Sabrina and she lights him up and shows him how much joy life can bring.
I have loved every book in this series. I can't shout it from the rooftops enough. I believe that this is the last entry in the series although there are more characters I'd love to read about (Iain for one). I hope Lucy Parker keeps writing and I'll be the first in line to pay full price and read any book she writes (and coming from a cheapskate like me, that is a glowing recommendation) 😉
Safety
February 5, 2020
3 to 3.5 stars. I liked it OK, but didn't love it as much as many others plainly do. Took me a little while to finish it cos I wasn't totally hooked.
It's about two TV hosts on a morning show. It's not a TV genre I watch, and I found it a little difficult to connect with the main characters. They felt a little two-dimensional to me.
The plot line was OK, and there were some sweet moments. Overall, the book was a little underwhelming for me. Not the worst in the series (I haven't been able to finish #3 Making Up yet LOL) but not the best either. (For me, that's #2 Pretty Face). Oh well, I guess I'll keep reading the series if it continues.
It's about two TV hosts on a morning show. It's not a TV genre I watch, and I found it a little difficult to connect with the main characters. They felt a little two-dimensional to me.
The plot line was OK, and there were some sweet moments. Overall, the book was a little underwhelming for me. Not the worst in the series (I haven't been able to finish #3 Making Up yet LOL) but not the best either. (For me, that's #2 Pretty Face). Oh well, I guess I'll keep reading the series if it continues.
January 28, 2020
I liked this! It didn't reach the heights of The Austen Playbook for me, but it still gave me that good book feeling. I really enjoyed the almost-accidental, almost-fake relationship portrayed by the paparazzi!
And, wow, Lucy Parker is SO good at writing side characters. Give me all the stories!
Overall owned book 4/5 for the month
And, wow, Lucy Parker is SO good at writing side characters. Give me all the stories!
Overall owned book 4/5 for the month
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