GIVEAWAY + Book Review - [Hollywood Lies] by N.K. Smith

3.5 Steamy Stars

[My Summary + Review]

Collette Stroud is a native actress and successful Hollywood director.   Her next project is a low-budget film and she hires two young actors, Liliana Addison and Devon Maddox for the leading female and male role.  The executives want Liliana and Devon to create a fake relationship to drive up the hype of the new movie.  However, as Collette and Devon start to form a relationship it’s becoming difficult to maintain with Collette’s past issue, Devon’s lack of experience in Hollywood, added gossip from tabloids and the fake relationship between Liliana and Devon.

 One word to describe Hollywood Lies is DRAMA.  You will be rooting for Collette and Devon from start to finish.

Falling asleep with her is incredibly easy. I am so lucky

The first 30% of the read is getting to know Devon and Collette (Cole).  Cole has past issues, it’s apparent first off she is a really anxious person due to an attack she has endured, but we really don’t know the specifics yet. This I like because it kind of makes Cole a little real and venerable, also it explains why she is so recluse and cautious.  Devon is a fresh-face young actor and this role is his leading break that could launch his career. Devon is what you will call a typical young beautiful male… he loves sex.

There’s a lot of steam in this book.  Some reviewers have mentioned the read along the lines of “porn”. I just think it depends on what you are comfortable with.  Yes, at times, I felt like the steam was a bit much, but it didn’t really hinder the story.  I think it’s just something to be mindful of when you read a really steamy book.

Cole is 33 years old and Devon is 23.  I’ll be honest… I am not a fan of the ten year age gap, especially if the Heroine is the older one, HOWEVER, I get it.  Cole is an established actress so she kind of knows the ins-and-outs of Hollywood and Devon is new to the scene.  So we already know that the couple is starting off on uneven footing (this creates tension, which is good!).

The read is told in both Cole’s and Devon’s POV’s.  So you get a good picture of how they feel at the time. Cole and Devon don’t really interact until the 30% mark, but I really like how they first form a friendship until things get kinkier.  I really liked that they both bonded over playing the guitar, singing and reading books.  I’m a HUGE book worm, so I appreciate that little part.

The idea that this beautiful and vulnerable insomniac, who trusts very few people, has fallen asleep with me is more exciting than a passing fantasy of having sex with her

 Oh and the whole “beer or peanuts”, yeah that was cute too.

The relationship becomes shaky when Cole lets her guarded heart get the best of her.  Devon wants an open relationship, but Cole can’t move past all the publicity that comes with that. So, Liliana’s young careful attitude, Devon’s co-star, starts to look a little bit more interesting to Devon.

This read is a ball of emotions.  I think Cole is an interesting character and at times I kind of just wanted her to get over her issues and just let the relationship be, but I understood her point when I found out what happened.  Devon is kind of all over the place, but his character is very different from the typical Heroes’ I read.  Devon does like sex and yes there are some scenes where he hooks up with other girls and I cringed a little at those parts because I really was rooting for Cole, but it also reflects Devon’s maturity level and it also sets up his character.   Overall, both of them have flaws and it makes them both a little more “real”.

[Casting]

If you love SUPER steamy reads with love tri-angles, then Hollywood Lies is for you.  There’s plenty of sex, drama, tension and roller-coaster of emotions.

Devon is in my bed, eyes open, waiting on me to return.  There is something beautiful and scary in that.

An ARC was provided by Writer’s Coffee Shop via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Summary]

In a world where make believe is a multibillion dollar industry, it’s hard to know where the fantasy ends and real life begins. When Collette Stroud, an influential Hollywood actor and director, takes a chance on two young actors for her romantic teen movie, three lives converge in a complicated web of publicity, passion, lust, and lies.

The web is cast when Stroud, a woman with a few skeletons in her closet, hires two young artists in her low-budget film. She handpicks Liliana Addison and Devon Maddox to be Hollywood’s next big stars. Former child star Liliana has had limited success with her previous roles but hopes to take the world by storm under Collette’s tutelage. While Devon is an out of work actor, he never stops dreaming about making it big. The director’s interest in him assures Devon his dreams are about to become reality.

Sparks between Collette and Devon set their lives ablaze, but the studio has other plans. Executives concoct a fictitious romance in order to drive box office sales and launch careers between Devon and Liliana. When the studio offers to make the young actors into bona fide stars, will the price be too high to pay, or will the deal be too sweet to pass up?

Can the trio handle the pressure of a hidden romance coupled with a phony public relationship? Will love be enough to conquer the promise of fame, fortune, and a lasting legacy, or will it be an easy sacrifice?

All three will tread the thin line of Hollywood Lies and genuine passion on the most important red carpet walk of their lives.

[Excerpt]

“I’ve never played a Gibson like this before.”

“Is it everything you dreamed it would be?”

I lay the guitar over my legs and push my hair off my forehead. “It’s awesome.”

Cole continues to play.

I can’t help myself and blurt out a few questions. “Why are you so interested in me? Why’d you give me the part? Why’re you having dinner with me?”

Cole’s thumb brushes the strings one last time, but produces no sound. “Why is your confidence so low that you have to ask?”

I break eye contact with her; she doesn’t speak until I bring them back up.

“Professionally, I see a lot of talent in you. I believe you’re going to be a powerful force in Hollywood, and all you need is someone to vouch for you.”

“And that someone is you?”

“Do you have anyone else lined up?”

God, I wish I could have the upper hand in a discussion just once. It’s not just with Collette. This is how my entire life has gone, with me struggling to keep up. I shake my head.

“Actually, now is as good of time as any to talk to you about future roles. I’m directing a film right after Tortured Desires wraps. I want to discuss you taking the lead role.”

My mouth hangs open before I realize how stupid I must look. “Holy sh!t, really?”

“Yes. It’s another low-budget film, but it’s very dramatic and will show you can do something other than mindless teenage romances.”

“Tortured Desires isn’t mindless,” I say, then snap my mouth closed. I have to stay focused. “This new one, what’s it called?”

“The working title is Call Me Out, but the studio wants to call it Reflections. Anyway, you’d play the lead, Hayden, who is kind of a messed up kid because of his family history, but he’s looking for something to set him on the right path.”

“Kid?” I ask, wondering if this is just another movie aimed for teenaged consumption.

“Well, he’s in his twenties, like you.” She smiles and shakes her head. “Sorry, I’ve become an old woman now that I’m in my thirties. I tend to think of people in their twenties as kids.”

I hope she doesn’t think of me like that, but maybe it’s never been a bad thing to be young in Hollywood.

“I’d love the role.” I don’t even need to look at the script. If Cole believes in it and is directing it, that is all I need to jump in feet first. Then I remember a condition she put on why she was interested in me. “You said professionally. Are you interested in me in some other way?” Voicing the question makes my heart rate rise just a bit. I’m like a walking chick flick, complete with racing hearts and gushing hope.

“God, I love how innocent you are right now.” 

[About the Author]

 Based in the American Midwest, N.K. Smith is a Technical Writer for a Fortune 100 company. The author of the Old Wounds Series, she is a mother of two who finds the time to write very early in the morning when the rest of the world is still fast asleep.

An avid lover of history, art, music, books, and people, she is interested in telling stories that speak to the human condition.

Can be purchased - > The Writers Coffeeshop

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