Series: London Celebrities #1
Published by Carina Press on November 30th 2015
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Actors
Pages: 199
Format: eBook
Source: Library
This just in: romance takes center stage as West End theatre's Richard Troy steps out with none other than castmate Elaine Graham
Richard Troy used to be the hottest actor in London, but the only thing firing up lately is his temper. We all love to love a bad boy, but Richard's antics have made him Enemy Number One, breaking the hearts of fans across the city.
Have the tides turned? Has English rose Lainie Graham made him into a new man?
Sources say the mismatched pair has been spotted at multiple events, arm in arm and hip to hip. From fits of jealousy to longing looks and heated whispers, onlookers are stunned by this blooming romance.
Could the rumors be right? Could this unlikely romance be the real thing? Or are these gifted stage actors playing us all?
Act Like It has been on my watchlist for the longest time now, especially when I read so many raving reviews so I definitely had some high hopes for this book and I wish that I could say that I loved this book, that it swept me away and I couldn’t put it down….sadly though that wasn’t the case with Act Like It. I KNOW I am in the minority here, I definitely know that many won’t agree with what I thought but you know….that is okay. So what issues did I have with this book? Well, there isn’t too many, but one of the most important factors in reading (at least for myself) is that I am able to be fully engaged in a story. I almost reached 50% of the story before I started liking it. I really struggled with the first half, it just started so slow for me and even though I am a lover of dry humor (which was great by the way) there was just something off in the first half that I couldn’t put my finger on. It was enough though that I almost put this away. But I just pushed my way through the story until half way and then the story started to really improve for me.
Act Like It is a story about two involved actors in the London West End. Richard Troy is really rough around the edges, he says exactly what he thinks and isn’t shy about it and is not a “People Person” and needs some positive feedback and soon. So this is where we bring in our heroine, Lainie Graham. Lainie is ordered to pose as his girlfriend, to show the world that he has turned a “new leaf”. But the job they are asking her to do is much more difficult than she even thought it would be. Soon these two go from enemies who don’t really like each other, to really liking each other and this fake relationship starts to turn very real for them.
I will admit that the whole fake relationship set up is one of my favorite tropes to read and rarely do I ever see it in a contemporary setting. And I really enjoyed how the romance played out in the end even if the first half was a bumpy road for me. But once Richard and Lainie started connecting, the story just explodes. I did feel like the drama though was a bit overdone at times, however, the romance that develops between Richard and Lainie was refreshing. They don’t have the most conventional of relationships and I liked that a ton. The hidden depths we see from both Richard and Lainie is heartwarming and tangible.
Overall….even though Act Like It wasn’t an explosive romance that I was expecting, it was entertaining and an endearing read.
I do not always need explosive 😀
I have read several reviews that felt the same way you did about this book. There are too many books on my TBR for a meh romance!!
I’m glad the second half gave you the payoff for a book you were really anticipating. It’s so hard to decide whether to stick it or set it down when the first half is so iffy. Neat that they gave you a different sort of romance with one of your favorite tropes, Renee.
Glad that you still enjoyed it despite your issues. Same with you, I love fake relationship trope. It’s so entertaining but yeah sometimes they don’t work as I expect. Anyway, love your review. Fantastic, as always, my friend. ?❤️
that’s true that 50% is quite a lot to really get into the novel
I liked this but I was expecting more as well. It could have been all the hype (I read it at peak hype lol) but it didn’t wow me. It was cute though and I still want to read Pretty Face at some point.
For What It’s Worth
Still sounds like it’s worth a read. So glad you persevered till the end! 😉 How interesting to see a fake relationship in contemporary romance and especially paired up with enemies-to-lovers.
I loved this book!!! It was unique, and the author had a wonderful way with sarcasm and dry wit – which was right up my alley. Lovely review!!