Photo credits: ooceey (pixabay), M. Maggs (pixabay), gutport (pixabay) Edited by Vaishali Title: Star Bright Series: Starstruck #1 Author: Susannah Nix Publisher: Haver Street Press Year of Publication: 2022 Format: E-book/kindle app Genre/Themes: Contemporary romance, Adult fiction, Women's fiction, novella, Hollywood romance Review...
I've read rockstar romances. I've read a larger sum of billionaire boss romances still. And I've likely enjoyed a slew of themed stories between. From cocky cowboys to blue collar sweethearts to alpha protectors, hateful colleagues to stoics in a stiff suit, I've been around the fictional block. But out of them all? The Hollywood romance sub-genre is where I admittedly lack reading experience. I think I've read only few romances in the realm of high-profile celebrity. The trope rightfully reserves its own place, but between a line up of alternative trope-ish delights, this sub-listing wouldn't be an instant pick for me. There's Sybil Bartel's Scandalous, which amounted to chaos on a page sans cohesion, and to this day I'm still trying to surmise if I even liked the leading characters or even understood the story. Then there's Pranked by Sienna Valentine, which I really enjoyed. It had some great qualities, characters I liked and an interesting development, even if it was perhaps a bit too short to really flesh out those important bits. And finally, there's Marni Mann's Signed, which had a brilliantly compelling storyline with a substantive commentary on privacy, scandal, violation and public catastrophe, and leads with a brave heroine who has to navigate her way from a breakdown to a PR uplift to pick up the pieces of her broken life in the public domain. But where that story fell apart in some ways is the delivery of a problematic hero and a romance that lacked true intimacy. I definitely held my doubts close with Star Bright. Firstly because I've never read a Susannah Nix romance before now (and I had some of those first time nerves). Secondly because the limelight theme isn't a familiar favourite. Thirdly because my above history doesn't quite form a paragon of great delight, and lastly, because I wasn't sure if I'd really connect with Spencer and Kimberleigh from a third person narrative. I demand the joy of a semi-decent pun (so please delight in this one) but Nix nixed my doubts quite quickly with this one. Star Bright is a diligently scribed, well-written, industry-themed romantic novella that manages to hit multiple notes, taps into multiple (celeb-centric) themes and thoughtfully offers an honest reflection of a life where fame, celebrity and stardom can create the untouchable personas who walk red carpets, perform with nothing short of poise but are damned if sublimity isn't met in all its forms. Through Kimberleigh, the story exposes a life of being a publicised figure within an industry that can feel hard to navigate, fields through strangeness, so mile-a-minute that it's sometimes hard to breathe. And that's where Spencer Devlin enters the frame, to literally help our heroine breathe again. I'm going to get into a bit of backstory. In the media we're used to seeing the tense, hostile and sometimes outright belligerent relationships that blossom between the celebrity and the circuit of story-capitalising press people eager to find the story, expose the story and care little for the bleeding wounds left behind. That's not precisely why Kimberleigh hates Spencer though, even if she believes he's equipped with the same shifty instincts. During an interview with him that made viral noise and embarrassed them both had ended with an embargo on Spencer's name. Never again wanting to interact with the underhanded, gainful man with a facile, culture-pleasing approach and focussed more on her look than her legwork, Kimberleigh blacklisted him. As a woman who has to be very aware of her place and position in the sometimes-scorching spotlight and the culture that surrounds it, the life and mind of Kimberleigh Cress is expected to be something seraphic and flawless every moment of her public life. With all her existing pressure, she didn't need a reporter reducing her Integrity as a female actress. From mental health to the limelight culture to topics of privacy, intimacy, vulnerability, and the tests of a privatised relationship, I really liked the representation across the board. I did feel that the phases of the relationship development shifted too fast and were paced too quickly, which resulted in pushing past the places where more connection might have been appreciated. And thereafter, most of it felt a bit curtains-closed and retold retrospectively. Initially, we definitely do experience the enemies to lovers vibe - more on Kimberleigh's part than Spencer's - but that smoothes itself out after a single unique interchange exposes a side to her enemy that humanises him. Then the story falls quite quickly into an instant kind of love - on Spencer's part this time - and then ensues a behind-closed-doors relationship. While I did enjoy the on-page scenes Kimberleigh and Spencer share, a lot of the development is very 'in the back of beyond' because the story fills in many gaps in the style of 'tell over show'. In addition, Spencer and Kimberleigh's expressed feelings do become quite repetitive. The longer passages sometimes stall the story in place of that feeling of motion that moves a story along, and there are a few areas of storyline that aren't handed closure. But then, as is the way with novellas, so I didn't lean in with too much expectation. As a story, Star Bright doesn't push too pointedly, hit too hard nor demand too much, but with sophisticated prose, it's a light read that gracefully faces some rampant topics. And inside of an entertainment enterprise that seems to break, scandalise and even misrepresent those who are a part of its art, this first telling in the Starstruck series brushes against those larger reflections while tightening the frame on a romantic relationship where trust is hard to feel, hard to accept and even harder to give away. Especially for a starlighted heroine who hasn't had the best life. While the theme isn't my normal fare, I was happy to take in the sights, sounds and secret relationship between an actress and a generous press personality who just adores her. Spencer's such a sweet sweet well-spoken cinnabun hero. He's so honest right from the start, and his charming, disarming personality amounts to the right blend of man Kimberleigh needs in her life. There's some angst, sweetness, tenderness and conversational wit, and when the gently budding relationship hits the rocks I was so dejected for them both, desperately wanting them to find their happiness together as much as I was truly respectful of the way Spencer made a decision fit for him. When the angst got angsty, I did find myself hitting the milder side of an emotional state. It's easy to expect perfection, arrogance or elitism of two famed people for who live in an influential arena but Nix's love interests are intelligent and sophisticated as much as being humanised with softer sides. It's also easy to steamroll a persona that exists to shield the person but there's more than meets the eye of an untouchable starlet who's always having to force much more than a state of composure. With Spencer especially, even though he's warm, obliging and gracious, I liked that he was upfront about any prior professional misdemeanours and that working in this Industry was just as much a major learning curve for him. He was quite honest about his mistakes, and the ones that weren't his to claim, and that made him quick to like from the start. Even just the way these two think about each other, near or apart made my heart twitch every now and then. There's the broader feelings synonymous with the lifestyle and there's the smaller intimacy of the people behind the profession. There's a place for sunshine heroines, quirky heroines and tortured heroines, but there's also a place for walled-off heroines, and I'm glad that even Kimberleigh's wasn't impervious to the Devlin charm. Kimberleigh has the world fooled of much more than her image. To protect oneself in this industry sometimes requires armour in the role of various forms. And while distance seems to help Kimberleigh survive the sticks and stones of it all, she doesn't want to be a familiar flash fish, a drop in the ocean, only remembered as a one-fit archetype. Her world is one of finely manipulated manoeuvres, one where people like Spencer Devlin trade in stories like hers. She's serious about roles that test her image, but a certain entertainment personality's about to really take that role home. This one draws a picture of a celebrity actress and an ambitious reporter/media personality who both want bigger and better opportunities while sidelong lives the pressure of having to be people always on the ball without ever stumbling. With likeable characters, bites of sarcasm received by wit, a secret Hollywood romance and a fledgling bigwig relationship, this one gets a tight and tender low-key Hollywood HEA. Star Bright's a novella that's really well-packed for a shorter length read, with a hero and heroine who break the typecast as they trade a rivalhood for a romance. I gave this book 3.5/4 stars - Content Warning/listing: Swearing. A bedroom scene (the following are off-page). Mentions smoking and recreational drugs. Anxiety, panic/anxiety attacks. Also mentions an abuse victim. Parental alcoholism. Hero who's had therapy rep. Mentions substance abuse, addiction and overdose. --------------------------------------- M Y R A T I N G S Y S T E M: ★ - 1 star: I did not like the book ★★ - 2 stars: The book was okay ★★★ - 3 stars: It was a good, solid read ★★★★ - 4 stars: A great book ★★★★★ - 5: A phenomenal read --------------------------------------- I love interacting with fellow readers, reviewers, bloggers and writers. Hearing about reader opinion is the fuel to my reader appetite, so get in touch and comment below! SHARE ON FACEBOOK Leave a comment and let's talk about |
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February 2024
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