Release Day Review ~ Marriage of Inconvenience by M.J. O'Shea
Title: Marriage of Inconvenience
Author: M.J. O'Shea
Release Date: August 15, 2016
Category: Contemporary, Dreamspun Desires
Pages: 214
Blurb:
Lights, Camera, Lies.
Kerry Pickering has a problem. As a publicist for Hollywood bad boy Jericho Knox, it’s Kerry’s job to keep Jericho in the news. So far, Jericho’s partying and public escapades have made it easy. But Jericho has a secret, and when that secret is revealed in the most spectacularly disastrous way, it’s up to Kerry to spin it.
The team decides the best course of action is to make the public fall in love—with Jericho’s secret committed relationship. The one that doesn’t exist. Yet.
The team wants someone they can trust. Someone in the inner circle. That someone is Kerry. But what will happen when Kerry realizes that for him, the romance is no longer pretend? Can Jericho love him back, or is he just playing a role?
Buy The Book:
Heather's Review
**Copy provided by Dreamspinner Press to Bayou Book Junkie in exchange for a fair and honest review**
Marriage of Inconvenience is part of the Dreamspun Desires series. This book is a standalone book and can be read without reading the other books in the series.
Jericho Knox is the Hollywood bad boy that is tired of all the hoops he has to go through just to be an actor. He's on the verge of getting a role on a hit television series that he really wants and begrudgingly agrees to work with his PR people to clean up his image. Kerry Pickering is part of the PR team tasked with cleaning up Jericho's image. The image cleanup takes a turn after Jericho's last night of freedom takes an unexpected turn, though.
Through much of the book, Jericho came across as what I would expect a big name actor to be like, shallow and selfish. As you read further, you see the full image of Jericho emerge and see how he just plays the game expected of him. Kerry is the unassuming guy who lacks confidence in himself and would rather be left alone to do his own thing out of the public light.
This is not a meet, fall in love, happily ever after type of book. The relationship between Jericho and Kerry took some time to develop as they both let down their walls a little. I imagine it's a pretty accurate description of what goes on in Hollywood, which may be a little let down for those who enjoy the love lives of their favorite celebrities.
This was a light, non-angsty read with the typical misunderstanding/relationship troubles that occur in many (most?) romance books. There were only a couple sex scenes on the page, and I wouldn't rank them as sizzling. It's the kind of scenes that won't make you hesitate to recommend this book to a MM newbie.
Rating 4 stars
Jericho Knox is in trouble, well, more trouble than usual at least. After his agent and PR office decide he needs to clean up his act and date a nice girl for a few months to get the acting gig he covets, he goes out on a last night out and messes up. When the photos detailing his latest escapade hit the tabloids and social media, he finally gets what he's been wanting for years, to be able to come out. However, it's not that easy. If he wants the role of his dreams, he needs to do some damage control and the best his PR firm can come up with is Jericho having a fiancé who he's been hiding for months. And who better to play the part than sweet, unasuming Kerry Pickering, who works at the firm and will keep the secret of their fake relationship?
I have to admit I wasn't too sure I was going to like Jericho at first. He was really brash and seemed every bit the spoiled actor. However, once I got to see more of the real him, I warmed up to him. Kerry was such a sweet guy, though, and I loved that he didn't just put up with Jericho's bs, and actually stood up to him a few times.
I think this was a fairly realistic account of the 'relationships' that we find splattered on the magazines and media. I loved that this was such a slow burn romance, that the progression from hating each other to their HEA was done in a very natural manner. They had great chemistry and it was lovely to see them falling for each other.
While the last part of the story was a bit out there, with Jericho's revelation of what had happened to him when he was younger, well, I guess it provided with the needed angst to move things along towards the end.
All in all, a very good read! Sweet, if a tad predictable, but well-written and engaging, with fantastic characters that made me feel for them (I actually cried a couple of times for Kerry). Very recommendable!
Rating: 4 Stars!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment