As a fan of the friends-to-lovers theme I was immediately drawn to this tale and its characters whose love is put to the test when fame demands something more than what the hero’s willing to give. Keep reading to get a tempting taste of Lucky Star by Rebecca Norinne, along with my impressions of this book, then add this first part of The Love Story Series to your bookshelf. Once you’ve gotten your hands on this book, which you’ll definitely want to do while it’s currently on sale for 99 cents, you’ll want to start counting down the days until the next installment in this series comes out on July 23rd!
For years, I’ve only wanted two things: to hit it big in Hollywood, and to make love to my best friend Sarah. Now that I’ve landed the coveted lead role in The Ties That Bind, I can’t hold back my feelings any longer. If she’ll have me, I want to spend the rest of our lives together.
Unfortunately, the studio has other ideas. They want Sarah out of the picture so I can pretend to be in love with my captivating new co-star. This “fauxmance” is the worst idea I’ve ever heard, but everyone’s on board—including Sarah—so I have no choice but to get on board this runaway train or get left behind.
I promised her nothing would come between us, but Hollywood has. And now I don’t know if our love can survive my fame.
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MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
It’s a very rocky road to HEA in this engaging friends-to-lovers romance that pulled at my heartstrings while leaving me frustrated a time or two. With a love and connection that’s all-consuming, readers will find themselves drawn to this couple through all their highs and lows and will be rooting for them every step of the way. By the turn of the final page readers will be left exhausted and satisfied with a smile on their face courtesy of the richly rewarding ending that shows the power of love and friendship.
Sarah Travers is a feisty heroine who doesn’t exactly fit the mold of every man’s fantasy. She’s a bit curvy, a bit blunt, with self-esteem issues made worse by a judgmental and uncaring mother. Her love life may not be perfect either, but when it comes to friendship she has an extremely strong relationship with budding actor Cameron. They’ve been friends for years with a connection that completes them and gives them the unwavering support they can’t find from anyone else. She can’t ever picture her life without Cameron, but one drunken decision irrevocably changes everything. Years of attraction towards him finally gets acted upon with long-suppressed feelings coming to the forefront in numerous erotically-charged encounters. Just when personal doubts and fears get alieved, new issues arrive courtesy of the outside world when Cameron gets the starring role of a lifetime and Sarah once again is made to feel lacking. Through their evolving relationship Sarah stays true to who she is as the likable and supportive friend. She‘s protective of Cameron and wants him to have the success he’s always wanted which led to a fake relationship with his co-star that truly tested their budding romance and had me hitting my forehead against the wall once or twice. It was a hurtful decision to both of them and really left their HEA in doubt until they recommitted to what connected them in the first place in an empowering decision that had me cheering.
Cameron Scott’s a sexy small town boy who’s just starting to gain fame. He’s a sweet and loving son too with a friend who means the world to him. He and Sarah are a crackling duo with interactions teeming with sensuality, but he’s too afraid of acting on his amorous feelings for fear their friendship will end. One drunken night though brings all of their feelings out in the open and sets them on a path where friends have become lovers. It’s a romance that starts out sweet and sexy until his leading man role in a blockbuster movie thrusts his relationship with Sarah into the harsh lights of fame and leaves both of them floundering with doubts. During this time I found myself disappointed in Cameron as his actions weren’t always in support of Sarah. A time or two he got caught up in his own hype, but when it was just him and Sarah readers got to see a relationship worth fighting for. Through all their ups and downs Cameron wasn’t the perfect hero as some of his words and deeds hurt the one person he claimed to love the most. But his imperfection made him more easily relatable and showed a man willing to work to earn the woman he loved which ultimately endeared him to me.
On a whole this was an enjoyable read with a likable main couple you can’t help but root for. Their interactions were playful and supportive as friends while as lovers their scenes were scorching and plentiful. When it was just the two of them you could lose yourself in their happiness, but when the outside world intervened things became complicated. The movie business is cutthroat and Ms. Norinne vividly depicted that through its tampering in Cameron’s love life. While it was an over-the-top plot device, it definitely roused me out of my pleasant vibe to leave me on edge as they worked out how to balance fame with their needs and desires. Surrounding this realistically flawed main couple was an eclectic cast of secondary characters. Some were villainous, some were supportive, and some didn’t leave much of any impression, but together they all kept this story moving along at a satisfying pace that culminated in an equally satisfying conclusion. Fans of friends-to-lovers romances will find much to like about this book and will find themselves quickly captivated and ready for more from this author.
Sarah Travers is a feisty heroine who doesn’t exactly fit the mold of every man’s fantasy. She’s a bit curvy, a bit blunt, with self-esteem issues made worse by a judgmental and uncaring mother. Her love life may not be perfect either, but when it comes to friendship she has an extremely strong relationship with budding actor Cameron. They’ve been friends for years with a connection that completes them and gives them the unwavering support they can’t find from anyone else. She can’t ever picture her life without Cameron, but one drunken decision irrevocably changes everything. Years of attraction towards him finally gets acted upon with long-suppressed feelings coming to the forefront in numerous erotically-charged encounters. Just when personal doubts and fears get alieved, new issues arrive courtesy of the outside world when Cameron gets the starring role of a lifetime and Sarah once again is made to feel lacking. Through their evolving relationship Sarah stays true to who she is as the likable and supportive friend. She‘s protective of Cameron and wants him to have the success he’s always wanted which led to a fake relationship with his co-star that truly tested their budding romance and had me hitting my forehead against the wall once or twice. It was a hurtful decision to both of them and really left their HEA in doubt until they recommitted to what connected them in the first place in an empowering decision that had me cheering.
Cameron Scott’s a sexy small town boy who’s just starting to gain fame. He’s a sweet and loving son too with a friend who means the world to him. He and Sarah are a crackling duo with interactions teeming with sensuality, but he’s too afraid of acting on his amorous feelings for fear their friendship will end. One drunken night though brings all of their feelings out in the open and sets them on a path where friends have become lovers. It’s a romance that starts out sweet and sexy until his leading man role in a blockbuster movie thrusts his relationship with Sarah into the harsh lights of fame and leaves both of them floundering with doubts. During this time I found myself disappointed in Cameron as his actions weren’t always in support of Sarah. A time or two he got caught up in his own hype, but when it was just him and Sarah readers got to see a relationship worth fighting for. Through all their ups and downs Cameron wasn’t the perfect hero as some of his words and deeds hurt the one person he claimed to love the most. But his imperfection made him more easily relatable and showed a man willing to work to earn the woman he loved which ultimately endeared him to me.
On a whole this was an enjoyable read with a likable main couple you can’t help but root for. Their interactions were playful and supportive as friends while as lovers their scenes were scorching and plentiful. When it was just the two of them you could lose yourself in their happiness, but when the outside world intervened things became complicated. The movie business is cutthroat and Ms. Norinne vividly depicted that through its tampering in Cameron’s love life. While it was an over-the-top plot device, it definitely roused me out of my pleasant vibe to leave me on edge as they worked out how to balance fame with their needs and desires. Surrounding this realistically flawed main couple was an eclectic cast of secondary characters. Some were villainous, some were supportive, and some didn’t leave much of any impression, but together they all kept this story moving along at a satisfying pace that culminated in an equally satisfying conclusion. Fans of friends-to-lovers romances will find much to like about this book and will find themselves quickly captivated and ready for more from this author.
My rating for this is a B-
*I got this book for my own personal library and to give my honest opinion about it.
THE NEXT BOOK IN THE LOVE STORY SERIES RELEASING ON JULY 23RD:
THE TIES THAT BIND (Book #2)
When my twin brother Jayce orders a hit on Arabella Wilson—the daughter of our family’s greatest rival—I have no choice but to obey. Or so I let him think. What he doesn’t know is Arabella isn’t just the enemy...she’s also the only woman I’ve ever loved. She might be guilty of yanking my bleeding heart right out of my chest, but she doesn’t deserve to die.
The longer I delay carrying out Jayce’s orders, the more erratic he becomes, until he issues an ultimatum I can’t ignore: either I kill Arabella or he kills me. And since that’s not how my story ends, I have a choice to make. I’m a killer. It’s what I do. So who lives, and who dies? Will it be my brother or my lover, my darkness or my light?
AUTHOR INFO:
USA TODAY bestselling author Rebecca Norinne writes steamy contemporary romance featuring strong, determined heroines and sexy, dominant heroes with guaranteed happily-ever-afters.
When not writing, Rebecca can be found watching rugby, drinking craft beer, or traveling the globe in search of inspiration for her next story. Originally from California, Rebecca currently resides in Dublin, Ireland, with her husband.
Thank you for your wonderful review of Lucky Star. I'm glad to see you enjoyed Cameron and Sarah's journey to HEA.
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