Hott Take by Serena Bell
Series: Hott Springs Eternal #2
Release Date: April 16, 2024
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Pages: 322
Format Read: e-arc
Summary: The hard part isn’t acting like we’re falling for each other. It’s pretending we’re not.
Shane: My grandfather’s will has me between a rock and a Hott place. If I don’t score a celebrity wedding, my sister will lose her wedding planning business—and our family’s land. As a playboy movie star, I know Hollywood’s ins and outs. But finding two celebrities in love is tougher than it looks.
Enter Ivy Scofield—the beautiful star of one of TV’s most beloved failures. She’s hiding from her past in Rush Creek, running a community theater for troubled kids. She needs my family’s wedding barn to save her program. So we make a deal: I give her the barn—she gives me her hand in fake marriage. Lights, camera, action—and cut—right?
Not so fast. Planning our fake wedding is way more personal than I was expecting. I’m learning Ivy’s quirks, preferences, and pet peeves—and that’s before I walk in on her enjoying my most infamous on-camera scene. Plus she’s slowly peeling back my layers—the ones I’ve built up to protect myself. If someone doesn’t do something soon, we might discover that the only thing fake about this wedding is the way we keep pushing each other away.
A spicy, movie star, marriage of convenience, fake relationship standalone romantic comedy set in the beloved small town of Rush Creek.
Review
Rating: 5/5 stars
Spice: 2/5
Review: This is the second book in the Hott Springs Eternal series but each book could be read as a standalone. This story follows Shane who must have a celebrity wedding to save his sister’s business but the wedding he planned failed and now he needs to marry Ivy. I really enjoyed this story and have been waiting for it since book 1. Bell did really well with this book because I loved every moment of it. There was a lot of development, steam, and conflicts to keep the story really entertaining. The pacing was great and I loved seeing more of Springs Eternal and going to LA. I loved the cute moments in this book and finding easter eggs for the upcoming books. This story is told from both Shane and Ivy’s pov.
Shane is known as a player in Hollywood and trying to do a celebrity wedding is harder than he expected until he meets Ivy. I loved seeing him fall in love and seeing him develop after his past trauma. Ivy quit her Hollywood job but is still known but is focusing on helping theater kids. I loved her story and seeing her side of how Hollywood affected her but she wants to help the kids succeed. They were both just perfect for each other. There were many side characters in this book but mainly they were the same. The romance is fake dating and instant love and I loved the chemistry between the two. The connected they had was amazing and very steamy.
The ending was well done and I loved how cute it was. We also get an epilogue and a hint of what’s going to happen in the upcoming books which I’m super excited for. Bell is an incredible writer and I recommend checking out this book especially starting with the first one if you have time.
*this e-arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*
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