by Lauren Blakely
Genre(s): New Adult, Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: Season Publishing
Date Published: October 9, 2014
Format Acquired: ARC from Publisher via Netgalley
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My Rating:
Celebrity photographer and college senior Jess Leighton desperately needs to crash the wedding of the year. Snapping just one pic of the A-list Hollywood couple tying the knot will pay her way through grad school. But with security tighter than the bride-to-be's corset, she'll need more than her camera and smarts, she'll need help from her biggest rival--hot, British, motorcycle-riding William Harrigan, whose sexy accent can melt the panties off any woman. He’s the last person Jess should trust, but he's her only ticket in.
William Harrigan wants one thing – to stay in L.A. past college graduation. With a student visa set to expire, the clock is ticking. When he lands a gig that pairs him with the beautiful blond spitfire Jess, he’s scored his best shot at living out the American dream. Winning her trust would be a whole lot easier, however, if he didn’t have ulterior motives...
But there’s no faking the intense attraction between them. Try as they might to resist each other, soon sparks are flying, as they devise a plan to sneak into the ceremony. But when Jess' new celebrity client raises the stakes, she starts to smell blackmail, and soon she and Will are chasing down cheating directors, staking out clandestine trysts, and making fake IDs, all while sneaking scene-stealing kisses and hot nights together.
The audience loves a happy ending, but in a town where everyone's acting and no one's playing by the rules, can Jess and William find their own ever after in time?
Don't miss the prequel (Must be read before Stars in Their Eyes):
I've read a lot of Lauren Blakely books before and was hooked with the series Caught Up In Love and now this spin off series, Wrapped Up In Love, has got me all giddy and excited for the rest of the characters to get their own stories.
This spin off begins with the story of Jess Leighton and Will Harrigan, two college students, both with hopes of fulfilling future dreams. Their story actually starts in A Starstruck Kiss, the prequel. And this ARC I had received included the novella at the beginning, so I'm going to have to review the flow of both. Mind you, A Starstruck Kiss is a must read because it is the introduction to their blooming romance.
Jess is currently saving up money to pay for grad school, and she's working on it by being a papparazzo, snapping pictures of celebrities, young and old, for an agency. This is her only job, and she can't afford to lose it and even slack off. Always on the lookout, she's on alert as to where to find the right celebrity and even has them memorized from flash cards. Yes, that's how serious she is. But the moment she starts sensing competition from the new British hottie, Will Harrigan, who keeps popping up everywhere she tries to do her work, she feels the need to get all territorial.
Will is on the lookout of a permanent job, someone to sponsor his stay in the States in order to shift his soon-to-expire student visa to a working one. And with Jess, he can't stop thinking about his 'American Girl'. All the more reason to stay in L.A. But Jess has no time for a relationship, she's sure she doesn't need or want one, but this British hottie will surely change her mind.
She was lovely. And hot. And feisty. Translation - Everything I liked best.
All of a sudden, his actions get a wee bit suspicious about him being a paparazzo. And then he tells her that he's got connections that can get them into the hottest and biggest celebrity wedding of all time. How can she ever turn that down? If she's going to want to nab those photos, she's going to have to trust him. The prequel ends with a cliffhanger that leads to Stars In Their Eyes.
With all their secrets now open to each other, these two have decided to partner up instead in order for Jess to nab the hottest Hollywood wedding of the year. Two famous celebrities tying the knot and getting dibs on photographs of this event would definitely earn her big bucks and keep her on top of the game.
The budding relationship between Jess and Will is just purely sweet and adorable, because of their display as the typical young adult relationship. They're cute together, sweet together, funny together and most of all, sexy together. Having read the prequel, these two have got me hooked. The chemistry between them is just over the top, because finally, Jess has quit her game of denial towards her feelings for Will.
I have never doubted any of this author's romances. I've always enjoyed the chemistry of her pairings. Jess is a really fun character to read. She's funny, sassy and sarcastic and I could instantly relate to her personality. Definitely the type of girl I would want to be friends with. Meanwhile, Will is just epic. He's the sweetest book boyfriend ever (And the fact that he's British also counts as a major plus).
Kissing her was not optional. It was mandatory, and as necessary as air or breath.
Although, despite having enjoyed the over the top chemistry between these two, I also felt that the plot was kind of a little jumbled up, and the consistency of the story line was a little far off, especially with Jess's supposed mishap that led to a celebrity's downfall. I won't elaborate much because to avoid spoiling the plot twists, but upon reading that particular part, it felt so random and was basically an extra to the story that didn't even seem necessary.
But nonetheless, this was a fun and slightly humorous read that did get me on my toes. I'm really looking forward to the next entry of this series. Oh, and a little tidbit, if you've read other books of Lauren Blakely, quite a number of her characters from the other books are mentioned here.
Till the next review!
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