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10 celebrity romances

A workaholic bodyguard falls for the hunky actor she’s paid to protect in Center’s swoony new read about finding love and mending fences. Hannah Brooks may look like a kindergarten teacher, but that’s just one reason she’s a sought-after executive protection agent. Reclusive but adored actor Jack Stapleton doesn’t want a bodyguard at all, and he definitely doesn’t want his ailing mother to know he needs protection from a stalker. But his manager insists. When he meets Hannah—and when she lays him flat on his back with her badass bodyguard skills—not only does he want to hire her, he wants her to pose as his girlfriend so no one will suspect a thing. Complications ensue. Happiness for Beginners remains my favorite, but with its endearing protagonists, adorable banter, winning sense of humor, and fun industry details for both leads, this one is piles of breezy fun. Closed door. For fans of Mikaella Clements and Onjuli Datta’s The View Was Exhausting and Annabel Monaghan’s Nora Goes Off Script.
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Ice queen and veteran actress Bess is working on a top TV medical drama that she hates. Ray of sunshine and former child actress Summer hopes the show will lead to more serious roles. Things get complicated for the closeted women when their characters are given a love story. Especially when a French director believes Bess and Summer are dating in real life, leading to them faking a relationship so Bess can get her dream movie role. A fake relationship turned slow burn with great Hollywood behind-the-scenes. (Open door.)
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Neevah Saint is a Broadway understudy hoping for her big break when director Canon Holt casts her in his Harlem Renaissance biopic about singer and activist Dessi Blue. It would not look good for the actress and director to start a relationship but it’s hard to resist chemistry like this and so they decide to keep it under wraps. Meanwhile, Neevah is also trying to manage her lupus and all that entails. An emotional, layered read; I hear this is wonderful on audio. (Open door.)
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Theo loves music but he hates being a rock star. He never expected to be in the spotlight. Caleb left the limelight behind in order to maintain his sobriety. It could never work between them but neither wants to walk away. They just might have something to teach each other in this angsty contemporary romance. (Open door.)
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Comedic actress Sienna Diaz can’t read a map to save her life. When her latest role takes her to the Great Smoky Mountains, she keeps getting lost, only to be found by Park Ranger Jethro Winston. He’s ridiculously hot and has good manners. How can she possibly resist? I thoroughly enjoy this series set in the mountains of eastern Tennessee, where six handsome brothers fix cars, hang with family, do battle with the local motorcycle gang, and fall in love. (Open door.)
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I just blew through this series (again) on vacation and it was good for my reading life. Richard and Lainie are actors in London's West End. Though talented, Richard's cranky off-stage antics are turning his fans against him, and the theater is worried they won't be able to sell tickets. Fan favorite Lanie is already stuck working with her cheating ex-boyfriend, and then it gets worse: she's asked to pose as his new girlfriend to help Richard clean up his reputation. And fans love nothing more than an on-stage/off-stage romance, so soon they're packing in the crowds. But then the lines between on-stage and off begin to blur. A fast, fun contemporary romance with a keen sense of humor.
Annie Cassidy is a Nora Ephron-obsessed writer who dreams of both writing a rom com and finding a Tom Hanks of her own to love. Those dreams begin to come true when a Hollywood film crew invades her Columbus neighborhood to shoot a new romantic comedy featuring the handsome Drew Danforth … who Annie believes to be an overgrown manchild who cares more about on-set pranks than acting the part of a serious film star. But as Annie gets to know the people on set better, her life starts to take on an eerie resemblance to some of her favorite movies. This familiar story feels fresh and fun in Winfrey’s hands, and absolutely oozes charm. (In this closed-door romance, the sexy stuff is present, but happens offscreen.)
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In this delightful follow-up to The Friend Zone, bestie Sloan gets her own story. After an adorable (and extended) meet-cute involving a stray pup, Sloan strikes up a flirty text thread with the dog’s owner, who’s out of the country for work. These texts turn into emails, and then hours-long phone calls; the two haven’t met in person but the connection is undeniable. It’s the first time Sloan has felt excited about anything since her fiancé died two year ago. But can a touring musician make a relationship work—and does Sloan even want it to? You’ll have more context if you read The Friend Zone first, but this novel absolutely stands on its own. Heads up: there’s a steamy open-door scene or two here.
A fresh, fun, and flirty new romance novel about a soap opera star and a telenovela hunk who are both trying to catch their big break with their brand new bilingual TV show. Jasmine and her sisters come up with some rules to guide her on the path to success, calling it the "Leading Lady Plan." One principle: "leading ladies do not rebound with their co-stars." This shouldn't be difficult. Ashton is banking on this new series to make his career, too. He's perfectly professional...but of course, despite their reluctance to let romance get in the way of their dreams, these two can't deny their chemistry. Heads up for a few spicy scenes and open door moments.
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MMD team member Chelsey recommended this rom com in our Best Books of the Year event, and as soon as she said "unique structure" I wrote it on a sticky note. Olivia Dade weaves television and movie scripts, fanfiction excerpts, and a modern day romance together in her latest novel about fandoms, friendship, and fame. Marcus Caster-Rupp stars on a popular TV show by day and writes fanfiction about that show under a pseudonym by night. April Whittier has hidden her hardcore fangirling from friends and coworkers for years. When she finally works up the courage to post a photo of her cosplay online, it goes viral and lands her a date with the hottest star of her favorite show: Marcus Caster-Rupp. The real plot twist? They've been talking to each other on the fanfiction forums as writing partners and friends for years. Marcus discovers this first, but he can't reveal his identity without risking his acting career, leading to some serious fictional drama. Dade writes romance with realistic characters, a balance of serious and sweet moments, and open door scenes.
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