Abbi Devine never expected Hollywood to be like this…
Leaving her small town in northern Maine for Hollywood was always going to be a gamble, but she’s finally got her chance- a speaking part as a burlesque dancer in a movie starring A list actor Aaron Halliday.
However, when she’s thrown off her stride and ends up in a heap on the floor, Aaron’s the one to come to her rescue. There’s an undeniable attraction between them which comes as a surprise to Abbi, who has sworn off men following a bad experience.
Is Aaron really the unfeeling playboy the press make him out to be? And can Abbi let go of her past to enjoy her present?
Remember how I don’t really read crime fiction? Well, that worked out ok, didn’t it? So today I’ve read something else I don’t usually read – erotic fiction. But I loved Katey Lovell’s writing in the Meet Cute series (here‘s my review of the first three, and here‘s my review of The Boy Under the Mistletoe) and I was fascinated to see how she tackled something a little different in a more substantial piece of writing (this one’s 69 pages long).
One Night In Los Angeles is published today (27th January) for kindle by Tirgearr Publishing. Hot, steamy and pretty graphic it might be – and that side of it is very well done – but this is essentially a love story, not just a story of lust. Abbi is immediately likeable – funny, down-to-earth and normal – and I really liked the scene where she falls for the gorgeous Aaron (in more ways than one) while trying to film a scene as a burlesque dancer. Aaron has a bad reputation, but we get to see beyond that – and I really liked what I saw. The experience that put her off men is well described, and very real – and I was delighted when Aaron turned out to have rather more about him than looks and body to die for and a way with his hands.
When reviewing the Meet Cute stories, I mentioned that Katey has a real talent for drawing her characters in a few deft strokes. She does it again here – with the restaurant owner, with the wardrobe lady who makes sure Abbi is suitably dressed for her night on the town with a star. There are great descriptions of the settings too – I know this is a genre where the decor is probably often incidental, but Aaron’s hotel suite was described in wonderful detail, as was the trailer, and the restaurant and its surroundings. She also has a real talent for dialogue – here we have a girl from Maine meeting a Hollywood superstar written by a Yorkshire girl, but there’s absolutely nothing about it that doesn’t feel right. And I really, really liked the fact that it was a love story – I probably wouldn’t have liked it quite as much had it only been bedroom athletics. This is a story with warmth, tenderness and a heart, and I really enjoyed it.
My thanks to author Katey Lovell for providing an e-copy for review.
Katey Lovell is fanatical about words. An avid reader, writer and poet, she once auditioned for Countdown and still tapes the show every night. Getting the conundrum before the contestants is her ultimate thrill.
She loves love and strives to write feel-good romance that’ll make you laugh and cry in equal measure.
Originally from South Wales, Katey now lives in Yorkshire with her husband and their seven year old son.
You might like to visit Katey’s Pinterest boards, and you can also find her on Twitter, Facebook and through her author blog.