Book Description:
A Hollywood hair stylist.
Nevaeh Richards loves making those in the spotlight shine but prefers the anonymity of staying behind her stylist chair, where no one notices her. But when a photo of Nevaeh and Hollywood A-lister Lamont Booker goes viral for all the wrong reasons, her quiet life becomes the number-one trending topic.
The silver screen’s latest heartthrob.
Lamont Booker’s bold faith has gained him a platform, and the authenticity of his faith is well known . . . until the tabloids cause the world to question everything he claims to be. With his reputation on the line, he finds himself hearing out his agent’s push for a fake relationship–something he never thought he’d consider in a million years.
A love that goes off script.
With their careers at risk, Nevaeh and Lamont have to convince the world that their scripted romance is more than just an act. But when fake seems to turn into something real, can Nevaeh trust her heart in a world where nothing is ever as it seems?
Narelle’s Thoughts:
I enjoyed reading The Love Script, set in Hollywood, California. Nevaeh is a hair stylist and makeup artist who wants to land a key stylist role on a movie or tv series. To supplement her stylist income, she works in a hair salon and visits clients in their homes. Her home visits include a client recovering from cancer who happens to live with her famous Hollywood actor son.
Lamont Booker is known as SMA (sexiest man alive) and Nevaeh is one of his biggest fans. She jumps at the opportunity to look after Lamont’s mom’s hair needs when he approaches her while working together on a set. Nevaeh is the invisible help in his home who Lamont doesn’t notice until a photo of them together is misrepresented and threatens his livelihood.
Lamont is a Christian who has made a public celibacy pact. When his agent proposes that Lamont starts a fake relationship with Navaeh to save Lamont’s endorsement deals and stop him being cancelled, he views it as a logical answer to his problems. Nevaeh’s life is turned upside down after she’s outed as Lamont’s girlfriend.
I loved how the fake relationship trope played out in the story. The morality clauses in Lamont’s contracts had unintended consequences. At the core of their fake relationship is a lie that they announced to the world. In a Christian romance, that deception needs to be addressed, and the consequences played out in the story. As a result, Lamont and Nevaeh’s faith is challenged as they spend time together and fall in love for real.
The body positivity message in the story is fantastic. Nevaeh is not a skinny Hollywood starlet, and the expectations that Lamont should be paired with someone who meets society’s perceptions of beauty and body type is explored in the story. I recommend The Love Script to contemporary romance readers who like compelling fake relationship romances set in the Hollywood celebrity world with a strong faith element in the story.
Many thanks to Net Galley and Bethany House for the advanced reader copy.
