An actress falls in love with her leading man in this historical romance set during the golden age of Hollywood.
Hollywood superstars Joan Davis and Dash Howard are contractually obligated to make one final film together. Joan is relieved it's only one. Although working with Dash made her a star, he was also responsible for her greatest public humiliation, setting her up to be targeted by ruthless tabloid reporter Leda Price. Ever since, Joan has treated Dash with cold, professional courtesy, while he has retaliated on set with a series of juvenile pranks. On the other hand, Joan is frustrated and humiliated that her recent movies—all of them without Dash as her leading man—have been a string of flops that have earned her a reputation as “box-office poison.” As Dash and Joan prepare to start filming, Joan’s tabloid-reporter nemesis reveals a piece of delicious and damning gossip. A wedding certificate Joan and Dash signed on the set of a previous film was filed at the LA County Courthouse—in the eyes of the law, they are married! Since the stars are unable to divorce in the state of California, the studio suggests moving the film set to Reno. If Joan and Dash take up residency there for six weeks, they can file for divorce in Nevada. Lenker’s debut delights in playing with the language and tropes of classic Hollywood films—studio moguls chewing cigars, curtains strung between beds, and furious banter between the love interests. Dash and Joan are both pressured to perform “being a star” in public, which makes it difficult for them to let down their guards and trust each other in private. The book itself falls into the same trap, though, with the focus on capturing old Hollywood’s glitz and glamour overshadowing the romance between Joan and Dash.
A promising debut for historical romance readers looking for a fresh, new setting.