Review: Hollywood Lies

Title: Hollywood Lies
Author: N.K Smith
Publication Date: June 20, 2013
Source: Publisher
Summary (from Goodreads): In a world where make believe is a multibillion dollar industry, it’s hard to know where the fantasy ends and real life begins. When Collette Stroud, an influential Hollywood actor and director, takes a chance on two young actors for her romantic teen movie, three lives converge in a complicated web of publicity, passion, lust, and lies.

The web is cast when Stroud, a woman with a few skeletons in her closet, hires two young artists in her low-budget film. She handpicks Liliana Addison and Devon Maddox to be Hollywood’s next big stars. Former child star Liliana has had limited success with her previous roles but hopes to take the world by storm under Collette’s tutelage. While Devon is an out of work actor, he never stops dreaming about making it big. The director’s interest in him assures Devon his dreams are about to become reality.

Sparks between Collette and Devon set their lives ablaze, but the studio has other plans. Executives concoct a fictitious romance in order to drive box office sales and launch careers between Devon and Liliana. When the studio offers to make the young actors into bona fide stars, will the price be too high to pay, or will the deal be too sweet to pass up?

Can the trio handle the pressure of a hidden romance coupled with a phony public relationship? Will love be enough to conquer the promise of fame, fortune, and a lasting legacy, or will it be an easy sacrifice?

All three will tread the thin line of Hollywood Lies and genuine passion on the most important red carpet walk of their lives.

When it seems like every blog I follow is featuring one book and raving about it I know it’s a book I need to get my hands on. Especially when it promises hot sex. C’mon, I’m a smut whore. Of course I’m going to want to get my hands on a book that has reviewers panting and running for cold showers.

After readers have dried off and taken care of their needs, they’ve found time to give N.K. Smith’s Hollywood Lies rave reviews. So I quickly logged into my email, sent the fabulous ladies over at TWCS a note and virtually batted my eyelashes to get a peek at this novel.

Now I admit the one thing that made me hesitant to request it before now was because of all the sex that was said to be in it. Obviously I’m no prude since I love my erotica, but I don’t love reading books that has sex thrown in just for the sake of having sex thrown in. In that case there is a thing as too much sex. I get bored with the repetitiveness of it and instead of finding it hot I just find it blah. I want it to be part of the plot, not just something tossed around to fill up pages.

But I’m getting a head of myself. Let’s look at the characters and story before I jump right into bed.

The novel is done in first person POV of both main characters Devon and Collette aka Cole. I’m not a fan of first person but the author made it work for me. Devon is the struggling actor, while Cole is the superstar who has been around the block a few times. And by that I mean she has been around every kind of block you can imagine. Sex, drugs, abuse, abduction…you name it, this character has experienced it. I loved that she had such a twisted past, although there wasn’t a whole lot of detail given about the horrible things done to her. I get why the author wouldn’t want to go into that kind of gore, but her past was the reason she was the way she was. It formed the person she become and it was hinted at and talked about so much in the novel I just feel it should have been more detailed out when she finally opened up to Devon about it.

But you’ll learn that Cole is a very private, shut off person who trusts no one and expects everyone to leave and disappoint her. And let’s face it, millions of women can relate to that and usually have enough past experience to feel that way. There were times I wanted to smack her and scream, “What the fuck are you doing?!” But at the same time I got why she was acting the way she was and I think she was justified in doing so.

Devon is the sweet, somewhat naïve, newcomer to Hollywood. He’s down to earth and intelligent (most of the time) and talented, even if there were many times he let his dick do the thinking. But that’s men, right? He falls fast and hard for Cole and seems to have everything he’s ever wanted—so why does he do the shit that he does? Again, another one I wanted to kick in the nuts. But alas, a story wouldn’t be a story without drama thrown in, right?

N.K Smith did a good job at mixing the sex with the plot, although sometimes I felt like the characters were just getting it to show how sexual they were and how many different ways they could make each other come—and to lengthen the book. I also found it kind of funny how both Devon and Collette gushed about finally being with someone who they could talk to about real, intelligent things, yet all they seemed to do was fuck. You want to gush about all those deep convos? I want to read about them!

Aside from that, I thought Hollywood Lies lived up to all the hype surrounding it. It’s another winner for this publishing house, in my opinion.