I am sorry but I am DNF this book and cannot post a favorable review. I just did not like either of the main characters or the writing style so it made it hard to connect to the book.

CD Reiss weaves a beautiful story about Brad Sinclair, a Hollywood actor who discovers he has a five year old daughter. Cara is a nanny who works for the rich and famous. She is good at what she does and Brad insists she work for him and Cara reluctantly agrees.

I love the way C. D. Reiss portrays Brad. He is a gorgeous, talented, fun loving party boy but still has his small town values. He pretends he doesn't care what people think but deep down he does. He is a mess, but he is a lovable mess. His family is not impressed with his movie star status and treat him the same as they always have and that keeps him grounded. Brad isn't sure what to do with the little girl who has just lost her mom. He wants his wild bachelor days back and keeps fighting his new restricted life. Cara has to keep reminding Brad and yes, sometimes yelling at him to try to keep him in line. Brad is afraid of messing up and he finds himself drawn to the fearless nanny. Brad struggles with being a father and admires Cara’s intuitive way with kids.

Cara had an unstable childhood living as a military brat. She loves children and loves being a nanny and she knows better than to get involved with a dad of one of her charges. She knows it will only ruin her reputation and no one will want to hire her. She doesn't want to get involved with Brad but yet she finds it impossible to resist him. I admire how strong Cara is and how hard she works to be the best at what she does.

Brad and Cara are good together and help each other with their issues and they learn they trust each other. Brad's daughter is delightful. She is cute and sweet and adds another dimension to the story and I also enjoyed all the secondary characters. This is the first book in the Hollywood A-list series and I can't wait to read more. It is a charming, feel good story with an interesting plot and I never wanted it to end.

3-3.5 stars!
I loved Brad in Shuttergirl and was so excited to see him get his story. I don't read a ton of single dad books as Denise usually reads them for the blog but I had to pick this one up because I love C.D. Reiss, her writing style and her stories.
I LOVE stories in Hollywood - all the glamour, the lights, the famous people. Brad Sinclair is on his way up in the world of acting when he finds out he has a 5 year old daughter. Her mother has died and she has come to live with him. And with being so busy and clueless in the dad department comes the hiring of not one but two nannies to add to his already big crew of people who keep his life running.
Cara DeMont is the epitome of a good nanny - she loves children, is actually good with them and knows to be professional and hands off with her employers. So it comes as a shock to her to not only get hired by Brad (if only for a month) but to feel such a physical connection to him and to like him as a person and for him to star in some of her nightly dreams (omg HOT!)
This story is a journey for Brad to learn the importance of family above his career - to realize what's really important in his life - to have all that comes with stardom or to get to know and learn who his daughter is, to make himself a better man for her, and to find the one person to make his life right and whole.
I absolutely LOVE C.D. Reiss's writing, her stories always so enjoyable and the sexy times are seriously the hottest I have read—EVER! Brad and Cara's story is funny at times, heated at times and together with his daughter Nicole - it was simply irresistible. I couldn't put it down!
The reason for my rating—I guess I wished that despite Cara saying she would never have a "thing" for her boss, I felt that she gave in almost too soon and didn't make Brad work for it. Another thing that bothered me was that I felt that Brad needed her too much to be his glue, to help to take care of him and his daughter and it almost felt like there was no real love there for who she was as a person vs. what he needed from her both physically and emotionally. It made it feel like later that his love wasn't really genuine and was more out of necessity vs. than the actual love and romance part. I wished for more romance when it comes down to it - the pretty words that I was so sure would fall from his mouth didn't affect me as I had hoped.
Overall though I enjoyed this book and would definitely read more in this series...maybe Blakely will have a story next??!?!!?

Yea! I loved it! I've been in a bit of a slump, and this totally broke me out of it. I was actually a little hesitant at first, because I had read a previous book by this author and I didn't love it. I am so glad I gave this one a chance. This book had all the elements I enjoy, from a famous actor with a surprise child, to a slow burn romance. There was plenty of tension, and a lot of stumbling blocks along the way, but watching them become a family was all I hoped for. It was neither too easy nor overly fraught with useless angst. It was sweet and sexy and and a totally satisfying read.

DNF at 47%

I tried. Even after realizing as early as the 5% mark that this was so far from what I had loved about Reiss from MARRIAGE GAMES, I continued on. Yes, it's a different genre (sorta, erotica vs BDSM), different set-up, completely different circumstances, but surely that same emotional intensity would be present even if the players were not remotely similar?

Nope.

The characters were not likeable. From the flawed party boy celebrity A-lister, to the too perfect for words nanny, to terrible side characters and, I hate to say it, a super annoying five year old who fluctuated between someone who did act her age.. and then also acted twenty five. We had no real flow for the some of the scenes and any emotional or high intensity moments completely lacked resonance. And as for the nightly fantasies Cara was having about her boss after first meeting him? No. Just no.

Also, I realize this is an ARC so maybe it's just been overlooked, but how am I supposed to take a character seriously when her exposition-style backstory starts off on one page saying she fell in love in one of the many places she lived in (army brat), gave up her virginity to said person, and then the next page says all that moving around resulted in her never having the chance to fall in love.

Whut.

Had I not already experienced how amazing this author can be, I'm not sure I would bother picking up another book by her. But despite this disappointment I have every intention on finishing her <i>Games Duet</i> and would strongly suggest that other readers give that series a try if this one doesn't work for them. Because it sure didn't work for me.

C.D. Reiss is an author where I never know what kind of story I'm going to get. Bombshell was my favorite thing I've read by her and I hope we get more books along the same line as this. I loved reading about a nanny for a high profile client and I thought the author wrote it extremely well.

Love can be found in the most unexpected places.

THIS. BOOK. HAS. EVERYTHING. I. LOVE. AND. MORE.

Brad Sinclair Celebrity actor near King of Hollywood. Originally from Redfield, Arkansas he is going places. A notorious playboy and the life of any party. His partying days are over when an adorable six-year-old left on his doorstep. What can I say about Brad? I loved him and hated him at the same time. He is selfish yet caring. An idiot who screws up. Old habits are hard to break but tries to make amends. With his charisma, he has no problem wooing and making you forgive him without realizing you and even if you don’t want to.

Cara DuMont is the best in the industry let me clarify that the best in the nanny industry. While helping a friend with a small blonde sweetheart with a toilet incident. She doesn’t want to be in the limelight and has tried to keep herself on the sidelines as much as possible. She doesn’t want the job but becomes the reluctant nanny. Her past has led her to believe that she doesn’t deserve certain things. She wants stability but Brad isn’t stable.

Cara is the help in Hollywood you don’t start anything with the help. Brad wants to be better for Cara and for his daughter. It is a balance of what people think to not caring what people think.

You can’t help but not fall in love with Cara and Brad. They are steaming together. They test the boundaries know that it is a good idea but weaken and break them to only go back to being what they were before. There was so much buildup with what was between them and that added more to the book. They really get to know one another and they start to change. They become an us and a family without realizing.

There are so many moments that I highlighted between the two that I have only picked two which really struck with me.

He was beautiful as ever, but starkly human. Flawed beyond belief. Emotional and broken. He needed me to fill his empty places and in letting me do that, he filled mine. – Cara –

“You’re my glue. You’ve made me bigger. Better. And you hold it all together. All my life. I’m nothing without you.” I squeezed his hand. “You were a good man before you met me.” “I was worthless.” – Brad –

Nicole Garcia is there are no words really to describe Nicole. She is bright, and meddling for her age. She knows what she wants and well she had all the important people wrapped around her little finger. Hell, I would have given her everything she would have asked for. At the beginning, I felt so sorry for her and her situation. But Cara sure did work her magic.

“Nice to meet you, Nicole. Wanna help clean this up? “Can we do my butt first?” “Great idea.” I liked this little one. Good thing I already had a job lined up or I could have fallen for her and her dad in a heartbeat.


If this is what goes on in Hollywood then I am happy that I live a normal life because it is just cray cray crazy. Bonkers, nuts.

This is one of the best books that I have read in a long time. It sucked me in. It made me want to drop everything and read it in one sitting alas RL got in the way. I had so many feels. I laughed, I smiled, I wanted more. The story is flawless and flowed so well. It is real and raw in places and I love that. I never knew what was going to happen which is an added bonus for me. Like Cara I went back and forth to liking him and the cussing him for being an arse.

A delightful read with an angst level I can deal with. There is an epilogue to the epilogue and it is freaking A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E.

I am so going to read Shuttergirl I want to know Michael’s story as well.

On a side note I personally consider Ms. Reiss to be an inspiration. After 24 years, yes you read right 24 years she got signed with Publisher. Now that is what I call dedication peeps and many of us can take a page out of that.

Brad Sinclair is the typical Hollywood bad boy actor. He's earned his money and has no intention of settling down. So, when he finds out he has a 5-year old daughter, and her mother just died, his life becomes a whole new world. Of course, what does any rich actor do but hire a nanny. Enter Cara. She was strictly professional and would not become a headline in some gossip rag (or would she?). Brad needs to step up his game and decide what is really important in his life.

This was a cute, sweet story..... something we don't usually get from this author.....and I found myself smiling and laughing, but that could also be due to little 5-year old, Nicole. Loved her and I always like when there are kids involved in a storyline. The Epilogue to the Epilogue was adorable!

A lovely, light, easy romance. No angst, no intentional lies or deceit (ok, a little deceit, but all with good intentions). The story follows nanny/consultant to LA's rich and famous, Cara DuMont, who never ever, gets involved with her charges' fathers, no matter how good looking, suave or persistent they are. She's all about the children. Of course that all changes when she consults with Hollywood Bad Boy, Brad Sinclair, he's just too delicious for words. To be fair to Cara, I would have caved way before she did, she put up a good fight. The secrets and lies that come out are not malicious, but they are surprising, some I saw coming, others threw me for a curve ball. Although I knew how this book would end (at least I hoped I did), I did however spend a good majority of the book trying to work out how it would happen without Cara losing her integrity and not breaking her 'golden rule'. I don't mean to be vague, but I also don't want to give away any spoilers. I'll just say, I loved the writing, the characters and the story. Excellent bedtime reading. I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book that I was compelled to read by it's blurb and it's amazing cover and as I've never read anything by this author before I went into this book open minded and not knowing what to expect.
I was hooked and reeled in as soon as I started reading it and you will be too by the amazing character of a 5 year old child called Nicole Garcia, she absolutely stole my heart and she totally owned this story. Nicole is so adorable and cute as a button but she is the Bombshell that comes bursting into the life of Hollywood film star Brad Sinclair. Cara Dumont is hired as her nanny for only 30 days as she never wants to get involved with celebrities and so only takes on the job to help her friend get settled into the role of Nicole's permanent nanny but things never go to plan and Cara ends up staying longer than she intended too.
I loved Cara's no nonsense approach with Brad trying to take the upperhand with him even though he is her employer and could fire her at anytime and how Brad fights hard to change his ways and his lifestyle to fit into what Cara expects how he should behave now that he has a child to look after. They have a great chemistry going on between them and the banter that goes back and forth gives you many funny moments that had me laughing out loud. Cara's connection to Nicole is very strong and you get all the feels as she comes to care for her even though she knows that she should never let herself get attached.
The story has a well thought out plotline and everything is written in such a way that you feel like you are there for the ride with the characters and you cant help yourself from falling a little in love with each and every one of them. This was an amazing first read for me by C.D.Reiss I really liked her writing style as it was very easy to follow and the story was always interesting and full of excitement
A brilliant 5 Stars!.

I love this author and I really wanted this to be a 5 star read but it just felt like maybe she was rushed writing it.
There were some points in the book where timing got a little confusing and I wasn't sure if it was an editing mistake or if it was supposed to be a flash back.

The plot was great and most of the writing was excellent (except those weird timing things) but I just didn't connect with the characters. Except for the daughter Nicole she was adorable and a spot on representation of a 5 year old.

So cute story line but personally I didn't like the H or the h so I found it hard to connect with them

Brad gets a major bombshell in the form of a five year old daughter, Nicole. He is not prepared for the whirlwind that will create in his hectic life making movies. Insert Cara, the nanny, who is calm under pressure and doesn't want anything to do with celebrity dad's. She doesn't pull her punches and tells Brad exactly how she sees things. And boy does it open up the floodgates of heat! This was well written and the characters pull at you for the fast paced book. Some unexpected twists along the way will keep you entertained​ until the end.

This was my first read of CD Reiss. I have several books of her's waiting to be read on my kindle but something about this book called to me. I am not sure why I waited to read anything by this author. She did such an amazing job of bonding the reader to the characters. Realistic moments thrown into our escape from reality.

Cara never wants to be in the limelight, she doesn't want the Hollywood glitz and glamour. She just wants to do what she enjoys most and that is being a caretaker to children. Cara is the best of the best when it comes to nannies. Her only fault is that she falls in love with the kids.

From our first encounter with Nicole and Cara, you know that they form an instant bond. But add the Hollywood Bad Boy of a father and you get a three ringed circus that needs a little control to the chaos.
Your heart will melt for Nicole, you will be torn between pulling your hair out and drooling over Brad. You want to shake Cara at times, and then want her to be your nanny at other times. The supporting characters don't get off easy either. They evoke emotions, reactions in the reader, that aren't always expected.

While I know this book is fiction it does have several large doses of reality mixed in. You will be taken on an emotional journey that will tear your heart, make it beat faster, scream at the pages, and swoon.

CD Reiss has done it once again!! Bombshell is a captivating read that EVERY romance novel fan should put on TBR list!!

Brad Sinclair is not only a handsome Oscar nominated actor, but he is also the dad to a sweet 5 year old daughter, Nicole. Due to unforeseen circumstances, Brad was recently thrust into fatherhood at mock speed! Having to juggle work and being a dad is proving to be quite the task. Knowing he needs help, Brad hires a nanny agency to find Nicole the perfect nanny.

That's when Cara DuMont enters Brad's life. Cara is an amazing nanny!! She has one rule- -she never, ever wants to nanny for a celebrity. But when Cara unexpectedly meets Nicole, she knows that she could really make a difference in this little girl's life and agrees to bend her own rules and be her nanny. Brad and Cara have instant chemistry, but Cara is certain she can avoid getting too personal with Brad...until she can't!! Ohhhhh wow!!!!

I completely enjoyed this entire book!! I loved seeing Brad and Cara develop a relationship and I also loved seeing Brad embrace fatherhood--adorable!! Cara was such an awesome person, but I appreciated the fact that she wasn't a push-over!! The storyline was well paced I thought the twists and turns were well timed! Bombshell is a 4.5 star read and being that this is the first book in the Hollywood A-List series, I am so excited to get my hands on the next installment --cannot wait!!

BIG FAT PUFFY HEARTS!!!

Someone needs to buy the movie rights to this book and hire Ryan Reynolds, like, yesterday. Maybe Ryan is a bit too old now, but that’s just minor details. Funny, sexy, snarky: all the words ending in “Y” to describe a good book. It was fast paced and kept me reading 'til the wee hours.
Honestly speaking, I don’t think CD Reiss can do any wrong at this point in her writing career. Every new book is better, smarter, and more in-depth than the one before it. Never losing the raw, yet endearing sexual magnetism that is her signature.

Reiss’s ability to pull out the most critical aspects of her characters and yet still make the reader feel something for them is a super power all her own. What more can I say?

Get it. Read it. Love it.

C.D. Reiss provides another engagingly warm and lovely story with Bombshell. It sounds cliche the A-list bad boy, reckless man thrust into a situation he didn't know was coming couples with the nanny he never knew he'd need however Reiss made it perfectly unique pulling out all stops in this slow burning, angsty, sexy, and sweet book. As always her unique and fresh writing kept me glued to the pages and cultivated a story I found refreshing in the ways it defined family within the manic world of Hollywood.

"You know no woman can resist you."

Brad Sinclair, Hollywood heartthrob, gets the surprise of his life. His little bombshell uproots his party boy ways and poor Brad hasn't a clue what to do about it. He's sweet underneath the layers of carelessness he shields himself with and has a big heart he himself doesn't even understand. Brad's sense of loyalty and depth of love is an untapped keg. I thought he was smoking hot in body and sexy action but there were times I wanted to throttle him too. Holding himself back and casting himself in the limelight of uncaring party boy feels easier for him then expanding his core. His roots are solid but when he found his wings in the spotlight they flew him a little off course.

Enter Nicole Garcia - one of the sweetest child characters I've had the pleasure of reading. Nicole steals the show in Bombshell totally with her sweet little lines and unfailing adoration for her Daddy and her nanny. I loved how Nicole humanized two people who so heavily guarded their feelings. I loved her wants and needs and I love watching Brad fall in love with her.

"Let me take you for a ride."

And since every single Hollywood parent can't function without a nanny, we meet Cara Dumont and falling doesn't stop. Cara lives in a tightly wound ball of rules and capped feelings while doing her job as a nanny to the wealthy. Happenstance pulls her into Nicole's realm and then Brad's. With Cara's steadfast ability to leave her feelings at the door for Brad's charms we still see her flourish in a relationship with Nicole. The two understand each other on a primal level and as that relationship develops between nanny and child, a steel backbone against Brad starts loosening Cara's rules. Cara is a formidable opponent against Brad. She challenges him with her beliefs in how to raise a child and she challenges him to show everyone he's the better man she's come to know all the while keeping the scarred circumstances of her past sealed around her heart.

The romance is a slow burn, angsty style development. The two become friends of a sort. But the attraction and chemistry between the two is electric. As a reader you'll feel it simmering from the moment they first meet and forward. The beauty of this relationship for me was how they manage it and then feed it through the love of this unexpected little gift, Nicole. With much turmoil in their pasts their presents start merging into something that needs nurtured and understood for a beautiful future. There were a few times when I wished Brad had done some things differently, his thoughts didn't always match up to his actions, in my opinion. Cara and Nicole were shining stars.

C.D. Reiss has a very distinct style of writing that I can't ever get enough of. Her clipped sentences are layered with intelligence and sass. She's able to pack so much punch and flair in her writing without weighing you down with superfluous details. The way she presents ideas and thoughts build a structure of depth, understanding, poignancy, and romance. There's passion in her writing that's undeniable and allows you to fall for her characters easily.

"You're never going to forget me."

Bombshell proved to be quite different, catching, and full of love. It's an atypical romance in that there's way more at stake then just the two main characters thanks a very special little girl in Nicole. I enjoyed reading this story and seeing how these three people take on the world together even if together means something different for a while than what you're expecting. It redefines falling in love in front of the whole world not only with an interesting partner but with an exuberant, thoughtful child. And that epilogue - one of the best ever - so satisfying in wrapping up the story. I'm a sucker for an epilogue and this one was just perfect.

hristine Reiss could write the alphabet on a napkin and I'd read it. I love her books and this one was no exception. A little different, maybe so. But maybe not. Clearly it has her mark all over it.
This story is Brad Sinclair who's just had a 5 year old dropped in his lap after her mother dies, a child he didn't know he had. He's looking for a nanny for little Nicole. Cara Dumont works for an agency that provides nannie's. Cara has a rule, no celebrities. Cara has an image to uphold, one she holds dearly and closely. She isn't going to be on the cover of some gossip rag. When her friend Blakelee is interviewing for the job, she beckons Cara for help. Nicole is wailing and nothing seems to stop her, except Cara. Cara has a gift. Brad is determined to have her, when a new job Cara was headed to falls through, she negotiates with Brad, he hires both Blakelee and her. Cara is there as a consultant and makes it known it's short term, one month.
Brad has a PA Paula, who does everything for him. Every. Single. Thing. Including studying his new script for a movie he's set to start filming in Thailand. Paula and Brad have been friends since they were young both from the same small town in Arkansas. Paula isn't very nice. She calls Nicole "bombshell" and shoos her away when she and Brad are "working." I didn't like Paula, clearly she has her own agenda. Try as he might, Brad is still in party mode which Cara comes down on him heavy for. Cara points out to Brad that he needs to bond with his child and can't do it when he's drunk or shuttling her off into nanny land or letting Paula run things. Brad slowly comes around.
Slowly. He takes Nicole and Cara back to Arkansas to meet his parents and family. It's a first for many things. Brad has to make some life changing decisions, and he wants it all. He doesn't want to decide. Cara also needs to make some decisions. Nicole is such a sweetheart you can't help but love her. Wise beyond her years and witty as hell. This child has better come backs than most adults.

You have to read this book. It's a must read from Christine. It's got it all. It's a rollercoaster ride, I won't lie there, and you won't want to put it down. I didn't. I love her writing, she brings her characters, flaws and all front and center and strips them naked. Then takes her time redressing them. It's what makes her such a great author.
The book is an absolute winner.

**arc from NetGalley and Montlake Publishers in exchange for a fair review**

I love the cover for this book and I have to say I wasn't disappointed by this story. It was sweet, sexy and wonderfully romantic. This story really grabbed me from page one and held my attention throughout; this is a real page turner.

The characters are well written and multi dimensional and there was great chemistry between everyone. If I had any grumbles at all, it is simply that I needed a scene early on where we saw Brad and Nicole have an emotional breakthrough and similarly, I needed a scene early on between Brad and Cara that portrayed something more than the sexual chemistry that oozed from the pages.

I most definitely enjoyed this book and would be happy to recommend i

LOVED this book. CD Reiss has a way with words that draw you in and don't let you go. Cara DuMont is a strong and independent woman who is a nanny because she loves it, not because she is a want to be actress. All she asks is no movie stars! Well hello, when you meet a movie star in the agency bathroom because you are so graciously taking care of his child that he didn't know was his "surprise" child until recently and the poor little thing is traumatized over her recent life events and she connects with you, well how can you say no to that child. Easy, you say it's temporary. Cara decides to consult with Brad Sinclair in transitioning Nicole into his home.

Problem with that is Nicole and Brad are both irresistible. Brad first comes off as a playboy jerk on the surface level, only caring about himself. Wrapped up in his acting career and having hooks in him from his lifelong friend Paula, who he thinks is being nothing but helpful, Brad isn't allowing Nicole into his life.

Cara and Brad have some hot and steamy chemistry that Cara fights tooth and nail not wanting to be the cliche nanny sleeping with the boss.

This story had lots of interesting elements aside from the sexual tension and child adapting to her new family. I really enjoyed the read. Brad's family were awesome and he was a true southern gentlemen. When secrets come out we fear for this trio, but the heart wants what it wants!