3.5 Stars Lip action is book 1 in the Kiss Talent Agency. This is a quick enjoyable read. Although this is probably not one of my favorite reads by this author I did like the character interaction and the stories concept. I will read more of this series.

Loved this story! Simon and Marissa are too cute! Simon needs a girlfriend to prove to producers of a movie he wants  a role in that he's changing his playboy ways. Marissa is trying to convince her family that breaking up with her cheating ex fiance Simon steps in as her new squeeze. Can real feelings survive a fake relationship?

A romance you will not want to end.  Great characters and plot keep this book fun and you wanting to turn the pages. This author knows how to write a great story.

This fun romantic contemporary is the first in a new series by Virna DePaul. It starts out as a fake relationship that benefits both parties and leads to love. Marisa needs to get her mother to back off on pushing her to reunite with her cheating ex and Simon needs to clean up his reputation to get a starring role in an upcoming film. Filled with humor, this short romance was a great start to a new series.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this novel.

3.5 stars--LIP ACTION is the first installment in Virna DePaul’s contemporary, adult KISS TALENT AGENCY erotic, romance series. This is British b-list actor Simon Richards-Dale, and heiress / marketing specialist Marissa Woodcrest’s story line. 

Told from dual first person points of view (Marissa and Simon) LIP ACTION focuses on the fake boyfriend/girlfriend relationship between British b-list actor Simon Dale, and marketing specialist Marissa Woodcrest. Simon’s reputation in Hollywood as a manwhore keeps our hero on the b-list of celebrities and in the news. Hoping to land a lucrative role in an upcoming Hollywood blockbuster movie, our hero is in desperate need of a committed girlfriend to impress the people behind the scenes. Enter heiress, and marketing specialist Marissa Woodcrest, whose own personal life has fallen onto hard times with the discovery that her fiancé had been having an affair with his office secretary. Pressure from  her mother to rekindle with her former flame, finds our heroine secretly agreeing to become Simon’s girlfriend to keep her mother off of her back. What ensues is the building relationship between Simon and Marissa, and the fall out when the truth is revealed.

Marissa Woodcrest is the daughter and heiress of well- to –do businessman Raul Woodcrest but Marissa’s earlier years were fraught with questionable behavior and run-ins with the law. Hoping to keep up appearances, Marissa’s recent engagement was everything her mother had ever wanted but not so our story line heroine. Simon Dale (Richards) grew up the son of a drunk, and a drug addict but needed an image change when the studios came calling. His reputation as a manwhore did not appeal to the bigwigs in charge, and a steady girlfriend is just what was needed and Marissa was ripe for the picking. The $ex scenes are intimate and intense. Simon likes to talk dirty in the bedroom, against the wall, on the beach……

There are a large number of secondary and supporting characters including Marissa’s ex Charles, and Simon’s ex Janelle, Marissa’s parents Raul and June, as well as her brother Kenny and sister Larissa; Simon’s sister Dana, his friend and agent Declan Kiss; and Hollywood producers Arnold and Edward Spires. 

The world building follows the lies and secrets that begin to spiral out of control. As Simon desperately battles for his upcoming role, Marissa comes to the realization that she has fallen in love with a man who isn’t looking for a permanent relationship.

LIP ACTION is sexy and spicy read with a little bit of humor, heartbreak, and a happily ever after. The premise is entertaining; the characters are colorful; the romance is seductive. The story line needs another round of editing due to some spelling and grammar issues, as well as a mix up in names e.g. Woodcrest vs Woodward-hopefully the errors were corrected before the final release. 

Copy supplied by Netgalley

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I was in the mood for something fun and a bit fluffy when I picked this up, knowing that this author is also well known for her steamy storylines. And that’s pretty much what I got. It’s easy and fun at times, sexy at others, but it also didn’t grab me quite as much as I’d hoped.

Part of that is the main characters. Marissa and Simon are both likeable enough, but also a bit boring. Marissa used to be a bad girl until a car accident, then she became so good she’s pretty much stifled her personality out of existence and is a doormat for her mother. Considering some of her thoughts regarding Simon, especially at first, her timid interactions with him didn’t seem to fit. I also wanted to shake her as she kept using him for her own purposes while saying she couldn’t help him. Has this woman no sense of fair play?!

Then there was Simon, a London street rat, who wasn’t particularly convincing as a Londoner. I’m not expecting him to have a full on Cockney accent (since he’s hiding his roots), but he just didn’t feel British to me – and calling himself a street rat didn't help. He’s also one of those bad boys who isn’t actually all that bad, with a reputation started by a bitter, ambitious ex. So he’s a beautiful cliché with inadequacy issues, basically, which isn’t an entirely bad thing, but I was hoping for more.

The chemistry between them is pretty hot and the sex scenes were smouldering. Sadly, I didn’t find the rest nearly as interesting and my attention wandered a bit. This wasn’t helped by the 2D villains and flimsy conflict. A little more depth all round – for Marissa and Simon as well as family and exes – would have been great and maybe lifted this from an okay read to a really good one.

So overall this is okay. If you’re looking for something easy and undemanding with some hot sex and a bit of Hollywood glamour, then it certainly delivers that. If you like the blurb and don’t expect to be surprised, then you probably won’t be disappointed.

I enjoyed this book took me a little bit to warm to the characters but once i did i was hooked i just love a good fake relationship romance and this did not disappoint give it a go.

I couldn't put this book down, just per loved it from start to finish and can't wait for more in this series. Really like this author and this book. You really should give this book and author ago as you won't regret it I promise you that. Of course would recommend this book to everyone and can't wait for more. Plus left review on Amazon.uk.

This was an easy book to get into. A great holiday read .I did expect it to be abit more raunchy than what it was , but I enjoyed it and would recommend.

I really enjoyed reading this rom-com romance about Marissa who comes from the Hollywood elite and Simon a B list actor from the slums of London.  A chance meeting at the country club starts when Marissa makes up a fake boyfriend (while staring at Simon who is sitting at a near by table) because her mother is yelling at her about not taking back her cheating ex.  Simon needs a fake girlfriend to improve his image for a chance to get a part in a up coming movie so he approaches Marissa near the restroom and proposes they be in a fake relationship that they both can benefit from. 

Thus begins their fun filled adventure that includes the mother from hell, lots of steam and discovering what is really important in the long run.  A great start to "Kiss Talent Agency" series.

I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy provided by Season publishing/NetGalley.

This story was exactly how the blurb described. Yes there were steamy moments, yes there was romance, yes there was good writing. Sometimes you need to take a break from the more complicated reads to simplify it down. But you see I have read enough romance to know how the story will go, and for that reason even though this was a easy cute read it really didn't hit the spot. I knew once I started this one was going to be ehh.

Marissa is a rich girl trying to get away from her overbearing mother and Simon is a B-list actor trying to make it big. They both decide to use each other to try to get to their end goals. Simon has a poor background while Marissa is rich. This brings in friction from Simons end and he feel less than her. 

Recommendation: If you like the blurb, thats what you will get.

I liked the sound of this when I read the blurb, it sounded kind of funny and quirky. Sadly, my expectations didn't match with the novel. Not to say the novel was bad, just that I was hoping for something a little different.

Marissa Woodcrest is a poor little rich girl. Her mother is a snob and blames Marissa for ditching her cheating ex-fiance Charles, in her mother's eyes Charles' pedigree overrides his personality and behaviour. At yet another interminable family dinner at the country club Marissa is trying to resist pressure from her mother to beg Charles to take her back and she makes up a fake boyfriend, describing a handsome man she can see at the other side of the restaurant. Little does she know that her waitress is actually the man's sister.

Simon Dale is an actor in Sci-Fi TV show in which he plays a green alien, there's lots of sex and its a really cheesy soap opera. He is desperate for a part in a big new film but the producers Noble and Spires have doubts about his commitment. When his sister tells him about what is happening at the other table he offers Marissa a deal: be his fake girlfriend to help him land the part and he will be her fake upper-crust English boyfriend to stop her mother's bullying. When she was much younger Marissa was into bad boys and she nearly died in a car accident. Ever since she has tried desperately to be a good girl and do everything her mother tells her.

Of course Simon is hiding both his identity as a soap opera actor from Marissa's parents AND his real background from Marissa. He isn't a wealthy, James Bond-esque Brit, he's a "street rat" and a "kid from a trash family from the east side of London". Now I am British and I can assure you that we do not refer to the east side of London, its the East End (which to be fair is used extensively later in the book), nor do we call people street rats or talk about trash families. I appreciate for many readers this won't matter an iota but I wish writers would at least do a little research to provide authenticity. OK, rant over.

Because of his background Simon has feelings of inadequacy, he doesn't think he is good enough for Marissa. Conversely, Marissa feels inadequate compared to Simon's leading ladies and former girlfriends. Inevitably there is a poisonous ex to match Marissa's ex-fiance.

This was an easy read, at one point I thought it was maybe an old-fashioned erotic novel because of the sheer number of 'encounters' between Marissa and Simon in which he taught her how to receive pleasure. Yes really!

Recommended for people who like a sweet old-fashioned romance with a bit of steam, mixed with Hollywood glamour and scheming exes.

Marissa is stuck in a bad cycle of her own making with her family. Her overbearing mother is trying to boss her and pressure her into going back to her cheating ex-boyfriend. Simon is a B list actor who needs some help of his own to get a part in a big movie so he can make it big. When he makes the offer to help her by being her fake boyfriend and she be his fake girlfriend things get exciting. She's rich and wonderfully sweet and he had a horrible childhood and sees himself as not good enough for her. Simon may be mixed up about his self worth but he is a perfect gentleman to Marissa. He sees her as she is and she's sees herself as flawed and not good enough for him. He's the strong one for a good portion of the book  until everything falls apart but by then Marissa finally realizes she's strong too. She's worthy of love. It takes losing Marissa for Simon to let go of his past. Some parts felt a but cheesy but over all i loved both Simon and Marissa. They were stronger together even though in a lot of ways they were so different.

 Find out more about this brand new series and Virna DePaul here www.virnadepaul.com

This is a great book; this is the first book in the Kiss Talent Agency series written by Virna DePaul. This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. This book will keep you reading long into the night. If you are looking for a great book, then you need to read this book. I am looking forward to reading the next book by this great author. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

Marissa 

Appearance is everything to my upper-crust mother, but when she insists I take back my pedigreed-but-cheating ex? I’d rather stab myself with a salad fork. So I blurt out I’m dating someone new. Someone like…that smoking-hot, vaguely familiar guy across the restaurant, who could be the next James Bond. 

Turns out he’s the star of my favorite, cheesy, sci-fi soap opera. (Don’t judge me.) One minute I’m fantasizing about Borg and his green-hued abs. The next, Simon Dale is making me an offer my sex-starved body can’t refuse. 

Simon 

I’m up for a breakout movie role that’ll launch me off the B-list, but I don’t need a script to read the scene between Marissa and her mum. Even though I’m a London gutter rat who never rubbed elbows with a Royal, I easily slip into the role of Marissa’s doting boyfriend. Why? I need a favor in return— a steady girlfriend, just long enough to convince the producers I’ve changed my wild ways. 

Trouble is, I’m going all Method on this relationship—and close to losing the one thing that could break me. My heart.

Marissa is kind of Hollywood royalty because of her family’s money.  She doesn’t feel that way and just wants to live her life as a normal person.  Her mother, however, has very different ideas.  When Marissa tells her mother that she broke up with her long-time boyfriend because she found out he’d been cheating on her for 6 months her mother freaks out like it’s the end of the world.  Not that he’d been cheating on Marissa but that she broke it off.  Nice mom.  Not.  Marissa’s mom is insisting that she get back together with her boyfriend but Marissa refuses.  She sees a guy in the country club they’re at and makes up a story saying that she’s already seeing someone new.  Due to a set of circumstances she actually meets the guy and it turns out that he needs a fake girlfriend as well.  

Simon is an actor on a tv show where he’s an alien.  He really needs a big break doing some serious film work but no one believes he can do it.  He’s got a playboy reputation and the producers of the one big film he’s being considered for think his reputation will be bad for publicity.  Simon’s not the person they think he is.  He grew up in the streets of London but he got him and his sister out.  He lives simply and saves his money as he doesn’t feel he deserves better.  When he meets Marissa he tells her that it’s all fake but the more time he spends with her the more he can’t get her out of his head.  Unfortunately they’re ruse depends on the producers believing them as well as Marissa’s parents never finding out who he really is. 

This was a cute story.  It was a pretty simple fake relationship story but I like the way the author threw some curve balls in there for us.  Having Simon grow up as a London gutter rat was an interesting aspect of the story and of course that effected almost all of his decisions.  He was a good guy and not an actor that made some money and then lived lavishly.  He lived above a bar and saved his money.  

Marissa was a woman who had lived under her mother’s thumb for so long she truly didn’t know how to get out from under it.  Being with Simon made her look at her life differently and want to stand up to her mother and do what she wanted with her life.  She grew a lot during the course of the book and I liked who she was at the end.

The relationship with Marissa and Simon started out as just playing a part, then just sex and then more.  Of course neither admitted it which is always frustrating when that happens with characters but I liked that they worked it all out in the end.  Overall it was a fun book and I definitely enjoyed reading it.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

This will post as a guest review on Book Binge.
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3.5 stars

I thought this was a pretty enjoyable read. Both of the MC's had to grow on me a bit. Simon started out really douchey. Not just the normal cocky MC but just kind of "ew" with his come on lines and such. It was made clear Marissa found Simon attractive but I didn't feel that special "connection" that I like when MC's first meet. It was more like he could take her or leave her. 

Marissa too had some unappealing qualities. I understood how something that happened to her as a teenager had a big effect on her and made her want to be "a good girl who pleased her parents", but seriously. She was 28 and her mother was horrible. REALLY horrible. I think that plan should have been chucked a few years prior.

I did eventually like Marissa and Simon together. They were both so insecure and thinking the other couldn't possibly want to be with "someone like them". Simon had some issues with where he was from, and how he grew up, and thought Marissa was too good for him. Marissa thought she wasn't glamorous enough for Simon and had some self esteem issues making her think Simon was too good for her. It made for some turmoil and miscommunication but I was rooting for them by the end. They both wound up being quite sweet and Simon seemed devoted to her. Loved the epilogue. 

This is the first in the series and I am looking forward to trying the next one.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A fun, fake relationship romance that I enjoyed.
Marissa has just split from her cheating fiancé and her mother will not drop the subject, and she needs a new beau, fast, and Simon needs a steady relationship to impress his producers. They make a deal but Simon is not what he seems to be. Simon thought he wasn't good enough for Marissa, but she wanted him away, she didn't care. 
Marissa fought for her HEA with Simon and so did he. A great read!

Overall the story was written quite well. Good characters and romance.

Lip Action, Virna DePaul

Review from Jeannie Zelos book reviews

Genre:  Romance,

I've mixed feelings about this. parts I liked and other bits not so much. 
I loved Marissa but what an awful family she had, especially her mum. What parent wants her daughter to marry a cheating jerk. 
Her dad kept quiet, but that's a cop out IMO, he should have spoken out. 

When her mum is pressing her to take back the jerk, the cheater just because she's 28 and not married....I could scream at her, and of course Marissa won't but comes up with a fake boyfriend to hold her off for a bit. Coincidentally the guy she's looking at right then needs a fake girlfriend...

Simon wants the lead in a film that could make him an A list actor, but his past rep lets him down. In a moment of insanity he tells the producers he has a girlfriend....So when he hears Marissa he knows exactly what to do. 
OK its a bit of a stretch believing they could meet just like that - but truth is strange sometimes so I'll go with it. 
They then go back and forth, will she won't she, with pressures on both from his agent and her mum til she finally decides yes. She's such a nice girl she just can't let Simon down. even though she hates deception and lies. 
Its kind of predictable after that, fun to read but nothing greatly original. 
The down side, the drama, the sad bit happens just as you'd expect, and though I love that side I hadn't really got connected enough to this story and characters to really feel any great emotions. 

Its a fun story, easy and lighthearted, some steamy sensuality, and a kind of easy beach read. 

Stars:3, its a fun read but not characters or a story I really got involved with. 

ARC supplied for review purposes by Netgalley and Publishers

**Received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.**

"Lip Action" is written by Virna DePaul, and it is the first book in her Kiss Talent Agency series. It can be read as a stand-alone book. It features Simon and Marissa.

Marissa's mother is making a scene at the restaurant. Despite the fact that Marissa's ex, Charles, cheated on her with his secretary for 6 months, her mother wants Marissa to take him back. It's an embarrassment to their family that she broke up with him.. so her mother thinks. But Simon's sister, a waitress who happens to overhear, tells him about Marissa's predicament. So Simon goes to rescue Marissa!

The way Simon sees it, they can help each other out. Marissa needs someone to get her mother off her back, and Simon needs a fake girlfriend to show he's no longer the playboy the casting directors think he is. Simon is really hoping to get the lead role in a new move called Perfect Union, but he needs to show he's settling down. Marissa is hesitant at first, but with her mother constantly at her back and her ex not taking a hint, she agrees to go along with Simon's plan. 

But what happens when Marissa and her family find out about Simon's past? Will they accept him? Will Simon get the role in Perfect Union? Will they find their happily ever after?

"Lip Action" was a quick read for me. It was a fun story! Looking forward to the next book in this series!