Headliners is witty and engaging. The mutual distrust and dislike that Sabrina and Nick start with grabs the reader and pulls you in. You can't help but giggle at how they think of each other while being torn between whom you'd rather see succeed. Together the sparks of ire turn to sparks of a different kind of passion before long. A dynamic duo that have their dreams, jobs, and hearts on the line that you won't want to miss. I look forward to reading the earlier books in the series.

I’m a big fan of Lucy Parker and this book did not disappoint. It’s a true enemy-to-lovers romance as Nick and Sabrina have a real hatred of one another. The story has all the makings of romance and redemption, something I expected would be a hard sell given the story Nick aired about Sabrina’s family (in book 4). But Parker pulled it off, forcing the pair to work to save their careers as well as find the culprit who is sabotaging their show. There were a lot of characters in the plot and a lot going on around the MCs. This was actually a bit of a distraction for me, but otherwise a lovely story. If you love Parker’s books like I do, I’m sure you’ll love this one too.

**Thank you to NetGalley, Carina Press and Lucy Parker. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own.***

Sweet and easy to read. It felt like it didn’t take long to finish this book at all. Not a deep story but an enjoyable one.

The fifth book in a series. A fun story that follows side characters from the previous book. A funny and sweet rom-com that is a pretty quick read.

Sparks fly when two feuding TV presenters are thrown together to host a live morning show in Lucy Parker’s latest enemies-to-lovers contemporary romance.

He might be the sexiest man in London, according to his fan site (which he definitely writes himself), but he’s also the most arrogant man she’s ever met.

She might have the longest legs he’s ever seen, but she also has the sharpest tongue.

For years, rival TV presenters Sabrina Carlton and Nick Davenport have traded barbs on their respective shows. The public can’t get enough of their feud, but after Nick airs Sabrina’s family scandals to all of Britain, the gloves are off. They can barely be in the same room together—but these longtime enemies are about to become the unlikeliest of cohosts.

With their reputations on the rocks, Sabrina and Nick have one last chance to save their careers. If they can resurrect a sinking morning show, they’ll still have a future in television. But with ratings at an all-time low and a Christmas Eve deadline to win back the nation’s favor, the clock is ticking—and someone on their staff doesn’t want them to succeed.

Small mishaps on set start adding up, and Sabrina and Nick find themselves—quelle horreur—working together to hunt down the saboteur…and discovering they might have more in common than they thought. When a fiery encounter is caught on camera, the public is convinced that the reluctant cohosts are secretly lusting after one another.

The public might not be wrong.

Their chemistry has always been explosive, but with hate turning to love, the stakes are rising and everything is on the line. Neither is sure if they can trust these new feelings…or if they’ll still have a job in the New Year.

Lovely book and believable reconciliation of a betrayal that I didn't necessarily think could be fixed!

Lucy Parker’s books are the coziest, and I was so thrilled to read HEADLINERS, This enemies-to-lovers tales brims with banter and chemistry. I don’t always love the arrogant male trope, but Parker manages to craft Mark’s character with a swoony blend of swagger and heart. I also just loved Sabrina in THE AUSTEN PLAYBOOK and was completely rooting for her to get a HEA in this installment. Also, omg, the framing device of rebooting a sinking morning talk show gave our protagonists so many amazingly eccentric opportunities to bond, fight and flirt. If you love smart, funny romances that are full of heart, definitely check out HEADLINERS.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2021 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2021/02/2021-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

Lucy Parker knows how to write characters and make them fall in love. This whole series is one big swoon, this installation included. She knows exactly how to fulfill ones expectations when it comes to a "comfort read."

Well, I loved that journey from start to finish. I've enjoyed this entire romance series but this is my overall new favorite romance. Just like the others, Parker creates a novel; shippy, great chemistry between leads, enemies to lovers trope done right, with an authentic conflict in a mature relationship. So good.

This book was amazing and delightful.

I can not believe the finale delivering in such an amazing way. I'm sad to see the series end but this was the perfect way for it to happen.

My one critique of the book is that although the character is described as being black, he is not written as being black. As in, his blackness does not appear to shape his character in any tangible way. It’s not great when that kind of shallow color-blind casting exists in movies, but it’s ever so much more noticeable when you’re reading a book and you’re getting interior insight, yet nothing about race emerges.

the enemies to lovers romance of my dreams

Enemies to lover is, without doubt, one of the best romance tropes. I hate overwhelming angst, but I’ve always eaten up the tension and passion that usually accompanies the enemies to lovers trope. On top of that, Sabrina and Nick are forced to work together, which yes, indeed, means that the forced proximity trope is also strong in this one!! If they want to save their careers they have to rely on each other and work together, and boy, was it fun to watch them struggle with that.

Those who have read the blurb and/or the previous book in the series – you don’t have to, though! this can 1000% be read as a standalone – will know that Sabrina has a good reason for despising Nick. So good, in fact, that I was scared of Headliners – I didn’t know how they could overcome something like that. However, I’m pleased to say that Lucy Parker outdid herself with this one – she sold this relationship to me completely, and did so right from the start.

I was rooting for Nick and Sabrina – both as individuals and as a couple – and found myself understanding Nick more and more as the story progressed. But back to the relationship – their chemistry was off the charts from the get go, and to see them build on that as they got to know each other was simply beautiful.

family for the win

Headliners dag deep into the characters families, which made me extremely happy. I adored reading about Nick’s mother, stepbrother and niece; all of whom are exceptional people. On top of that, the way Sabrina described Nick’s face softening when talking about his family made my heart melt. As for Sabrina, I’ve known how close she and Freddy are from the previous novel, The Austen Playbook, but their love and appreciation for each other was, if possible, even clearer in this novel.

Besides these positive examples, Lucy Parker took the time to explore the more complex relationships of the characters. We saw glimpses of who Nick’s father was, and how, despite having good intentions, he put an overwhelming amount of pressure on Nick to go after a certain career. Sabrina, on the other hand, has always had a complicated relationship with her father; and especially after everything that was revealed about him in The Austen Playbook, she doesn’t know where they stand.

morning show madness

I’m so damn fond of books that don’t just talk about the characters job, but dive below the surface of it; especially when a character’s career is so important to them, I want to see them working. Lucy Parker has always been good at delivering this, and she did so now.

We get significant glimpses into Sabrina and Nick’s new morning show. We can read all about what goes on behind the scenes – mishaps and all – and we also get to see what these two are doing while on the show. It’s fascinating and fun, and the fact that it all feels real proves that Lucy Parker does impeccable research every time.

overall..

As the title of my post says, Headliners is the perfect winter romance – it’s sweet and fiery, and I can’t recommend it enough. The cast is magnificent, the plot is well-paced and entertaining, and the whole book is bloody incredible. I was really vacillating between 4 and 5 stars, and I still am, to be honest. Right now it’s 4 stars, but it will most likely jump to 5 when I inevitably reread it.

A new favorite alongside Pretty Face. There's excellent tension between the leads which culminates in a healthy relationship, and I enjoyed the comedic aspects of the low-level sabotage to the show.

Another one I would recommend to fans of The Hating Game, along with pretty much all the rest of Lucy Parker. If you love hate-to-love romances, omg read all her books right now what have you been doing with your life????

I thought this book was cute, but I totally missed that it's like the 5th in the series. Because of this, I was a little lost on previous plot points. I may go back and read the books before this. I'm not sure if it would alter the rating. The enemies turned partners is always a popular trope, so I think this book would actually target a larger group of rom com readers. I really enjoyed the journey Nick and Sabrina were on, and I was definitely rooting for them to succeed with their show and fall in love at the end of it. It was a bit predictable, but most romances are so that didn't bug me.

Lucy Parker is one of my favorite authors for a good reason and this book shows ALL of the reason why I love her. I loved everything from start to finish about this book. I LOVED both female and male MCs and wanted to live in this world forever.

Thank you for letting me read and review this book. This was. fun one that I ended up buying the finished copy. I really love this series.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I am also friends with the author. However, all opinions stated here are my own.

Whenever Lucy Parker releases a new book from the London Celebrities series, it feels like Christmas. A London Celebrities advance review copy set *during* Christmastime? Read while drinking Starbucks holiday beverages? That's heaven.

Sabrina Carlton and Nick Davenport are rival TV presenters whose reputations have taken bad hits recently. Now, they have to decide: either work together or march up to the unemployment office. Although they have never been able to be in the same room without resorting to insults, they're forced to agree. But close proximity has a way of bringing long-denied feelings to the surface.

Sabrina and Nick were amazing, fully fleshed-out characters, with a witty rapport that made me laugh out loud and "aweee" every other page. They didn't only feel real, they felt like people I would want to be friends with. The romantic relationship between them evolved at such a natural, charming pace that I never felt it was too rushed - and that had worried me going in. No, it was wonderful altogether.

The Christmas setting, while not relevant to the plot, made the reading of this story even more magical. The descriptions were vivid enough to make me want to pull out my Christmas decorations a full month earlier than I usually do! I didn't, because my cat loves them a little too much, but I was tempted.

This was a 5-star read for me, and I think it became my new favorite story in the series. While a standalone, there are mentions of previous protagonists and relationships, so if you hate spoilers of all kind, try starting on ACT LIKE IT, the first book in the saga.

Lucy Parker has written some of the most gorgeous romances that stay in my mind for months after reading them and this was not the exception. I absolutely loved the rivals to lovers dynamics, the fake relationship and workplace romance. I would really recommend everyone to read the first four books before this one because it makes it much more special (it can also be read as a stand alone!).

Back near the start of the pandemic (remember how naive we were?), Harlequin sent out an email with a few titles for reviewers to check out because they thought readers might be looking for some sweet Happily Ever After stories to sink into. They thought correctly and I requested two that ended up being part of the same series - Lucy Parker's London Celebrities series.

The Austen Playbook follows Freddy, a theatre actress in London, and Griff, a theatre critic, as their lives collide. They've always been aware of each other, given their professions, but they're thrown together in the most unlikely of circumstances as Griff's family estate is playing host to a unique play that Freddy is taking part in. They're staging a play inspired by some of Jane Austen's most famous characters that will be aired on live TV. Not only that, the audience gets to vote on how the play proceeds. Sort of like a choose your own adventure but...televised live. Just a bit stressful, eh?

The next book is Headliners and, as you may expect if you've read the preceding novel, it features Sabrina, Freddy's older sister, and Nick. The two are evening TV news presenters and they've both taken major hits to their careers. The owner of the news station decides to make them work for their careers and they're thrust together to co-host the network's struggling morning show. They hate each other...at least, that's what they think at the start. As you may imagine, those feelings start to change.

Each novel could be described as an enemies-to-lovers story (though Freddy and Griff's is more of an opposites attract but they did know each other and I wouldn't call them friends or even acquaintances...I think there was a healthy dislike there). And, I admit, this is not one of my favourite tropes. Intellectually, I just don't love the idea of people despising each other and then, wham, they want to hop into bed together. But...I'll admit that many authors know how to tell a good story and I almost always end up enjoying the ride as the characters realize their strong feelings for the other have shifted in a surprising way.

I hadn't read the first books in the London Celebrities series but I don't think you really need to. I would, however, recommend you don't jump into Headliners without first reading The Austen Playbook. A lot happens in Freddy's story that directly impacts what happens in Sabrina's and you'll get a much better sense of the sisters and their lives if you read the books together.

I really adored Freddy and Sabrina. Their mom died when they were very young and Sabrina had to step up and become more mom than older sister to Freddy (which, of course, has it's own set of issues the pair had to deal with over the course of the novels). Their father was an actor but was injured on set and now managed Freddy's careers (again...much frustration, much drama). The women were close, which was so great, and they had their sibling squabbles like any others (made me miss my sister, that's for sure). They're both smart, funny, and had such warm and welcoming personalities that it was a delight to read their stories - and as the men in their lives realized that they had been idiots and could not live without them.

The setting of these novels was absolutely delightful. I had a whirlwind trip to Edinburgh before the world shut down and I also spent an evening hitting the top sights in London before flying home the next day. The books are set in London and I was feeling a bit nostalgic for the sightseeing tour my sister brought me on. I also liked that part of Freddy's story took place at a countryside estate because it was just so quintessential England to me. (Maybe that's just the Canadian in me.)

I think I liked Headliners more than The Austen Playbook but both of Lucy Parker's novels were a balm to this romance lover's soul while dealing with all the pandemic has brought upon us. They were sweet and sexy, fun and dramatic, and both had the most delightful Happily Ever Afters. Check them out if you're also in need of an escape!

*Copies of these novels were provided by the publisher, Harlquin, via NetGalley, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*