I really enjoyed this one!
I didn’t read the first book and I don’t think you need to read it to read this one. I love the grumpy x sunshine vibes from the two MCs as well as other tropes featured like marriage of convenience.
I do think some parts were a bit cheesy like the last name of the male love interest being “Hott”. Also, I wanted more of the theatre group using the barn being played out (the whole point of the marriage of convenience).
These can be pushed aside for the overall story.

In this book we follow our main characters Ivy and Shane. Ivy is an actor who moved to a small town to escape her ex and the annoyance of lala land, (Hollywood). Shane is also an actor but his life is put on hold to help his family save their home. With his sister's business also on the line Ivy is the only person who can help him keep things from falling apart. It turns out that he need her for more than her acting skills. He needs her heart.

While I do enjoy a fake dating trope, this one did not give the emotional pull I was looking for. I gave it an open mind but I still could not give it more than 2 stars. The book was rushed. The author's writing was simple. Almost too easy to predict. No surprises. No butterflies for the characters. Relationship relied heavily on sexual tension. Emotional connection felt like a throw away. Lost potential,

How I spent my Saturday. I adore Serena Bell's writing. Her stories always leaves me happy. In "Hott Take" both main characters are damaged, but the angst wasn't over the top. It didn't drag the story down in a pit of gloom. The damage was a vehicle for character growth. The feels remained rom-com, light and heart warming. The sexy times were fun, the humor laugh out loud funny on occasion and as always the side characters were a joy to revisit. Can't wait for Ms. Bell's next release!

*ARC review thanks to Netgalley and the publisher*

I have had the Wilder Adventures series by Serena Bell on my tbr for a while, but was still unfamiliar with her work, so this ARC was a good opportunity for me to start reading her work. I read Hott Shot before, because even for standalone I like to have all the background, but would say it’s not really needed and you wouldn’t be missing out on too much if you don’t want to.

After the death of their grand father, the Hott brothers are one by one left with a very specific request in his will, otherwise they will lose the family resort. All of the brothers have long left the place, but it’s the pride and joy of their sister and they won’t let her down. Shane is a successful actor, who is know just as much for his movies than for his looks and his reputation with women. Unfortunately for him, grandpa Hott has decided he now has 6 months to organise a celebrity wedding on the resort.

And it’s not as easy as Shane first think it will be. 5 months in and Shane is desperate, and suddenly the only solution is for him to marry Ivy, former celebrity who has been quietly living in Creek Rush for years and just so happen to need his family’s help for her job. It helps them both, but now they also need to sell that they are in love for the lawyer overseeing the will to validate the wedding…

In this book, I really liked both Shane and Ivy’s characters. They were both looking for something and they found it with each other, bringing themselves peace they didn’t know they needed. The book was entertaining, the story was nice, and I enjoyed it and will be reading Serena Bell’s other books in the future and will be looking forward to the next of the Hott brothers.

Shane & Ivy ❤️

💒Shane is the next Hott brother to be given a task to complete to save the family wedding venue property from being given to a nasty mining company. Find a celebrity couple, in love, to marry on the property within 6 months.

🎬You would think it would be easy finding a willing celebrity couple since Shane’s a hot movie star himself.

💍But when things go pear-shaped, the next option is to ask gorgeous actress Ivy to help out. Only problem with fake dating and fake marriages, oops catching all those feelings and attractions!

📚Serena Bell’s writing doesn’t disappoint in this fun celebrity couple, fake marriage romance. He’s the bigger star, she’s opted out of Hollywood for small town theatre life. And with a bunch of siblings that have no doubts about what’s happening, the pair are bound to find their - albeit bumpy -way to each other. It’s another cutie from this lovely series ❤️

Read an eARC copy courtesy of Netgalley and the author
My rating 4/5 - ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Pub Date 16 Apr 2024

All of the Hott brothers will have to comply with the ridiculous demands in their grandfather's will in order to keep the family property and their sister Hannah's wedding business. Now it's Shane's turn... he had six months to find a celebrity couple truly in love and wanting to get married. Hannah is tasked with planning the wedding on the property. He thinks he's got it all under control when, a month before the wedding, his celebrity couple breaks up.
Ivy Scofield escaped the Hollywood lights after she's bumped off her TV show, and now she runs a theater group for kids or if Rush Creek. She's searching for a new place to hold rehearsals and comes to Hope Springs to ask to use their barn but Hannah needs it for weddings. Then Shane Hott proposes a deal: marry him and she can have the theater space. She's an actress, she can make this look real for a few months right? What could possibly go wrong?
I like these lighthearted and fun stand-alone stories and the world of the Hott brothers. These two go through all the rituals of wedding planning while pretending they're just acting and not feeling real chemistry. I love the part where Shane walks in on her watching "that scene" in his movie, lol! And in the inevitable third act breakup I just wanted to reach in and shake Shane into realizing the truth!! I can't wait to read the next book!
Thanks to Serena Bell and Netgalley for the advance copy of this book. The opinions in this review are my own and given voluntarily.

this was really fun and cute! i liked the idea of the two actors watching each other’s films, and the spice was spicing 🌶️ I could’ve done without a wedding ending but still cute

Hott Take is book 2 in the Hott Springs Eternal series, in which a grandfather leaves each grandson a task which must be fulfilled in order to keep the family ranch. Movie star Shane Hott must organise a celebrity wedding within 6 months. When his original plans fall through, Shane proposes a marriage of convenience with tv star Ivy Scofield. Will they make it down the aisle?

I've read a few of Serena Bell's books, and find them to be an enjoyable, light and cosy comfort read. Shane and Ivy were endearing and sweet, and had great chemistry. I loved their supporting (meddling) friends, and the drama of the off-again, on-again weddings.

I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a small town, marriage of convenience romance with found family, cosy vibes and low stakes. Having read the teaser at the end, I'm curious for Preston's story!

Thank you Author Collective 20 and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

First I want to say thank you to NetGalley and the publishing team for letting me arc read this book. In Hott take you’ll find a fake engagement, romantic comedy tbe characters relationship with each other was amazing and i didn’t feel like it was forced like they had an obvious connection with each other. It was a bit slow at first and it got hard to stay focused but it did get better it’s dual pov and I absolutely love those :) anyone who loves romantic comedies and a marriage of convenience would like this

I hope it is some sort of twisted joke that we don’t get Preston’s book for a full year?!

Part of me wishes I just held off on this series until it was complete if I am going to wait that long between books. 😬😬😬

I love the town of Rush Creek and I am loving the Hott brothers just as I did the Wilder’s.

This was such a fun book to read—and I was happy to get more of the brothers together. Ivy was such a perfect heroine for Shane, and the fact she did not know who he was when they first met at the spa is fantastic.

Hott Take truly lives up to the romantic comedy genre. It is a cute, easy read full of characters you are bound to love. Highly recommend for anyone needing a smile 🥰🥰🥰

Dual POV
Fake engagement
Celebrity romance
Small town
Hott family fun

This is the second book in the Hott Springs Eternal series, with each book about another Hott brother who needs to complete a specific task as mentioned in their grandfather’s will. This book is about Shane and Ivy - I like it when the names are great! Actor Shane needs to find an actress to pretend to be in love with him and marry him, before the end of the month, in order to save his family’s land and his sister’s business. He gets Ivy to agree and so the story begins.
It’s an easy flowing story with easy banter. Shane is a sweet guy, very famous, attractive, but despite all his success he thinks he’s not capable of falling in love. Cue Ivy, a sweet, down to earth girl who isn’t impressed with Hollywood and everything it stands for. It’s a combination of the fantasy actor and actress combined with the people behind it, who start out fake dating turned into a real relationship.
There’s a lot of attraction and references to them lusting after the other, and several references to masturbation. Personally, I would have liked a bit more character development and less fantasy and steam.
I have to admit: I’m not that into the whole fantasy stuff, so you kind of lose me when grown ups play dress up like this. But I guess when you’re one of those fans who is into fantasy series, you will definitely love this storyline. And there are several sweet parts in the book. I loved the engagement ring in the shape of a flower. I totally pictured it in my head. I really liked that Ivy wasn’t impressed by fame, and just was herself around Shane. And it made Shane re-evaluate his life and his decisions.
The hookup happens soon after the fake dating, but what happens then? You will have to read the book to find out.
Thank you Netgalley, Author Collective 20, Jelsba Media Group and Serena Bell for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hot Take was an entertaining romcom about Shane and Ivy, two celebrities living their own lives.

Shane is desperate to save his families land by landing a celebrity wedding (the weirdest requirement right?!). This SHOULD be easy to do - but he keeps running into issues. There doesn’t appear to be any "real love" among the celebrities.

The only solution is for Shane and Ivy to get married themselves! They just have to be sneaky and prove to people that they are in love.

Watching this relationship bloom was SO amusing!

My only issue with this book was the pacing felt very slow sometimes, I felt like it slightly dragged on.

Overall, this was a cute read that I enjoyed and was heavily rooting for both Ivy and Shane!

Thank you NetGalley and Author Collective 20 for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First, I'd like to say thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for granting me access to this read of Hott Take.

I'm such a fan of Serena Bell's work, but unfortunately this book didn't keep me interested like how I wanted it to. That's not to say it wasn't a great book, just didn't fully connect with me this time around. With that being said, the banter between the characters, the family dynamic and the small town vibes were all there. I did appreciate how much Ivy was so passionate about the community theater and having it for these children. Then we have Shane, I liked how he slowly let his guard the layers flow away when with her.

this book is definitely for anyone who enjoys
- spice
- movie star
-marriage of convenience
- rom-com vibes

with all of that being said, I still give this read about a 3.5 out of 5. I hope to maybe pick it up again sometime in the future and see if my connection with it will change.

Fake relationship books are addicting I swear. But was it ever really fake? Ivy and Shane are immediately into each other even though they don’t fully admit it. Shane needs a celebrity wedding to happen so his sister can keep her land. Ivy needs a rehearsal space for her theater kids and to avoid an irritating ex. They have great chemistry throughout. They always enjoy their time together. But will that be enough when Shane says he can’t ever fall in love? Definitely recommend this one! Coming April 16th.

Roses: I enjoyed this story! It was super lighthearted, IMO, and was a type of story I was looking for. I love a good marriage of convenience, and this definitely delivers all of that. Shane and Ivy were so great together. The chemistry they shared on the page was really enjoyable. They did grow to like each other in a natural way, which was nice to read. I love a dual POV, and Shane’s POV was so good. Getting the chance to understand his thought process about his family relationships and why he felt he didn’t deserve or could have real love was vital for the story. Overall, the story was really good and fun to read!

Thorns: The pace was pretty slow in the beginning. It was to the point where I was becoming bored that nothing was happening yet. Luckily, it speeds up, but that happens about halfway through. Honestly, If I weren’t ARC reading this, I probably would have paused and read something else. The spicy scenes were odd. Not that they weren’t realistic, but they sometimes didn’t seem to have enough detail to explain the situation. There were also some points in the story I was left thinking if I missed something.

I have read plenty of this author's previous work but somehow missed the first book in this series.

So, this is the second book, where we see Hanna's brothers (from the Wilder books) having to jump through hoops to satisfy the conditions of their grandfather's will.

Shane Hott (yep, that's their last name) is a famous actor which is handy because, to satisfy the terms of the will, he has to facilitate a wedding between two celebrities who are also in love - repeat, cannot be a sham marriage.

When his original plan falls through he offers himself as tribute and asks Ivy (who used to be a tv star) to, you guessed it, enter into a sham marriage with him. They are both attracted to each other but not looking for anything long term but that has never posed a problem before right? They can keep their distance and then separate with no hurt feelings right?

Ok, so this might be a trope we are familiar with, but it's done well and is light-hearted, steamy and fun. Can't wait to see what's in store for the other brothers!

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

4 stars.

I haven't read Serena Bell's books before, but I've heard they're good. And indeed - I liked this book immediately and read it quickly!

The main characters of the book are Shane and Ivy, who end up getting married for practical reasons. They don't know each other beforehand, but the chemistry between them is sizzling right from the start! So pretending is not difficult. Except when the situation causes confusion - what is pretending and what is real?

Marriage for practical reasons is a really good trope. It involves the mixing of the boundaries of reality and the show. It also sometimes annoys me a bit - don't the main characters really realize that both of them are really involved in the situation and not just acting?!

I love romantic literature, but I get annoyed by third act break ups. Unfortunately, this was also the case in this book, but it was also relatively easy to deal with.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy and quick read, the story was fun, and the main characters were interesting. I will definitely read the author's books in the future!

What to expect:
Fake dating / marriage
HEA
Small town
Steamy
Third act break up

Celebrity Romance
Fake Engagement
Found Family
Small Town

This the first book I read by this author and I want to kick myself for not finding her sooner. I absolutely love both the FMC and MMC. They are both so well written and work so well as a couple. I love this kind of Contemporary Romance book. This type of feel good, laugh out loud sometimes and heart warming is just what I need after a hard day.Better yet even the side characters are awesome. I loved the storyline, even though I was skeptical at first but the first chapters really pulled me in and I stayed with this story until the end.
What is not to love about this book.

I am bummed I didn't know about the first book before requesting this one. Kind if spoiled it for me but I will be picking up book 1.
I am so happy to have found d another author to add to my list.

I would highly recommend this book if you love a Good Ole Contemporary Romance.

***I was given this book by NetGalley for my honest review.***

I requested this before realizing it was a part of a series, but like many romance series, you can read as a stand-alone. The characters are connected, but the premise isn’t connected enough to make it confusing. I definitely will go back and read Quinn and Sonya’s story after enjoying this book though!

I love a good fake dating trope, and add in a marriage of convenience combined with a celebrity MMC and a semi-celebrity FMC? I’m in. This was funny, steamy, and while I felt the plot ran a little too fast to be believable it was a super fun read. There were some aspects that were a bit much- the proposal and similar event later- but overall I’ll admit it fit with the characters. I’ll definitely be recommending this one!

I’ll be posting a review to my Bookstagram this week, will edit the review with the link once it’s posted! Thank you NetGalley & Author Collective 20 for the opportunity to read and review!

PHENOMENAL!!! Thank you NetGalley, Serena Bell and Author Collective 20 for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

After being swept away by the first book in the series "Hott Shot," I wasted no time in eagerly requesting this second book when I spotted it available. I knew I had to read it!! Delightfully, it surpassed all my expectations, and Serena Bell has firmly established herself as one of my top authors! "Hott Take," the second installment in the Hott Springs Eternal series, functions as a <I>standalone</I> story and can be enjoyed independently of the series order. However, I recommend starting with the first book to fully appreciate the depth of the story. This romantic comedy is an enchanting blend of sweetness, humor, spice, and heartwarming moments, all within the endearing backdrop of the small town of Rush Creek. From start to finish, it entertains with its touching storyline and beautifully written prose. I couldn't help but find myself grinning, giggling, swooning, and even shedding a tear or two along the way. So indulge yourself in the charming narrative of a celebrity romance entwined with a marriage of convenience and a fake relationship, where sensual tension and sizzling chemistry abound, creating a deliciously sweet experience! This book has truly captured my heart, ranking as one of my favorite rom-coms of 2024 without a doubt!! 🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷

Navigating the charade of falling for each other is one thing; resisting the genuine connection brewing beneath the surface is another challenge entirely. Meet Shane: tasked with securing a celebrity wedding to save his family's legacy, he's no stranger to Hollywood's games. But finding love on cue proves trickier than expected. Enter Ivy Scofield, a former TV star seeking refuge in Rush Creek. Desperate to preserve her community theater, she strikes a deal with Shane: his family's wedding barn in exchange for a fake marriage. Yet, as they dive into the elaborate ruse, sparks fly unexpectedly. As they delve deeper into each other's worlds, both find themselves unraveling the cascades they've carefully crafted. Will their pretend romance unveil something real, or will their fears keep them apart?

In summary, every aspect of this book was utterly captivating!! I mean, there was not a single thing I didn't adore. Shane and Ivy's love story has firmly etched its place in my heart. Serena Bell has created a masterpiece that is romantic, beautiful, emotionally charged and incredibly realistic! I wholeheartedly recommend this book and believe it deserves all the stars!! 💫💫💫💫💫