I enjoyed this debut opposites attract, forced proximity, dual POV, workplace romance between a Director of photography and his female director. This had emotional depth and fantastic chemistry between the leads, there was also disability rep (he has Lynch syndrome which is a precursor to colon cancer and she has an absentee/neglectful mother). There was also a lot of fun on set dynamics between the actors and the crew that I enjoyed getting insight into. Good on audio and recommended for fans of authors Christina Lauren. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

‘Love, Camera, Action’ was a cute workplace romance with dual POV (in third person). The story follows a female director and the director of photography as they navigate working together on a movie whilst not making the best first impression and being ‘enemies’.
The characters in this story were likeable and had some vulnerability towards the end that I enjoyed seeing explored a little.
The whole book was quite fast paced which I enjoyed, the end felt slightly rushed but nonetheless I still found the book to be wrapped up nicely and a fun one!

4.5 stars
This book resonates with me. I enjoyed Jory and Cali as characters and their development both personally and as a couple throughout this story. These two captured my attention from the very beginning and held it until the very last word. Stark did a good job handling some heavy and strong emotional topics and did it with depth hand. The secondary characters added to the fabric of the story and my enjoyment. I loved the role that family played in both the main characters’ lives and what it added to their story and development as characters. The story is easy to read and get into.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I got such a kick out of this book.

It had spice, loneliness, longing, pain, and so many other elements that the author pulled together perfectly.

I would definitely recommend it.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

DNF @ 40%

Unfortunately, I think this one was just not for me. I didn't feel connected to the characters and at the almost halfway point I was not interested in reading the romance between these two people.

Thank you to Alcove Press and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cali Daniels is hired to direct episodes of a steamy tv drama after the original director was fired for being sexually inappropriate. Her first interaction in the set is with the brusque director of photography, Jory Blair. They get off on the wrong foot and have different creative visions resulting in tension. Despite their professional differences, they are inexplicably attracted to each other.

This rivals to lovers, workplace romance should work, but the chemistry between Cali and Jory feels underdeveloped. Both are avoiding relationships for personal reasons and that avoidance gets resolved so quickly that it feels superficial. Also, considering the emphasis on #metoo scenarios, both MCs appear to put the actors in uncomfortable situations that cross the line of appropriateness.

The spicy parts of this book are plenty steamy, even if they seem to come out of nowhere. I enjoyed the behind the scenes look at the entertainment industry.

There’s definite potential here. It simply requires some better pacing and a bit more development.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the advance copies. All opinions are my own.

I unfortunately had to put this one down, I am thinking I may try again at a later date. I enjoyed the premise of the book, but I was having a hard time getting into the story and the characters.

Love, Camera, Action is a charming and engaging read. While the story offers some delightful moments, it occasionally falls into predictability, which slightly detracts from its overall impact. However, the likable characters and fun setting make it a pleasant read for fans of romantic comedies. I rated it 3.5/5, appreciating the story's warmth and wit.
A big thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to review this ARC.

Thank you Alcove Press and NetGalley for the ARC.

Unfortunately, I didn't finish reading this book.

3.5 stars that I’m rounding up to a 4.

This was a solid debut novel. I really liked Cali and Jory as main characters (and bonus points for dual POV!) and the premise- she’s a director, he’s the director of photography for a TV show and they have an enemies to lovers arc that’s ACTUALLY started out as enemies, they genuinely can’t stand each other at first, so when the turn happens, it’s great.

I think the subplot with Jory’s medical issues could have been a lot stronger. It felt at times like it was just thrown in for his backstory without actually properly delving into it. I also strongly disliked Paolo as a character and I didn’t like the trajectory of his arc at all. Would have loved if Thalia was fleshed out more.

It’s also gets pretty spicy (definitely not a closed door situation), but nothing too crazy. Looking forward to see what Noel Stark has coming next!

this is not my vibe :( i really tried to get through this, but after 36%, im calling this a dnf. i just wasn’t interesting in these characters or their story, the fmc was a real nuisance and it wasn’t getting any better! i know the romance maybe would’ve switched things up but i can’t continue reading

I do enjoy a workplace romance, and this delivered on the workplace part. It’s clear the author knows the industry and gave us the right balance of detail without getting too bogged down in the minutiae. However, the romance angle wasn’t as strong. I liked Cali’s character and her determination to succeed despite her past history and present obstacles, but something about Jory fell flat for me and I couldn’t get invested in their developing relationship. It would have been nice to have more depth and conclusion on Paolo and Thalia, to be honest - I felt there was a lot more to explore there. Still, the writing flowed well and kept me interested throughout.

3.5★ If #womeninmalefield was a book-

The author scored a “Gold” with the debut, it was much more than what i expected when I applied for the ARC.

This book checked all the boxes I want in a romance book.
■⁠ enemies to lovers with spark between them from the first meet
■⁠ hilarious banter
■⁠ a strong willed female lead
■⁠ stoic shy male character who blushes more in just ten chapters than I had in my whole freaking life but secretly had a *dirty* mouth
■⁠ new and vibrant setting, this is my first book with the Film-Set aspect as backdrop and it was so intriguing i want to read more books with Hollywood vibes in future
■⁠ main characters with a lot of baggage & vulnerability who found their “Ones”
■⁠ their love language is making each other fed>>
■⁠ side characters to give more depth to the story
■⁠ some hot graphic sex
■⁠ another couple besides the main characters to root for(Are we getting Paolo & Thalia’s book??)

Well I don't enjoy miscommunication tropes that much but in this book it made their confession more magical and their actions more realistically flawed rather than idealistic. I am not complaining about it at all cuz it left me satisfied in the end.

“Let me be your supplicant, your man behind the great woman, your muse.”
“You’ll be my muse?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll be still while I film you?”
“Absolutely.”
“You’ll lie across a chaise lounge with a rose between your teeth and a delicate flush to your cheeks?”
“I’m exceptional at delicately flushing.”

One thing that didn’t fit with me was how recklessly forgotten Jory’s medical issues were in the end.

Tropes:
☞⁠ ⁠Grumpy x Sunshine
☞⁠ ⁠Workplace romance
☞⁠ ⁠Strong FMC
☞⁠ Film Industry setting
☞⁠ ⁠Colleagues with Benefits
☞⁠ Third Pov
☞⁠ ⁠Sexism/Misogyny/Sexual Harassment in movie industry rep

Thanks to Netgalley and Alcove Press for the ARC.
#NetGalley #LoveCameraAction

In this entertaining and spicy new romance novel, readers follow up-and-coming TV director Cali Daniels on her first big gig, a steamy episode for a popular TV series. Her chance at a big career boost if she nails this episode, Cali has faith in her creativity and practical knowledge, but the A-list director of photography, Jory Blair, keeps shutting down all of her ideas because he’s rethinking his life and wants a shot as a director. As their workplace rivalry turns into off-set chemistry and the producer starts suggesting that Jory sabotage Cali, the two workplace rivals will have to decide if the project is worth their rivalry and a future together. Spicy, steamy, and complicated, the emotional notes of this story are absolutely fantastic and deeply entertaining, and readers will love Jory and Cali’s chemistry and tension. With their fantastically complex backstories and working relationship, the will-they-won’t-they enemies to lovers aspect will really bring the fans into this story, while the background drama and characters will keep things interesting. Intense, enjoyable, and emotional, Noel Stark’s latest is a fantastic and perfectly tropey new romance novel that fans of the genre will love for the brilliant character, incredible relationship, and all of the drama on and off set.

Cali is an up and coming director brought on last minute to help with filming the tv show The Demon. Jori is the DP (director of photography) on The Demon and as he has been in the industry for a long time has little patient for green directors. The two start out butting heads but slowly learn to work together and encourage one another's creativity.

This book was a mixed bag for me. The part I enjoyed most was the filming aspect of this book. I felt like the industry sexism was handled relatively well and I enjoyed seeing it. On the other hand the romance felt underdeveloped and like it moved at an odd pace. There were so many reasons to keep the MCs apart, but they were just all dropped out of nowhere. The sickness and family drama were only brought up when necessary then brushed over at other times.

Tropes
* Workplace Romance
* TV film Set setting
* Rivals to Lovers
* Taking care of someone while sick
* Forced Collaboration
* Steamy Romance

3.5 stars

This book was a classic case of "I liked it but didn't love it."

I had such high hopes for this one, based on the tropes. Workplace rivals and enemies-to-lovers are two of my favorites. But in this one, the rival/enemy part was just too much for me.

Jory was so unprofessional in the way he dealt with his and Cali's jobs. Right from the start he was gunning for his own chance to be a director and having private conversations with the showrunner, an old-school misogynistic man. While Jory never came out and said anything terrible about Cali, he also didn't defend her or talk up the fantastic work she was doing. And since this book was told in dual point of view (something else I love) the reader gets a clear view of Jory and his intentions. Which were to get himself ahead no matter what. He kept talking about what a good guy he is. And yet his actions were anything but. At one point, one of the actors on the show misheard Cali saying something that made it sound like she thought he was a terrible actor. In fact it was Jory that said it, but he never corrected that misunderstanding. Throughout the whole book he undermined her. Even after they got together. Which was so wrong, yet he barely acknowledged that he was doing it. Even his way of trying to solve the problem at the end didn't ring true. It seemed like he felt guilty for what he'd done but was still trying to make excuses for himself.

I don't want to sound like there was nothing I liked about the book, because there were plenty of things I thought were done so well! The author is clearly very talented, if for no other reason than the fact that she was able to pull such strong emotions from me! The pacing was on point, it flowed well, and I flew through it very quickly. Her descriptions of life on a TV show set were fantastic, and were technical without being difficult for someone not in the business to understand. I also loved the way she wrote Cali's character. She was a strong woman in a male-dominated field and she truly cared about her crew and the actors. She had a lot of ideas and although she at times tried to bulldoze her way into doing things how she wanted, she still had the ability to step back and allow others to shine. She had flaws, both in her personal and professional life, but she acknowledged them and was willing to work on herself. I felt so angry on her behalf, because of the way Jory treated her.

The love story itself was also done well. I felt the chemistry between them, despite my feelings about Jory. The tension and bickering were fantastic, and I loved their banter.

All in all, I do think this was a great debut. I wish the character of Jory had been written a bit differently, but the writing, setting and story were wonderful. It was tough to rate this one, but I'm giving it a solid 3.5, rounded up to 4.

Thank you to Alcove Press and Netgalley for the e-arc of this book!

This debut book by Noel Stark was a perfect read for me. I appreciated her knowledge of the film industry by the way she told the story. She made me really want to root for the characters to change. I didn’t want this one to end!!!

Love, Camera, Action is a fast-paced, enjoyable read.... I mean, I don't regret spending time with this book.

Cali and Jory as individuals were really well-written with full personalities. I'm just not sure why they initially liked each other when Jory came off as a huge jerk for most of the book. I'm not a fan of the Beauty and the Beast "he's aweful and mean but probably really great inside" troup.

I thought it was interesting that the author works in the industry so it made the ramifications of the #metoo movement seem a lot more believalbe to me because I trusted the way she described it and the people who still live/work it. But it also made me feel like the message that toxic masculinity still exists was a bit too hit-over-head. You could literally put each male character in this book on a scale of "nice guy" to "reportable offence".

I felt like a lot of the book was spent on the misunderstandings (Cali) and incapability of action (Jory) in their relationship when I would have like to have had a lot more of them when everything worked out.

unfortunately for me this was very one note, very bland. I couldn't get attached to the characters at all and it felt like this all happened in the span of max a week, which felt both like it dragged but also is way too fast for them to fall in love. the deepness wasn't that deep/executed well enough for me but it wasn't written badly either - an idea is there.

this book felt very relevant. too relevant at times. i almost felt like i was reading some of todays articles info post on social media about whats going on in the world right now.
the characters were brilliantly written. they had their growing relationship but they both had their own needs and personalities. they also had things in their personal lives that led them to be where they were today. and it showed in how they handle life and certain situations in it.this felt very real to me. how two people can because of their own background or circumstances can literally do things so differently or react to things in certain ways.
the coming together of them then was all the more sweeter.
Cali felt like a really go getter. she was determined and new her mind. she had to be strong in such an industry and you really felt the biases she sometime shad to trawl through both in life and work. shes hired to help directed steamy scene in the steamy show called the demon. she takes this chance is the one, the one she can use to prove herself in the industry and she knows she can do this. one problem being the director of photography Jory. their difference create sparks. but soon their attraction does too. their growing tensions and banter start to really make this book exciting and i loved the relationship that is clearly blooming between the two of them whether they are ready to admit that or not.
their is also the issue for Jory who is being whispered to about pushing Cali out for his own ambision gains. so will he? will he mess it all up to get his own dreams to come true?
there is the growing moments of more tender and thoughtful dynamics as they try to wade through both work and life and all their own demons. ti really enjoyed this book. a brilliant romance that i will say has a fair level of steam!