“My whole life has been about movies. But real life doesn’t always end in periods or exclamation points. Real life throws out questions with no intention of ever answering them.”
Freshly out-of-work actress Sloane Ford is in desperate need of a new project. When her family (every member as famous in the movie industry as Sloane) ropes her into working as a producer on their World-War II-era romance, they fail to mention that the film will be headlined by Joseph Donovan, Sloane’s least favourite co-star of all time. Still smarting over the way he treated everyone and made her life a living hell the last time they worked together, Sloane is not here for Joseph’s “new and improved” version. When filming gets underway and everything that can go wrong, does go wrong, Sloane is forced to take on the leading role opposite Joseph, which means they’ll have to act like lovers. Sloane isn’t convinced that Joseph really has changed, but the show must go on, as her family reminds her. Yet the more time the two co-stars spend together, the more sparks fly and eventually, the lines between on-camera and off-camera begin to blur. Sloane and Joseph will have to ask themselves how much “natural” chemistry goes before it turns into something more.
Let me preface this review by saying that I am an absolute sucker for movie star romances. I love everything about it, including the rehearsing romantic lines, the meta elements when the actors’ and characters’ story arc suddenly align perfectly, not to mention all the drama that comes with being on set. And whoo boy, does Morrissey deliver on all of these points.
Sloane Ford is an amazing protagonist to follow. She’s approachable and witty, but above all, she is incredibly relatable. She’s not perfect, just like any of us she makes mistakes and is kind of a mess, but a loveable one at that. Having been burned by her ex-boyfriend—a musician who dedicated his entire second album to exposing all the vulnerabilities and fears she shared with him during their relationship—Sloane doesn’t know how or who to trust when it comes to romance. Finding herself faced with none other than the man who made one of her first filming experiences a living hell soon after that very public breakup, Sloane wants nothing more than to ignore the lingering sparks between her and Joseph, scared to be burned all over again. The chemistry between Sloane and Joseph is palpable and I absolutely love how Joseph is held accountable for how he behaved during their last filming experience. Yes, he has extenuating circumstances as we learn, but that does not mean his actions were okay, and he himself knows that and tries to make up for it with both words and better actions. It added a deeper layer to their relationship and made me root all the more for them to find their way to each other.
While the romance in this is very much a enemies-to-begrudging-partners-to-friends-to-eventual lovers, the focus of Love Scenes is on the Ford family dynamics. Some may balk at that in what is marketed as a romance novel, but I loved it. Intricate and flawed family dynamics are so hard to get right, but here, they’re so intriguing you won’t be able to put the book down. We not only get to see the tension between Sloane and her mother, Sloane’s fears concerning her dad’s health, but we also get to see the extended family and their dynamics—from Sloane’s mother’s relationship with her ex-husband’s new partner or Sloane’s relationships with her younger sibling that she doesn’t get to spend all that much time with. I found myself so intrigued by this messy family and their issues, which are rarely resolved since everyone in that family is as stubborn as Sloane. But through it all, you can tell these people are in each other’s corners, always, and I wish that there was a comedy series about the Fords because god knows I’d binge every season following their eccentrics.
An in-depth exploration of a patchwork family and their dynamics, with a slow-burn co-stars-to-lovers romance, Love Scenes is the perfect read for anyone who can’t resist a good escapist romance and loves well-done redemption arcs.
Love Scenes is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of June 22nd 2021.
Will you be picking up Love Scenes? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Acting like she’s in love with her handsome nightmare of a co-star–in a movie directed and produced by her complicated Hollywood royalty family–is Sloane’s job. But what happens when the lines between script and reality get blurred?
Out-of-work actress Sloane Ford is in desperate need of something to do after losing her steady TV gig. When her famous family ropes her into working as a producer on their World War II-era romance, they neglect to mention that the film will be headlined by Joseph Donovan, her least favorite former co-star of all time. The roguish actor made her life a living hell the last time they worked together, using his movie star good looks and Irish charm to cover for his erratic professional behavior. On their new film set, he promises he’s different now, but Sloane is far from convinced.
As filming gets underway, it becomes clear that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. When the lead actress is abruptly fired, Sloane agrees to step in and take over the role, and she starts to remember why she fell in love with acting in the first place. On camera, she and Joseph share an electric chemistry. Off camera, they’ve been honing their characters and, much to Sloane’s surprise, growing closer. But playing the role of a woman in love with Joseph Donovan is a dangerous business, and the more time they spend together, the less Sloane can tell what’s real between them, and what’s just for show.
This book is hands-down one of my FAVORITE of 2021 (maybe of all time) for exactly all the reasons you mention! Great review.