Series Review: Hollywood Heat by Laurelin Paige

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Synopsis for Sex Symbol (aka Take Two) (from Goodreads):

He’s ready for his close up, but she’s the one calling the shots.

On the night of her graduation from film school, straight-laced Maddie Bauers fell completely out of character for an oh-my-god make-out session with a perfect stranger. Complete with the big O.

Seven years later, that romantic interlude is still fresh in her mind. That stranger is now a rich and famous actor. And she’s one very distracted camera assistant working on his latest production. She might consider another tryst…if he even remembers her.

Micah Preston does indeed remember Maddie. Too bad he’s sworn off Hollywood relationships. He allows himself as much sex as he likes—and oh, he does like—but anything more is asking for trouble. For the woman, not for him. Yet knowing Maddie could want more than a movie-set fling doesn’t stop him from pursuing her like a moth drawn to hot stage lights.

But as the shoot nears its end, it’s decision time. Is it time to call, “Cut!” on their affair, or is there enough material for a sequel?

Warning: Contains a dreamy movie star hero, a focus-pulling heroine, off-the-charts instant chemistry, steamy sex in near-public locations, and a new use for lip gloss.

SERIESous’ Top Book Series: Favourite Author
Series: Hollywood Heat (Originally: Lights, Camera)
Author: Laurelin Paige
# of Books: 3 (Take Two, Star Struck, one More Time)
Book Order: Connected
Complete?: Yes
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Celebrity
Heat Rating: Toasty
Point of View: Third Person, Alternate (#1-#2); First Person, Alternating (#3)
Publication Dates: February 2014 – May 2018
Source & Format: Own–eBook (#1-#2); eARC (One More Time)

**This post was originally posted as a Fresh Friday review of the first book of the series. It has now been updated to include the newest publications in the series.**

My Expectations:

I’ve been patiently waiting to read Take Two since I finished Paige’s Fixed Trilogy in January. I absolutely loved that series and I was excited to see what she would do next.

My Review of Take Two (later republished as Sex Symbol):

This series is vastly different from the Fixed Trilogy. Yes, it has it’s sexier moments like Fixed on You did complete with great character chemistry–but it is much more light-hearted and easy going than the Fixed Series. The characters don’t have tragedy filled pasts and they don’t consume every aspect of their lives. Instead, we get two characters who are focusing on their careers and trying to see where a relationship fits in.

This book was just what I needed when I read it. I had a lot of fun reading about the characters and I loved their sexual chemistry right from the start. I normally don’t like insta-connection romances but it really didn’t feel like that to me. To me, it felt like I was reading a romance between two people who have a strong attraction to each other but want to develop it more. It wasn’t overly nauseating which I appreciated.

Another thing I really found refreshing about Take Two was that both Micah and Maddie worked in the movie industry. I think that’s why I liked their connection to each other so much because they had a lot in common. In other books I have read with actor or celebrity leads, the hero is always the celebrity and the heroine is an everyday girl who struggles with dating a celebrity. I think by having Maddie as someone behind the scenes but who understands the business made things seem more plausible and added a bit of a spin to things.

One thing that surprised me was that there wasn’t too much drama or any plot twists to the story. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing because I really liked how the story progressed on its own as a straight-forward romance but after reading the Fixed Trilogy where there was always something going on in the background I guess you can say I was expecting something to pop up along the way 😛

My Expectations for the Rest of the Series:

I will probably read Star Struck just because I really like Laurelin Paige’s works but the warning at the bottom of the synopsis is slightly deterring me from picking it up as it isn’t my usual cup of tea. Overall though, the plot sounds interesting and could be a lot of fun like Take Two was so I’m not writing it off completely.

–May 6, 2018– Book #3: One More Time

So I actually read Book 3 before I read Book 2–but because these novels are all individual standalones set in the same universe, you can totally do that without any consequences.

Check out my full review of One More Time on my Blog Tour Stop post.

–February 19, 2023– Book #2: Star Struck

Always trust a Laurelin Paige book to get me out of a reading funk!

It’s been years since I read the first book in the series so I went in with an open mind about Heather, forgetting the finer details of what she was like in that novel.

I always enjoy reading stories where two stubborn people get knocked down by love. These two have this powerful chemistry at the start so I enjoyed watching them slowly learn that there is more to their connection than physical attraction.

However, I did struggle with the pacing a bit. I felt like we rehashed the same stuff just before the halfway point. The last half of the book introduced some new conflict and drama which I enjoyed.