HOLLYWOOD BABY AFFAIR – Anna DePalo
The Serenghetti Brothers , Book 2
Harlequin Desire #2525
ISBN: 978-0-373-83852-3
June 2017
Contemporary Series Romance

Los Angeles, California – Present Day

As a top actress in fame hungry Hollywood, Chiara would prefer to keep her personal life out of the public eye, but her ne'er do well father has other ideas, which has the press putting her in a bad spotlight. Her manager suggests Chiara hire sexy stuntman Rick Serenghetti to pose as a temporary love interest to shift the paparazzi's attention away from her father, but she is reluctant because something about Rick unnerves her. Could it be because she's attracted to him?

Rick isn't just a stuntman; he's the billionaire funder of the film, but he doesn't tell Chiara this. He's gun-shy about revealing his wealth to women because of a bad experience with one that led to the breakup of a longtime friendship. Chiara intrigues him, even as he dismisses her as a spoiled Hollywood actress. After a crazed stalker gets too close to Chiara, Rick steps in to rescue her and then agrees to the fake boyfriend ruse because he can also double as her bodyguard. To make their “romance” appear real, he moves into her house, where living under the same roof ignites the flames of passion between them.

To most people, Chiara is just another well-known actress in a town where the competition for publicity is great. But in HOLLYWOOD BABY AFFAIR, we learn that deep-down Chiara would prefer to ride under the radar and just do what she loves best…acting. She has been embarrassed numerous times by her father, whether it's his gambling or getting into trouble with the law, and she's been painted by the media as the bad daughter for not rescuing him from his escapades. To get positive focus placed on Chiara, her manager pushes the fake romance scheme to her and Rick. As someone who rarely dates, it'd be big news if Chiara is involved with her sexy stuntman.

Rick comes from a large Italian-American rich family, but he's made a lot more money on his own, which has allowed him to fund movies. After his bad experience with a gold-digger, he's not currently looking for a Hollywood girlfriend, but Chiara's manager—and Chiara herself—convince him that this is the right thing to do. Maybe some of that is due to his attraction to her? They didn't start out planning to change their romance from pretend to real, but once that happens, they can't get enough of each other. But once the movie is over, is the romance off the table?

Part of The Serenghetti Brothers series, the first book being SECOND CHANCE WITH THE CEO, one can read HOLLYWOOD BABY AFFAIR as a standalone without too much difficulty. Still two more siblings to go, and I can't wait!

Chiara and Rick strike sparks, and soon their fake romance is turning into the real thing. With its sizzling sensuality and intriguing characters, I highly recommend grabbing a copy of HOLLYWOOD BABY AFFAIR for a read you will surely enjoy.

Patti Fischer