Another book from NetGalley that I might have otherwise overlooked, this time in the racy fiction genre, and set in the entertainment world, is Love, Camera, Action.
Noel Stark (pen name for Debra Felstead) goes behind the scenes of a film/TV studio where relationships, rivalries, and raunchy moments collide.
The main romance is that of Jory and Cali, whose attraction to each other starts as purely sexual, but develops into something more.
Aside from their difficult bond, actors Thalia and Paolo prove difficult to control. The psyche of a set and it’s players is strongly conveyed, as well as a few exquisitely written sex scenes.
Love, Camera, Action balances the reality of physical need with the lines that can be crossed for sexual gratification, especially when your whole life is playing a game.
The health issues of one character seem too peripheral and unnecessary, but even the minor executive characters are fleshed out and believable.
Whether Cali and Jory will survive beyond their touch and tease mind games is left open, and a slightly clumsy epilogue adds little.
However, this is a real page-turner that ventures into the back room behind the pictures we see on TV, and bubbles with vibrant writing.
Love, Camera, Action is published by Alcove Press and due for release in April 2025.