Name: Right on Cue
ISBN: 9780593712900

Falon Ballard

From the beloved author of Just My Type and Lease on Love comes a new romantic comedy in which a former actress-turned-screenwriter finds herself back in the spotlight, only for her romantic lead to be the one man she can’t stand. Hollywood darling Emmy Harper is considered the queen of writing romantic comedies. That is, until tragedy struck and she swore she’d never write another happy ending again. After some time away, and lots of encouragement from family and friends, Emmy is finally ready to dive back into the genre with her latest project. But more is riding on this movie than just her return to the big screen. This time, Emmy’s also been convinced to star as the lead, dusting off acting skills she hasn’t used in over a decade. Emmy’s nervous, yet excited, to give performing another shot, until a last-minute injury benches her trusted co-star. With filming about to start, there’s only one other actor available on such short notice: Grayson West. A blockbuster action star known for his mega-watt smile and impossible abs, Grayson is anyone’s dream of a romantic lead. Anyone except Emmy that is, who still blames him for her disastrous first movie and the early end to her acting career. As filming begins, the friction between Emmy and Grayson is palpable and it’s anyone’s guess if it’s unresolved awkwardness or simmering sexual tension. The two are pushed to get their acts together—and quickly—or they risk tanking the entire movie, but if working things out leads to sizzling chemistry on screen, what might happen when the cameras stop rolling?

Right on Cue

issa

Screenwriter Emmy Harper's lastest rom-com script is about ready to go into production, but the right actress to play the lead hasn't been found.  Reluctantly Emmy steps into the role she wrote only to have the lead actor drop out at the last minute and be replaced by action star Grayson West.  The last time the two worked together was in their teens, producing a horrible film, spurred on by rumor and innuendo.  Their second effort doesn't start out any better than the first as they deal with their animosity for each other while filming what is supposed to be a funny and romantic story.

Right on Cue is a very light, sweet story that would have benefitted from more humor and a dual perspective.  Even with these issues, the novel manages to be very entertaining with enough drama to keep interest high.  Side characters that are mostly connected to Emmy add layers to the narrative and move the plot along.  Emmy and Grayson both have some unlikable traits but still manage to be characters to root for throughout the book.  Additional interest is included with the incorporation of texts, interviews, news articles, and social media posts involving the two protagonists.  Overall, Right on Cue is a cute, enjoyable page turner.

Lynn Braden

Screenwriter Emmy Harper's lastest rom-com script is about ready to go into production, but the right actress to play the lead hasn't been found.  Reluctantly Emmy steps into the role she wrote only to have the lead actor drop out at the last minute and be replaced by action star Grayson West.  The last time the two worked together was in their teens, producing a horrible film, spurred on by rumor and innuendo.  Their second effort doesn't start out any better than the first as they deal with their animosity for each other while filming what is supposed to be a funny and romantic story.

Right on Cue is a very light, sweet story that would have benefitted from more humor and a dual perspective.  Even with these issues, the novel manages to be very entertaining with enough drama to keep interest high.  Side characters that are mostly connected to Emmy add layers to the narrative and move the plot along.  Emmy and Grayson both have some unlikable traits but still manage to be characters to root for throughout the book.  Additional interest is included with the incorporation of texts, interviews, news articles, and social media posts involving the two protagonists.  Overall, Right on Cue is a cute, enjoyable page turner.

❝ “Don’t deny yourself something beautiful because you’re already thinking about what happens if it goes wrong.” ❞

❓ #QOTD What's your favorite rom-com OR recommend a romance novel you don't see promoted often enough? ❓

🦇 Former actress-turned-screenwriter Emmy Harper is ready to bring her latest rom-com to life. When the production can't find a leading lady, Emmy steps under the spotlight for the first time in over a decade. The last time she acted was alongside costar Grayson "F*cking" West, who she blames for her disastrous first film and the early end to her acting career. When Emmy's leading man backs out, Grayson steps in for the role. Their animosity nearly ruins the film until they discover a way to save the production, their careers, and potentially their relationship, on and off camera.

💜 I had the great fortune of reading Just My Type when it was an ARC last year, so I'm delighted that I got to read Falon Ballard's next novel! It's obvious this story is a work of love. This second-chance romance is a reminder that one small moment can have a major impact, both on a relationship and your career. However, it's also a reminder that you can overcome mistakes or false pretenses. Emmy's first project with Grayson, when they were both just teens, changed the course of her life. I loved seeing Emmy heal from that pain while being forced to recognize the pain SHE caused Grayson. The concept of a romance writer keeping romantic interest at a distance, while having an opportunity to heal through her work, was also a delight. The strongest aspect of the book wasn't Emmy, however, but Grayson. His vulnerability is raw and real; proof that a man of muscles still has a heart underneath. The story is peppered with texts and news articles, adding a Hollywood element to the story while putting the relationship under the public's scrutiny--which only puts additional pressure on Emmy. 

🦇 Unfortunately, the characters seem a bit superficial. We're not given a lot of reasons to love or relate to Emmy, who is a bit stubborn. While I loved seeing Grayson's vulnerability from Emmy, I wish the story was dual POV, so we could see reasons to adore Emmy through his point of view. One of the biggest mistakes was the lack of a flashback to show, rather than tell us about Emmy and Grayson's first project. Hearing a brief recap took the emotion out of the moment, when that moment obviously had a major impact on both Emmy and Grayson. The reliance on smut to develop the relationship and move the plot along was a bit frustrating, too. I have to warn you guys, there's a third-act break-up (thank you, miscommunication trope). The situation is resolved almost too quickly, making it all a bit anticlimactic. 

🦇 Recommended to all the romance lovers out there (especially you Hallmark movie fans). If you want to swoon over a leading man, Grayson is it.

🦇 Major thanks to the author @falonballard and publisher @putnambooks for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Jazelle H

🦇 Right on Cue Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

❝ “Don’t deny yourself something beautiful because you’re already thinking about what happens if it goes wrong.” ❞

❓ #QOTD What's your favorite rom-com OR recommend a romance novel you don't see promoted often enough? ❓
 
🦇 Former actress-turned-screenwriter Emmy Harper is ready to bring her latest rom-com to life. When the production can't find a leading lady, Emmy steps under the spotlight for the first time in over a decade. The last time she acted was alongside costar Grayson "F*cking" West, who she blames for her disastrous first film and the early end to her acting career. When Emmy's leading man backs out, Grayson steps in for the role. Their animosity nearly ruins the film until they discover a way to save the production, their careers, and potentially their relationship, on and off camera.

💜 I had the great fortune of reading Just My Type when it was an ARC last year, so I'm delighted that I got to read Falon Ballard's next novel! It's obvious this story is a work of love. This second-chance romance is a reminder that one small moment can have a major impact, both on a relationship and your career. However, it's also a reminder that you can overcome mistakes or false pretenses. Emmy's first project with Grayson, when they were both just teens, changed the course of her life. I loved seeing Emmy heal from that pain while being forced to recognize the pain SHE caused Grayson. The concept of a romance writer keeping romantic interest at a distance, while having an opportunity to heal through her work, was also a delight. The strongest aspect of the book wasn't Emmy, however, but Grayson. His vulnerability is raw and real; proof that a man of muscles still has a heart underneath. The story is peppered with texts and news articles, adding a Hollywood element to the story while putting the relationship under the public's scrutiny--which only puts additional pressure on Emmy. 

🦇 Unfortunately, the characters seem a bit superficial. We're not given a lot of reasons to love or relate to Emmy, who is a bit stubborn. While I loved seeing Grayson's vulnerability from Emmy, I wish the story was dual POV, so we could see reasons to adore Emmy through his point of view. One of the biggest mistakes was the lack of a flashback to show, rather than tell us about Emmy and Grayson's first project. Hearing a brief recap took the emotion out of the moment, when that moment obviously had a major impact on both Emmy and Grayson. The reliance on smut to develop the relationship and move the plot along was a bit frustrating, too. I have to warn you guys, there's a third-act break-up (thank you, miscommunication trope). The situation is resolved almost too quickly, making it all a bit anticlimactic. 

🦇 Recommended to all the romance lovers out there (especially you Hallmark movie fans). If you want to swoon over a leading man, Grayson is it.

✨ The Vibes ✨
🎬 Enemies With Benefits to Lovers
🎬 Forced Proximity
🎬 Workplace Romance
🎬 He Falls First
🎬 Second Chance Romance
🎬 Celebrity Romance

🦇 Major thanks to the author @falonballard and publisher @putnambooks for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Emmy Harper doesn't act anymore. She's made a name for herself not only as the daughter of one of Hollywood's A-list couples, but also as a successful rom-com writer. But when the production team can't find the perfect leading lady, Emmy has to step in. To make matters worse, Grayson West has to replace the male lead, and he's the reason Emmy doesn't act anymore. Despite their hostility, tension crackles between the two. Can they find common ground to shoot the movie, and can it become something more?

I have mixed feelings about this one. The relationship ends up being a good match, but the development thereof was not the best. Grayson starts out as a major jerk, and Emmy at least tries to be professional for the sake of the movie, but Grayson gives her nothing to work with, leading to (warranted) frustration. At one point Liz, the other producer, forces them to watch their scenes to see how bad it is. I felt like Emmy was getting blamed too much when she started as the more professional of the two. There also wasn't real resolution to their teenage issues? Beyond this, the ending conflict also seemed to be blamed more on Emmy when both of them were in the wrong. Other than these gripes, I had no issue with the relationship or the plot. 

This was definitely spicier than Just My Type and had a lot more character development in my opinion. I really, really liked Emmy, and the side characters were also great without being overly-quirky.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review!:)

Holly

Emmy Harper doesn't act anymore. She's made a name for herself not only as the daughter of one of Hollywood's A-list couples, but also as a successful rom-com writer. But when the production team can't find the perfect leading lady, Emmy has to step in. To make matters worse, Grayson West has to replace the male lead, and he's the reason Emmy doesn't act anymore. Despite their hostility, tension crackles between the two. Can they find common ground to shoot the movie, and can it become something more?

I have mixed feelings about this one. The relationship ends up being a good match, but the development thereof was not the best. Grayson starts out as a major jerk, and Emmy at least tries to be professional for the sake of the movie, but Grayson gives her nothing to work with, leading to (warranted) frustration. At one point Liz, the other producer, forces them to watch their scenes to see how bad it is. I felt like Emmy was getting blamed too much when she started as the more professional of the two. There also wasn't real resolution to their teenage issues? Beyond this, the ending conflict also seemed to be blamed more on Emmy when both of them were in the wrong. Other than these gripes, I had no issue with the relationship or the plot. 

This was definitely spicier than Just My Type and had a lot more character development in my opinion. I really, really liked Emmy, and the side characters were also great without being overly-quirky.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review!:)

Right on Cue

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