As promised for my July 3rd post, today I am reviewing the first book and its sequel, Love Among the Stars and Love Beneath the Stars in the Entertaining Love series, a F/F contemporary romance by author Claerie Kavanaugh.
Title: Love Among the Stars
Series: Entertaining Love, Book 1
Author: Claerie Kavanaugh
Genre: Contemporary F/F Romance
Tropes: Matchmaker, Celebrity
Themes: Coming out
Release Date: March 19, 2023
Heat Rating: 3 flames
Length: 40 000 words/ 250 pages
Publisher: Half Caff Press
Hollywood’s best matchmaker may have finally met her match.
Blurb: Genevieve “Eve” Davis is Hollywood’s best, most sought-after matchmaker. Just about everyone in the City of Angels owes her for their happily ever afters. She’s been in the business for ten years and has never made a false move. The only person she hasn’t been able to hit with Cupid’s arrow? Herself.
Then Jemma, Hollywood’s most recent “it” girl, appears on her doorstep. But rather than having an extra bounce in her step, she looks like a dog just crapped all over her brand-new designer boots. The date Eve set up for her was anything but a fairy tale beginning. In fact, it was a downright disaster. The first bad review Eve has ever had. If she can’t fix this, her perfect reputation will be torn to shreds.
Even worse, the deeper she digs for that secret ingredient that will help her find Jemma’s perfect match, the harder she falls.
Note: book one in the standalone sapphic celebrity romance series ENTERTAINING LOVE.
Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited
Having read Love on Page Six first, and enjoyed it, I was all for reading and reviewing Love Among the Stars. First off, I liked the premise—a Hollywood matchmaker crushing on her client who’s the Hollywood “it” girl looking for love in all the wrong places.
I enjoyed both characters. Even though Jemma is a Hollywood actress, she’s down to earth, a great cook, and loves her cat. This match-up was believable for me, since Eve is tight with Hollywood and its stars, and is even interviewed about her match-making business on TV (where Jemma sees her), so I thought they’d be a great fit.
The scenes between Jemma and Eve through this process were believable. They strike up a natural friendship the more Eve fails to pair Jemma with her perfect match. I especially loved the hospital scene. But Eve fumbling the ball not once but three times did dredge up a “hmm” from me because she’s been match-making since her university days and has always scored a ten. I wondered if Eve was subconsciously sabotaging Jemma’s dates because she had a huge crush on her client. But this was never revealed.
It’s a short read at 100 pages on my e-reader, so the pacing is fast. I didn’t mind this. As I said, I liked both characters and wanted to see what kind of ending the author had in store for me.
Now there is a caveat. There are a lot of errors in the book. I don’t mind the odd typo now and then. That’s fine. But the dropped dialogue quotations, grammatical errors, and many typos did make it hard to read at times, and I’d have to go back and reread. Keep that in mind if you pick up a copy. It’s a cute premise with likeable characters and a fun storyline, but you’ve been warned. Has this dissuaded me from reading the next book? No, because I’m curious about Eve and Jemma’s relationship and where it will go next. So I’ll be back with a review of Love Beneath the Stars.
****
Title: Love Beneath the Stars
Series: A Matchmaker Wedding Novella
Author: Claerie Kavanaugh
Genres: Contemporary F/F Romance
Tropes: Age gap, celebrity, matchmaker, wedding
Themes: Coming out, forgiveness
Release Date: April 26, 2023
Heat Rating: 3 flames
Length: 30 000 words
Publisher: Half Caff Press
They say love conquers all, but what if getting it means losing your family?
Blurb: After years of searching, a job gone wrong finally led Hollywood’s most famous matchmaker Eve to her soulmate in up-and-coming starlet Jemma Mason. For a year, they had pictured their perfect destination Valentine’s Day wedding. But when Jemma’s family arrives from Montana, they quickly learn perfection is hard to come by.
Jemma’s conservative brother has always been distant, but when he meets his sister’s fiancée, who is seven years her senior, he worries she’s moving way too fast and refuses to come to the wedding, let alone keep his promise to walk her down the aisle. Can love really conquer all, or are there some wounds that simply run too deep to be buried?
Note: Eve and Jemma’s Wedding Novella. Sequel to LOVE AMONG THE STARS in the standalone sapphic celebrity romance series ENTERTAINING LOVE.
Buy Links – Available in Kindle Unlimited
This is a sweet wedding novella with about an inch of drama. It takes place one year after Jemma and Eve have declared their love for each other. Since I liked both characters from the first story, I was ready to dive deep into what their wedding would be like.
It’s only sixty-two pages on my e-reader, but the author captured a lot in this short amount of time, from things that can go wrong before the nuptials to Jemma’s brother’s reluctance to attend the wedding—let alone walk her down the aisle. I felt for the duo since everything that could be thrown into their plans played out. But the ladies showed how determined they are.
As I said, it’s a sweet story and captures everything that goes with weddings, from romance to drama. If you read the first book, I recommend you give the follow-up a read. You won’t be disappointed.
Maggie Blackbird 