Maggie Blackbird

I received another free book. Yay! And whenever I receive a free e-book, I always do a review as my “thank you” to the author. So today I am reviewing Patricia Leavy’s Cinematic Destinies, book three in the Red Carpet Romance series, a contemporary romance.

Title: Cinematic Destinies
Series: Red Carpet Romance
Author: Patricia Leavy
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 232 pages
Release Date: September 2, 2025
Publisher: She Writes Press

For fans of Tessa Bailey and Hannah Grace, Cinematic Destinies is a feel-good, contemporary romance about a trio of adult children searching for love and beauty in the shadow of their parents’ legendary Hollywood fairy-tale romance.

Blurb: Legendary actor Finn Forrester and his wife philosopher Ella Sinclair Forrester met on the location shoot for Jean Mercier’s film Celebration. The world has been captivated by their fairy-tale romance since Finn famously proposed on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival. As the couple now prepares to celebrate their thirtieth wedding anniversary, they wonder if their children will ever find love.

Eldest daughter Betty is excelling in a medical residency program in New York City—and has convinced herself that distancing herself from emotions is the path to success. Youngest son Albert, a recent college graduate, is trying to find his footing in Boston as he struggles with his identity. Free-spirited Georgia, her mother’s spitting image and an actress following in her father’s footsteps, has been cast in Jean Mercier’s final film, mysteriously titled Beauty. When she arrives on set in Iceland and meets her costar, sparks fly. Is history repeating itself? How has growing up in the shadow of the world’s most iconic love story affected each of the Forrester children?”

Goodreads | Amazon

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This is a free e-book from the author, and each time I receive a free e-book, I do a review as my “thank you” to the author.

As stated in the blurb, the first two books in the series concentrate on the parents, Finna and Ella, who are about to celebrate their thirtieth wedding anniversary.  As for this one, it focuses on their three children:  Betty, Georgia, and Albert.  Ella worries about the trio, wondering if they are content with their lives and if they’ll find love as she and their father did.

The three children couldn’t be more different.  Middle-child Georgia is a free spirit just like Ella.  Eldest child Betty is studious and married to work.  And the baby of the family, Albert, is an introverted artist.  Only Albert is in a relationship, one that he keeps hidden because he fears telling his famous actor father that he is gay.

The book mostly focuses on middle daughter Georgia while she’s filming in Iceland under a great director who was infatuated with her mother back in the day.  Georgia has never been in a relationship, although she enjoys the company of many men, that is, until she meets Rubert, aka “Roo,” the leading man.

The author did a great job showing Georgia’s free-spirited nature while she engages in an on-set affair with Roo, but there is conflict when Georgia falls in love, something she enjoys experiencing, but fears crop up since relationships mean commitment, and this girl is too free-spirited to commit to anything or anybody.

Albert also is running into trouble because his boyfriend is tired of being hidden in the closet with Albert’s dirty socks.  Ryan wants to be out, yet does his best to respect Albert’s feelings, but there’s only so much a person can take.

As for Betty, since she’s an intern at a NYC hospital, she doesn’t have time for love, nor does she believe in love.  Work is all she needs since she is committed to her patients.  The only person she allows into her life is her dear friend and fellow intern Khalil, who wants to be more than friends, but is too scared to open his mouth, lest he chase Betty away.

I enjoyed the three stories of each falling in love and experiencing the natural fear that goes with love and commitment.  I’d say of the three stories, I enjoyed Betty and Khalil’s the best.  They were a true perfect match.

The author brings conflict to the novel, plenty of romance, friendship, and love.  The three stories also intertwine.  It’s a lovely look into family and what matters most in life.  The book operates as a standalone and can be read without reading the first two stories.

My only quibble is the amount of time focused on the parents.  Because the book is short, I do wish the author would’ve used the pages to delve deeper into Betty’s life.

As for the setting, each one is perfect for the three main characters.  The dreamy and magical Iceland painted so well in the author’s descriptions served as a perfect backdrop for Georgia and Roo’s romance.  The same for NYC that matched the go-go/work-work attitude of Betty and Khalil.

The novel is a wonderful quick read.  Do yourself a favour and get a copy.