In all honesty, I’ve had a hard time coming up with a review for this book. Not because it was a bad but because I couldn’t quite figure out what I thought of it. So, this is me, trying to put that into words.
I enjoy the famous person/ regular person trope and I’ve read it many ways. I like the way Ms. Torre wrote the dynamic between Summer and Cole. She (Summer) was completely aware of the kind of guy Cole was and had every intention of steering clear of his irresistible charms. After being happily married for many years, his marriage implodes and he goes on a rampage that includes sleeping with every willing woman he could find. Plainly put, he had turned into a dawg. Yes, dawg. That’s MY Georgia girl showing 😉
So, Summer knew the guy was bad news and she needed this job to help her raise enough money to finally get out of town. Getting involved with him is sooooo not the plan. Cole has been sent to the set, out in the country, with orders to “keep it in his pants”. The media has been all over him and his exploits and that isn’t doing his reputation or the divorce proceedings he is going through, any favors. Then he meets his “costar” and it all goes to hell. Needless to say, they have crackling chemistry despite their apparent dislike for each other, which as we all know, eventually simmers into a nice bouillabaisse/stew of sexual tension.
First things first. Cole needed to learn how to exist on his own as an adult without having an assistant at his beck and call. Which happens. He truly needed the time to just BE, with no one else around. Which he got plenty of that in the middle of nowhere. Cole takes time to go on runs and really think. But don’t worry, Cole doesn’t get too lonely, Summer gives him a pet and that pet…well let’s just say that “Cocky” is a hilarious character in Hollywood Dirt.
Torre writes the town, Summer, Cole and the secondary characters in a way that makes you feel like you’re watching a movie. She gives all of them a heart and soul that I enjoyed. My only complaint, we that we had to wait to almost 75% of the book for them to get their crap together to figure out just how much they care for each other. I’m the one that wants to see the rest of the love story and the end of the movie. I wanted more of them together and how they adjust to their new life together.
When the door to the production trailer burst open, it brought with it a wave of heat and beauty. Cole looked up from the storyboards and locked eyes with Summer, who blew across the room at him like a tornado on tilt.
“There’s no love story between Ida and Royce.” Summer snapped, throwing down the script, pages fluttering down between them. In the small trailer, conversations stalled and he could feel the attention turn their way. “I’ve read the book. Three times!”
It was good to know that someone had read the damn book. Cole glanced down at her temper tantrum of a mess and back up, raising his eyebrows mildly. “It’s a movie,” he said, turning back to the storyboards. “The writers are adding some excitement. It’s normal. You’d know that if you were in this business.” The dig was unnecessary but he couldn’t help it. This woman turned him into the devil.
“I read the first script. The one you sent over with my contract. Ida and Royce hated each other. Why would Royce…” she snatched up a page from the ground and read out a line. “pushes Ida against the file cabinet and kisses her passionately.” She balled up the page and threw it down to the ground and he could see, in her eyes, the panic. Panic. An unexpected reaction.
“We’ll use that,” Don made the dangerous move of stepping in, putting a soft hand on her shoulder. “You don’t understand. The passion from their hatred will make it hotter.”
“No.” Summer said, her face hard, her eyes on Cole. “It doesn’t make it hotter. It makes it stupid.”
“Aww… come on, Summer.” Cole chided, stepping closer, his hand reaching out to pull at her wrist. She fought him, yanking it back and the moment of their bodies meeting didn’t happen. He leaned down and whispered, right against her ear, the smell of her apple-scented lotion enough to make him want to empty out the production trailer right that moment. “Sure it does.”
She jerked back and twisted away. “If he kisses me on camera I’m going to lose it.” She shot at Don, pointing an accusatory finger in Cole’s direction.
“I know you will,” Cole laughed, crossing his arms to fight from reaching out. “You’ll fall apart under my mouth, baby.”
Summer screamed in response, her hands thrown up in frustration, and spun to leave, her script left behind, the slam of the exit door loud in the full production trailer.
“That went well,” Cole mused. He linked his hands and rested them on his head, rolling his shoulders back. Panic. She’d had panic in her eyes. Fuck.
“What do you expect?” Don said. “You threw this on her without warning. I told you we should have met with her this morning, gone over the changes to prepare her. But no – you just wanted to dump it on her via call sheets and sides.”
“Dump it on her? I was People’s Sexiest Man last year. She’s not mentally adjusting to a war camp for God’s sake. How hard is it to kiss me?”
“It’s actually three kisses,” a dark-haired PA to his left pointed out. “And a grope.”
He gave her a hard look and she withered a little.
“I’ll go talk to her,” Don said. “Eileen, you shoot #4 and I’ll talk to Summer. I want to try to get #14 shot at eleven so let’s get our asses in gear and get this done.”
“I’ll talk to her.” Cole stepped in. “You shoot #4 and I’ll talk to her.”
“No,” Don snapped. “With my luck you two would make up and any authenticity to the scene would disappear. Just stay away from her and be ready at eleven.”
Cole chewed on his cheek, then nodded. “Fine.” Don was right. He should stay away from her. Far. Far away.
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