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BOOKWORM REVIEW: Accidentally Famous by Marissa Clarke


RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
SPICE: 🔥.5

Let's be honest: As much as we fantasize about being Chris Evans' significant other, how many of us are truly prepared and willing to deal with the obligations and hardships that role comes with?

That is the central question in Marissa Clarke's second installment of her Hideaway Harbor series. 

Cassidy James loves her small-town life. A renovation specialist who dabbles a bit in the DIY end of YouTube, she enjoys her handiwork and the anonymity. That is until a mistake links her to Hollywood superhero Jack Winston.

No biggie, right? Surely, THE Jack Winston has people who can clarify this with the media and sweep it under the rug. Or so Cassidy thinks until the gorgeous star walks into her quiet little town with his entourage and paparazzi and asks her to be his fake girlfriend. Apparently, Mr. Winston is in a celebrity slump, and he and his team are hoping that this could be the spark he needs to resuscitate his excitement in what he does.

As with any fake dating trope, the more they spend together, the more they realize they connect. But will their two-week deadline be the end of their ruse and connection, or would they want something more knowing that they live in two different worlds?

I thought this was a cute read. As a casual HGTV watcher, I enjoyed the details infused to describe Cassidy's work. And Jack -- Jack is what we hope our celebrity crush would be: gorgeous, charming, and down-to-earth. He likes doing his job but is grounded enough to want other parts of life, such as family and love. Their chemistry is instant, and I enjoyed every bit of it. The lack of spice did leave me wanting more. After all, this is the perfect opportunity to put ourselves in Cassidy's shoes, so a little sexy times would have been *perfect* for our celebrity romance fantasies.

There is a little bit of a love triangle involved with the son of Cassidy's neighbor. While I appreciate the drama this brings to the story, tiny hints about Tristan the neighbor's son just leave him looking so lacking compared to the thoughtful and charismatic Jack.

This is the second book in the series, but it holds up as a standalone read. Characters from Book 1 do make an appearance, but Marissa Clarke does a great job of providing context to this book universe's newcomers.

** I am voluntarily reviewing an advance copy of this book. Thank you to Marissa Clarke, Entangled Publishing, and NetGalley for providing an ARC. **

ABOUT THE BOOK

Jack Winston may be Hollywood’s biggest action hero, but he’s seriously burned out. He can’t even save himself from his PR team’s latest scheme: dating a starlet. But when his assistant accidentally tags Cassidy James from Blink, Maine (wherever that is) on social media, the paparazzi decide that she’s Jack’s latest fling. Now Jack needs to do some serious damage control…starting with the adorable home reno pro in paint-splattered overalls.

Cassidy is not prepared when the Jack Winston shows up in her quiet little town—and whew, he is that gorgeous in person. Before she can pick her jaw up off the floor, his PR team is bombarding them with a whole new plan involving “fake girlfriend,” “optics,” and “sign this NDA” (whatever that is). But no one warned her that Mr. A-List Action Star is hot, funny as all get out, and loves old houses as much as she does.

Now they have two weeks to convince everyone they’re in a fake relationship—two weeks that will drive Cassidy’s reno business through the roof and help Jack reclaim his “spark.” The plan is going fine, dare she say, perfectly...until she discovers something that will change everything.


MEET MARISSA CLARKE

Marissa Clarke is a multi-award-winning, RITA nominated author of romance for adults and teens. She lives on the Texas Gulf Coast with her ever-patient husband, two cantankerous Cairn Terriers, and twenty-six bossy chickens.

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