Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Eva Kitt is the host of a sarcasm-heavy, internet-based chat show called Sausage Talk, where she interviews B-List celebs while noshing on hot dogs.
While she once dreamed of a serious career in journalism, that’s not how it worked out. She’s here now and she’s trying to do her best, even though it seems like the world may sometimes be against her career advancement.
Riley Cooper is the guy who broke her heart in college. Not just broke it, shattered it and danced on the pieces. He’s also a beloved social media personality, where he hosts a show on deconstructing toxic masculinity.
After a few too many cocktails, Eva watches one of his annoyingly-successful vids, and is disgusted he gets away with peddling lies. Thus, she makes her own scathing review of Riley’s work and character; as you do. She doesn’t have that many followers on her accounts. No one is going to see it, or take it seriously.
IT GOES VIRAL…and she said some things!!
Eva finds herself raked over the coals by her bosses, but then she’s given an opportunity to redeem herself. All she has to do is reach out to Riley and interview him on her show.
Eva would rather do anything, seriously ANYTHING, but that, but with her career on the line, she’s forced into the interview, where she finds Riley as handsome and devilishly-charming as before.
When he suggests that she allow him to take her on a series of six dates to make up for the past, all of which will be followed via social media, she begrudgingly accepts. It has nothing to do with him. She’s thinking of her career here…
As the dates progress, the two begin to relate to one another in unexpected ways. Did Eva have it wrong? Is the boy that broke her heart, suddenly the man that she needs to heal it?
Y’all, Mazey Eddings is a go-to Romance author for me, and this novel is the perfect example of why. I was immediately pulled in by the humor, banter and quick, yet thorough, character development.
The set-up is so fun. I enjoy stories involving celebrities of any kind, and Rylie was definitely giving off those celeb status vibes. I also loved the concept of the 6-dates for him to redeem himself to her. Each date was unique and helped to progress their relationship.
Eva was giving off major Bobbi Althoff vibes. I’m not sure if that was intentional or not, but it was seriously all I could think of. She did get a little frustrating at times, Riley was definitely the star of the show for me, but I did feel like Eva’s character showed some real growth over the course of the story.
I like how Eddings always has characters that are going through some fairly serious, and common, real-life issues. I like watching people work through challenges like that, and to see them open up and receive help from others in regards to those issues.
That’s life, right? It always gives the stories a bit more of a believable feel to me. No one is perfect, no one’s life is perfect, and I like the see the messy day-to-day things pulled through into my fiction. Maybe it helps me feel not so alone, IDK.
This is also super steamy. So we have the serious life stuff, but we also have some wild, toe-curling, giggling and swooning bedroom stuff. That’s a nice mix.
I would recommend this to any Romance Reader, particularly if you have read from Eddings in the past and enjoyed. There’s so much to love within this story.
Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Griffin and Macmillan Audio, for providing me copies to read and review. Eddings has crush another one! Well done!
