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A review by tellingetienne
Starstruck by L.A. Witt
4.0
Witt, LA. Starstruck. Riptide Publishing. November 2014. $16.99. 291p. PB. 9781626491700
Starstruck is the opening novel in Riptide Publishing’s shared world setting of Bluewater Bay, with multiple authors lined up to write novels based in the peaceful town on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula.
Levi Pritchard is a retired action hero; tired of how he had been type-casted and hounded by the media he left Hollywood for the peace of Bluewater Bay, only to have Hollywood follow him to his new home. A book to TV adaption of a popular supernatural series Wolf’s Landing is filming in Bluewater Bay, and the director wants Levi to join the cast. A decision he is not sure he is ready to make when Carter Samuels, the popular –and fiercely out - male lead of Wolf’s Landing comes along to make that decision even more complicated.
A connection flashes between the two men almost instantly, but Levi is closeted and not ready to step out of that space. A deep friendship forms between Levi and Carter over movie nights at Levi’s, but the lingering undercurrent of desire is always there. Between the paparazzi’s lens, studio pressure, and Levi’s complicated family history, the deck is stacked against the two men ever being more than just friends; Carter, understandably, refuses to be Levi’s dirty little secret.
Starstruck is a quick read, but a highly enjoyable one. Levi and Carter make great friends, but it is clear they would make even better lovers. The sexual tension between them is well balanced and drawn out just long enough before it becomes tiring. My biggest complaint is how quickly things seemed to move once I hit the last 1/3rd of the novel, mostly, because I did not want to see the novel end so soon.
LA. Witt is a prolific M/M romance author and Starstruck is a solid offering. It will appeal to readers of New Adult titles, although it itself is not in that genre, as well as those who enjoy M/M novels that are more focused on relationship development over erotica. It would make an excellent addition to a romance novel collection, particularly as an eBook.
Starstruck is the opening novel in Riptide Publishing’s shared world setting of Bluewater Bay, with multiple authors lined up to write novels based in the peaceful town on Washington state’s Olympic Peninsula.
Levi Pritchard is a retired action hero; tired of how he had been type-casted and hounded by the media he left Hollywood for the peace of Bluewater Bay, only to have Hollywood follow him to his new home. A book to TV adaption of a popular supernatural series Wolf’s Landing is filming in Bluewater Bay, and the director wants Levi to join the cast. A decision he is not sure he is ready to make when Carter Samuels, the popular –and fiercely out - male lead of Wolf’s Landing comes along to make that decision even more complicated.
A connection flashes between the two men almost instantly, but Levi is closeted and not ready to step out of that space. A deep friendship forms between Levi and Carter over movie nights at Levi’s, but the lingering undercurrent of desire is always there. Between the paparazzi’s lens, studio pressure, and Levi’s complicated family history, the deck is stacked against the two men ever being more than just friends; Carter, understandably, refuses to be Levi’s dirty little secret.
Starstruck is a quick read, but a highly enjoyable one. Levi and Carter make great friends, but it is clear they would make even better lovers. The sexual tension between them is well balanced and drawn out just long enough before it becomes tiring. My biggest complaint is how quickly things seemed to move once I hit the last 1/3rd of the novel, mostly, because I did not want to see the novel end so soon.
LA. Witt is a prolific M/M romance author and Starstruck is a solid offering. It will appeal to readers of New Adult titles, although it itself is not in that genre, as well as those who enjoy M/M novels that are more focused on relationship development over erotica. It would make an excellent addition to a romance novel collection, particularly as an eBook.