Unscripted: Act 1 by Rosie Aikman

**

Sometimes love needs a rewrite

Life as a waiter, struggling paycheck-to-paycheck, doesn't leave much room for excitement. Finn Phelps finds his in Hot Blood, a prime time cop drama, and the actor who stars in it: Ethan Teller, beautiful, skilled, and shrouded in mystery.

Then an act of kindness results in Ethan falling right into his lap, and it seems like a dream come true that Finn gets to meet the man of his dreams. But as he comes to know the real Ethan, it starts to feel like maybe he should have been more careful what he wished for…

Review:

When Finn is walking home from work one night, he is literally bowled over by none other than Ethan Teller, his not so secret Hollywood crush.  Not so secret because his apartment is covered, floor-to-ceiling in Ethan Teller and Hot Blood memorabilia.  Ethan Teller is just trying to escape a throng of fans after having an inopportune anxiety attack.  He is grateful to be saved by the young guy he knocked over.  That is until he walks into his apartment and sees his face peeking back at him from every corner.  But one thing leads to another and next thing Ethan knows, Finn is working on the set of Hot Blood and they are becoming great friends.    

I really liked both of the MC’s in this story.  Finn was often too innocent but I had to admire his ability to keep his chin up and smile in the face of adversity.  It’s impossible for someone that positive and kind to not succeed in life.  But sometimes that attitude came across as too childlike.  I also struggled with the way Ethan often referred to him as “boy.”  It ended up cementing my vision of Finn as more of a child rather than an adult which was a bit of a turn off.  Ethan was another great character.  He’s a celebrity that suffers from social anxiety.  Highly problematic when he’s expected do appearances on talk shows and at cons.  But he’s super sweet and just wants quiet and privacy.  And even though he’s uncomfortable becoming so close to such a unabashedly huge fan that is extremely social, he does realize that Finn provides him with a level of positivity that he doesn’t get anywhere else.

This story was great proof that not every book needs a sex scene.   I really felt that this story could have benefited from the removal of “on screen” sex.  The bedroom scenes in this book were so uncomfortable and awkward.  And not in a “sex is naturally awkward” kind of way.  Besides not being a fan of the language used, it felt off to be invited into the bedroom of a person that is super shy and reserved and another that is perpetually innocent.

The one thing that really worked for me in this story is when Ethan realizes that he is falling for Finn.  All my other issues aside, this moment in the story was great.  It pulled me in emotionally and was completely believable within the confines of the story.  My negative opinions aside, if you ARE a fan of the celebrity fantasy and sweet innocent characters and don’t mind some awkward moments this just might be the book for you.

Nat