| Title | : | Acting Married (Married, #5) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | - |
| Publication | : | First published July 8, 2017 |
Rick's reputation is in the toilet and it's affecting his job. In order to get a good role, he needs to show Hollywood he's now a family man. After enticing Tara with a large sum of money to go through with the farce, he sets out to show the public he's in love. But Tara's soft lips keep calling to him and soon he doesn't know what's pretend and what's real.
Acting Married is a sweet romance, and a stand-alone novel.
Acting Married (Married, #5) Reviews
-
I only got a few pages in before deciding that this isn't for me. The writing is sloppy and feels rushed as if the author couldn't be bothered to do better. The first pages are raw exposition and the heroine seems to be more concept than person (bumbling sad-case with a side of desperation). She falls all over herself the first two times she meets the main guy (he literally catches her once and has coffee spilled all over him the other). I hate that clumsy girl trope but I'll usually give an author one for a meet-cute that works. This not only didn't work, but it felt trite and manipulative.
I can't speak to how the author works or what efforts did or didn't go into this story. I can just say that my central impression was of "sloppy". Clumsy exposition, contrived events, and hacked phrases that don't work ("class-act jerk" sticks out as an example) make this feel like it was tossed off in a single draft and never revised. And while a handful of pages seems like a small amount to form this impression, I can't help feeling like I put as much effort into this story as the author did... -
Loved it!
Tara is working as a housekeeper for actor/playboy Rick Shade. His reputation needs a boost and his agent suggests marriage. Instead of marrying a starlet looking to advance her career, Rick suggests Tara. He offers her money, which would help pay the huge lawyer fees she has from her recent divorce. Somehow, Rick makes it all sound reasonable and Tara finds herself agreeing to be his bride for one year.
Tara and Rick were adorable together. I loved the playful moments like the water fight when they were doing the dishes. I also loved how sweet Rick was with Tara's daughter, Kylee. He listened to her, played with her, and was fiercely protective. He won me over when he treated Tara's daughter so well.
This is my new favorite in The Married Series, and my favorite cover too! If you enjoy marriage of convenience stories, and/or clean romances, pick up Acting Married. -
🎁 FREE on Amazon today (4/5/2019)! 🎁
Blurb:
Tara McDermott needed a job, so she took the only thing available--cleaning house for the swoon-worthy actor, and Hollywood Bad Boy, Rick Shade. When he comes up with a crazy plan to tame his wild reputation by marrying her, she reluctantly agrees so she can pay off her debts and move her daughter back to the Midwest where life is simpler. If only he wouldn't make her heart pound every time he kisses her.
Rick's reputation is in the toilet and it's affecting his job. In order to get a good role, he needs to show Hollywood he's now a family man. After enticing Tara with a large sum of money to go through with the farce, he sets out to show the public he's in love. But Tara's soft lips keep calling to him and soon he doesn't know what's pretend and what's real. -
3.5 Stars. Another cute, sweet fake-relationship story. This was a super quick read with likable characters. There was one major thing that bothered me, though. Tara sometimes acted like she had no say whatsoever in what happened. Like in the beginning when the topic of getting married to save Rick's image comes up and was dismissed she says something like, "Thank goodness he didn't insist." Like because she was one of the maids in his employment she wouldn't be able to say no if he really insisted? There were a few things like that that bugged me. But overall, it was cute and I shipped the romance.
-
I downloaded this book for free and found it quite delightful and perfect for distressing before bed. Unusual marriage set-ups are always a great premise, and the author delivers here with an actor, a maid, and an adorable four year old. The only issue that kept me from completely falling in love with the book was that the heroine was a divorcee, albeit a lawful one, because of my very lofty moral code concerning such things.
But if you're looking for a sweet romance to fall in love with and take your mind off the world for a little while, I heartily recommend this one! -
Sadly this book is not for me. It just wasn't very believable. DNF at 45%.
-
Another fun one!
Content: clean -
Excellent
I was very surprised to see the lower rating that this novel normally received, due to the fact that I found it quite pleasurable and well thought out.
When you read the title of this novel, you think quick action with a touch of romance; however, that does not even begin to describe this novel. It was longer, very complex, and not rush as many books tend to be. The love story between the hero and heroine was truly enduring. It was not a match that was thrown together, but one that we were able to see come too over time together.
I am very pleased with the ending, even though many times throughout the story I had thought: if it just ends here, I will be so pleased; however the author knew better than I and kept writing to produce an amazing piece of literature. I thoroughly enjoyed every chapter. -
I did like the phrase, "His mansion was bigger than Jack Sparrow’s ego." Such a great visual. Unfortunately, having great metaphors isn't enough to carry the story and keep my attention. I felt like Tara was just a ball of depression. Frankly, I felt depressed reading part of this because of her numerous insecurities and flat out awful attitude to Rick. The issues with the ex-seemed to be cleared up a bit too perfectly to get the vibe that this was real life, not a story. On a steaminess level I would rate this a hot PG.
-
This was such a cute, clean romance. It was fun watching Tara and Rick fall in love even when it was supposed to all be an act. One of my favorite kinds of stories. I'm excited to read more from Victorine soon!
-
Acting Married is a stand-alone, clean, contemporary romance. I found it entertaining, humorous at times, and enjoyable. I would like to have awarded five-stars for this book, but the story was a bit too predictable.
-
Too silly. Didn't finish
-
i enjoyed this book more than the others and it would have been my favorite… the only issue is (YET AGAIN) the author has the main character (tara) being portrayed as this naive maid who then “gets saved” but the wealthy man actor.
i do love the relationship between tara and her child, but i just don’t like who a lot of the stories will overlap and blend together. -
Romance, clean
This was one of the best in this series for me as a reader. While it still was a little far-fetched, I love honest characters with real sincere emotions. Definitely a cute fall with some chemistry. Tara's concerns for her daughter, her debt, and her heart were a serious backdrop to this fall. Rick's heart softening as he is around Tara and her daughter, defending them against the smarmy ex and his machinations, trying to keep his character, but letting his heart open to a family and love for Tara and her daughter made for a fun read. Definitely more cute and light-hearted than serious, but best in this series by far so rounded up to a 4. -
Re-read December 2023 (Why in the world did I read this one again?!?)
I'm sure that there is a great story in here, just waiting to be let out. Unfortunately, it is still in there.
This was bad. Not like I hated the book bad, but more like rushed and really superficial bad.
This is the third book by the author I have read, and all with pretty much the same result.
I'm afraid that I just don't like her writing. -
Actual rating: 3.5 stars.
It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you have medical anxiety and an appointment in the afternoon. I flew through this novella because a) it’s a novella and b) it kept my mind off of an appointment I had. It didn’t hurt that I was actually enjoying it either. If you’ve seen my other reviews for this author’s Married series then you know that I rated the first three books in this series so low. The highest rated one was 2.25 starts up until book 4 which got a 3.75 star rating and now book 5 which got a 3.5 star rating. I don’t know if it’s because this author’s writing has gotten better as the series has gone on or if it’s because the tropes I love are being used in the later books. In this final book in the series, we follow Hollywood bad boy Rick Shade who decides to fake an engagement to his housekeeper, Tara, in order to tame that wild image and land a new role.
Fake dating? Mutual pining? Soft hero? Stop it. You’re going to make me blush. I loved this hero more than any other in this series. There’s still my usual complaint that the situations get a little too far on the comedy side of rom-com for my liking. And the whole being pitched as a “clean romance” and all that that entails. But otherwise I had a lot of fun checking out of reality and diving into this one. The characters were well fleshed out and the settings were well described. I still think the side characters could use a little more page time, but when the novella is less than 200 pages that gets to be a little difficult.
Overall, I don’t know if I would suggest the whole series to anyone. I think the first three in the series are objectively bad. But if you are an angst girlie, if you love yourself some mutual pining, these last two books in this series are prefect for you. Since it’s a series of standalone novellas, you’re good to start and stop anywhere without it effecting the story. My outcome? Am I glad I picked up this series bind up? Oof. I don’t know. I want to say no because the first three were so bad, but these last two gave me so much that I enjoy in a Contemporary Romance. It’s hard to decide. -
"Acting Married" is novel #5 in NYT's best selling author Victorine E. Lieske's Married Series. This is a series of stand-alone books - each can be read without reading any of the others. They're all romantic comedies, romances from page 1 to the last. Romance between a man and a woman is The subject. And there's a hea marriage.
"Acting Married" is the final book of the Married series and it crowns them -- or so it seems to me. The lovers get a little deeper than in the other novels, but they laugh just as much, too (I never got more than 2 pages before I had to stop reading & catch my breath, from laughing).
The smart, spunky heroine is true to life - and more. The book starts with a quirky, fun plot: Tara supports her 4-year old daughter by cleaning a movie star's bathrooms. She's a divorcee, a solo mom 'stuck in L.A.', She has to earn a living & give her daughter a good home.
We see the romance develop through all the twists & turns. There's tons of fun - and the clean love scenes build a fairy tale world. Rick - the movie star and hero - learns to love again, with Tara and Kylee (the little girl) around. It's touching to see how much Tara cares about him, how much she's noticed & learned about him. He's been confused for years, but he's fallen hard for her - and he loves it when Kylee asks if he'll be her 'daddy.' But Tara wonders: will it last?
There are nasties who invade their love, jealous, spiteful, dangerous people. There are others who might mean well, but who hurt Tara a lot.
I hope Victorine writes many more Married novels for us! -
Done!! I'm done with the "Married" series. I had ended the #4, I was kind of exhausted of miscommunication between characters, and already expecting this from the last one.
Well, this happened again, but this one is more peaceful. The major difference here with the other books is Kyle's character, a kid! Now that's refreshing.
Tara is a mom working to pay off her debt after she divorced her husband. She also has to take care of her daughter: both have been left behind by her ex-husband who landed a good role in a movie and started his acting career. To survive, she is a maid at Rick Shade's home, a very handsome actor with a very poor reputation which is jeopardizing his career.
After some discussions, she agrees to a fake marriage: that will help her start over with her life.
Despite his reputation, Rick is a better person than expected (indeed) and he really makes sure Tara and Kyle are as comfortable as possible. Soon enough, both become friends, or more.
What I liked here is that they felt more real - despite the Hollywood glam - than some characters in other books. They felt comfy together, would cuddle even if no one is around. There are some scenes that are very sweet, peaceful, full of (still to be discovered) love. (Hamoc scene is one of my favorites!).
And for once, the miscommunication would seem almost legit - after all, he is an actor.
Their meeting at the end was cool too, although I found the child very quiet!
This is definitely my fav of all the series. -
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Tara McDermott needed a job, so she took the only thing available--cleaning house for the swoon-worthy actor, and Hollywood Bad Boy, Rick Shade. When he comes up with a crazy plan to tame his wild reputation by marrying her, she reluctantly agrees so she can pay off her debts and move her daughter back to the Midwest where life is simpler. If only he wouldn't make her heart pound every time he kisses her.
Rick's reputation is in the toilet and it's affecting his job. In order to get a good role, he needs to show Hollywood he's now a family man. After enticing Tara with a large sum of money to go through with the farce, he sets out to show the public he's in love. But Tara's soft lips keep calling to him and soon he doesn't know what's pretend and what's real.
MY TAKE
I've really enjoyed the Married series by Liesky, and Acting Married was no exception. I enjoyed seeing Rick introduced to a different way of thinking and finding that he enjoyed it. I always like most the getting to know each other parts of these stories and the discovery, especially those things the character try to keep hidden.
The addition of Tara's sweet little daughter Rylie was a delight.
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator did a great job! -
Beautifully Written
-'“After graduating from medical school, I decided I didn’t want to be a brain surgeon. I realized cleaning toilets was my passion.”'-
As always, Victorine doesn't just write stories: she makes magic happen. Although her "Married" collection of novellas appears as a series, each book is completely different, independent from every other one, with different characters. This, to me, is definitely an asset. As an avid reader, I sometimes find myself struggling to remember characters from one book to the next and I often find myself losing interest after a while. The beauty of this style of writing is that you can read the books in any order and at any time.
Victorine Lieske has a beautiful writing style: fast-paced, engaging, romantic, clean, humourous, ageless. Once I start reading, I can hardly put it down. If you've never read a book by this author, you can't go wrong with any of her books. If you're already a fan, you won't be disappointed in this one. Always worthwhile and reasonably priced. I am sure I will be reading this book over and over again. I highly recommend it. Well done! -
This was a quick, easy read, and I loved that is was clean as well. There is definite chemistry between Tara and Rick, but they are also responsible adults capable of controlling their impulses. They both want something meaningful and are willing to wait for it. I know that sounds weird since they've entered a fake marriage to help each other out.
Tara so wants to be tough and capable, but she's really an emotional mess. Vulnerable, and so starved for real love that I hurt for her. She's a wonderful mother though. Tara works hard to give her little girl all that she can. The ultimate goal is to get out of Hollywood and somewhere Tara sees as stable. She's surprised at how Rick fills the gaps in her daughter's life.
The only thing I couldn't decide on was the daughter. I believe she was supposed to be four, but sometimes she acted much older, and other times much younger. Other than that, quite enjoyable. -
These novels were so cute! They had all my favorite themes - friends falling in love, celebrity romance, billionaire romance, hate to love... I recommend them to anyone who seeks light, sweet reads with a satisfying end and no cliffhangers. Each book in the series can be read as a standalone, there are no common characters.
Religion: none
Sensuality: clean
Narrative: 3rd person, following the H and h
Book 1: Accidentally Married - rich boy hires fake girlfriend
Book 2: Reluctantly Married - bantering colleagues fake relationship for publicity
Book 3: Mistakenly Married - fun and optimistic artist marries the wrong guy who thinks of their marriage as a business arrangement
Book 4: Blissfully Married - childhood friends have a second chance to find out they are perfect for each other
Book 5: Acting Married - a single mother agrees to marry temporarily the famous actor she works for -
Last book of this series, so far at least.
I'm actually also quite done with the series. They are entertaining, but frankly very unrealistic and cliche. From page one you know that female lead will end up with the unknown or misunderstood jerk who happens to be smoking hot as well. Something happens and they're forced to get better acquainted, then suddenly mister jerk turns out to be both smoking hot, actually very thoughtful and sensitive, and madly in love with the female lead as well. They can't come clean for whatever reason, but when it is almost doomed to end in disaster, outside help or desperate bravery saves the day and they live happily ever after.
Sorry if I spoiled the entire series! :')
And I don't mean to be offensive to the writer or readers, it is the way it is and I quite enjoy it at times too. (At least, when it is clean, like this series!!) -
This cute romance features Tara and Rick Shade, a famous actor. Newly divorced and trying to make ends meet, Tara becomes his housekeeper. When Rick must marry to tone down his bad-boy image, he suggests he marry his maid because she’s pretty, and so it happens. The charade of a lifetime that leads to love. There are twists and turns as Rick and Tara come to know each other better and understand what demons each faces. If they can’t overcome the past, they might not have a future. These Married series books are cute and fun. The romances are great, the characters always exciting to get to know, and the plots bring a smile to my face. This one's another winner. ***I received an ARC of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
-
Acting Married by Victorine E. Lieske is a contemporary, marriage of convenience, Hollywood, sweet romance told in third person, dual POV.
Movie star and cocky party-boy, Rick Shade, needs to clean up his image. His manager suggests he marry for publicity purposes. When they meet his new maid, Tara, they think she could be perfect for the job. An actor falling for his housekeeper? The media will love it!
Tara is a newly divorced, single mother and doesn't want any part in this scheme. But she really needs the money, and Rick makes her an offer she can't refuse. As often happens in these situations, the lines between real and pretend are easily blurred.
I enjoyed Tara and Rick's story. It was a cute, lighthearted, clean romance. -
This was a delightful little romance. I enjoy reading the various situations that these brides and grooms get themselves into. I enjoyed the setup of the story with Tara being the maid for Bad-boy Rick. There were a ton of growing moments for both characters and I loved the conflict both internal and external within their relationship.
I love, love, LOVE, that these books are clean, but there is plenty of romantic tension and attraction. Thank you Victorine E. Lieske for another fun story!!!
I received a complimentary ARC for an honest review. -
I enjoyed this Cinderella story. Tara is down on her luck. After her actor husband leaves her, she gets a job working as a maid for another actor. Rick Shade has had success, but his drinking has him needing to do something to repair his reputation. He makes Tara an offer she can't refuse - marry him, and after a year he'll give her more than enough to get out of debt and move back to her native Iowa. Though I had difficulty understanding how and why they would both agree to the arrangement, the story was well-written, and I'll be looking for others in the series.
-
Acting Married
Loved the story of Rick and Tara. Tara was married to her high school sweetheart right out of school. They divorced after he got an acting job in LA and he was found cheating on his family. The only job she was qualified for was housekeeping so she was hired to work for Rick. After some bad tabloid write ups his manager insists he marry. Rick and Tara marry to preserve his reputation and for her to get a new start with her daughter. The witty banter makes this a cute and fun book. Do they separate or do they fall in love?
