Review: “Star Bright” by Susannah Nix

Series: Starstruck #1

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Steam: 🔥🔥🔥

Release Date: April 19th, 2022

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CW: panic attacks

She’s an A-list Hollywood starlet. He’s a gossip reporter. Sleeping with the enemy has never been sweeter…

Kimberleigh Cress didn’t get to be one of the hottest young actresses in Hollywood without learning how to protect herself. Rule number one? Don’t show weakness. Ever. Especially not in front of the press.

So when a sleazy tabloid reporter comes upon her during a vulnerable moment, the last thing she expects is kindness.

Sexy, charming, and surprisingly thoughtful, Spencer Devlin isn’t at all who Kimberleigh thought he was. After their fateful encounter, she can’t seem to stay away from him—even though she knows she should.

Spencer never expected to share an unlikely connection with the spoiled starlet who hates his guts. With the face of a goddess and an attitude to match, Kimberleigh Cress is one ice queen he’d love to melt.

Now that she’s gotten under his skin, he’ll do anything to keep her in his life. Or will he?

 

While I was reading this novella, I was vaguely aware of the fact that I had read the two full length novels that are already available in this series, but can’t remember much from them. However, it was good to go back into this universe with an enemies to lovers romance that introduces us to various characters that show up in the other books. Plus, I love these new covers!

Star Bright follows Kimberleigh Cress as she navigates life leading up to the release of a big movie and heading into another production, while battling with Hollywood nemesis Spencer Devlin who once did an interview with her that got him blacklisted from her career. It was an interesting story and everything came together pretty quickly. I would have definitely liked to see Kimberleigh and Spencer go through some more before their HEA, but because it’s a novella, I knew that it was going to be limited. But watching these two characters go through the motions of trying to patch up a ruined relationship was pretty interesting.

I have to say that I absolutely loved Spencer. After everything that Kimberleigh feels for him and what he did to her all those years ago, I expected him to really be a sleazy reporter, but he turned out to be so much more. Spencer was a pretty good book boyfriend—charming, interesting and definitely sexy. I also loved how generous and kind he was. After the way Kimberleigh treats him because of their history, I didn’t expect him to step in and help her the way he did. Despite knowing that the way she is is all an act, it still took me some time to warm up to Kimberleigh, but I liked that there was more to her than meets the eye.

There’s a bout of miscommunication that shakes up their short relationship and while I understood the reasons behind why Kimberleigh did what she did, I wished that wasn’t how and why things fell apart. But Star Bright gives you a look into what it’s like to be someone famous and to live with all that pressure and all the eyes on you all the time.

Knowing that there’s one more book coming in this series has me excited, because that means I can read them all again and enjoy the fourth book fully when it releases next month!

Thanks to Susannah Nix for generously providing me with an advance copy. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.