April 5, 2021
Morrissey (When the Light Went Out) couches a lackluster Hollywood romance in a delightful family drama. Making movies is the Ford family business, so when Sloane Ford is fired from her TV police procedural show, her mother offers her a gig as consulting producer on a WWII romantic drama that’s about to begin shooting. With her acting career hanging by a thread, Sloane reluctantly agrees—a decision she regrets upon learning that the male lead is Joseph Donovan, a former costar of Sloane’s whose drunken behavior on set left her hating him. Shooting gets off to a rocky start as Joseph seems uncharacteristically wooden. Sloane is talked into becoming his scene partner to loosen him up, and as they get to know one another anew, she realizes that a sober Joseph is someone she might actually like. When the lead actress is fired, Sloane is the obvious replacement. As filming progresses, the line between fiction and reality blurs, with longing glances that linger even after the cameras stop rolling on Sloane and Joseph’s love scenes. The romance delivers the requisite wish fulfillment, but it’s the on-set dynamics of the large, blended Ford family that give this story its heart. Readers won’t be wowed, but there’s plenty to keep the pages turning. Agent: Taylor Haggerty, Root Literary.
May 1, 2021
An actress from a famous Hollywood family struggles to separate life on set from everyday reality as she feels reluctantly drawn to her co-star. Television actress Sloane Ford finds herself at an embarrassing dead end after she loses a role in a "critically ignored" police procedural. Hit hard by the loss of a steady job and reeling from the painful aftermath of a breakup, Sloane reluctantly agrees to work as a producer for a World War II drama being made by her family--directed by her sister and stepfather and with her mother in a supporting role. But everybody neglects to mention that the movie stars Joseph Donovan, an incorrigible charmer who put Sloane through hell when she co-starred with him several years ago. To make matters worse, her mother deputizes her to double as Joseph's acting coach. Joseph's erratic behavior once caused Sloane to consider quitting acting, but as he makes an effort to right previous wrongs, Sloane begins to rediscover her love for the camera. So when the female lead is fired, Sloane readily steps into her shoes to save her family's production. Sloane and Joseph are a fantastic couple onscreen, but they need to work through a range of personal issues if they are to be together in reality. Sloane is sharp, bright, no-nonsense, and immensely likable as she negotiates the politics of Hollywood with a rare emotional generosity. Morrissey is at her best when she allows Sloane's musings to shed light on the caprices of the entertainment industry. Even as Sloane's bond with Joseph develops with charming ease, her evolving relationships with a diverse array of relatives illuminate the many peculiarities inherent to understanding, accepting, and loving family. A compelling and unique riff on the potential of second chances in love.
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