"He was okay with being objectified. He didn’t mind that most women only wanted him for his body. Their low expectations were easy to satisfy. But he wasn’t sure Nina would be satisfied."
- Not a Fairy Tale, Romy Sommer
As part of Harper Impulse Fortnight, we would like to welcome Romy Sommer to our blog today to tell us all about her new book 'Not a Fairy Tale.'
Here's what Romy had to say about the book:
"Body image is a major theme of Not a Fairy Tale, and not only for my actress heroine, as you might expect. For both my hero and heroine, their bodies are professional tools.
For Dominic, this means being in peak physical condition so he can do the stunts he loves. He’s an active person who loves challenges, and being faced with his own body’s weakness and mortality is a major wake-up call.
For most of his life, Dom has been quite happy to be objectified by women and has most definitely used it to his advantage. And if he were honest with himself, he’d probably realise that he uses that objectification to keep people at a distance. So of course as he starts to face the fact that his body has its limitations, he also starts to want more emotionally. He wants a woman who will see him as more than just a stud. But is Nina that woman?
For Nina, her body image issues are a lot different. Her love/hate relationship with her own body is something most women can identify with. As surrounded as we are with images of beautiful bodies, our self esteem takes a knock as we realise that even with rigorous exercise and diabolic diets, we will never match those glamorous images. How much worse then, to BE one of those glamorous images and still not measure up?
As a high profile actress, Nina is under pressure to always look her best, to never be seen as less than perfect. She has to deal with far greater scrutiny than most of us have to deal with, and the very public judgments made by the people she works with, the media, and even people she passes in the street.
Knowing that even she can’t measure up to the photo-shopped images of herself that grace the magazine covers, she not only feels like a fraud, but lives in fear that anyone who gets too close will be disappointed in her.
It will take a very special person to make her feel comfortable in her own skin and not to care about what the rest of the world thinks. Lucky for her, making a woman feel special just happens to be Dominic’s greatest skill.
If there is one thing I hope readers take away from this book, it’s that no-one is perfect. Even the most gorgeous of Hollywood superstars is still a person, with their own problems and hang-ups, and sometimes even more complicated esteem or body image issues than the rest of us deal with.
So next time you flip through the pages of a fashion magazine and want to puke over the image you see of some flawless 18-year old model, knowing you can never look like that, just remember that she doesn’t really look like that either!"
Blurb:
And the award goes to…
Not Nina Alexander that’s for sure.
With her best gracious loser face firmly in place, Hollywood’s hottest starlet is hoping to end her evening of disappointment with a graceful exit stage left. Only an unexpected proposal and an awkward wardrobe malfunction mean that this is certainly going to be a night to remember… for all the wrong reasons! So what girl would resist the gorgeous Dominic Kelly coming to her rescue?! Especially when he’s whisking her out of the paparazzi’s prying eyes on the back of his motorbike – and wearing a tux to rival James Bond!
Nina soon realizes that the only way to recover from such a scandal is to toughen up and snag the role of the decade in the year’s hottest YA screen adaptation. Who better to train her than her very own professional stuntman? Getting up close and personal with Dom will take Nina well out of her comfort zone – both professionally and in her closely scrutinized private life. But this A-list couple know only too well that’s it not all happy ever afters in Hollywood…
Not a Fairy Tale is published by Harper Impulse, a division of Harper Collins, and is available from the following online retailers:
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Barnes & Noble
iBooks
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eBooks by Sainsburys
All Romance eBooks
My Review
An exciting, glamorous, sexy read. This follows the story of a beautiful famous Hollywood actress, Nina Alexander, who, fed up of being typecast as the ditsy star of romcom movies, wants to be taken more seriously as an action girl. Her career means everything to her and she is determined to audition for the perfect role in an upcoming action movie, so hires hunky stuntman Dom to train her to peak fitness Having worked with Dom on previous movies she knows he is talented but also a serial womaniser who will bed anyone, well anyone it seems except her, despite her flirting with him in the past! Neither of them are interested in a relationship but by spending time with each other they discover what makes the other tick and although they are both in lust with each other, neither can envisage giving up their non-committal lifestyles in the long term.
The electricity between these two characters is almost palpable especially in the lead up to their 'no strings' relationship which I read slowly, relishing the anticipation of what was to come. However, I must admit my reading pace increased significantly as their 'non relationship' intensified with some hot and steamy scenes.
The book is set in LA and combines the glitz and glamour of Hollywood with ordinary down to earth family life. Secrets are exposed and hurtful situations arise that will keep you on your toes right up until the end. I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading Romy Sommer's back catalogue.
For more information about Romy and to read an excerpt from the book please see below. Thank you to Romy and to Harper Impulse for providing me with the opportunity to review.
Sincerely
Book Angel
About the Author:
I’ve always written stories for myself, but didn’t even think of being an author until I realised that being over thirty and living in a fantasy world was a little odd. Writing those same stories for other people makes it a lot more acceptable!
By day I dress in cargo pants and boots for my not-so-glamorous job of making movies but at night I come home to my two little Princesses, in Johannesburg, South Africa, where I live, and I get to write Happy Ever Afters. Since I believe every girl is a princess, and every princess deserves a happy ending, what could be more perfect?
You can follow Romy on
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website/blog.
Excerpt:
Nina had to get out of here.
The only exit she knew was the same one she’d entered through, the entrance onto Sunset Boulevard where she’d have to run the gauntlet of half the world’s media.
Yet more cameras.
She couldn’t trust herself to hold it together for the length of that walk. She couldn’t trust herself to hold it together long enough to make it across the room.
“We have to get her out of here.”
Thank heavens. A voice of reason. Relief swamped her as she faced her agent and her publicist.
It was short-lived.
“Hold up your dress. You’re baring your butt to the world.” Dane grimaced as he gathered up a handful of ripped silk and thrust it at her. “Couldn’t you have worn a sexy thong at least?”
The unshed tears burned all the way to her throat. How long had her supportive granny pants been on display to the entire room? And was Martin Scorsese looking straight at her?
“Maybe the press outside won’t have got wind of this yet?” Dane said hopefully.
The look Chrissie sent him answered that one quickly enough.
“I’ll get her out of here. I know a back exit.”
All three of them turned to look at Dominic. The relief in the faces of her agent and publicist would have been insulting if she hadn’t felt the same.
Dominic grinned. “We’re going to walk out of here as if we don’t have a care in the world. You can manage that much, can’t you sweetheart?”
Nina nodded. The tears had stopped their insistent push against her eyelids. She already felt calmer. If she wasn’t still so aware of the sea of eyes all around, she would have leaned into him.
“Do it,” he said, holding her gaze, daring her. His eyes sparkled. They were an unusual color. Mesmerizing. Like dark emeralds flecked with gold. He placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her against him.
How had he known what she was thinking? She breathed in the scent of the wild sea, simultaneously frightening and exhilarating, and gave in. She leaned into him.
“That’s it. You’re an actress, so act. Now just follow my lead.”
His cheeky grin was back in place. She managed a weak one of her own. “You’re enjoying this,” she meant it to sound accusing, but the words came out more curious.
“Of course I am. You just rescued me from dying of boredom.” He leaned close to whisper in her ear. “Besides, the look on your publicist’s face was all the reward I needed.”
Of course. The note she’d caught in Chrissie’s tone had been intended to warn him that he didn’t stand a chance with Nina. Instead, she was leaving the party with him. She stifled a hysterical giggle.
Dominic took her free hand and led her through the crowd, not towards the kitchens or a service entrance, as she’d hoped, but straight toward their host. She prayed he knew what he was doing.
It wasn’t easy walking with one hand clasped behind her back, holding her gaping dress together, but she kept her chin up and she smiled. Not the furious, bright smile of before. She aimed more for a Mona Lisa effect now. It was about as much as she could manage.
Their host turned at their approach, smiling. “Leaving so soon, Dom?”
Dom grinned and shrugged. “You know how it is – I have a thing for damsels in distress. Thanks for another great dinner, and we’ll talk about that canoeing trip soon.”
Had Dominic been invited to the dinner and viewing party earlier in the night? Those tickets were gold. She did a rapid recalculation of this ‘lowly’ stunt man.
“I look forward to it.” Their host glanced down to where Nina clutched her torn gown together, then summoned over a minion with an all-access security pass around his neck. “Ms. Alexander has had a wardrobe malfunction. Please take them out the private exit.” Then he turned to Nina. “Thank you.”
She tried to sound as cool and amused as he did. “My pleasure. But what for?”
The older man’s grin reached ear to ear. “For providing me with the headline story for our webpage tomorrow.”
She wished she hadn’t asked.
The tuxedoed minion led them through the dining area, where the most privileged guests had sat for dinner, to an exit she hadn’t known existed.
“Shall I call the valet to bring your car around, Mr. Kelly?” the minion asked Dom.
“No need. I’m parked right outside.”
The minion frowned. Nina only just managed to stop her own frown from wrinkling her forehead. When she’d arrived there’d been a mile-long traffic jam and police everywhere. No one could have parked within walking distance of this place.
They passed two security checkpoints before they reached the exit to the back end of the Sunset Plaza parking lot. Nina dropped Dom’s hand and breathed in the cool night air. There were no fancy black Escalades parked out here, just vans and other working vehicles.
“What now?” she asked. “Are you going to sneak me out in a delivery van, or do you have a magical flying carpet stashed out here?”
Dom grinned. “As good as. How precious is that dress of yours?”
She glanced down to assess the damage and groaned. “I think it’s past saving.”
“Good.” He kneeled down and with a quick rip tore the remaining skirt off her dress.
“What are you doing?” she asked, trying to stop him. But she was too late. What had once been a slinky, scarlet, floor-length evening gown was now the length of a cocktail dress. A very short cocktail dress, with an uneven hemline that barely covered her granny pants.
Her PA was going to have to be very inventive to explain these new modifications to the designer.
He handed the torn expanse of fabric to her, then removed his jacket. “Cover yourself with this.” He helped her into the jacket, then placed his hand on her lower back to guide her between the cars.
To a motorbike.
No, not just any motorbike. A KTM offroad bike, with fiery orange paintwork and gleaming chrome. Not exactly subtle, but it was close and wouldn’t get stuck in the traffic jam out front. Nina nearly wept with relief.
A quick escape was worth the loss of one couture ball gown.
“Where do you want to go?” he asked, handing her the helmet hooked over the handle- bars.
The helmet was going to wreck the beautiful curls her stylist had labored over all day. But no one would see her now. They were as good as home free.
She pulled the helmet on, her fingers fumbling with the chin-strap. Dom stepped close to help her and she caught her breath.
A light bulb popped.
She looked around.
Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse…they did. Not a bulb, but a camera flash.
The pap who’d spotted them gave a shout and began to run toward them, camera held high.
Dom lifted her onto the back of his bike as if she weighed nothing, then straddled the seat between her legs and revved the bike to life. The roar nearly drowned out his voice. “Where are we going?”
“Anywhere,” she shouted back. Anywhere but home. The condo was barely a few blocks from here and the press would be all over it in two minutes as soon as this story broke.
She laughed. “I’m starving. I’d kill for a burger right now.”
Dom grinned back at her. “Hold on tight. I know just the place, but it’s gonna be a long drive…”
