Bad Reputation is a Hollywood romance with a twist

Picking up a new author is always scary. That's why I was so nervous going into Bad Reputation by Emma Barry.

If you're a Kindle Unlimited user, you're likely familiar with Barry. However recently, she's been publishing with Montlake which is one of Amazon's publishing imprints. Thus far, she's published Chick Magnet, Funny Guy, and now, Bad Reputation.

Since this is my first Emma Barry, I had no idea what to expect, and maybe because I didn't read the synopsis but this book really surprised me. With that being said, I'd like to thank Over the River PR for sending me a review copy so I could read this one early.

If you're looking for something to cozy up with this fall, then look no further than Bad Reputation by Emma Barry.

Bad Reputation is a romance for millennial fangirls!

While that description might not appeal to some, let me get into what the book's about first. We meet Maggie, a drama teacher who was recently fired for trying to put on a play. While the play was for high schoolers, parents and the school board spoke out against her so she was fired. It ended up being a huge court case and it made Maggie fall out of love with teaching.

Due to that, she ends up on a talk show where she meets the creator of Waverley who hires her to be the show's intimacy coordinator. Who is starring on the show? Cole James. James played in a teen drama as a kid and since then, has mostly been known as his character. It's so bad that people don't even think he can handle a role on Waverley.

Even though Cole and Maggie get along immediately, Maggie doesn't hit it off with the show's other lead: Tasha. We eventually find out some backstory about Tasha which is related to some past trauma due to a predatory producer. If you're sensitive to that, please be sure to tread with caution as Tasha does have some moments during the story.

However, the book also does an excellent job of showing us what an intimacy coordinator is and what they do. It's a job that most people don't talk about and is something that hasn't been featured in a romance book I've read before. Honestly, it's such a fun twist on a regular Hollywood-style romance and I loved that.

The other thing I adored was just how slow and tension-filled the romance between Maggie and Cole was. It was clear they didn't want to cross boundaries while working but seeing them fight their attraction for each other was delicious. While things did go the more predictable route, it was awesome to see how everything played out for them.

Lastly, I just loved Cole's character and how he was portrayed. I'm sure a lot of teen actors and child stars go through the same struggles he did. Most of us see them as just one character and it's hard to reconcile that in our minds but I think Emma Barry did an awesome job, showing that.

Bad Reputation by Emma Barry is out now where books are sold.