Bombshell by C.D. Reiss
Series: Hollywood A-List, #1
Contemporary Romance
May 1, 2017
Montlake Romance

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: “I don’t understand the picture-in-the-bathroom-mirror thing. Don’t these people have friends?”

Brad Sinclair, Hollywood a-lister, and well known bad boy is known for his wild parties and revolving bedroom door but when he becomes the sole parent to a five-year-old little girl he knows he will have to make some serious changes to in his lifestyle.

Cara DuMont is a super nanny to the rich and famous and only has one rule-no Hollywood heartthrobs. When her agent temporarily places with Brad Sinclair and his little girl Nicole for 30 days, Cara isn’t happy but figures not much can happen in that short a time period. But the more time Cara spends with Brad and Nicole, the more she falls in love with both of them and begins to think that maybe this rule was meant to be broken.

Bombshell opens on a unique and amusing meet cute. Cara is in a meeting with her agent about a new job when she begins to receive SOS texts from her best friend and fellow nanny,  Bradley.

–Wipes. Please say you have wipes. Now.

–What’s happening? Where are you?

–Hallway ladies room. Bring. Wipes.

Cara hurries to the ladies room only to discover Bradley in the middle of a literal shite storm with a hysterical five-year-old and an upset stomach. As Cara helps to clean up and settle the little girl, her father and his bodyguards burst in and she is hit by the arrow of lust.

I was used to celebrities and actors. Star power had no effect on me anymore.

But he was different.

[…]

He was just stunning. One of a thousand like him.

Maybe a hundred.

A dozen.

Fine. You could count the number of men that gorgeous on one finger.

Cara isn’t a fan of celebrity dads-especially gorgeous ones. She watched her best friend lose everything when she made the mistake of believing a celebrity serial cheater with a nanny fetish. Cara herself just lost her last position because her single dad employer got engaged and his fiancee was jealous of Cara.

“It’s not fair. Because they only want pretty nannies. Having their children touted around by someone unattractive is like a black mark on their records. And we’re like inanimate household accessories until the person in the house with the dick feels sad or lonely.”

Brad Sinclair, Hollywood heartthrob, is at his wit’s end. He is due to start a new film in Thailand in a few weeks and was just made a single parent from a forgotten one night stand. All his little girl does is cry these days but when he sees her tear free in the arms of a gorgeous woman, he’s determined ot hire her no matter what.

I picked up Bombshell on a whim. I’ve always been a fan of employer/employee romances and I liked the premise of a jaded nanny to the stars who falls in love with a celebrity dad against her better judgment. The story is told in the first person through dual narrative. I like first person narrative when both protagonists are given a voice. A story gains depth when you are able to see the emotional and physical growth of the relationship on both sides. A standalone romance contemporary, the hero, Brad, was first introduced in ShutterGirl-book one in the Hollywood Project series starring Brad’s best friend and how he met his wife.

The storyline is pretty straightforward and low-key in drama and conflict, which surprised me. I had expected some high-pitched melodrama because of the setting and subject matter. A strong plotline and character base produces an enjoyable romance with a nice balance of humor, heart, and some racy love scenes. Amusing narrative and honest emotional reveals gives us an intimate view of Hollywood through the eyes of the ‘help’. I loved seeing the extent in which Cara goes to protect her charge, redeem Brad, and help these two grow into a family.

“Lady, you have no idea what you are talking about. I’ve done the best I can. I was going along as pretty as you please before this bombshell dropped-”

“She’s not a bombshell. She’s not a problem to solve. She’s a human being you made.”

The attraction between Brad and Cara is instantaneous and it gives birth to some heavy sexual tension. There is some bulking at the attraction, especially on Cara’s end. She doesn’t want to be in the limelight or gossiped about and she knows that will happen if she and Brad go that route. But she soon learns that the attraction is only growing stronger the more time they spend together. I loved Cara and Brad. They are great together and individually. They are both intelligent, forthright, industrious people who aren’t afraid to grab what they want and/or tell it like it is.  Reiss does a great job with Cara but she really excels in her characterization of Brad. She doesn’t sugar coat him or makes him this enigma who discovers he has a child and instantly becomes responsible super parent. He’s not a bad guy but he is a little selfish and self-absorbed. He has no idea how to be a father and it takes him awhile to find the confidence he needs.

She was mine and Nicole was mine and he’d stepped in that. He had stepped in my house and tried to take something that belonged to me.

They fit perfectly together. She grounds him while he softens her edges. Sexually, this couple is OFF THE CHAIN. They know what they want, how they want it and aren’t afraid to tell one another.

“You’re in for a treat, sweetheart. Us southern boys eat p*ssy like pie. And I love pie.”

An interesting cast of secondary characters help to round out the story and provide some background as some backup Cara’s observations while others help/hinder depending on their motivation.  Brad’s parents are a delightful mixture of southern sensibility as they treat Brad as their son and not the huge star he is. Paula, Brad’s assistant, provided some of the melodrama I was looking for while Bradley, Cara’s bff, looks to may be the heroine of book two.

I did have some issues with the manner in which the “secrets” revealed. They were all piled on at the end and felt more like a device to push Brad and Cara over the last major hurdle.  Also, there were a couple of scenes that seemed a bit of an overkill for the results. Regardless, the ending is a bittersweet mixture of love, redemption, and forgiveness with a lengthy epilogue that leaves the reader happy and content with the outcome.

Grade: B

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