Cover Image: VIP

VIP

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Member Reviews

A reminder of humanity in Hollywood!

Audrey, a star of the big screen finds fate crossing her path with rougher around the edges, bad girl come singer Harlow. With an undeniable connection between them, both their lives are turned upside down as they navigate the difficulties of falling for one another while in the public eye as decisions made have the potential to make or break their success.

I loved this celebrity based romance because while it had glitz, glamour and all the drama that comes with a life in the spot light, the characters were so down to earth. Their fears, emotions, hopes and dreams were all very real and able to be threatened by the publicity of their every move, as much as their careers were at stake. The fact that they were two very different types of celebrity only helped cement the realistic connection to remind you that even people in the spotlight are human and you can relate to what they experience when it comes their personal lives.

Harlow’s past provides an interesting catalyst to add excitement and uncertainty into the story. The surprises that lay in store, littered throughout Harlow and Audrey’s story had me gripped and I was desperate to see whether it was going to make or break their blossoming relationship. I hadn’t expected the turn in the story but it fitted well and added that good element of surprise for a romance to make it just that extra bit exciting than just a sweet story.

This was the first story I read by Jackie D and I was really impressed so can’t wait to read more in future. If you are looking for that glamorous romance with a Hollywood vibe but a touch of reality and drama thrown in, you’ll really enjoy this!

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3.5* – Action movies superstar Audrey Knox is barely over a very public breakup when she meets Harlow Thorne, musician extraordinaire. Despite her wariness about getting involved with anyone too quickly, she can’t resist Harlow and the feeling is very obviously mutual. Both sense very early on that what’s going on between them is special. When life gets in the way, they need to decide whether they’re strong enough to fight for their new yet already precious relationship.

VIP is a sweet feel-good romance. Falling in love with Audrey is very easy and Harlow is worth all the efforts. As soon as they meet, the chemistry is off the charts. The best part of VIP is the depiction of those first moments, when the attraction is so strong and so wonderful you’re not sure what’s happening. I’m always surprised when a character asks the other MC to be their girlfriend, even though I’ve been told people really do it. It made me smile that Harlow would be surprised too. It was sweet and funny.

There are a few very moving scenes, both between the MCs and with other characters. One, in particular, brought tears to my eyes, when Harlow meets a young fan named Monica. Casper, Harlow’s twin brother, is an interesting secondary character with an unexpected arc. I also love Kylie, Audrey’s best friend and assistant, and Audrey’s mother.

There’s some head-hopping at times, and I wasn’t always sure who was feeling what. But overall, it was a nice read. If you’re looking for a feel-good novel to read on the beach, VIP will do nicely.

ARC provided to Les Rêveur for an honest review.

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I thought this book was going to be full of glamour and fun. It's not. It's so boring. It's about two women who meet and then they go on a date and then they fall asleep together and then they have sex and then they are girlfriends. One is a movie star and the other a pop star, but there is no atmosphere, no glamour, no tension. It's sososo boring. There are so many passages explaining that "Audrey is this" and "Harlow is that" and "Tia (the ex) is the other" but you never see any of it, or feel anything. it's shallow, shallow shallow. And everyone feels things in their hearts, and other bits of their bodies.
I just never cared.
They do spend a lot of time in "the wet world" there are showers, and swimming and more showers. Also Audrey drinks a lot of wine and Harlow drinks whiskey in every second scene. That's the main way I could remember who was who. Disappointing.

I was given a free e-arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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I started this last night, just wanting to read a couple of chapters before bed. and the next thing I knew, it was 2:30 am and my eyes were glued to each page. Jackie D wrote some of the most tangible characters I’ve ever encountered. All of our characters feel like real, genuine, relatable people and, in the end, you really can’t help but root all of them. It’s one hell of a talent. VIP made me laugh, it made me cry, and feel all the feels. This book was everything!

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This was a cute story, but to be honest, it didn't grab me. Maybe the actress trope is getting old for me as there have been a lot of really good books in the genre (And Playing the Role of Herself by K.E. Lane, After the Glitter Fades by Diane Marina, and Loving Liz by Bobbi Marolt) to name a few of the great ones) over the years. This book isn't one of them.

Quick read, but nothing memorable that will stay with me for long.

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I just knew that Harlow was being played. I could just feel it and knew that it would be heartbreaking based on her life and the few amount of people that she allowed to get close to her. Audrey seemed to be the perfect compliment to Harlow. I loved how they clicked and they just got each other. The story was well written, I loved the characters and there was no unnecessary drama. This story felt real. This is my first story that I have read fromJackie D and I will be sure to read more and to let my friends know about her.

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Jackie D has done a great job with this one. VIP is a beautiful well written romance. The main characters had great chemistry. I thought the story flowed beautifully and was well paced. Well done!! 4.5 stars. I recommend


I received a copy from the publisher Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley for my honest opinion.

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Really good book. I loved the relationship between Harlow and Audrey it was very sweet and steamy. Harlow seemed like such a down to earth person even though she was portrayed as very famous in this story, and Audrey was such a great character as well. Both characters had a bit of drama and angst in there lives, especially Harlow who had to deal with family members that were not to honest or supportive. This actually moved this story along at an easy pace and the remaining characters were very good too. I loved the friends of each woman especially Audrey's friend Kylie. I can't wait for what this author writes next and would definitely recommend this to my friends and family members.

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A feelgood celebrity romance between an actress, Audrey and a singer Harlow that will be a good pick for an entertaining vacation read if you ask me. Both main characters are likeable, there 's romance, a glimpse into the celebrity lifestyle, just a little bit of angst and all in all a book I enjoyed myself with.
It has the standard themes: good girl / bad girl image, some hurdles along the way, the break up near the end and a happily ever after. But there's a reason why so many writers follow the same line, if it's done well it leads to a good book that many of us will pick up to use as a pleasant escape for everyday life.
Jackie D's effort falls in that category in my opinion and I think this book will be a good fit for everyone who likes a well written romance, not too complicated and in a world not many of us get to move around in.

***An ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review ***

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Jackie D. has really impressed me lately with the versatility of her writing. She had chills running down my spine with her creation of a stalking serial killer in Swift Vengeance (with Jean Copeland and Erin Zak). Now she has amazed me with two beautiful (inside and out) characters in her current romance novel VIP.

VIP is a contemporary romance about two women who are both A-listers in their chosen fields. Audrey Knox is at the pinnacle of her career as a movie actress. Harlow Thorne is a star at the top of the pop music world. Both women live with the good and the bad that comes with their success. When the two meet, Audrey has just come out of a relationship that went bad rather publicly. Harlow has done her best to avoid any type of lasting romantic relationship. That doesn’t stop the attraction that builds as the two get to know one another. There is a chance for a beautiful romance, but there is an equal chance for their very public lives to interfere and derail everything.

These characters are very well-developed and easy to connect with. I didn’t realize it at first, but this is sort of an opposites attract trope. You wouldn’t think so since both mains are celebrities at the top of their fields, but this is about their backgrounds and history. It is also the basis for some of the conflict in the tale. The hidden trope and the conflict are well written by the author. The story is well paced and easy to read. I didn’t want to put the book down until the end. I also really loved the epilogue which gives the reader a glimpse into the future for these two.

This is a great summer vacation romance or lazy weekend read. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and will be looking for more from this author.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

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Audrey Knox is a mega film star with a sqeaky clean image which had been carefully sculpted. Harlow Thorne is a rock star, together with her twin brother had a rough upbringing. They find themselves with this undeniable connection but Harlow's family and the trouble they find themselves in causes issues in Audrey and Harlow's relationship.
I really enjoyed this book.  Audrey and Harlow had such chemistry and it's very much a feel good book that's just so easy to read and being about two famous celebrities is just pure escapism.

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Every now and then, I enjoy reading about celebrities. The commercial success along with the benefits obtained as a result of the success is fun to read. Aubrey Knox, talented actress. Lives a scandal free well-manicured life with family and friends that love her. Harlow Thorne, talented rock star. Lives a life full of scandal and a brother that has been with her every step of the way. Harlow and Aubrey have noticed and appreciated each other from afar for a number of years. And when they get together, it is electric. In general a fairy tale of a read with some perfect stuff going on but hey, is that not one of the reasons we read, to take a moment and get away from it all. That is what this read did for me and in my opinion, that is a good thing.

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Sweet love story develops steadily, realistically between two famous people.

Audrey, America's sweetheart, has her heart cruelly and publicly broken.

Harlow, a pop princess with legions of devoted fans, dosen't date publicly.

Their paths cross and the fairytale love story begins. Harlow and Audrey navigate the usual issues - taking their relationship public, meeting family and friends.

And then, Harlow's twin brother betrays her trust. Casper derails Harlow's personal and professional life. Secrets are revealed and Harlow has to cope with heart wrenching challenges as she never has before.

Will Harlow and Audrey find their way through the upheaval and chaos together or apart?

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This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I really, really enjoyed it. I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would based off the blurb.

I thought the author did a great job adding a little extra to the typical Hollywood romance troupe. I thought the main characters had great depth and the dialogue between the two was well-written.

There was the typical romance conflict that usually annoys me, but in this book I thought it played out well. This was the right book to get me out of my current reading slump. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick, feel good, well written read.

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This was a quick celebrity romancing. Nothing too outstanding but nothing offensive. Probably won't remember it in a few weeks but enjoyable too.

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This story has an incentive that made it remarkable for me, which are its two protagonists being celebrities, one acting, Audrey, and the other in music, Harlow. They are not beginners nor are they carving a path in their profession, far from it, they are superstars when they meet.

Audrey, the movie star, may have been a bit naive in her relationships to date, she's been manipulated, and the consequences for her have been devastating. On the other hand, Harlow, the musician, has a bad reputation as a player, loves them and leaves them, she is a rock star, with a dark past and shrouded in mystery like so many other celebrities in that field.

They are in difficult moments, Audrey has just broken up with her last manipulative girlfriend and Harlow is preparing her new tour. Despite everything, they agree to see each other, nothing serious, as friends and support mainly. Audrey's life has been quite simple and easy, unlike Harlow's, and that makes them different when it comes to facing relationships and the future. But above all thanks to the fact that Audrey does not give up in the effort, she will be able to conquer and convince Harlow that the result is worth it.

The end result has been an interesting and entertaining novel, with its share of angst, bearable nonetheless, and highly recommended.

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𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗹-𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲.

I enjoyed this book more than some of the other early readers did. It was what I needed at the moment – a light story that wasn’t too light so it still held my interest. And it’s also the celebrities trope - that's one of my favourites.

I think Jackie D did everything right with this one to make it feel good. Audrey is an actress and Harlow is a musician and both of them are equally famous. Audrey's still healing from a nasty breakup when Harlow charms her way into a dinner with her and their relationship starts from there. It happens fast but somehow still feels organic because they were already fans of each other to begin with. Harlow is a pleasant surprise because she lives up to neither her bad girl reputation nor her inexperience to commitment. The chemistry they share is great and while both have celebrity reputations to upkeep, neither are too tied up in knots about keeping their relationship under wraps.

This is one of those times when I didn’t mind the author tanking the relationship at 70% - 80% because that is when we learn a whole lot more about Harlow than before. And not only did it give the story a dramatic boost, Audrey shines with loyalty and by proving to have a mind of her own.

The story has a really pleasant side character too. That's Kylie, Audrey's friend and assistant whom I really like. She's supportive and plays a monumental role in bringing the MCs together.

This story feels really good. The characters are so lovable, and I really enjoyed this.

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VIP is a decent novel. I wasn't necessarily crazy about it. There was drama straight out of the gate with Audrey that seemed a little forced, unexplained, and not as well developed. That initial break up scene in the very beginning was random and awkward to say the least.

The romance between Harlow and Audrey was sweet and fun to watch develop. As par for a romance, there was angst to be expected. The family issues between Harlow, her brother, and mom was heartbreaking. The brothers actions were unnecessarily callus, I was glad for the redemption of Harlow and her mother Megan's relationship. Everyone got their happy ending!

All in all, it was an okay read.

I received this ARC via NetGalley for an honest review.

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This is the first book I’ve read from Jackie D and it will certainly won’t be the last.

I enjoyed this book a lot. Both main characters were very likable and had great chemistry. I had never read a book by Jackie D, but I will make sure to read more of her work. I thought I could predict everything that was going to happen in this story, but every single time I thought I knew what happened next, the author surprised me. No silly misunderstandings, no predictable clichés, it was very refreshing. The book grabbed my attention from the first page and had me glued to my Kindle for hours.

I highly recommend it.

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The story is fine but I don't think I would go out of my way to buy this book. I like a lot of Jackie D's stuff but more the thriller than romance. I quite enjoyed this book. Bit of angst in there.. Story about the budding romance between an actress and a pop star. One is not exactly in the closet but keeping a low profile the other is out and proud. Bit of betrayal by a friend/relative (who didn't see that coming).

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