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For a Broadway understudy, the chance to step into the spotlight when the star is on vacation is a dream come true. And on that very night, a stranger in the audience holds the key to a movie career and her heart.
Since reading Before I Let Go by Kennedy Ryan, I’ve received many recommendations for her other works. I found Reel, the first release in Ryan’s Hollywood Renaissance series, a few months ago. From the first chapter, I had to pace my reading to make the story last longer.
Neevah Saint, a high school senior in the Prologue, had big dreams that she was willing to set aside to build a life with her boyfriend. After a betrayal sent her away from home, she found herself in New York years later. Now she’s a Broadway understudy in the play Splendor, waiting for that perfect opportunity to arrive. Unable to depend on family, Neevah finds a safe space in her roommate, best friend, and hairstylist, Takira (who is the main character in The Close-Up).
The man with the opportunity
Enter Canon Holt, a highly acclaimed director on a mission to bring the story of music legend Dessi Blue to the big screen. Finding a leading lady that embodies the star hasn’t been easy. But that changes when he goes with his friend, world-class musician Wright “Monk” Bellamy (who has the second book in this series, Score), to watch Neevah perform. Lost in her performance, Canon knows that the search is officially over.
Here’s how he described Neevah as she was on stage: “The stage is vast, and she seems so small it could easily swallow her, but it doesn’t. She commands the space, and when she reaches the pivotal monologue, anyone else on stage would only be in her way.”
“In a story that is pretend, she makes it feel true. And in the moment I wasn’t looking, I’ve found exactly what I was looking for.”
Don’t mix work with pleasure. Unless, you’ve found the one.
Without spoiling too much, Canon Holt has a strong rule: never get involved with one of his actresses again. Yes, again, because the first time he did, it created drama around a film he was working on. He wants to avoid negative press. Yet we all know real love comes when you’re trying so hard to stay away from it. As Canon and Neevah get to know each other and work on the film, a strong attraction is formed. And it’s not necessarily hidden, as those working on the Harlem Renaissance biopic can sense the connection too. When the heat becomes too much for both, the director and actress find themselves entangled in each other. Neevah is also dealing with a chronic autoimmune disease that she wants to keep hidden until she can’t.
Kennedy Ryan’s Reel is perfect for romance novel lovers
Surprisingly, many of the books I’ve read this year have been romance in some way. (I guess I’m a hopeless romantic?) If you love reading about someone finding their person through thick and thin with POVs of both main characters, Reel should be your next read.
Header image credit: Forever (Hachette Book Group)
