Love Camera Action | By Noel Stark
Book Review | Contemporary Romance | NetGalley E-ARC
Categories: 2025, Book Reviews, Contemporary Romance
Author: Noel Stark
Genres: Chic-lit, Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Alcove Press
A scrappy TV director lands her big break only to go head-to-head with the surly yet sexy director of photography, in this page-turning romance perfect for fans of Ava Wilder and Tessa Bailey. Up-and-coming TV director Cali Daniels knows sex. Well, okay, she knows how to shoot sex scenes, and she’s been hired to direct a highly anticipated steamy episode of the popular series The Demon. This job is her chance at a big-time career in the film and television industry—all she has to do is deliver an unparalleled show using her hard-knocks know-how and ample creativity. If only the director of photography—effortlessly sexy Jory Blair—would stop shutting her ideas down at every turn. Jory has spent years cultivating his career as an A-list director of photography, but a recent health scare has him rethinking his life and craving the director spot. Now this creative newbie, who he can’t get out of his mind, wants to change the look of his show. Even worse, the friction between them is sparking into blistering chemistry. As collaborating takes on a whole new meaning, and the show’s producer not-so-subtly suggests that Jory sabotage Cali in order to achieve his own goals, they’ll have to decide if chasing their dream jobs is worth losing the dream of a future together. (Goodreads) Fans of How to Fake It in Hollywood and Plot Twist will devour this steamy, enemies to lovers, workplace, debut romance.
My thoughts
Narrative and Plot
The narrative aspect of the book is perhaps its strongest point. We get both main characters’ perspectives, which is important considering the plot. Without that, the story might have come across as borderline creepy.
Unfortunately, the plot itself wasn’t something I could fundamentally agree with. The romance felt almost instant apart from the initial clash, and the chemistry between the leads just didn’t land for me.
Characters and Conflicts
Cali and Jory are the main characters. While Cali had some semblance of a character arc and was somewhat likeable, Jory was outright terrible. His actions rarely matched his words, and he made Cali’s job and position difficult. No amount of justification could make that right. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
I can’t express my discomfort over the rest of the plot and the resulting final conflict without spoiling the story, so I’ll just say this, the whole trajectory and the actions of both characters didn’t make much sense to me. While I can understand Cali getting carried away and letting her emotions cloud her judgment, Jory had no such excuse. He knew exactly what he was doing, and the grovelling at the end wasn’t enough to redeem his actions in my eyes.
That being said, I liked the author’s writing style. It’s just the story itself and the fundamental choices made by the characters that didn’t sit right with me.
Conclusion
Overall, Love, Action, Camera was hardly a one-time read for me. It’s not bad writing. It’s just that the plot didn’t work for me personally. I wouldn’t discourage anyone from picking it up, though. Maybe someone else might enjoy the romance. It just wasn’t for me.
Disclaimer : I received an e-ARC of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Heads up, bookbugs! 
Some of the links on this blog are affiliate links. That means if you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you! Think of it as a little thank you hug for all the bookish content I pour my heart into. 
Your support keeps the pages turning. 
Happy reading and thank you for being here! 
