Review: Accidentally Famous by Marissa Clarke

Accidentally Famous
(Hideaway Harbor #2)
Marissa Clarke
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Publication date: Jan. 24, 2023
Genre: Romance
Rating:

Jack Winston may be Hollywood’s biggest action hero, but he’s seriously burned out. He can’t even save himself from his PR team’s latest scheme: dating a starlet. But when his assistant accidentally tags Cassidy James from Blink, Maine (wherever that is) on social media, the paparazzi decide that she’s Jack’s latest fling. Now Jack needs to do some serious damage control…starting with the adorable home reno pro in paint-splattered overalls.

Cassidy is not prepared when the Jack Winston shows up in her quiet little town—and whew, he is that gorgeous in person. Before she can pick her jaw up off the floor, his PR team is bombarding them with a whole new plan involving “fake girlfriend,” “optics,” and “sign this NDA” (whatever that is). But no one warned her that Mr. A-List Action Star is hot, funny as all get out, and loves old houses as much as she does.

Now they have two weeks to convince everyone they’re in a fake relationship—two weeks that will drive Cassidy’s reno business through the roof and help Jack reclaim his “spark.” The plan is going fine, dare she say, perfectly…until she discovers something that will change everything.

This was a cute mix-up romance filled with adorable moments. When Jack’s assistant accidentally tags a random stranger instead of his sister with a cheesy one liner, the press goes nuts. The track down Cassidy in her small town and hound her about her secret relationship with the movie star. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Jack and his team decide to pay a visit to Blink, Maine in order to not only talk to Cassidy about what’s going on, but to hopefully work the mistake in their favor… by continuing the charade that they are a couple. I mean, what could go wrong?

I really liked the small town girl and the big movie star angle. It wasn’t a by chance encounter on the street. It really was a PR mistake that started the whole mess. Then when Jack found out what had happened, he got curious as to who his assistant has actually tagged, and then found her life intriguing. It’s not every day you come across a woman who has a youtube channel showing you how to renovate an old historical house. As for Cassidy, she’s not at all impressed with Jack. His team caused a chaotic mess in her hometown and it has stressed her out beyond belief. However, when she’s posed with the option to keep the charade going in order to boost her business and put Jack in a positive spotlight. Two weeks should be easy but things get a little complicated when feelings get caught.

Another thing that I liked about this story was the mini side stories taking place. It gave the book a more well-rounded feel. I also liked that even though this is the second book in the series, I never once felt like it was part of a series, or that I was missing something. Everything is nicely laid out in this story for any new readers, and I really appreciated it.

Now one thing that I did have a problem with was the cliche conflict that takes place in the book. I saw it a mile away, since it’s overdone, and I was very disappointed in Cassidy for falling for it and playing along. It’s one of those, if you talked it out like adults, none of it would have happened.

If you’re in the market for a cute romance involving a movie star and a small town girl, then give this one a read. It has a good mix of characters to keep you entertained throughout the story.