Off Camera, Wendy Qualls

Max caught my attention right off the bat with his competence and stellar effort at not becoming too starstruck to do his job or deliver what he promised.  His shy awkwardness really worked for me.  And his intelligence and ingenuity in his job was a surprising facet that really went a long way to making him my favorite of the MC's.  Every so often his vulnerability got in his way a bit, but overall he maintained the most stable presence even in his little bit of growth as he stepped out of his comfort zone.

There wasn't much character growth on either side, but slightly more so on Devon's because he had his past to overcome if he wanted a future with Max.  I was satisfied by his groveling at the end, but the separation bothered me only because it took so long for any kind of amends to be made at all.  If it weren't for surprise kicks in the head I don't know that he would have made the choice to fix things on his own, which was slightly disappointing.  The tattoo doodle part before then really broke my heart and I almost gave up on Devon when we got that little scene.

Together they definitely worked, though I can't say their chemistry was anything truly exciting or spectacular.  The whole story felt soft, subtle, and slow-moving despite only having the relationship build over the course of a couple weeks with a fairly quick jump into one another's pants.  It was a very nice story that was a much better representation of what this author can write than when I initially found their books.  The feels were present even if they were much more mellow, but that's not always a bad thing.

*$3.99 on Amazon

Devon Yoshiro may be a famous actor, but he's also a big brother. When his niece turns six and his sister is laid up after surgery, he sticks around town after promoting his new movie at a major scifi convention to help out. He may know nothing about kids, parties, or planning, but how hard can it be?

Max Harrington develops a major crush on the actor he met while volunteering at Con--which is why he's in shock that Devon has chosen HIS little science museum to host a birthday party. And has chosen him for a little stress relief. No point in wanting more...