Making Up (London Celebrities, #3)

by Lucy Parker

Once upon a time, circus artist Trix Lane was the best around. Her spark vanished with her confidence, though, and reclaiming either has proved… difficult. So when the star of The Festival of Masks is nixed and Trix is unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight, it’s exactly the push she needs. But the joy over her sudden elevation in status is cut short by a new hire on the makeup team.

Leo Magasiva: disgraced wizard of special effects. He of the beautiful voice and impressive beard. Complete dickhead and—in an unexpected twist—an enragingly good kisser.

To Leo, something about Trix is… different. Lovely. Beautiful, even though the pint-size, pink-haired former bane of his existence still spends most of her waking hours working to annoy him. They’ve barely been able to spend two minutes together for years, and now he can’t get enough of her. On stage. At home. In his bed.

When it comes to commitment, Trix has been there, done that, never wants to do it again. Leo’s this close to the job of a lifetime, which would take him away from London — and from Trix. Their past is a constant barrier between them.

It seems hopeless.

Utterly impossible.

And yet…

• ISBN10: 1335007059
• ISBN13: 9781335007056
• Publish Date: 31 July 2018 (first published 28 May 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Carina Press
• Edition: Original ed.
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

I am such a fan of this series! Lucy Parker is back, and she came with a story, which I think is my favorite of the series.

Trix and Leo almost were "a thing" back when they were teens, but something happened, and erased those warm and fuzzy feelings replacing them with nothing but hostility. Then, once again, the universe brought these two together, when Leo was hired as a make-up artist for Trix's show, and that passion instantly reignited between them.

Nothing like a great hate-to-love romance to put a smile on my face, and Making Up was that and so much more.

I was really excited to catch up with Trix. She had been slightly damaged by her prior relationship. Not only was she broken hearted, but her ex's manipulations and mind games left her with almost no self confidence and very low self-esteem. He had poisoned her mind, and left her with only the memory of the girl she used to be. Trix struggled throughout this story with those demons of her past relationship, and it kept her from enjoying personal and professional success. Thank goodness Parker gave her so many wonderful people in her life, who believed in her and supported her. The combination of their love and encouragement, as well as her own determination, helped Trix recover some of her old self. I was terribly proud of all her progress and the success she attained, because she was so deserving of it.

Leo, Leo, Leo. I don't even know where to start with him. It was quite a while before we find out what stupid thing he did as a teen to alienate Trix, but once he decided he wanted to bury the hatchet with Trix, we saw such a fantastic side of him. He was kind, understanding, and quite gentle. He was giving and patient and swoony. I adore him, and I so wanted Trix to give him a chance, because he was genuine and the real deal. I knew he would treat her right, and she deserved someone, who loved and accepted all the parts of her.

These two together were a force to be reckoned with. Sparks were flying from their first on-page together. The banter between the two was so fun and fabulous, I just couldn't get enough. There was so much passion and heat, but there were also so much history and many special, tender moments between the two. Just thinking of those moments makes my eyes shiny and a smile creep across my face.

The ending had everything I could ever ask for in an ending too, but it made me fear that this may be the last book in the series. Please, Lucy Parker, don't let this be the last one, because I am so in love with this delightfully fun series, and really hope to visit the West End again soon.

Overall: A fantastic enemies-to-lovers romance, filled with fun banter, heat, and laughs.

[Rowena]

This is the third book that I've read by Parker and it was another fabulous romance. I hope she never stops writing because she's really good. I adored Leo and Trix and their story was great. Full review to come.

[llamareads]

Trigger warning: panic attacks, retelling of emotional abuse

If you’re looking for hilariously British contemporary rom-com, you can’t do better than Lucy Parker’s London Celebrities series. Besides the sarcastic (and very British) banter, it’s a trope fest of enemies-to-lovers with a dash of roommate thrown in. I’ve very much enjoyed the first two books, and this one was no exception. While it is the third in a series, you could possibly read it as a standalone.

“Don’t even.” Trix was goaded, against her better judgment. “This is not a ‘we-bicker-because-we-want- to-bang’ situation. It’s a ‘he’s-a-tosspot-and-I’ve-learned-my-lesson’ situation.”
“I don’t believe I mentioned sex,” Lily said sweetly. “What an interesting direction your mind took.”

Ms. Parker excels at wonderful characters and witty banter, and Trix and Leo are no exception. They’ve been enemies since attending the same drama high school, and while they’re not exactly in the same orbit (Trix is a circus aerialist and Leo is a makeup artist), they end up working together – and rooming together – on the same production. The sarcastic banter between the two of them is absolutely hilarious, and it just serves to ratchet up the sexual tension. Thankfully, they get to the bottom of the source of their enmity rather quickly in the book, though they still need to deal with angry bitchy sisters, hedgehogs, a reality TV show crew, and a cosplay convention. One of the cutest parts of the book is that they’re both huge nerds for a particular TV show and it was just so spectacular to watch them bond over it.

“I’m getting in character. Channelling Doralina and her incredibly useful ability to make men disappear.”
“Something you have in common lately, from what I’ve heard.” His voice was light, but there was a note in it that made her look up.
“Excuse me?” she said dangerously.
His firm lips tilted at one corner. “People keep assuming I’m avidly interested in your love life. Three-date rule, is it? Before you apparently kick them so hard into the friend-zone that Manchester United’s talent scout comes knocking on the door.”

Trix is still recovering from an emotionally abusive relationship that has badly affected her self-confidence. While, quite obviously, it’s made her prickly about any new relationships, it’s also affected her professionally. Due to another performer’s injury, Trix has to take over one of the main parts, one that is much more technically difficult than her current role. While it’s something she certainly would have been capable of in the past, her ex has her second-guessing her talent, to the point where she even questions whether she wants what was once her dream role. Leo’s also struggling professionally after a client didn’t disclose an allergy and had a pretty bad reaction to his makeup. He’s pinning his hopes of a Hollywood career on winning an SFX competition. Unfortunately, he’s distracted by his sister who, since her return from school in America, has been angry and dismissive, and suffering his own anxiety about his future.

“Exes, anxiety, bad days at work, pain-in-the-arse sisters, awful bosses. It’s all part of the package, isn’t it? Life, in all its occasional shittiness. There’s nothing that needs to be magically fixed before it’s somehow okay for us to be together.”

I was very pleased with how the aftermath of Trix’s relationship was dealt with. Both Trix and Leo suffer from anxiety and panic attacks, and one of the first signs of the change in their relationship is when Leo helps Trix through a panic attack at work. One of the threads running through the story is that, contrary to some self-help magazines, you don’t need to have all your ducks in a row before you start a relationship. Failing at a relationship – or getting involved with a complete jerk – doesn’t mean that there’s something intrinsically wrong with you that you have to fix before you deserve love. Life is messy, and it’s ok to hold on to the good things in the midst of everything else.

As for the rest, the secondary characters were also well done, though I think there were too many unlikeable ones. Leo’s sister Cat was just absolutely awful, and honestly I cringed a bit every time I realized a scene would have her in it. Add in Trix’s extremely negative boss and Leo’s competitor in the makeup competition, and there were just so many people to dislike. Also, I’m not usually a huge fan of epilogues, but this one made me squee a bit.

Overall, this was absolutely delightful, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a hilarious and angsty romance! I cannot wait for Ms. Parker’s next book!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.