Showmance by L.H Cosway is LIVE!!! #DamonAndRose
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Damon Atwood was Hollywood’s golden boy. Having won an Oscar at the tender age of thirteen, he had the life many could only dream about. But his success came at a price, and after a short but fruitful film career, he chose to live a life of obscurity on a remote Scottish island. Almost a decade later he’s finally ready to make his return, starting with a lead role in a musical on London’s West End.
As a choreographer’s assistant, Rose Taylor has always faded into the background. She watches shows come to life from the side lines, but has never craved the attention of stardom. When rumours begin circulating of Damon’s involvement in her latest gig, she doesn’t predict how she will be thrust into the limelight, nor how the mysterious and strangely introverted man will need her to teach him how to be a star again.
Rose knows that show crushes don’t last. Actors fall for each other during the intensity of a production, often losing themselves in their roles. These kinds of affairs burn bright and then they fade. The question is, should Rose let herself shine with Damon, or guard her heart from being broken after the final curtain call?
“Well now, who’s this?” Julian asked as he slid up off the couch, where he’d been lazily scrolling through his tablet.
I chanced a quick, reassuring peek at Damon before answering my friend. “This is Damon. He’s in the cast.”
Julian groaned as he approached, his chestnut hair sitting messily atop his head. “Oh please, Rose, not another actor.”
I glared at him, trying to channel as much ‘shut the hell up’ into my eyes as possible. My flatmate didn’t really have a censor. A moment of quiet ensued while Julian circled Damon, taking his measure. “You don’t look like an actor.”
The edges of Damon’s mouth twitched for the briefest second. “Thanks.”
“He’s got a sense of humour, too. He’ll go far,” Julian grinned in my direction then sauntered into the kitchen. “I’m starving. Are you cooking dinner?”
“Aren’t I always,” I sighed and then asked Damon if I could take his coat. He shrugged out of it, his eyes not leaving me all the while, and then I went to hang it on the rack by the door. On my return he bent to ask curiously, “Another actor?”
I took a moment to absorb the sensation of his breath hitting my skin. It was…not unpleasant. Julian, who I swear had the hearing of a bat, didn’t miss a beat as he let out an amused chuckle. “Rose has a weakness for those in your profession.”
Damon looked at me in question. I strode over to the breakfast bar, again glaring at my friend. “Yes, well, I’ve sworn off all thespians after the last disaster, so Damon here is safe.”
“What disaster?”
For someone who claimed not to be a big talker, he sure had a lot of questions.
“Ever heard of Blake Winters?” Julian chirped, plucking an apple from the fruit bowl and taking a big bite.
Damon shook his head. Julian scrunched his brows.
“Have you been living under a rock?”
“No, I’ve been living on an island,” said Damon.
Julian cocked his head to the side, as though trying to figure out if he was being sarcastic. “Well, he’s an actor, like you, and he sleeps around. Rose had the great misfortune to have her head turned by the young Mr Winters. He seduced her and then left her in the lurch, the swine,” Julian pouted his lips, effecting a disapproving expression.
“Sounds like an arse,” Damon put in and both Julian and I began laughing.
“I like this one,” said Julian.
I grinned as I thought, yeah, me too, and found myself suddenly blushing.
Amy's Review
L.H.
Cosway can build a slow burn like nobody's business, and the burn in this book
was fabulous. Our main characters, Rose and Damon, build that slow burn until I
was about to combust!
Rose is a theater choreographer, happy to stay away from the limelight due to stage fright. Damon Atwood is a child star, who's come out of retirement after 10 years to act in a theater version of Moulin Rouge. Damon is very closed off, having a hard time trusting anyone due to issues with his father. Damon seems to trust Rose almost from the get-go and they build a friendship, as she helps him with his choreography. Their friendship is sweet and endearing, and eventually it builds that slow burn mentioned above, although it's not without its challenges.
The side-cast in this book is fabulous, too. There's Julian, who is Rose's flat-mate and pseudo-brother; he's a paid escort and he's a hoot. There's Alicia, the Hollywood star, who wants Damon for herself, but also comes across as someone you might actually like. And then there's Rose's ex, Blake; he likes to cause trouble and he regrets letting Rose go. These characters, together with Rose and Damon, make for an interesting and dynamic cast.
The drama is bearable and not overdone. Damon, while he seems shy and reserved, has quite the dirty mind when it comes to Rose and her anatomy....and he actually made me blush and giggle with a few of his brash thoughts. Some of my favorite parts with Damon and Rose were when they were huddled together listening to an audio book; they communicated without speaking and that was really endearing to me.
All-in-all, this was really a well-written book. I look forward to reading more from L.H. Cosway.
Rose is a theater choreographer, happy to stay away from the limelight due to stage fright. Damon Atwood is a child star, who's come out of retirement after 10 years to act in a theater version of Moulin Rouge. Damon is very closed off, having a hard time trusting anyone due to issues with his father. Damon seems to trust Rose almost from the get-go and they build a friendship, as she helps him with his choreography. Their friendship is sweet and endearing, and eventually it builds that slow burn mentioned above, although it's not without its challenges.
The side-cast in this book is fabulous, too. There's Julian, who is Rose's flat-mate and pseudo-brother; he's a paid escort and he's a hoot. There's Alicia, the Hollywood star, who wants Damon for herself, but also comes across as someone you might actually like. And then there's Rose's ex, Blake; he likes to cause trouble and he regrets letting Rose go. These characters, together with Rose and Damon, make for an interesting and dynamic cast.
The drama is bearable and not overdone. Damon, while he seems shy and reserved, has quite the dirty mind when it comes to Rose and her anatomy....and he actually made me blush and giggle with a few of his brash thoughts. Some of my favorite parts with Damon and Rose were when they were huddled together listening to an audio book; they communicated without speaking and that was really endearing to me.
All-in-all, this was really a well-written book. I look forward to reading more from L.H. Cosway.
5 Slow Burn Stars
shanda's review
You can always count on L.H. Cosway to take you on a unique
journey with her storytelling. In the indie book world full of alpha males and
cliché romances her books are a breath of fresh air.
Showmance begins with West End choreographer Rose Taylor. Rose has a weakness for actors and has just had a bad experience with her ex. She is swearing off men for a while and has decided to focus on her new assistant role in Moulin Rouge.
This sounds like a good plan until the lead is brought in for the show. Childhood actor Damon Atwood; he is broody and beautiful and Rose can’t help but be drawn to him. Damon is not comfortable in the spotlight anymore but has agreed to leave his remote Scottish Island as a promise to his grandmother. He is clearly uncomfortable and doesn’t trust people but Rose calms him and makes things easier for him.
I loved the dual POV, especially so that we could get in Damon’s’ head. He was so quiet and reserved because he doesn’t want the spotlight and he doesn’t trust people. Getting in his head explained so much about him and made you love him more. Damon was sweet and gentle but surprisingly he was dirty boy too. Rose was a lovely person and I think her and Damon were perfect for each other. I loved how patient and kind they were to each other. They seemed to really understand what the other needed at different times.
While I agree Ms. Cosway is the undisputed Queen of the slow burn romance I found myself getting impatient. The sexual tension was off the charts but I think the outside forces pulling these two apart frustrated me a bit.
All in all this was a great read and you really can’t go wrong picking up an L.H. Cosway book!
Showmance begins with West End choreographer Rose Taylor. Rose has a weakness for actors and has just had a bad experience with her ex. She is swearing off men for a while and has decided to focus on her new assistant role in Moulin Rouge.
This sounds like a good plan until the lead is brought in for the show. Childhood actor Damon Atwood; he is broody and beautiful and Rose can’t help but be drawn to him. Damon is not comfortable in the spotlight anymore but has agreed to leave his remote Scottish Island as a promise to his grandmother. He is clearly uncomfortable and doesn’t trust people but Rose calms him and makes things easier for him.
I loved the dual POV, especially so that we could get in Damon’s’ head. He was so quiet and reserved because he doesn’t want the spotlight and he doesn’t trust people. Getting in his head explained so much about him and made you love him more. Damon was sweet and gentle but surprisingly he was dirty boy too. Rose was a lovely person and I think her and Damon were perfect for each other. I loved how patient and kind they were to each other. They seemed to really understand what the other needed at different times.
While I agree Ms. Cosway is the undisputed Queen of the slow burn romance I found myself getting impatient. The sexual tension was off the charts but I think the outside forces pulling these two apart frustrated me a bit.
All in all this was a great read and you really can’t go wrong picking up an L.H. Cosway book!
ANGIE'S review
Spectacular! Spectacular!
Cosway is on my short list of authors that never lets me down. This book was fantastic. It's a slow burn romance between Damon, an Oscar-winning child actor that's been out of the spotlight for years, and Rose, a choreographer's assistant that's happy to keep her dancing behind the scenes.
Damon has agreed to come out of retirement to accept the role of Christian in a stage production of Moulin Rouge. Damon is sweet and shy and self-conscious despite being mega talented. And he's immediately smitten with Rose. Rose is sweet and happy and wears her heart on her sleeve. However, she's just gotten dumped and she's sworn off actors. Cosway will kill you with sexual tension but it's worth it I promise.
I also loved all of the secondary characters. I thought Cosway did a great job with all the nuances of what goes into creating a musical. I felt like I was there. And I'm looking forward to Julian's story. I really want an HEA for him. In fact, every time Cosway writes a book in one of her series I'm eager for the next. So whatever her next release is, I'll be reading. Bravo!
Cosway is on my short list of authors that never lets me down. This book was fantastic. It's a slow burn romance between Damon, an Oscar-winning child actor that's been out of the spotlight for years, and Rose, a choreographer's assistant that's happy to keep her dancing behind the scenes.
Damon has agreed to come out of retirement to accept the role of Christian in a stage production of Moulin Rouge. Damon is sweet and shy and self-conscious despite being mega talented. And he's immediately smitten with Rose. Rose is sweet and happy and wears her heart on her sleeve. However, she's just gotten dumped and she's sworn off actors. Cosway will kill you with sexual tension but it's worth it I promise.
I also loved all of the secondary characters. I thought Cosway did a great job with all the nuances of what goes into creating a musical. I felt like I was there. And I'm looking forward to Julian's story. I really want an HEA for him. In fact, every time Cosway writes a book in one of her series I'm eager for the next. So whatever her next release is, I'll be reading. Bravo!
Listen to the amazing playlist on Spotify HERE
L.H. Cosway has a BA in English Literature and Greek and Roman Civilisation, and an MA in Postcolonial Literature. She lives in Dublin city. Her inspiration to write comes from music. Her favourite things in life include writing stories, vintage clothing, dark cabaret music, food, musical comedy, and of course, books.
She thinks that imperfect people are the most interesting kind. They tell the best stories.
Fun Facts About Showmance
Fun Fact #1: When Rose tells Damon how
she got to meet Gene Kelly’s wife, that was actually me! I didn’t hug her for
too long or creep her out like Rose, but she did mention that Gene used to have
a thing for women who wear glasses. I like to imagine this means I could’ve
been his wife if I were born a few decades earlier :-D
Fun Fact #2: There are some “easter
eggs” sprinkled throughout the book, which I mostly included just to amuse
myself. For example, in the show Damon plays the lead role of Christian, while
Alicia plays Satine. So the names sort of have interconnected meanings. Damon
(as in demon) as opposed to Christian. Alicia reminds me of angel, and her
character’s name is Satine (as in Satan/Lucifer the fallen angel).
Fun Fact #3: Another easter egg of
sorts. There are some parallels in the story that mirror some aspects of Moulin Rouge. For instance, Julian is a
real life male escort while the musical tells the story of a fictional
courtesan as played by Alicia.
Fun Fact #4: When Rose tells Damon about
Gene Kelly sneakily making Cyd Charisse’s skirt shorter during the filming of Singin’ in the Rain, this was an anecdote
his wife told when I went to see her give a talk about the film. I’ve searched
high and low but cannot find any mention of this story online, so perhaps it
only exists as a word of mouth tale. Well, now it will live on in Showmance.
Fun Fact #5: When Julian tells Alicia
about the French demi-monde, this
actually comes from research I did during my post-grad thesis, which focused on
depictions of courtesans in 18th & 19th century
French literature. For years I’ve wanted to use this research in writing a
novel about a real life sex worker, but set in modern times, and it’s finally
going to happen when I write Julian’s story next year.
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