Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

It Happened One Fight

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

From Entertainment Weekly writer Maureen Lee Lenker comes a swoony romantic comedy set in the world of 1930s film.

Joan Davis is a movie star, and a damned good actor, too. Unfortunately, Hollywood only seems to care when she stars alongside Dash Howard, Tinseltown's favorite leading man and a perpetual thorn in Joan's side. She's sick of his hotshot attitude, his never-ending attempts to get a rise out of her—especially after the night he sold her out to the press on a studio-arranged date. She'll turn her career around without him. She's engaged to Hollywood's next rising star, after all, and preparing to make the film that could finally get her taken seriously. Then, a bombshell drops: thanks to one of his on-set pranks gone wrong, Dash and Joan are legally married.

Reputation on the line, Joan agrees to star alongside Dash one last time and move production to Reno, where divorce is legal after a six-week residency. But between on-set shenanigans, fishing competitions at Lake Tahoe, and intimate moments leaked to the press, Joan begins to see another side to the man she thought she had all figured out, and it becomes harder and harder to convince the public—and herself—that her marriage to Dash is the joke it started out as.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

  • Formats

  • Languages

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      April 17, 2023
      Entertainment Weekly writer Lenker debuts with a delightful love letter to the screwball comedy that doubles as an exploration of Hollywood’s golden age. Lone wolf Joan Davis (an homage to both Joan Crawford and Bette Davis) has clawed her way to stardom from Dust Bowl Oklahoma, rising above both early career bumps that earned her the label of “box-office poison” and the ire of gossip columnists. Now her engagement to British heartthrob Monty Smyth should cement her status as “Queen of Hollywood.” However, thanks to a prank gone wrong from her he-man frequent costar Dash Howard (inspired by Clark Gable), Joan discovers that she’s already married—to Dash. The studio moves their final picture together to Reno, where they’ll be eligible for a speedy divorce, but when their explosive on-screen chemistry becomes an off-screen romance, Davis and Dash wonder if they should stay married after all. The setting is tremendously fun and well realized, and though Dash’s petulant on-set behavior can be off-putting (and he never sufficiently atones), enemies-to-lovers fans will enjoy their dynamic. Unfortunately, a climactic revelation doesn’t quite get its due and is brushed over on the way to a happy ending. Still, there’s plenty to enjoy here—especially for film buffs. Agent: Taylor Haggerty, Root Literary.

    • Kirkus

      May 1, 2023
      An actress falls in love with her leading man in this historical romance set during the golden age of Hollywood. Hollywood superstars Joan Davis and Dash Howard are contractually obligated to make one final film together. Joan is relieved it's only one. Although working with Dash made her a star, he was also responsible for her greatest public humiliation, setting her up to be targeted by ruthless tabloid reporter Leda Price. Ever since, Joan has treated Dash with cold, professional courtesy, while he has retaliated on set with a series of juvenile pranks. On the other hand, Joan is frustrated and humiliated that her recent movies--all of them without Dash as her leading man--have been a string of flops that have earned her a reputation as "box-office poison." As Dash and Joan prepare to start filming, Joan's tabloid-reporter nemesis reveals a piece of delicious and damning gossip. A wedding certificate Joan and Dash signed on the set of a previous film was filed at the LA County Courthouse--in the eyes of the law, they are married! Since the stars are unable to divorce in the state of California, the studio suggests moving the film set to Reno. If Joan and Dash take up residency there for six weeks, they can file for divorce in Nevada. Lenker's debut delights in playing with the language and tropes of classic Hollywood films--studio moguls chewing cigars, curtains strung between beds, and furious banter between the love interests. Dash and Joan are both pressured to perform "being a star" in public, which makes it difficult for them to let down their guards and trust each other in private. The book itself falls into the same trap, though, with the focus on capturing old Hollywood's glitz and glamour overshadowing the romance between Joan and Dash. A promising debut for historical romance readers looking for a fresh, new setting.

      COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Library Journal

      Starred review from May 1, 2023

      DEBUT In 1930s Hollywood, leading lady Joan Davis is on her seventh movie set, starring opposite Oscar winner Dash Howard, her nemesis. Notorious for pranks and jokes, Dash seems to have what Joan craves: respect as an actor, both from the Academy and fans. She is horrified to discover that not only will she be living with Dash on location but also, thanks to one of his pranks, they are actually legally married. Pretending to be married by day and sharing intimate moments at night only builds attraction between two Hollywood stars who have paid the price for fame and fortune. Dash, it turns out, has been set up, blackmailed, hurt, and scorned, and he finds himself caught by Joan--her beauty and the grit that contributes to her fame. Fighting the attraction proves the greatest Oscar-worthy performance of all for two actors who finally remove their masks. VERDICT Entertainment Weekly reporter Lenker's debut is a unique historical romance that takes readers back to the days of old Hollywood and the ritz of Reno, complete with the enduring themes of love, passion, and betrayal.--Judy Garner

      Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

Languages

  • English

Loading