Lucy Parker has been on my TBR list for some time now, and the Austen Playbook did not disappoint! It's a great contemporary romance, especially if your a theater fan. I personally enjoyed the Jane Austen references. There's a lot going on in this book: Griff and Freddy's burgeoning romance, Griff trying to save his family from financial ruin, Freddy trying to take back control of her career, the production of a live TV event in a dilapidated theater, and a plagiarism mystery to top it off. All of these complex situations and unique characters kept me turning (swiping) the pages with fervor. I highly recommend this book and can't wait to read more by Lucy Parker!

5 STARS, HUGE STARS / 2 Steam Fans

This book was all kinds of fun, sweet, swoony, mysterious, touching and just all around lovely! I didn't know much about Jane Austen's work but even though this story revolves around her very real works you don't feel left out with this modern play into Jane's works. Freddie is an actress that has some family issues and secrets trying to follow in her grandmother’s footsteps of being a well-known actress. Griff is a straight laced journalist that has been taking care of his free spirited family members and estate. Freddie and Griff have this undeniable chemistry in a super fun way. There are a lot of fun pop culture references to keep things interesting. Overall, I can't gush enough about my enjoyment of this story!

This specific video book review will be included in the April 2019 wrap-up.

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I'm really torn between giving this book 3 or 4 stars. On one hand I really loved the writing style and the main characters (especially Griff - I really have a soft spot for sarcastic, grumpy heroes) but on the other hand I just didn't feel the love story. There was little to no chemistry between the h/H (or at least I didn't feel any) so their connection felt fake to me. And the "mean girl" (Sadie) of the story felt like a caricature. I like a well done bad guy/girl but she just felt cartoonish and whenever she poped up in the book it threw me out of the story.
While this is well-written and has some enjoyable moments and strong main characters, the central couple just wasn't enough for me to truly enjoy this book. They fall for each other so quickly that there isn't much build-up to enjoy and I just wasn't clicking with many of the other characters (with a very pleasant exception of Charlie, I really liked him).
Overall I think this wasn't an only 3 star read (more like 3.5 stars) but but not quite 4 so I'm rounding down this one. But it still was a very sweet and enjoyable read and I'd recommend it to my frinds despite the things that bothered me about it. I'm also looking forward to reading more from Ms. Parker.

Lucy Parker continues her fan-freaking-tastic London Celebrities series with the fourth, stand-alone book, The Austen Playbook, and everyone is absolutely raving about this book. It's a sexy enemies-to--lovers romance with real emotional depth, nuanced characterization and a story that will captivate you.

Even if I didn't read the previous books I really enjoyed this one!
A well-written slow burn romance and the author's writing impressed me!
Highly recommend!

The Austen Playbook by Lucy Parker (contemporary, Carina, April 2019)

Series: London Celebrities, book 4

Lucy Parker has a wonderful ability to combine sweet and sexy with fun and funny, especially in her sex scenes. This is absolutely true for The Austen Playbook, the fourth book in Parker’s London Celebrities series.

In this book, actress Freddy and critic Griff are a bit at odds over some ill-timed comments that Griff makes about one of Freddy’s performances. But they are put into close contact when Freddy gets a starring role in The Austen Playbook, a live production to be staged on Griff’s estate and the sparks fly.

Griff and his brother have agreed to host the production in an old theater on their estate to help bring in some badly needed money. It doesn’t hurt that the theater was built by Griff’s grandfather for Freddy’s famous grandmother years ago when the two were having a salacious affair.

But Griff isn’t terribly happy to have his home invaded by a production crew. He’s a loner, a grump, but one who can’t stop thinking about the vivacious Freddy. These two are an unlikely pair, but one who are fabulous together.

And I mentioned the sweet and sexy but funny sex scenes, right? There were so many things in this book that made me laugh, but some of the lines from the sex scenes cracked me up. Freddy admits that she and Griff do not have the knack for shower sex - a scene that I will never forget (happily so). I will let readers learn more on their own. :)

Additionally, there is a point where Freddy tells Griff that she doesn’t want to have penetrative sex because this causes her pain mid-menstrual cycle. Imagine that - people having a realistic conversation about sexual issues - and a sympathetic hero. This is all so well done and helps to deepen Freddy and Griff’s relationship.

Freddy and Griff’s romance is absolutely delicious. Grumpy Griff needs Freddy’s lighter spirit so badly, and Griff supports Freddy as she learns to take charge of her life and her dreams. The two also need each other when secrets about their famous grandparents come out.

The subplot surrounding Griff’s grandfather and Freddy’s grandmother is as wonderful as the romance. I was wholly invested in it and in how Griff and Freddy (Freddy especially) handled the situation and what it meant for their relationship and what it meant for their families. It was a perfect foil for the romance.

While The Austen Playbook can be read as a stand alone, all of the books in Lucy Parker’s London Celebrities books are worth a read. Parker writes vibrant romances that are full of sugar and spice and everything nice. The Austen Playbook is one of the best books that I’ve read in 2019; it will especially delight those readers who are fans of grumpy heroes who fall hard and fast.

Book Disclosure: An ebook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

#romance #HEAsForever #LucyParker #TheAustenPlaybook #Carina #romancereview #egalleyreview #NetGalley #romancestagram #bookstagram #romancerocks #romancerocks

My first book by author Lucy Parker. I liked it but not love it. I am going to look for more in this series, I have heard great things about her writing, so I will read her again.

Look, this book has a house party with a family secrets mystery and a romance between a Slytherin and a Hufflepuff. That should be enough to tell you if you’re interested, but if you want an actual review, well… This is the fourth in the London Celebrities series, but I think would work well as a standalone.

“It was a truth universally acknowledged that an actor in a rut must be in want of a spot of murder, mayhem, and true love.”


Freddy doesn’t deny that her acting career has ridden on the coattails of her grandmother, hailed as Britain’s greatest playwright. With a revival of her most famous play in the works, everyone, including Freddy’s agent father, expects her to land the leading role… except Freddy. Torn by her decision, she accepts an offer for an… interesting… TV production. Picture this: a bunch of actors and actresses are stuck together in a crumbling English mansion to film a live TV production. It’s based on a choose-your-own-adventure game that features all of Austen’s characters mashed together, which means that they’ll have to memorize large chunks of script that may never be used, depending on how the audience votes. Plus, it just so happens that the estate is the familial home of a certain grumpy art critic…

“Do your thoughts always bounce around your brain like a pinball game?”
“I think of it more like ten-pin bowling. Pick up an idea, chuck it at the rest, and hope for the best.”


While the initial meeting between the romantic leads is usually called a “meet-cute”, in this case it was, as a friend termed it, a “meet-disaster.” After a disastrous performance of, quite frankly, an awful play, Freddy overhears Griff talking about it at a local bar, and his criticism of her – that she’d rather be splashing around in puddles in Singin’ in the Rain than vamping through a depressing “adult” play, strikes close to home. It’s delightfully reminiscent of my favorite Austen, Pride & Prejudice, though the end result is different. While P&P rides the enemies-to-lovers train, Freddy instead shakes off the criticism, going so far as to tweak his nose metaphorically with some of it. Freddy is such a positive and joyful person that she can’t be angry at Griff – she’s more thrown off by how insightful his criticism was – and instead Griff ends up completely flummoxed by her. I have a definite thing for grumpy heroes, and Griff ticks all those boxes. He can’t quite believe that Freddy is interested in him, and more than once thinks she’d be better suited for his flighty brother. He also mentally compares her to an annoying head cold, which had me absolutely dying.

“It’s so weird. I wouldn’t have picked it in a million years. She’s such a sunny wee rocket, and you’re such a bad-tempered bastard most of the time. I’d have thought you’d want to strangle her.”
He did. He also wanted his hands sliding along her skin, and her irrepressible smile against his cheek, and her insane hair on his pillow.”


Besides the romance, there’s a pretty fun family-secrets-mystery that Freddy and Griff dig into. It, naturally, leads to revelations about their own families. Freddy’s father who seems deadset on vicariously experiencing his theater dreams through her (and who she can’t say no to), and her sister, who keeps getting involved with a philandering actor. Griff, for his part, is trying to save his family estate, convinced that his flighty brother and head-in-the-clouds parents are acting against their best interests. So, in essences, Freddy needs to seize more control of her life – needs everyone to stop treating her like a child – while Griff needs to shed some of his control freak ways. The secondary characters are also amazing, and we get to see some familiar faces from earlier books in the series.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Charlie said, a note of amusement creeping in. “I thought you’d be buried in work, not snogging the houseguests.”
“Things often take surprising turns.” Freddy smiled at him. “I love life.”


What makes reading this book (and her others) a complete joy is that Ms. Parker is incredibly witty. You can’t go more than two paragraphs without finding a fascinating turn of phrase or a humorous aside. There’s plenty of emotional depth, though, and the characters, even the secondary ones, are more than just cardboard cutouts. It’s been fun watching some of the background characters get more page time, and I finished the book with a good idea who the next couple is – and also desperately wanting that book now! While I’ve enjoyed this series immensely, I have to say that this book has definitely become my favorite!

Overall, this is ridiculously fun, witty romp, and I highly recommend it!

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.

I enjoyed Freddy and Griff's story and the 4th book in Lucy Parker's London Celebrities series. It took me a bit to really get into the story but eventually it got me hooked. Freddy is a west end darling and Griff is a grumpy critic who eventually fall in love over the course of a rehearsal for a Jane Austen murder mystery play. Freddy and Griff's relationship felt a bit flat at first but got better as the book went on and I enjoyed many of the secondary characters. I was disappointed that there wasn't more of a resolution with Sadie. Her character was a little much for me and sometimes took me out of the story and I was hoping she would get more of a punishment for the way she had behaved. I really hate her and hope she doesn't get her own book. Otherwise an enjoyable read!

The Austen Playback is the fourth book in Lucy Parker’s London Celebrities series which is for the most part set in the West End with the main characters involved in theatre. I love the series an of course it has now extended to this current book where all the theatrics of the stage has now mashed up with Television, film and Harry Potter. Apparently this could also be considered a romance between a Slytherin and Hufflepuff. To find out more you have to read it! If you love Lucy Parker this is a must read, if you love characters that are different, a little bit off beat and you adore plots with family secrets and drama being uncovered then The Austen Playbook is for you. Also you tend to develop a British accent inside your head when you’re talking to yourself as well. The Austen Playbook is sexy, sweet, introspective humorous and all together fantastic.

Funny and tender. Two people who find tenderness, passion, support and love in the most unlikely person. Freddie and Griffin are adorable and not in a sticky, too cute way. I like Lucy Parker's plotting, writing. She writes comedy masterfully. This new novel in her London series is a good one. Her main characters are fun and act like grown ups, are there for each other, listen to each other. Short cut summary... Amy Pondsmeet Draco Malfoy theater AU. With Jane Austen characters thrown in for fun. This was a NetGalley ebook.

Fun loving Freddy Carlton wants to do comedies and musicals. Her father/manager wants her to follow in her grandmother's footsteps and do dramas. When she accepts a role for the television whodunnit "The Austen Playbook", she ends up on the estate of no nonsense, no smiles critic James "Griff" Ford-Griffin. While falling in love, they end up finding out things about their families' pasts that will effect their futures.
Lucy Parker's "London Celebrities" is one of the best contemporary romance series today. Freddy and Griff are fun, well drawn characters as are many of the others featured in this book.

I like this series a lot - the romances are fun, the heroes are great and the heroines are feisty and smart. This one is another great addition to the series. Freddy is struggling with reconciling her father's expectations for her career with what she actually wants to do (in acting terms, she's not questioning her career choices) and Griff is struggling to save his family's home in the face of some extremely scatty parents. He's a theatre critic who's criticised her performances before - she's going to be rehearsing and filming her next project at his house. Oh and their grandparents have *history* together and there's a feud. Sparks will fly. This is an incredibly readable enemies to lovers/family feud/forced proximity type contemporary romance and I would happily read just as many books in this world as Lucy Parker can come up with. And please can Freddy's sister be the heroine of the next book - there seemed like some definite set up going on there for her and A N Other member of the supporting cast. Pretty please.

Lucy Parker’s London Celebrities series is hands down one of my favorites. I was so excited to read AUSTEN PLAYBOOK after seeing not one but two shows in London’s West End. I couldn’t help but wonder if there was a Lily and Luc or Laini and Richard wandering backstage and I was so excited to read the next story in this series. Taking a step away from the West End, this book goes it to the country for a live, audience choose-your-own-adventure style of play featuring some of Jane Austen’s most beloved characters. This was so fun! I love reading about the theater prep and behind the scenes of a play. The romance was sexy and I really liked the icy demeanor of the hero that’s slowly melted by the fiery heroine. The family drama that involves these two characters was so interesting to read with twists I did not see coming! The drama, pun intended, of the cast of characters was engaging and kept me wanting to turn the pages. I am so excited to hear Parker is continuing this series because I am HYPED for the next couple!! 🎭
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READ THIS IF...you love London’s theater scene, fiery heroines and icy heroes, and fun Jane Austen interpretations. 🎥

I love this series and the way it exposes us to a side of London not as well known - the acting side. It's SO fascinating! This one was especially wonderful because of the Austen references. I enjoyed the country setting, all of the interesting side characters in the production, and the re-appearance of Freddy from past books. I really enjoyed the way she grew as a character. Highly recommend this series that can be read as standalone books but nice to read them in order. Hurry up and write another one, Lucy Parker! :)

The long awaited fourth installment in the London Celebrities series by Lucy Parker has surpassed any praise imaginable. The well-written and enticing plot laced with witty dialogues produce another magnificent achievement by the author. The book certainly spoke to me in another level and I was swooped into this alluring, albeit complex, story from the very first page. These West-End characters entered a summer filled with suspenseful drama, mystery, and romantic setting on and off screen in the rural esteemed boutique theater that birthed an infamous masterpiece and legacy that paved ways to fame and fortune from generation to generation.

West End up-and-coming actress, Frederica- Freddy-Carlton has lived up to everyone's expectation but her own. Through with playing emotionally draining characters, she quickly jumps at the offer to play the frivolous and strong-willed Lydia Bennett in a live-action TV adaptation of Jane Austen's novels; The Austen Playbook.The summer takes her to the rural side of Highbrook Wells and to the decorated historical site where an impassioned affair between her grandmother and the owner created a legendary script that has been the Carlton biggest claim to fame.

Fate takes part in her life as she forms her own heated affair with James Ford-Griffin; the highly acclaimed—not to mention ruthless— critic who happens to own the said site the TV Adaptation takes place. Griff was rigid in his belief and was appalled at the idea of using the estate for the show, but he found no other way to saving it.

Griff was a formidable character at best while Freddy is lively and unique in her own ways. A romance between such contrast personalities develops into a warm and heated relationship. It was skittish at first but there were moments where my heart leaped whenever these two were involved.

The book also offers an intriguing plot filled with mystery and unveiled past. It builds up with stable and consistent pace. Stocked with moderate-to-pleasant suspense, the resolution might not come too shocking, but it was a thrill ride from start to finish.

<i>*e-ARC kindly provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Theatre and Austen: two things I love written by one of my new favorite contemporary romcom authors. Can't go wrong with that combo. Lucy Parker didn't.

I love Lucy's characters, except for Sadie Foster, of course. Grumpy Griff is my kind of hero: crusty on the outside, soft and caring inside. Marvelous sense of responsibility, razor-sharp intellect, and biting wit. Seemingly his opposite is effervescent Freddy. An actress with an impressive pedigree, she has to balance family expectations with her true inclinations.

Against the backdrop of an interactive Austen adaptation Freddy is starring in, set in a theatre Griff's grandfather built for Freddy's grandmother, and a mystery that threatens both their families, these two develop a relationship that surprised everyone including themselves.

At times, the storylines got a bit chaotic with so many different things happening at once and with so many characters converging on the same scene at the same time. But, all throughout the book, the relationship between Freddy and Griff was at the center.

I enjoyed this book, I love this series, and I'm really looking forward to future stories about Charlie and Sabrina (not necessarily paired together).

have loved all of Lucy Parker's London Celebrities books, and this is up there very close to PRETTY FACE with being my favorite. Freddy was such a happy, great heroine, and I sympathized so much with her as she feels completely stuck between the actress she wants to be and family expectations. The whole idea of The Austen Playbook cast she joins - a live action play where viewers choose the outcome - was just so much FUN, I wanted desperately to see it for myself. The countryside setting was divine - almost like Freddy had her own Pemberley to explore (with very questionable artwork though), and her romance with grumpy critic Griff, was a delight. I also really got into the mystery of what happened in the past between Freddy's grandmother Henrietta and Griff's grandfather, and the secrets they uncover about them though the story. This story was just the perfect mix of Austen inspired swoony romance and mystery/intruge. The only thing I didn't love about this was that the evil Sadie gets away with the havoc she causes. But this book seems to be setting up a companion story featuring Freddy's sister Sabrina, and I'm hoping that Sadie will get what's coming to her in the end.

West End veteran Freddy Carlton has been growing increasingly disatisfied with her work. Once she made the switch from lighthearted plays to highbrow drama, it became obvious to her that her heart lies in the former. So being offered a role in an audience-interactive, televised adaptation of Jane Austen's novels feels like a godsend. Cosy mystery and romantic comedy? Being away from her dad turned manager and his constant expectations? Sign her up. If nothing else, the sprawling country estate where the play will take place sounds like the ideal spot for a relaxing couple of weeks.

James Ford-Griffin adamantly doesn't want an entire cast of performers -most of whom he eviscerated in his job as a theater critic- swarming his family home. Even the (admittedly faint) prospect of making enough money to save the estate fails to lift his spirits. When the human personification of sunshine and puppies decides to pursue him, he's stunned to find himself drawn to her. What is an icy, bad-tempered grouch to do?

Exchange witty banter and fall madly in love, of course.

Lucy Parker is SO GOOD at writing opposites attract romances. 3/4 of this series follows this trope, and it is GLORIOUS. Freddy's "contagious joy fairy" personality and Griff's ability to embody "all of life's fleeting moments of doom" don't seem like they would be compatible on the surface, but they balance one another out without attempting to change each other.

I'm a huge fan of Agatha Christie-type mysteries, and this delivers, right down to the sprawling country manor hosting a house party of sorts - period clothing included. The mystery isn't a murder, but it's highly intriguing, with a very satisfying resolution.

A delightful, incredibly charming romantic comedy with a side of cosy mystery.

[I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review]

Lucy Parker is as good as everyone says. This fourth London Celebrities book (which totally stands alone; I haven’t read the others yet) comes equipped with two excellent protagonists who have tons of chemistry, craploads of theatrical shenanigans, familial stressors of the frivolous parent/responsible child AND beloved-siblings-in-semi-conflict varieties, and an enticing historical conundrum that’s deeply personal to the characters.

Parker keeps all these balls in the air with nary a wobble. It’s romantic and stressful and affecting and FUNNY, especially when we’re in Freddy’s head. I had an absolute blast with it and I think you will, too.