While it doesn't pack quite the same punch as the other entries in Parker's London Celebrities series, this is still a thoroughly enjoyable addition. It would probably be best to read The Austen Playbook before Headliners - 1. because it's the best in the series and 2. because Headliners' plot picks up with fallout from the end of Playbook.

Of course I loved this. Lucy Parker writes the best romance novels and I have enjoyed every single book in this series. I was beyond ecstatic to receive an ARC of this book I could read over my Christmas break - because this is a Christmas novel at heart. Headliners follows on from the events of The Austen Playbook which for me had the advantage that the dual time-lines usually employed for hate-to-love romances was not necessary, dual time-lines being something I do not particularly enjoy in this genre.


As always, Parker's characterisation is on point, the snark level is off the charts and the romance at heart is lovely and brilliant and so very funny. Sabrina is a wonderful character whose ambition never means that she sacrifices her own morals, while Nick is actually (underneath his douchebag front) nice and funny - even if he has to realize that ambition should not come before common decency. There were as usual incredibly funny scenes between scenes with genuine heart. Parker's romances feel real in a way that I find rare in the genre. The romantic gestures are often smaller ones that feel incredibly true to life.


While I thought the book was a tad too long, overall I sped through this and cannot wait to see what Lucy Parker does next.

I absolutely loved so much about this book. I have come to adore the entire series, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this and read about Nick and Sabrina. The story itself exceeded my expectations and was just so.much.fun. to read during the holiday season this year. It takes place leading up to Christmas, so I loved that about it as the plot followed a bit of an "advent calendar" timeline. The work setting and supporting characters were beyond fun as were all of the mishaps that these two found themselves in. Despite all of this, the book had a level of depth that I really appreciated and I enjoyed every single second of it. If you are looking for an excellent contemporary romance, look no further. This is the 5th in a series but I'd say it stands alone - EXCEPT for quite a few events in the 4th book that would be necessary to understand in relation to the characters in this book.

"If you're going to be with someone, they shouldn't...fade you. You shouldn't have to make yourself less so that they can can be more. I think - the people you love - when everything else goes to shit, they should be a safe place..."
•
This latest installment to the London Celebrities universe is one of the best books I've been so lucky to have read in advance. It centers two TV presenters who have been professional rivals for YEARS, who are now forced to work together to save both their cherished careers. Sabrina is fresh off a national scandal involving her family, and Nick is the guy that released the story to the press. I was excited to read this to find out how Lucy Parker would make such difficult premise work, bec enemies-to-lovers is her expertise, and I'm so happy to report that once again, she made it work so beautifully, and this book delivered the feels exceptionally! 🥰
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"You make people want to be...better. Happier. You strike a match. Ignite positive change." His smile now was faint and fleeting. "Sparks."
•
So, let's start with the little things. It's always the little things that get to me. Like the simple Sabrina acknowledging Nick's professionalism even when she still hated his guts, or Nick mentally complimenting Sabrina's hair, things like that -- that piles up as the story progresses and it becomes these little nuggets of romantic development that helps the ~big things make sense. Lucy Parker is also and expert in making these visually vivid scenes work so good in paper. For example, a particular collision between Sab and Nick reminded me of a number of funny scenes from old romcoms; and I took the falling to the Thames part funny, I guess, to people watching them on TV, but in Sab and Nick's subsequent PoVs, it was a serious thing that sort of helped clear some air between the two of them. There's also parts where Nick showcases his love language (acts of service) when Sabs got her period in the most inconvenient time.

Some of the other things I loved about it is the "Sparks" nickname's transformation from a snide remark to an honest-to-god compliment to a v personal endearment. Nick's on air explanation/short monologue describing Sabrina's "light" is amazing! I also liked how their familial backgrounds played important parts in their character development. Of course, I cried at the parts when Sab remembers her mother, and when Nick's mother explains his father's influence on him and on the decisions he's made.

And speaking of decisions, I loved that at every step of the way, it was important to Nick to ask Sabrina about what she wanted, where she wanted to take things to, especially since he's the one who had been almost irredeemable from the very beginning of the book (way back in The Austen Playbook even). They didn't soften, they were still butting heads even when they were, ehem, on kissing terms already, and I absolutely adored it. The fight scene where they had to pause the fight bec Sabrina had to go somewhere for work cemented their legendary professionalism to me, and it added a nice touch of maturity that was essential in really making their complicated romance work.

Now let me talk about the BIG things: Nick's redemption is what I was v interested in reading about when I started this bec I hated him so much in TAP. What he did was something almost unforgivable to me (Ferren's sins are the on the top tier of my unforgivable characters in this universe) but Lucy Parker gave a sensible context to it, and I absolutely appreciated Sab and Nick talking about it quite early in the book (at 36%, I made note) as I was probably not gonna enjoy it as much if it didn't get tackled that early and straightforward. Me and my friends (besfluencers Chachic and April) who also read the ARC had talked about Nick's grovel and we all agreed that despite it not being a huge act - compared to the big thing he needed to atone for - in the context of where he was coming from, and what he was doing for Sabrina's full forgiveness, it made sense, and I guess it was enough to redeem Nick and make him deserve Sabrina's love.
•
"His heart was out of the equation. Gone. Irrevocably attached to a temperamental, annoying redhead."
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I absolutely loved this book, (obvious in this long review which is still actually the abridged version of all that I wanted to say about it LOL), and I can't wait to read another romance from Lucy Parker!
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*The eARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley for free in exchange for an honest review. It doesn't affect my opinion of the book. Thank you.

First, thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC!

I've really liked all of Lucy Parker's London Celebrities series and this was no exception. I'm 100% in for a enemies to lovers story, and this one did the trope so well. If you've read the previous books you know why Sabrina hates Nick so much, so watching the two of them fall for each other was really sweet and swoony. The obvious dramatic twists seemed necessary, unlike in many romance novels where the twists are over the top and out of place.

I just thoroughly enjoyed this one!

This book was provided to me by Netgalley I exchange for an honest review – thanks so much as always to Netgalley and to Carina Press for providing me with a copy of this book.

The London Celebrities series is one I’ve enjoyed sporadically over the past few months. I’ll be honest and say I skipped a few books (though I really do want to go back and read the book before this one, The Austen Playbook, since Freddy has been a standout character since the beginning of the series) but that by no means impacted my enjoyment of this book.

Headliners follows Freddy’s sister Sabrina and her rival Nick, who have both been banished to the breakfast slot at their TV network as a punishment for having won the cold shoulder from most of the British public – and their boss. Nick’s mouth landed him in hot water, while Sabrina is suffering from the repercussions of a relative’s bad behaviour coming to light and reflecting very badly on her. To make things more awkward, as the man who broke the story that would tank her career, Nick is almost directly responsible for Sabrina’s fall from grace… and now they have to share a sofa every morning. Oops.

Though initially cold to one another, the pair are united by a series of on-set mishaps that make the breakfast show seem more like an episode of Most Haunted, and we follow Nick and Sabrina as they fight to save their careers and up the ratings on a dead slot, whilst simultaneously fighting their attraction to one another.

I really enjoyed this story. First of all, I’m going to assume it was heavily inspired by the antics of Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on ITV’s ‘This Morning.’ Phillip and Holly are pretty universally loved by the British public for their jokes, banter and inability to keep a straight face on live TV, and I think it was a pretty genius move to turn that dynamic into a romance. (I’ll include a link to some of their finest moments for anyone unfamiliar with the duo.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPhXjz6p0f0

Headliners was such a fun read. All the London Celebrities books are lovely, but this one had an extra special sparkle – I laughed out loud at some of the mishaps that befell the couple, whilst also eagerly waiting for their sexual tension to come to a head. They were just such a strong pair, both professionally and romantically, and it was a joy to watch their story unfold. I also enjoyed that this one wasn’t too angsty – in my opinion, it was an awesome read for the holiday season, even if I did have read it in between taking down all the Christmas decorations (sigh.)

Overall, I’d recommend this book. It was another great addition to the series, and the new setting that focused on TV instead of theatre was an interesting change to the direction of the other books (no pun intended.) Nick and Sabrina make a lovely warm, funny couple that gave me all of the fuzzy feelings, so if you’re looking for a cosy read this winter that’ll give you the giggles, Headliners would be a great choice!

I really enjoyed this continuation of the London Celebrities series. Lucy Parker continues to write sweet and endearing characters who you like despite their flaws and who seem to grow throughout the story. It took me a while to get through story not because it was written or because I had trouble getting into the story, but because I wanted to savor it and enjoy what I was reading. This is one of my favorite series, so I wanted to make sure that I was reading as carefully as possible. Parker delivered on my expectations.

There was a little bit I took issue with. The one trope that I could see this story easily falling into—miscommunication— was avoided handily. Here’s the secret: instead of acting like children, they acted like adults and talked to one another. It was refreshing.

All in all this was a delightful experience and a lovely story. 10 out of 10, would recommend.

I absolutely loved Headliners. From when I read the Austen Playbook I got the feeling that Sabrina's story will be interesting and it was so much more.

Sabrina and Nick are rivals, they both host a night show at the same time, they never got along. Now they would have to work together in order to save their careers. Things got even more complicated when they found out that someone wants them to fail.

This is a great enemies to lovers story, their animosity against each other is based on some previous events. With time they get to know each other better and see that not everything is as it's seems. The change to lovers becomes very natural that they don't even comprehend how and when it happens. Their chemistry is strong and so very present.

The plot was very intriguing from the start, especially with the misfortunes that followed them. The book is very funny as well, Sabrina's humor was clever and to the point.

*I received an arc from Harlequin - Carina Press through Netgalley.

“I received a free, advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review”

Every time that the writer Lucy Parker publish a new book, I’m always very excited about that. Because I’m a big fan of her writing style and books. But this time, I was a bit anxious about reading her new book ‘Headliners’ and the reason for that was because of the main characters, Sabrina Carlton and Nick Davenport. If you have read the previous story ‘The Austen playbook’ you will recognize Sabrina and Nick as second characters from that story and know that something big and bad happened between them in there. So I was really curious how the writer would turn these two enemies into lovers.

And after reading ‘Headliners’, I can honestly say that I loved this story very much! The writer really convinced me of the love between them. I enjoyed how both characters were thrown together in a situation where they didn’t have another choice but to work (and spend time) together. The writer created the perfect opportunity to let them fell for each other. And the ‘accidents’ on the show made me smile a lot and it certainly brought fun into the story.

The story is told from both POV’s. The main characters are both intelligent, hard-working, assertive, ambitious and energetic. One of the things that I appreciated about them is that although they are forced to work together, both are professional enough to give it their best. To not sabotage the other in any way. I liked that about them. They both had a good heart. In this story we saw a few of the characters back that we met in the previous book ‘The Austen playbook’. That gave this story (to me) more the feel of a series. Where you can read the other books in the ‘London Celebrities’ series as standalones, I think that for this book you better read ‘The Austen playbook’ first to get a better insight on the background of this story and the feelings of everyone involved.

I’m already looking forward to the next new book of this writer. Maybe that will be about Nick’s grumpy older brother? I hope so!

3.75 ★

Sabrina and Nick have been television network rivals for some time and this book follows on from the events of The Austen Playbook. In Headliners, these two presenters (enemies) are thrown together on their very own, morning show.


There were scenes in life so gut-punchingly beautiful, they were impossible to do justice with words.

Parkers funny writing and loveable characters deserve my stars, hence the rating. I’ll always admire this series, but sadly I don’t think I’ll continue on (even though I just want a Charlie book). I've had the same kind of issues with pacing in books 3 - 5, that's too many. I've felt that the initial 'hate' portion was rushed and we pick up right where they are falling for each other and I’m not able to catch up with the chemistry.

Considering book 1, this was pretty sexually detailed, and thats so fine, but I guess I can only think back to book 1 and 2, and wonder why change that? Hate to love is still very much my jam, but it's safe to say I’m getting a little fussier after reading so many, and that definitely applies here.

The love between Sabrina and Nick was pretty special, these two had this hard to deny gravitational pull towards each other, even in sleep. Getting to know them both separately and then together cemented a match made in heaven (to note: it was hard to tell who’s perspective I was in at times). They had many a reason to fight with one another, but you could just tell they would more likely fight for the other first.

''Most popular broadcaster five years running,' Nick murmured, tauntingly. 'Most people think I’m charming.'
It was always a sad moment to be reminded of the world’s enormous population of idiots.'


(ARC kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Quotes are subject to change before publication)

It took me a little bit to get into this book. I’ve read some books in the series, but not all. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I was a hundred percent caught up. I’m glad I fought through it. This title fits under enemies to lovers. Little things would pop up when I was reading and just make me swoon. A hero with a dog is hard to resist, right? I liked the heroine. She was a strong girl. I enjoy a setting across the pond. All I can think now is that I need to go catch up on this series.

I voluntarily read an early copy.

I've liked some of Parker's connected romances better than others, but this one is great. TV presenters Sabrina Carlton and Nick Davenport have never liked each other, a feeling only exacerbated by the events in the last book. When forced to work together on the network's morning show, they decide to set their antipathy aside for professionalism's sake. But someone seems to be sabotaging the production, and in the search for the source of their problems, sparks begin to fly...

I liked how the characters seemed like fleshed out real people, and I thought the enemies-to-lovers was really well done, and that's a trope that can be hard to make believable.

This whole series is just so much fun. It’s not absolutely necessary to read the prior books before diving into this one, though characters from earlier books do make crossover appearances. I would recommend reading book #4, The Austen Playbook, before this one, though, because the main conflict between these two characters is set up in that book. (You can read my review of the Austen Playbook here.)

Sabrina and Nick are rival TV hosts. Both are competitive, and their competition had been fairly friendly until Nick broke the story of a scandal involving Sabrina’s family. Now she and her entire family openly detest him.

Nick and Sabrina are offered a take-it-or-leave-it deal: co-host a morning show together or lose their jobs. They have the Christmas season to make their onscreen pairing work, and if it doesn’t, the show will be handed over to someone else in the New Year.

This was such a great hate-to-love story! Sabrina and Nick are worthy opponents and the book really shows their relationship going from hate to disdain to grudging respect to sparks of attraction to full on steamy lust to a very sweet love. This is how you do hate-to-love!

Many of the other London Celebrities books feature a harder-edged guy with a more vulnerable woman, and I loved that Sabrina was every bit as tough and competitive as Nick was. She was also really funny, something I didn’t realize from book four, which was about her sister Freddie, and featured her as a supporting character.

I thought all the subplots–the lingering family drama, the sabotage on the set–worked well with the main romance plot.

Bonus: I didn’t realize this book was set during the holiday season , which also made it a very fun read for me!

Really good Parker vintage. The humour, the banter, grown up love. That means no ridiculous
obstacles for Nick and Sabrina to go through, just life, family, how to trust someone after you’ve been hurt. How you can learn someone, fall for this person and built on trust, laughs and yes, attraction.
I love how Parker can create an adult relationship that is fun, yet full of heat and passion but also with a dash of emotions that feel reals.

Headliners is a contemporary romance novel.
This is book five in the London Celebrity series. Even though it can be read as standalone I advise you to read book four before reading this one. Which is not a hardship. Book four- The Austen Playbook is one of my favorite reads of 2019.

Comparing this to the previous books in the series this book moves from theater to television. Sabrina and Nick are tv host that need to work together on a morning show. That wouldn't be a problem, but they are not getting along. Nick did something awful to her in the past.

There is a lot of tropes in this one;
- enemies to lovers
- workplace romance
- close proximity
- fake relationship
- holiday romance

Lucy ties every plotline really well. I loved glimpses of Freddie and Griff. There was a lot of heart but also a lot of humor in this book.

To be a perfect read for me I was missing more of groveling from Nick and a little less page time from all the other characters.

I can't recommend you enough Act like it & Pretty Face by Lucy Parker.
If you are a contemporary reader, she is a must-read author!

I'm a known fangirl of Parker's work, and Headliners continues her perfect record with me. My one caution for new-to-her readers is that there are spoilers for the plot of the previous book, THE AUSTEN PLAYBOOK, within, which is generally not the case with the other books in the London Celebrities series. That said, another wonderful addition to Parker's growing contemporary romance series, with an excellent enemies to lovers romance at its heart.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

After a scandal rocked Sabrina's family, and Nick was caught saying some unflattering things about his new boss, the two presenters were in need of an image clean-up. They were given an opportunity to rehabilitate their public persona, as well as save their jobs, by trying to resuscitate an ailing morning show. Would these enemies be able to set aside their feud in order to save their careers?

I was so excited, when I heard Parker was writing a book featuring Nick and Sabrina. I loved these two in The Austen Playbook, and it was no mystery, that underneath that tension, were a lot of sparks. I am so happy, that we took this temporary detour from the stage, because Nick and Sabrina's story was nothing short of brilliant for me.

When people say hate-to-love, we sometimes question that description, but I can tell you, there were a lot of bitter feelings between these two. From their competition as late night presenters to Nick revealing the Carlton family scandal to the world, there was bad blood between these two. Watching the ice slowly melt between them gave me great pleasure. The more time they spent with one another, the more layers they shed. They were able to look beyond the public persona, and really see each other, and I guess, they liked what they saw, because there was understanding, forgiveness, and the formation of an unlikely friendship.

This was not instantaneous, though. It took a while for them to leave those past hurts behind, but once they did, I just could not get enough of this couple. They talked like grown ups, and they shared their concerns with one another. They became each other's person, the one they wanted to rush to, when they had good or bad news. And, gosh darn it! Parker writes the most wonderful heroes. Nick would do all these little things, which were his way of showing how much he cared for Sabrina, even before he fully acknowledged it, and it's the kind of stuff that made me swoon.

Being on the show added a fun element to the story. Parker did a great job capturing all the wacky and wonderful parts of being a morning show host. I think all the disasters these two weathered on set had a lot to do with their blossoming relationship. They began supporting each other and looking out for one another, and though both their careers hinged on this show becoming a success, it was obvious they were motivated by things other than their career goals.

The dog, the kid, the events we attended, Nick's mom, as well as cameos from other London Celebrities all added to my enjoyment of this wonderful book. I really hope Parker continues to expand the world of the London Celebrities, because I never want this series to end.

Very early buzz about this one made me sit down one rainy week and binge all Parker’s other books in anticipation—and I can’t remember the last time I got this sucked in to a contemporary romance series. Sharp dialogue, a close-up view of work—actual work!—in entertainment media, sizzling chemistry, gasp-worthy drama, and at the center of everything a great, warm, welcoming heart.
For the record, I’d definitely recommend reading *The Austen Playbook* before this one to get the full impact. It’s not going to be a hardship. Both are absolutely stunning.
Nick Davenport and Sabrina Carlton have dueling evening shows in London’s competitive entertainment world. They’ve carped and sniped at each other for years, even before Nick broke the story that devastated Sabrina’s family. It should have landed him the gig they were both competing for—except a hot-mic moment of candor about his new boss has Nick’s reputation as roughed up as Sabrina’s.
Naturally, to punish them both, new boss decrees they’ll be co-hosting *Wake Me Up London*, a cheery soft-pedaling morning show. Naturally, they’re *livid.*
Add in fallout from past drama, one horrifyingly creative saboteur, and a lightning-storm’s worth of sexual chemistry, and you’ve got an ideal enemies-to-lovers romp. There’s a fine line to be walked with this trope: too much bitterness, and the romance feels rickety; too little, and the reader grows impatient with the pace of the relationship. Parker’s brilliance is to build both Sabrina and Nick as gloriously, stubbornly professional: they’re exceptional at their job, and would never compromise their performance under any circumstances. It adds edge to their dynamic, as they try to out-best one another, but it also gives us a reason for them to trust one another when they realize someone’s playing silly buggers on the set. And then—oh, the falling mic! The Wibblet! The first time they [redacted]!
It’s enough glow to get you all the way through til spring.

How damn adorable is that cover? It gave me vibes before I started the book, but it gives me serious heart eyes on finishing. HEADLINERS took me a little while to get into, but once I did (about 20%), I was hook, line and sinker for this story and these characters.

This interconnected standalone in the London Celebrities series was a enemies to more trope but I want to impress that this gave so much more than that phrasing suggests. There was a longish standing dislike between Nick and Sabrina but events in the previous book led to an all-out hatred between these two that was not comedic at all, it was real. This was no fakey-hate. No, I believed their lines in the sand when they were thrust together to present a new show.

All that said, there was total tangibility in Lucy Parker’s ability to move this pair from presenting couple to real-life couple. As co-presenters, they spent a lot of time together having to seem to be on the same team. It was amusing, almost slapstick at times and I loved reading about them. What I loved even more was the trickle of real connection and feelings that evolved. The chemistry went from non-existent, to subtle to sizzle and I was glued to my kindle.

She was beautiful – she was gorgeous, but he couldn’t even objectively see her physical features anymore. He just saw her, which was something that only happened with the people he cared about the most.

There was a bit of banter, some fun dialogue but generally, I think this might have been a tad more serious than some of Lucy Parker’s others in the series. I didn’t enjoy it any the less for this fact. Not all couples are super funny, some are just who they are and these two captured your attention and kept it.

This was another fabulous read in one of the most consistently good contemporary romance series I’ve enjoyed in years. You can’t go wrong with a bit of Lucy Parker.

Thank you to Carina Press and Netgalley for this early review copy.

In Headliners, the fifth book in her London Celebrity series, author Lucy Parker shifts her focus from London’s Theatreland to the world of television, to bring readers a wonderfully sharp, funny, sexy and grown-up romance between a pair of rival TV presenters who profess to hate each other’s guts, but who, of course, doth protest too much.

[Unlike the other books in this series, Headliners isn’t really a standalone and readers would benefit from reading The Austen Playbook first, as part of this story deals with the fallout of events which took place in that book. ]

The sparks flew fast and explosive between current affairs presenters Sabrina Carlton and Nick Davenport when we met them in The Austen Playbook. The pair have been trading barbs on screen for years, the jabs and jibes at each other made on their respective shows starting off relatively light-hearted and encouraged by their production teams as a way of generating publicity.  As time has passed, those jabs and jibes have become sharper, and what had begun as contemptuous amusement has soured into actual antipathy.  But things reached an all-time low after (at the end of the previous book) Nick broke the story of a decades-old Carlton family secret in the most damaging way possible, and even though the story and ensuing scandal had absolutely nothing to do with Sabrina, her popularity has taken a dive and her career is hanging in the balance.

So her gleeful reaction to the news of a massive faux-pas by Nick is hardly surprising.  He’s been caught on video bad-mouthing the CEO of the network, who - naturally – is pissed as hell.  Nick is promptly removed from the nightly show he’s hosted for the past four years, The Davenport Report, and he and Sabrina – whose contract is up for renewal  – are given Hobson’s Choice; they’re out unless they agree to team up throughout December to present the network’s flagging breakfast show, Wake Me Up London.  They have until Christmas Eve to improve the show’s embarrassingly shit ratings  – and if they deliver (without actually killing each other in the process), then their immediate boss will agree to discuss the renewal of their contracts.

Of course, neither Nick nor Sabrina is thrilled with this idea, and not just because of their mutual dislike.  The early-morning show is a bit of a joke, not at all the sort of serious-minded, current affairs material they’re used to dealing with.  But both of them have worked incredibly hard and made a lot of personal sacrifices to get where they are in an exceptionally cut-throat business, and neither of them is willing to throw that away.  They agree to the deal.

Thus, the scene is set for a sometimes hilarious, sometimes poignant but always entertaining romance between two characters with scorching chemistry who simply light up the pages.  Lucy Parker captures the frenetic behind the scenes energy of live television just as well as she depicted the backstage shenanigans of the theatre scene, and the scenarios she dreams up for the breakfast show – from blind biscuit decorating, to interviewing the creator of that year’s must-have (really bizarre) toy, to a Christmas-themed whodunit aboard the Murder Train – are all ridiculously plausible and entertaining as we watch Nick and Sabrina realising that the morning gig is not as easy to pull off as they’d thought. I liked the way they come to admit to themselves – and then to each other – that they were wrong in their assumptions about it. There’s also an intriguing sub-plot in which it becomes apparent that someone is trying to sabotage the show, and while this remains firmly in the background for most of the time, it’s another of the things which serves to bring Nick and Sabrina together, as they agree to work together to try to find out who it is.

Nick and Sabrina are multi-faceted, complex characters who feel like real people, and their romance is really well done, the move from animosity to partnership to love evolving naturally and organically. Ambitious and career-minded, they’re alike in many ways, and have a – grudging – respect for each other on a professional level, but when forced to work together, they also have to face up to the fact that there’s something else going on that they’ve been supressing for quite some time.  Nick actually realises he’s in love fairly early on, and is completely honest with himself about it (which I loved), and although Sabrina takes a bit longer to connect the dots, once they’re together, they’re together; there’s no dithering or second-guessing, and the way they support each other through some difficult times is just lovely to see.  One of the things I so love about Lucy Parker’s romances is that her protagonists behave like mature adults; they communicate well and are honest with themselves – and each other.  Things could have veered into Big Mis territory a couple of times, but instead, Nick and Sabrina confront the problems head on, talk about them and resolve them together, showing clearly that trust and respect are the strongest of all foundations for love.

As always, the writing is top notch, the dialogue sparkles with wit and humour, the pop culture references are spot on and most of all, I love knowing that I can pick up a Lucy Parker book and feel instantly as though I’m in a place I recognise.  It’s an idealised version of the London I know and love perhaps, but it’s completely recognisable and the author captures the British idiom incredibly well.  I enjoyed catching up with other characters from the series – Richard and Lainey, Lily, Freddie and Griff (and Charlie – I hope he’s going to get his own book soon) – and I did adore watching the awful Sadie Frost get a well-deserved comeuppance!  In fact, I have only one quibble with the story.  It’s hard to say much without spoilers, but I did find it just a little bit difficult to believe that someone like Nick, with a background in hard-hitting investigative journalism, would make the transition to an essentially fluffy ‘lifestyle’ show so easily.  (It would be like Jeremy Paxman presenting The One Show. Just  – nope.) That said, the author does make it work, and once we know the backstory of his difficult relationship with a demanding father, it’s perhaps easier to understand.  Like Nick, Sabrina has a difficult relationship with her father, feeling he’s dismissed her because of her career choices (among other things), so both characters have to confront those relationships in order to reach some important realisations and decisions about themselves and who they want to be.

If you’ve enjoyed the other books in the London Celebrities series, you won’t be surprised when I say that Headliners delivered everything I wanted and expected.  It’s warm, funny and gorgeously romantic, the characters are rounded and engaging, the writing is terrific and everything about it works on every level.  It’s the sort of book that wraps you up in a big cuddle and leaves you smiling.

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