Maureen Lee Lenker didn’t disappoint. Reading this novel was just like watching a movie on screen. I was thoroughly mesmerised. It was perfect. Simply just perfect..

Given that I am a fan of author Maureen Lenker’s writing chops as an Entertainment Weekly scribe and knowing a "kernel of the idea—two costars who are accidentally married on set" came from an interview she did with Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder where Ryder posited the idea she thought that she and Keanu were married for real on the Dracula set, I was all anticipation for her debut novel. I’d only ever read one story set in the Silver Screen Hollywood era, Beau North’s story “Love in Limelight” in the multi-author anthology “Elizabeth: Obstinate Headstrong Girl,” and loved it. I didn’t know what to expect in “It Happened One Fight,” but knowing Lenker’s short story “The Food of Love” in another Austenesque anthology titled “Then Comes Winter,” I was all anticipation for her debut. Though I am not a fan of Old Hollywood films, I was confident I was in good hands with Lenker’s expertise in the Golden Age of Hollywood.

What struck me right away was how voicey Lenker’s characters were. They literally stepped off the page. "This was why she would never allow herself to fall in love. Because you ended up staring up at the night sky with your teeth kicked in like a chump." –Chapter 9

I liked the Old Hollywood vibe and the play on the fake relationship and enemies-to-lovers tropes. Lots of madcap laughs and big-hearted reactions. Lenker slowly built her characters and their complicated relationships and backstories, and about thirty-three percent in, the story took off.

“'I could murder Harry. Why would he think this was okay?'
Dash chuckled and resumed his place in the easy chair. "I imagine he thinks it’s funny.”
'Well, he’s got a sick sense of humor,' Joan growled. 'Why would they even let us stay here together? People are usually particular about men and women lodging together.'
He shrugged in that infuriatingly attractive devil-may-care fashion and replied from under his hat. 'Well, technically, we are married. So, I guess it doesn’t bother them.'”—Chapter 11

The prose felt like an old film, regarding pacing too. The melodrama between Dash and Joan harkened back to Silver Screen films that this novel emulates. Underlying tension drove the momentum, and though I expected the inevitable romance of Dash and Joan, I wasn’t quite sure if that was, in fact, Lenker’s plan. [read: bites nails to the quick]

"He turned her around on the dance floor, so no one could see his mouth and muttered into her ear, 'When you start taking responsibility for your actions. You’re not blameless in this. You kissed me. You provoked me at the table. Your little victim act is all wet, Joan. We both know it.'
'I am not playing victim. And I didn’t provoke you. I was merely responding to your jabs at my relationship with Monty. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were jealous.' She expected Dash to rail against her, to become immediately defensive at their suggestion. But he didn’t. Instead, he went quiet, the grip of his hand on her back loosening and his fingers intertwined with hers going limp. It was as if the fight went out of him." –Chapter 13.

As a fan of Jane Austen fan fiction, I can easily liken this to Old Hollywood film “fan fiction,” if there is such a thing, as even the author lists films that may have inspired her at the back of the book. “It Happened One Fight” is a charming debut novel, and I look forward to Maureen Lenker’s next effort. Maybe there is a sequel in the making?

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review! I adore Old Hollywood as a setting and was excited for this enemies to lovers rom com. The story was cute and entertaining— my only gripe is that it contained unnecessary frustrating miscommunication between characters which I never enjoy in rom comas. Still, i’m excited to read whatever the author puts out next!

Hi, hello. Just a reminder, I continue to be obsessed with anything and everything Old Hollywood. And this book was an absolute *delight*

I ended up reading this over a month. I was pretty busy (with a stack full of arcs) so I wasn’t prioritizing it but would just pick this up whenever I needed a little dose of Old Hollywood goodness (or whenever I needed to read on my kindle).

And, y’all, I enjoyed this SO MUCH!!! The characters are all so wonderful and reminded me of so many of my OH favs. I loved this story and how it really showed just how far the industry has come since those days. And how so many icons paved the way for the world today.

Women like Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis & Joan Crawford worked to create a better world for today’s actresses and I’m so glad this book highlighted that. Joan Davis is an absolute queen and I’m so glad she embodied so many wonderful women!!

This is an excellent, wonderful romance that I’m so glad to have read!! I will never say to no Old Hollywood, but especially when it’s written this well!

Thank you to Sourcebooks & NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review!

Loved It Happened One Fight.. Wonderful characters and plot. Fun Rom Com!! Will be recommending and reading anything in the future from this author. Thank you for the title.

Old Hollywood hijinks. A fake marriage turned real. Forced proximity. PINING. Maureen Lee Lenker knows her romance and old Hollywood stuff and it shows. I absolutely adored this book and will be signing up for anything else she has to share. I'm not used to Old Hollywood period pieces in romance, but hoo boy, this one definitely has me wondering what else I've been missing out on!

I was so excited to read a celebrity romance set in old Hollywood. Unfortunately, this one just fell short for me. I didn’t enjoy the characters (and their names, such obvious amalgamations of the names of real famous actors/actresses) and found them unlikable, the only ones I cared about were side characters - namely, Monty and Arlene. The plot was contrived and the third act breakup was frustrating.

I really enjoyed this story. I thought the time period was so much fun and it totally made me want to go watch old Hollywood movies.

I was however annoyed by several things:

I wasn’t a huge fan of the time jumps in the story. We never get to see them as a couple because of those and they were broken up for so long. I just wanted more time to see them as a couple.

This book had the kind of epilogue I absolutely hate because it was basically pointless. Give me a freakin epilogue of the actual characters being happy, not some freaking newspaper article from the literal villain of the story!!!

I did a hybrid read of this and the narrator was fantastic. Patti Murin is one of my favorite audiobook narrators and she did such a good job on this!

Review will be posted on 9/8/23

Joan Davis (seems like she is loosely based on Joan Crawford) has come from Oklahoma all the way to glamorous Hollywood. She's been through a lot. Critics labeled her box office poison and she has endured a lot of gossip. But now she has turned her luck around and is engaged to heartthrob Monty Smith. Even though this is a marriage of convenience, this alliance will turn her career around. While filming in Reno with superstar Dash Howard, she realizes a terrible mistake. She can't marry Monty, at least not yet, as she is married to Dash! It was a silly prank gone terribly wrong! While she plans to get a divorce in Reno while shooting a film with Dash, they start to spend more time together and realize maybe their on-screen chemistry is off-screen, too. Should they stay married after all? Maureen Lee Lenker's debut historical romance, It Happened One Fight, oozes with Old Hollywood charm that film buffs will adore.

I really loved Joan from the get-go as she is a bit of an underdog and clawed her way to the top. I enjoyed the witty banter between her and Dash Howard, who has some major Clark Gable vibes. The setting of Reno was a lot of fun and Lenker truly brought the old time movie set to life. I felt like I was behind the scenes of an AMC production. I have long been interested in Old Hollywood, so this filled that void for me and since Lenker is a writer for Entertainment Weekly, readers can tell she really knows her stuff. This is one historical romance debut that I thoroughly enjoyed and I look forward to Lenker's future novels.

This book was not for me and I could tell pretty quickly. I didn’t care for the characters or the way the plot was starting out. I don’t mind a lot of external machinations usually, but when everything about the plot appeared to be external machinations, it was too much for me. That said, I’m grateful to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me an ebook and audio ARC and I think Patti Murin was doing an excellent job with the source material. But not every book can be for every reader and I hope this one finds the right audience!

I think for the right person this book is great. I enjoyed the 1930s setting. That was my favorite part of the story. A nice step away from modern day stories. The third act was my least favorite part of the story unfortunately. It made it a little hard to keep reading. I appreciate having a review copy of this story though.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of It Happened One Fight by Maureen Lee Lenker. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for this ARC.

The best thing about this book was the setting. It is rare that we get a historical romance set in the Golden Age of Hollywood, so it made this story feel unique despite its traditional enemies-to-lovers trope. Both Joan and Dash were fun characters and had oodles of chemistry, and I love how the writer sprinkled all kinds of cultural tidbits that felt authentic for the time. I give this book a solid 3.5/5.

It Happened One Fight is a fantastic read! Maureen Lee Lenker dives us into Old Hollywood (think Carey Grant) with the stylings of contemporary romance that is so masterful right now. I loved this enemies to lovers romance with two starlets out maneuvering each other and the world all the time. You will love how these characters open up and keep us on our toys with screwball antics. Highly recommend!

3.5 stars (rounded down).

I enjoyed "It Happened One Fight" by Maureen Lee Lenker for the most part. It's a screwball light-on-the-romance romantic comedy that sticks with the tried and true formula and doesn't deviate from it much. Joan and Dash are both fantastic, layered characters. I dug their chemistry. It felt very the era, very Cary Grant/Katharine Hepburn-esque, full of squabbling, breaking up, making up, pranks, secret trysts, defending in public but schmoozing in private. I also loved the 1930s era and gossip-loving old Hollywood setting. I cannot recall ever reading a romance novel with this setting. The book feels relatively well-researched in this aspect. As a film buff, I lapped up every single second of the late-night dalliances, the catty nature of the era, the descriptions, and the *~drama!.~* It reminded me a little of "Babylon" by Damien Chazelle...actually, come to think of it, it's like *any* movie by Damien Chazelle. Unfortunately, "It Happened One Fight" is far too long for its own good. There is no way this book should be as long as it is. I thought the book was finished wrapping up, but then I looked and saw it was only at the 63% mark! Yikes! It's also very, very dry for long stretches of time. One big event/drama happens, and then there are several boring chapters with very little necessary dialogue or occurrences. I did not enjoy the third act at all. It all sort of falls apart in the back portion, which is a shame. With a little retooling and a ton of editing, I think this could have definitely been a 4-star novel. I must say, if I hadn't had the audiobook ALC of this, I wouldn't have finished it. Patti Murin was the perfect audiobook narrator for this project. Her cadence and voices really helped sell this era-specific romance.

Thank you to NetGalley, Maureen Lee Lenker, and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

The first 2/3 of this book was wonderful for me, but the final 1/3 let me down.

Joan Davis and Dash Howard are movie stars in the Golden Age of Hollywood in the 1930s. They've starred in multiple films together, and the crowds love them, but an unfortunate event 4 years earlier led to them hating each other in private. Then, they find out that a prank gone wrong has resulted in them being legally married to each other. What are they to do but move (temporarily) to Reno, to get a quickie divorce, and film their final movie together at the same time!

Joan and Dash have had nothing but misunderstandings between them for YEARS. But neither of their personalities will allow them to make the first move in resolving their differences. However, being in close proximity, while filming on location, has finally changed things, and allowed them to see beneath the surface of each other.

I really enjoyed the unique historical setting, which was a new one for me. I liked the push-pull dynamic between Dash and Joan, and I appreciated all of her reasons for the way she lived her life. Dash was hurt by her before, and lashed out like a little boy, and I understood that too. They just wouldn't LISTEN to each other, and when they finally did, they were magic together.

A villainous gossip reporter blackmails Joan, and she makes a terrible decision, that she clearly felt was the best of many bad options. But, she exploded Dash's heart, along with her own, and it just didn't work for me at all. I also felt their separation at the end was just too long. The way they decided to resolve everything in the end, made all that happened before feel even more unnecessary to me, which just made me sad. I also would really have enjoyed seeing them further down the road, after the quick HEA, so I could feel more secure in their future.

So, I saw some great things here, and I would definitely be willing to read a book from this author again, but this one didn't fully come through for me.

I Really enjoy this thriller! Very good book. The cover is so cute, thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me this Advanced Readers Copy of It Happened One Fight by Maureen Lee Lenkler!

The setting: Hollywood in the 30’s. I remember who actors and actresses were set up on dates for the press and promote a movie. If you’re a fan of old Hollywood movies and some romance this novel had all the feels.

This one revolves around Joan Davis and Dash Howard. Dash is the typical playboy of Tinseltown, and Joan is a great actress. They are like fire and ice, and constantly fight, but as things progress a little romance is starting between them. Is this true love? All for show? Unfortunately, someone one from Joan’s past creates drama which has Joan making a hard decision.
They each have to find what they truly want and I was surprised with some of their feelings. Will they end up protecting each other? Fall in love? Or is all for show? The past comes back to haunt them both.
Thank you NetGalley, for this advanced copy of It Happened One Fight. I loved this cover as it kind of reminds me of the days of Clark Cable, Cary Grant or Gregory Peck and their dating. I had both the kindle and audio version. The narrator Patti Murin did a fabulous job.
#sourcebookscasablanca, #netgalley, #dreamscapemedia, #bookreview, #audioreview, #ithappenedonefight, #maureenleelenker, #stamperlady50, #booksconnectus, #bookstagram

A lovely and delightful story, set during one of my favourites eras! It was a fun and entertaining take on the fake marriage and enemies to lovers tropes.

Rating Breakdown:
Plot-3/5
Characters + Relationships-3/5
Setting-3.5/5
Pacing-2.5/5
Enjoyment-3/5
Overall Rating: 3/5 Stars

What happens in Vegas must stay in Vegas…unless your jerk head co-star tries to play a prank on you by taking the marriage license that was used to film a movie and leaving it on your vanity. But then it somehow gets filed at City Hall and you become legally wed…Only then you move to Nevada to film a movie with said co-star and just hope and pray this scheme works so you can just get a divorce.

Plot:
When I first stumbled upon this book and read the plot, I thought it would be something I would immensely enjoy. It seemed like it would be a fresh take of a romcom set in the 1930s.
However, I found the plot to not be executed well for the most part, which left me disappointed. It did have potential though.

Pacing:
It Happened One Fight starts off with us readers finding out about the prank that Dash tried to play on Joann, which ultimately makes them husband and wife even though Dash nor Joann filed the wedding license. This all comes out once Joann gets engaged to someone else. From here I thought the story was going to take off and be fun. However, the pacing was slow throughout the whole book and most of it dragged and felt a bit repetitive.

Characters:
The writing style the author uses feels dry and stiff, which is maybe something they were going for with how movies during that era felt stiffer and more serious. But due to this it made it hard to love the characters and even care for them.
I found both Joann and Dash to be on the one-dimensional side and to be irritating at times.
There were times I sympathized for Dash with his past and his wants to be seen differently than what he is in Hollywood. The same goes with Joann with how hard it can be a woman in Hollywood and not being able to be your true self.

Relationships:
Personally, I did not see the chemistry between Joann and Dash most of the time. I could obviously tell Dash was totally smitten by Joann even though they would fight like cats and dogs off set.
There were times that I absolutely enjoyed them together and rooted for them, which was moreover in the second act of the book for me.
By the third act of this book, I started to get frustrated since it has the miscommunication trope/I will do anything to protect you so I must break up with you trope. These tropes just make me want to scream at the characters to stop being stupid and just talk out the problems, fears, and what is going on. It would solve them from heartbreak.

Final Thoughts:
It Happened One Fight was just an okay read to where I feel indifferent. There were moments I enjoyed it, but there were a lot of moments I did not enjoy. I did like the old Hollywood vibes that came with this book and the play on the fake relationship/enemies to lovers trope. I definitely do see where this book had potential and because of that I will check out Maureen’s future books.