A charming and steamy romance loosely based on Pride and Prejudice and set on a Broadway tour of a musical version of Pride and Prejudice. I loved the behind-the-scenes setting and most of the characters, however, our MC Eden gets rather bratty towards the end of the book.

A modern Pride and Prejudice retelling with a fresh premise, likable characters and a classic love story.

Eden and Brennon are acting on stage playing Elizabeth and Darcy and as the play goes on it’s harder to know what’s real off the stage.

To put it simply, if you love Pride and Prejudice retellings you will love this. The story is similar, but I found new ways to love and hate the characters I’ve grown up with. I throughly enjoined this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC.

Very good description of the broadway and theatre scene. The entire ambiance of the story was very well done; you really get an idea how life as a musical star could look like. Kudos to that! I found the story very promising but some parts I just didn’t like.
The story is about an ensemble who perform a musical adaptation of the Jane Austen book in theater. But the characters themselves are living a modern Pride and Prejudice version in itself, but then with explicit gay sex descriptions and several mentions or acts of masturbation. Not really something I associate with Pride and Prejudice, and I was quite put off by that. Besides that, it was very well written and will be enjoyed by many people.
I received and reviewed an advanced copy of this book and I am grateful for this opportunity. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Alcove Press and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this reimagined version of Pride & Prejudice (one of my favourite novels) set in the theatre world.

I enjoyed the characters, I felt the chemistry between the two MCs. This story was light and fun, an enjoyable read.

I started The Stage Kiss with moderate expectations and unfortunately, I did not enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.

Eden is a stand-by actress on a tour for the play 'Liz and Darcy' and she's just been given a chance to star as the leading role, the role of Elizabeth Bennet, the one she had been a stand-by for. She has to star with Brennon Thorne, an actor who has it all: a degree in acting from the most reputable university, unmatched looks and he's known being consistent in his work with every producer and director's approval in his bag. Even though acting with Brennon is an enjoyable thing for Eden to do professionally, they start off on the wrong foot and internally dislike each other's presence because of it. However, they must share a passionate kiss at the end of every performance, at the second last scene they have together. As feelings begin to stir in both of them with each kiss, will Eden and Brennon put away the initial feelings they had toward each other and steer themselves toward something new and fresh?

Jones's writing style is just impeccable. I found myself reading and re-reading almost every line as I started the book. This made it infinitely easier to get absorbed into the world she built and it was extremely easy and fun to envision the characters interacting with each other along with the diverse expressions they made every single time. I also loved that Jones mentioned something that is very important to women and yet is taken lightly by the majority of the population. She mentioned it in a subtle and yet, precise way in the first quarter of the book. It happens in a very stealthy manner and Eden's reaction and thought process to it is similar- exactly what every single woman thinks when she is put into a familiar situation. Things started to take a downturn for me when Eden began to morph into this immature person who lacked the wisdom of a twenty-six year old, general knowledge that she should have had as the smart, strong woman that Jones portrayed her to be from the beginning of the novel.

Her behavior went in waves. I understand that since it mirrored reality but the things she messed up with toward the ending of the book were totally irrevocable. The damage had been done in my eyes to her character and I couldn't give her another chance. By that point, I had lost interest in the book which I do not like because I'd been in on this ride since the beginning, spent so much time with these characters and now this. I just wish that Eden would have reacted to her consequences in a better way rather than how she did.

Overall, this is an alright book to read for romance. The actual romantic scenes were well-detailed and executed perfectly. Jones wrote them in such a way that they lit up, like fireworks when I read them. I hope to see more from Jones as she has a talent for writing romance that so far, I have not come across in other novels of this genre.

I thank the publisher, author and NetGalley for this advanced copy that was given to me in exchange for my honest review. These are my opinions and no one else's.

So cute! There’s a lot to love here. The book is gripping from the jump, and the pacing is really nice. I don’t feel like there are a lot of moments that we’re just dragging, waiting for something to happen, which I love. The tension between the characters is great, and I love that we get the dual POV, especially since the miscommunication is such a big factor through most of the book. The secondary love story was cute, and I feel like that could have been expanded on even more. The spice was also nice, peppered through pretty evenly. One criticism I did have was I wish the events of the epilogue would have been expanded on in the actual book. It felt a little rushed at the end, and I wish the story had been slightly longer, to account for a more thorough exploration of these moments. Other than that, I definitely recommend this one, and thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the chance to check it out before it’s released!

As a musical theatre nerd/theatre degree holder, I have to say that this is a very well researched and alarmingly accurate portrayal of showmances in the theatre world. I ate it up completely, and read most of it in one sitting. Some of the POV stuff was a bit confusing, but that could be a formatting issue.

DNF. Was not invested in this at all. It was dragging for me, so I stopped reading around 15%. Some may love it, but it was not my cup of tea. This book was recommended for fans of Abby Jimenez, but... I didn't see the connection. Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I wasn’t gripped by the story and didn’t find myself invested in it. Stopped at 11%.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and the author for this ARC!

I was entertained with this book! It was a good read and I would absolutely recommend reading it to my friends. Quick easy read for me. My favorite trope! Enemies to lovers

Okay so the plot and execution of the story was good. I enjoyed the slow burn and the theatre setting. I usually love when main characters throw snide remarks at each other in an enemies to lovers romance but Brennon doing that and then also getting hard for Eden did not make much sense. I felt like both the characters lacked depth which is why I could not connect with them. At first I loved Eden but towards the end the miscommunication trope was thrown in and her actions became so unreasonable. Her friends were really sensible though and she should've just listened to them. Overall I did enjoy the book but didn't love it. It was a 3.25 star read for me.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review

A 5 star book! I loved every word of this enemies to lovers slow burn Rom-Com! This is one of my favorites so far! Sure corny parts but isn't that what we need, want and crave to escape reality. It is perfect!! I will definitely be reading more from Amelia Jones!
I just reviewed The Stage Kiss by Amelia Jones. #TheStageKiss #NetGalley
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This book has a great love story between the two main characters. I feel like the author did well diving into each character's insecurities and helped them work through them to reach the character's end goal of being together. The first 30% of this book was a little slow and hard to get into, but after that point, I couldn't put the book down and read through it in almost one sitting. For people who are interested in Broadway/musicals, this is a great romance book for you!

*** Thanks you to the Publishers and to Netgalley for providing with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.***
In a modern Pride and Prejudice adaptation, a musical production called Liz and Darcy has a cast looking for fame, fortune, and love. A decent amount of steam and angst. This was a decent story with a likable cast.

The Stage Kiss is filled with divas, drama: off stage and on, and a crackling tension that will have romance readers swooning over Eden Blake and Brennon Thorne.

For me, this one started off slow, and I was slightly off put by Eden’s indecisiveness and somewhat self-deprecating manner, that seemed to last a tad bit too long, towards the end. And what was frustrating was everyone else in the novel seemed to have the bigger picture of how Brennon feels, yet Eden seemed to want to wallow. 🤨🤷🏽‍♀️ Her attitude changes eventually, but it was something that stuck out enough that I couldn’t forget it.

If you enjoy work-place-romance, rivals-to-lovers, disastrous first meeting, Jane Austen retelling (Pride and Prejudice) as a musical then book friends add this one to your TBR.

This book was described for fans of Abby Jimenez, and I couldn't agree more! It had the emotional pull that Jimenez does plus such likable characters and slow burn romances. Ive never been a big Broadway or play fan, but that didn't stop me from adoring this books setting and characters. It was a refreshing take on "workplace" and grumpy sunshine. I really enjoyed this and would love to read anything this author puts out!

It is a truth universally acknowledged that I am always on the lookout for fun and fresh Pride and Prejudice retellings, and I am happy to report that this one delivered. This book is modern, sweet, and it has a Broadway setting which I was so here for ✨

This book has:
• A Broadway setting: Eden and Brennon are none other than Lizzie and Darcy on Broadway’s Pride and Prejudice play.
• Celeb romance (kind of): Brennon is Broadway’s favourite leading man, and Eden is an aspiring actress trying to break into the industry.
• Grumpy x Sunshine: Would it really be a P&P retelling if the hero wasn’t broody and misunderstood? I think not.
• Miscommunication trope: Yes, this staple of P&P is also present.
• A slow-burn romance where the leads are constantly going off script on stage because they just can’t help themselves ✨

Overall, I enjoyed this one so much! It was light, fun, and had such a unique premise. If you’re looking for a slow-burn romance with a fun musical setting, look no further!

Thank you to Alcove Press and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

A cute debut from Amelia Jones. Some Spoilers ahead.

Let’s start with the good! I enjoyed the theatre theme very much. I also enjoyed that the show within the book was Pride & Prejudice themed - in fact, I would have liked even more about the show. A full song, even if it was lyrics in the back of the book.

I also enjoyed the glimpse into what a touring company is like. There was a lot of truth to that - the renting of houses, the moving around, the directors shows and the shifting of roles at a moments notice.

I enjoyed the side plot romances more than the main one between Eden & Brennan. It felt rushed at the beginning (they went from mortal enemies to in love very quickly) and then the entire second half of the book was a bunch of miscommunication between the two of them. I also found them both to be pretty rude to each other and to their friends. My favorite scene was when Lilliana told Eden to shut up and stop whining.

What really didn’t work for me was some of the liberties taken with the theatrical world. As a working actor, I know the ins and outs of the touring world and there were some things that would never be allowed to happen (like Eden’s mother in her dressing room before the show or Eden and Brennon having sex in costume in his dressing room).

I know we must suspend disbelief occasionally, but some of the plot felt so far-fetched - like Brennon’s career. He’s played four of the most coveted roles in musical theatre and won a Tony and he’s supposed to be 30-ish?

I generally enjoyed the book, but I was taken out of the world when stumbling upon some of the theatrical issues.

A 3 Star Read for me.

An excellent romcom! I loved this book. The plot was interesting, the characters were engaging, the writing fast-paced. It does, however, suffer a bit from a lack of communication between the main characters. Eden is at times so awful to Brennon, it was difficult to understand what he saw in her. She basically dumps him because she got fired, and while part of me thought he should have tried to save her, she never thinks that. She just assumes she's not good enough for him when he clearly doesn't think that at all. There's not quite enough about her underlying securities for it to come together as smoothly as it should.

Also, the author should have explained the difference between a standby and an understudy early on. I was confused until I googled it and I LOVE theater--but I'm not an actor. I'd never heard of a standby. Those are minor issues, but they did detract from the overall reading experience.

Brennon Thorne isn’t as easy to work with as everyone says. Eden learns that the hard way when the Broadway star comes to perform in the same musical as her, playing the male lead. Not only is Brennon egotistical, but he treats everyone, especially those who aren’t as successful as him, like dirt. To make matters worse, when the female lead disappears, it’s Eden who must take her place…which is great, until she remembers the scene in which she has to kiss the male lead. Yet as the two begin to work closely together, passion rises and Eden wonders if she got him all wrong.

This is a stronggg 4 stars. I had such a good time reading this, not only was it a Pride and Prejudice retelling, but it was also a Pride and Prejudice musical. Within the first chapter I was pulled into the story and intrigued by the characters. The whole musical production thing was so fun. I liked how the story delved into the ins and outs of theatre life - it took me into a world that I’ve never really seen before. I felt almost a part of the production, getting to see behind the scenes and into the performer’s lives.

Brennon was rude in the beginning, but as a Mr. Darcy lover, I know he was just misunderstood. As the narrative progresses his true character unfolds, I came to love Brennon just as I had come to love Mr. Darcy in the original. The relationship between the two main characters was also well developed, I liked that it was slow and built overtime. One thing that irked me a little was the insta-lust Brennon had for Eden, our main character. Personally, it just felt too soon. He got aroused very early on by her in the story, and I just felt it was a little unnecessary – though totally fine with me once they knew each other a bit more. Otherwise, I absolutely adored this book!