Cole James’s reputation as Hollywood’s favorite himbo no longer suits him. His fans can’t separate the real man from the character he played on a soapy teen drama decades ago. But that’s going to change with Waverley, the hit streaming historical romance series.

Maggie Niven hates her own notoriety. Fired for directing a divisive play, Maggie takes her fight against censorship public. When Hollywood comes calling, she becomes the new intimacy coordinator for Waverley. But it’s harder than she imagined to focus on the job.

Cole isn’t what she expected—and Maggie is more than he dreamed of. As filming gets underway, the cast’s old traumas lead to real intimacy, and Cole and Maggie struggle with feelings they shouldn’t have. Having an affair on set could destroy his comeback and her new career.

The show must go on. But if Cole and Maggie want a happy ending, they’ll have to start doing things their own way.

I received an advance reader copy (ARC) of *Bad Reputation* in exchange for my honest opinion, and I found it to be a really enjoyable read with a fun premise. The story of Maggie and Cole meeting on the set of a show reminiscent of *Outlander* immediately caught my interest. I had never encountered a narrative involving an intimacy coordinator, and I thought the development of their friendship into love was very sweet. However, I did wish they had gotten together a bit sooner, as the slow burn felt a little drawn out for my liking. Overall, it was an entertaining read with a heartwarming ending for two characters trying to overcome their bad reputations in their careers.

I would also like to express my gratitude to Montlake for providing the ARC.

Cole has a reputation as a himbo from being on a soapy teen drama - but he’s determined to make a comeback on Waverly - the new hit streaming historical romance series.⁣
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Maggie has a reputation for being THAT teacher - the one who got fired for fighting censorship. Tired of teaching and the baggage that comes with it, she gets a job as an intimacy coordinator on this hit new show… Waverly.⁣
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And intimacy there is! Only it’s definitely not something either should pursue when trying for a re-do... or is it??⁣
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I love some good behind the scenes TV show drama! Maggie and Cole are both adorable and had all the chemistry - but must fight it to preserve their careers. Overcoming struggles and putting the past behind them is definitely a challenge for both characters, but the swoony moments and emotional connections make the wait truly worthwhile.

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮, 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬:
 
I had a very hard time getting into this; it progressed very slowly, and even when it got "better," it was still unlikable. Many times, I wanted to just give up and DNF, but I was determined to finish.
 
The romance was bland, poorly done, and very cringeworthy. I couldn’t stand the heroine, Maggie, which made it even harder to root for the couple. It all felt rushed, not at all well established. Super Insta-lust. How does she “love” him when they hardly interact?! I would’ve preferred more of a slow burn.
 
One thing I did like about this, however, was the writing, and I look forward to seeing what Emma Barry has coming up next!
 
Just because this wasn’t the right book for me doesn’t mean it’s not the right one for you. I strongly encourage anyone to read this if they’re interested!
 
(NO hate to the author!!!)

Emma Barry does it again. She is one of my top five favorite contemporary romance authors. Her take on work place romances achieves the perfect balance between realistic and soapy drama. Overwhelmingly enjoyed!!!!

Thank you to Montlake and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

This was a fun read. No third act break up which was refreshing. Just two people finding love and mutual respect.

I am, however, sick of Taylor Swift references in titles of romances.

Great Build up

This made me feel likeI was watching the behind the scenes production of Outlander and want to feel like you are amerced in the production and Hollywood elements this is the book for you.

Firstly it took me the first 20% of the book to adapt to the third person narration/POV of the book.

Cole James has a heart of gold and deserves all the swooning. He plays the long game for about 70% of the book but it pays off and does right by Maggie. These two are supportive and really make each other thrive.

Emma Barry makes so many great call outs relevant to the society we know as Hollywood.

I was sent a free book and am voluntarily leaving this honest review. Thank you to Emma Barry and Montlake for providing this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Bad Reputation combines a workplace romance with a famous person/non-famous person storyline. I especially liked Maggie's backstory, who had been shamed and canceled by right wing outraged parents when the play she chose as a drama teacher was deemed too sexy for high schoolers. I almost wished that I got more of that story as it actually unfolded, because it was a really compelling plot line. However, I also loved seeing Maggie explore her new career, and the overall focus on the idea of an intimacy coordinator. I love when books give me a behind-the-scenes to a job that I never would have considered before.

Cole and Maggie were just perfection. I ate this romance up, no surprises though as I'm a big Emma Barry fan.

Take one 40yo golden retriever actor with a Himbo image problem, add one ex-high school drama teacher-turned Intimacy Coordinator, mix in some Scottish Highlands location shooting on a historical drama and bake for 300-ish pages. The romance meal that comes out of the oven is delicious.

But seriously, I couldn't put this down. Not only was I in love with both MCs, the side characters were giving me life. I thought for a minute we'd see a separate book for the stunt guy Ryan however the way the story went - maybe not??!

Things to note: the major driving plot here is Cole and Maggie's relationship, but the subplot is all about intimacy in Hollywood and Me Too. One of the characters has been SA'd in the past and this makes the stakes much more serious than you'd normally find in a fluffy contemporary. There is a Harvey Weinstein-style character that does face consequences, thankfully.

I had only one other complaint, in that Maggie was scarily competent and confident. Like she scared me and I'm a Capricorn. We do however stan a babe that bosses too close to the sun, because we know that obsessed cinnamon roll Cole will always be there to catch her.

i did not vibe with this book as much as i thought i would. it seemed super up my ally but made me feel like hating game and i hated that book with everything in me

I enjoyed aspects of this book, it’s sweet. Maggie and Cole as individuals are interesting. I liked knowing Cole’s background as an actor. I liked the plot, especially the inclusion of an intimacy coordinator and the emphasis on actors supporting one another.

I do wish we had delved deeper into the MCs development, much of what was shown felt superficial for them. There wasn’t much romantic chemistry between the main characters for me, but I appreciated the love that developed towards the end.

The "bad reputation" angle made sense for Maggie, but Cole's didn't resonate as strongly with me. I didn’t dread reading the book, I actually flew through it. I just wish we had a bit more!

Cole is an actor who spends his adulthood trying to make amends for his thoughtlessness in his teen years when he was an actor on a hit show. , when he starred in a hit show and did a lot of stupid teenage stuff that torpedoed his career for a while. He’s trying to be a better man than he was a teenager and get his career going again. He lands his best role in years on Waverly - a show full of romance and pretty costumes.

Maggie spent the last 16 years as a drama teacher and expected it to be her future until conservative parents’ group gets her fired for producing a “inappropriate” play. She wins a lawsuit to get her job back, but she decides she can't return to it due to the toxic environment. She has a new career as the intimacy coordinator on Waverly.

The timing couldn't be worse for Cole and Maggie, but this slow burn makes your heart BEAT so much faster!! I love this story and these characters so much - especially that they aren't the typical young characters we see in most romances.

This is my first book by this author and it definitely won't be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed this and can't wait to read more. The pace and the story kept me intrigued. Thank you so much for the ARC!

The writing is heartfelt, with characters that are charming, authentic, and lovable. In the backdrop of the film making industry, the story explores friendships, emotions and chemistry between actors and supporting staff. Maggie is an intimacy cordinator helping actors find their comfort zone while doing intimate scenes while filming. I love books where women stand up for women and this book is it! The chemistry between Cole and Maggie is sweet and funny and creates a good balance with the overall plot of the book.

Overall, Bad Reputation is a witty story, filled with all the elements that I love as a reader— a strong-willed heroine, a caring hero, and a swoon-worthy, refreshingly unique storyline.

Themes :

1. Celebrity/former teacher
2. He's an actor, she's the Intimacy coordinator
3. Older MCs (M41 and F38)
4. Slow burn
5. women standing up for women
6. workplace romance

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for the advanced reader copy.

Sometimes it's nice to spend time with two genuinely nice, grown-up people who you know will be together by the end and the fun is just seeing how they get there. Cole and Maggie are those grown-ups and their story is sweet but grounded, in all the best ways. It was also fun to peek behind the Hollywood curtain, especially around the job of an intimacy coordinator, an underrated job.

I chose Bad Reputation for its setting: I was curious to see how the set of a TV show a bit Bridgerton a lot Outlander was going to be represented. I am picky with Hollywood romances but some of them can have fun takes. The heroine of this book has been fired because some angry parents decided her plays at school were not appropriate. She sued them and won but she feels like she has to prove herself. The hero wants to redeem himself from the himbo image that has been attached to him since he starred in a popular series. They fall in love on set, but they don’t do anything about it until production has wrapped up (almost 70% into the book).

I liked the secondary romance and secondary plot and the themes Barry deals with are very important: censorship, self-perception, abuse in Hollywood. I loved the whole conversation with Tasha and I liked how the author shows through Maggie’s perspective the public personas of the actors and the glimpses in their private lives.

Unfortunately the main couple fell flat for me. For being a romance novels this lacked chemistry, longing and romantic moments. One scene I liked was the hike in Scotland (I miss hiking) and the microtrope where she’s saying that the view is “very pretty” and he agrees but he’s watching her. The writing was very dense, almost convoluted at times and I disliked the metaphors. And mainly, I didn’t like how the conflict was resolved.

A mixed bag but I cannot help but think that Olivia Dade does it better in her Spoiler Alert series. 2.5 stars

I received an ARC from Netgalley and this is my honest opinion

Cole James is known as a himbo in Hollywood based on his role in a teen drama years ago, and is trying to shake up his reputation by joining the cast of a historical romance. Its intimacy coordinator Maggie Niven has her own notorious background, and is looking to make her comeback with being professional on set. Cole and Maggie connect, but having an affair on set could destroy his comeback and her new career.

Maggie had been a high school theater teacher fired when one of the parents in the district protested the play. Rather than answer the controversy or protect her, the district fired her. It's sad that this is a very real possibility in multiple districts across the country right now, and it's the reason why she threw herself into the role of intimacy coordinator. There, she manages boundaries on set, helps the actors drill down to character motivations and helps to figure out how to turn "characters make love" in a script into something that has emotional salience for the viewer and doesn't make the actors feel used. Over the course of her job, she not only bonds with the cast and crew, but understands trauma and helps them cope with it.

Cole had let fame go to his head in his twenties when he started acting, and since then let his agent steer his path back into the limelight. He had been oblivious to problems before, and is now more aware of them and has the need to help however they can. The two of them are a great match, and Maggie sees him as a person and not just for his physique. While they have longing looks and understanding, the romantic and fun bits occur later. Both want more than just the appearances of things, and want to make a mark on the world around them. We have our happy ending, not just for the romance but for the other characters we've grown to care about in their orbit. I couldn't put the book down once I started it, and really enjoyed all the hard work the author put into it.

Firstly, thank you Montlake and Netgalley for letting me read and review this book!

Rating: 3.75
Bad Reputation was such an insightful read about the challenges of filming intimate scenes on a TV set with a side of romance.

The romance side was slow burn, it wasn’t the main focus of the book meaning there wasn’t half as much as i’m usually used to reading, but it worked as it added more depth to Maggie and Cole’s personal character development.

You can really tell a lot of research has gone into the writing of this book, credit is definitely due! I also quite liked the episode by episode breakdown at the end of the book, was unique!

Personally i’d of liked a bit more on the romance side as it was very workplace heavy, it felt like it took me a while to get into it but I enjoyed it nevertheless!

thank you netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review. barry was a new to me author and now i have to get her entire backlist. i like that the fmc was the one with the power in the relationship instead of relying on a man. the only bummer to me is the spicier scenes felt more robotic than it was passionate.

good romance and loved how they found love and each other. They survived their trials and found their way back to each other. another great romance.