REVIEW: Right on Cue by Falon Ballard

In Right on Cue by Falon Ballard, Emmy Harper grew up in Hollywood watching her parents–both famous actors–navigate their fairytale relationship with ease. So, it’s no wonder she grew up to become a romantic comedy screenwriter. Then her family got dealt a devastating blow four years ago. And while Emmy did go on to write again, very successfully, she wasn’t sure when her sense of humor would reappear. But now she’s back in the groove. Hopefully. And somehow finds herself being talked into starring in her own new rom com. After her disastrous first acting gig as a teen, Emmy vowed she’d never act again. Or ever give (now action hero) Grayson West the time of day. Both things she ends up reneging on when Grayson gets cast as her romantic lead.

‘Grayson may have ruined this for me before, but he sure as hell isn’t going to get the chance to ruin it for me. I *will* succeed, if only to spite him.’

Emmy knows that to put up with Grayson’s smug face daily she’s going to have to rely on her acting skills. Big time. Particularly when he throws an attitude whenever they’re on set together. But after a sneaky trick by Emmy’s bestie, Liz, the film’s director, she and Grayson somehow…click. And their insane chemistry only gets stronger the more they work together. So, when they decide to give in and have sex–strictly as a costars with benefits situation–they figure it will get easier to get through their scenes. It goes swimmingly until pesky feelings start filtering in. Something they didn’t plan for. But when it becomes too strong to ignore, Emmy and Grayson will have to have a real conversation and figure out where to go from there.

“It was supposed to be just sex… There weren’t supposed to be feelings, Grayson.”
He presses his cheek to the top of my head. “I know.”
“And there might be some feelings.”
“Might?” I can practically feel his smirk.

A romantic comedy that had as much heart as it did laughs, RIGHT ON CUE reminded me why I fell for Falon Ballard’s witty writing. An enemies-to-lovers trope with a good amount of angst, lovely characters, and even a story-within-a-story, there was a whole lot to enjoy here.

“The only way you can fail at love is by not letting it into your life.”

As I’ve come to expect from Falon Ballard’s romances, RIGHT ON CUE had me hooked from page one. I’m a sucker for characters with a history together who reunite later on in life–and that was definitely Emmy and Grayson. The screenwriter and the action hero had worked together once before as teens. And it didn’t go well. For either of them. But the attraction and delicious tension between them was as strong as ever when Grayson and Emmy found themselves working together on her latest film, a romantic comedy. And thus began the story-within-a-story thread that was an absolute blast to read.

Where this was told strictly from Emmy’s POV, it wasn’t clear at first whether Grayson was the jerk she had thought him to be or if there had been some kind of miscommunication between them years ago. We did finally get answers. But not before Ballard layered on so many wonderful scenes fraught with deep emotions and obvious chemistry. And the dialogue? Hilarious bickering as well as some heart-to-heart moments that made me sigh happily. Once Emmy and Grayson’s past was eventually fleshed out, the drama didn’t go away. Nope, their relationship was as complicated as Emmy worried it would be. Partly due to them being stars in Hollywood. And partly from their penchant for not communicating.

I know miscommunication (or misinterpreting) is a big pet peeve for some readers. But it worked well for Grayson and Emmy’s situation. Not that it didn’t frustrate me at times. By the finale, though, I thought the lack of communication between them pushed our lovebirds to do some true soul searching–about themselves and their romance. So Emmy and Grayson were much better off having gone through those rougher times when they finally did give in to their love.

QOTD: Do you prefer single or dual POV in romance? Or does it depend on the story?

Book Info:

Publication: February 27th, 2024 |   G.P. Putnam’s Sons |

Hollywood darling Emmy Harper is considered the queen of writing romantic comedies. That is, until tragedy struck and she swore she’d never write another happy ending again. After some time away, and lots of encouragement from family and friends, Emmy is finally ready to dive back into the genre with her latest project. But more is riding on this movie than just her return to the big screen. This time, Emmy’s also been convinced to star as the lead, dusting off acting skills she hasn’t used in over a decade.

Emmy’s nervous, yet excited, to give performing another shot, until a last-minute injury benches her trusted co-star. With filming about to start, there’s only one other actor available on such short Grayson West. A blockbuster action star known for his mega-watt smile and impossible abs, Grayson is anyone’s dream of a romantic lead. Anyone except Emmy that is, who still blames him for her disastrous first movie and the early end to her acting career.

As filming begins, the friction between Emmy and Grayson is palpable and it’s anyone’s guess if it’s unresolved awkwardness or simmering sexual tension. The two are pushed to get their acts together—and quickly—or they risk tanking the entire movie, but if working things out leads to sizzling chemistry on screen, what might happen when the cameras stop rolling?