Book Review: Hollywood Games (Kinloch #2) (ARC)

Author: Evie Alexander

Brace yourself Scotland, Hollywood’s coming…

Rory’s found the love of his life but can he be sure Zoe feels the same? What can he offer her when his job’s on the line, and his mother’s out to destroy her? When Hollywood superstar, Brad Bauer, shows up wanting to film Braveheart 2 at Kinloch castle, it seems like the answer to all his prayers. However, there’s a catch.

Zoe’s had a crush on Brad since she was a teen. Now he’s here, hotter than ever, and convinced he was married to her in a past life. As Hollywood descends on the tiny village of Kinloch, it’s not just the castle that’s under siege.

A mystical holy man, a sexy starlet, an intense megastar and a couple pushed to the edge. Can Rory navigate the glitter storm and keep his eye on the prize, or by saving the estate, is he about to lose the best thing that’s ever happened to him?

Hollywood Games is a steamy, love conquers all, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy, with no cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happy ever after (HEA). It can be read as a standalone but is most enjoyed after reading Highland Games.

When Hollywood meets the Highlands, things will never be the same again…

While Hollywood Games is a continuation of the story from the first novel, Highland Games, this story could be read as a standalone. For me, it is best to read both stories to gain some more background on the setting and characters. The story begins with Zoe returning to Scotland from England where she’ll reunite with Kinloch Castle and Rory. As the Early of Kinloch Estate, his castle is falling apart. To solve the money issues he is currently experiencing, the castle is open for filming. Brad Bauer is an American actor and Zoe’s Hollywood crush who is going to use the castle to film Braveheart 2. Enter all of the stars and crew for the film, which creates a lot more chaos than Zoe and Rory were originally expecting.

The movie portions of the story follow the filming of Braveheart 2. The plot itself is over-the-top and the hijinks never end when it comes to actually making this movie a reality. Zoe even finds herself as the leading lady stand-in, which Rory does not approve of, and this creates some entertaining moments. As the massive crew and paparazzi descend on the tiny village, the entire scene is pure chaos. Everything from the randomly daily incidents to ones involving food were included in the story and I cannot wait to give the Shortbread recipe a try! There are some new characters that come with the filming, and I cannot wait to see how everything will continue in the next novel. The filming scenes themselves were fun, but I do wish they were a little shorter at times. They were greatly enjoyable, but I just wanted those pages dedicated to Rory and Zoe a little more as I love seeing their relationship continue to develop.

I love that this story gives a continuation of Rory and Zoe’s love story as it felt like an extended epilogue of the first story in the best possible way. After initially getting together in the previous story, it was great to see the two of them continue to have a ton of chemistry. Zoe is the fun sunshine type to Rory’s more grumpy nature and their opposites attract relationship is both sweet and humorous as they navigate being together. Rory is sure that Zoe is the one for him, but he is not sure that Zoe feels the same. It becomes more complicated as his insecurity grows when Brad enters the picture since Zoe had a crush on Brad since she was a teen. Overall, I loved that this story focused on Zoe and Rory, and I cannot wait to see how they will be integrated into the next novel. The entire story is a quick read as it was very entertaining and moves along at a decent pace. I am very exited to continue with this series in the next installment, Kissing Games, which will change course a little and feature a new couple, Valentina, an actress, and Charlie, Rory’s friend.

**I give a special thank you to Book Sirens for the opportunity to read this enjoyable novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**