Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this book. It was incredibly hot and sweet all at the same time. I’ve always been a big soap opera fan and I’ve also said that telenovelas always look so good and I need to get into them. Well this book just proved that I know what I’m talking about. The drama, the passion, the love, the emotion, THE FEELS!! This book has it all and a gorgeous cover to boot.

Jasmine is trying to make a fresh start for herself with a new show on a popular streaming network. It’s definitely what she needs after finding out she’s be dumped by her singing sensation boyfriend via a tabloid. Carmen in Charge is her opportunity for a telenovela/soap crossover starring Latinx actors and her opportunity to make a name for herself as a leading lady. She’s determined to stick to her Leading Lady plans which means no love life and all focus. Of course fate has other plans and they show their gorgeous head when she literally runs into her slightly older, but completely hot co-star Ashton. After a disastrous first meeting, Jasmine is convinced that Ashton wants nothing to do with her off set. He’s standoffish and secludes himself from the rest of the cast. That certainly doesn’t stop her from being attracted to him, but she’s not so sure he feels the same.

Jasmine’s got Ashton all wrong. Ashton is a bucket of nerves after being killed off of his last telenovela and he’s getting older and seeing his chance to break into Hollywood slipping away. After a literal run in with Jasmine, Ashton’s convinced that he’s sabotaging himself. He wants nothing more than to make this work, but it’s not just his nerves standing in his way. Ashton has a big secret (which we find out about pretty early on) that he’s been keeping for years. It’s the biggest source of his anxiety because keeping his personal life under wraps is just as important as furthering his career, if not more important. His best bet is to keep his distance like he’s done on every set, but that’s hard when his attraction to Jasmine is out of this world. Will he be able to balance his life or will it all come crashing down?

There was just so much to love about this book. We follow both characters on their journey to figure their lives out, dealing with being in the spotlight, and all of the insecurities that arise because of the media. Not only are they dealing with insecurities from the media, but their families as well. Both Jasmine and Ashton deal with the feelings of not being enough for their families, but for very different reason. Their trials were so relatable, even though I’ve never been famous. Families can bring out the worst of us, whether they mean to or not. There is especially a big emphasis on families and family expectations in this book because both lead characters are Puerto Rican (Jasmine is Puerto Rican and Filipina, but we see her interact mainly with the Puerto Rican side of her family). POC family dynamics are unique in their own way and it was great seeing those dynamics come into play. Jasmine is also dealing with the fallout of her serial monogamy and her eagerness to always be in a relationship, while Ashton is dealing with PTSD and anxiety revolving around an incident in his past. All of this only adds to their dynamics with one another and their families.

The other aspect of this book that I really enjoyed was the fact that we got to see the actual show scenes play out. It’s like getting a peek at the script during filming, so we’re not just reading about Jasmine and Ashton interacting as themselves, we’re seeing how their characters influence their actions as well. How did this scene lend itself to their relationship on set? Their chemistry bubbles over into the show and it was so interesting to see.

Oh and we can’t forget the romance. The chemistry jumped off the page and the sex scenes were…..WHEW. Listen nothing is sexier than consent, communication, and hot sex, okay? Okay. Jasmine and Ashton are drawn to one another from day one and after fighting it for awhile, they eventually can’t stay away from one another. They slowly begin to break down each other’s walls, which leaves them vulnerable and we all know how difficult that can be.

I’m so happy that this novel delivered everything the cover promised and I cannot wait to add it to my physical collection when it’s released on August 4th. There also seems to be some wiggle room as far as future books. Jasmine is very close to her cousins and we get a glimpse of them and their personalities in this book, so I really hope we get to see them up close and personal in the future. Okay, let me stop rambling. Go ahead and plan to add it to your shelves when it’s released. You won’t be disappointed. Happy reading!