Love in the Afternoon

Love in the Afternoon is the debut release from author Alison Packard. The publisher is Carina Press. From the author’s website.~

Kayla Maxwell is eager to shed her slasher-flick bimbo image--and she plans to do just that in her new role on daytime's most popular soap. With a chance to showcase her dramatic range, Kayla will be able to wash away the lingering betrayal and public humiliation left by her controlling, philandering ex-boyfriend.

Sean Barrett, the son of an influential, award-winning actor, is the hottest soap star in the country. Paired on-screen with the talented and beautiful Kayla Maxwell, Sean is determined to keep her at arm's length, burned before by fame-seeking actresses who had no qualms about using him to get to his famous father.

But when Kayla receives threatening letters, her past as a scream queen seems to be coming back to haunt her. Succumbing to an attraction neither one of them can deny, Sean and Kayla must face down her stalker and their own personal demons before trusting what they both feel--a love that lasts long after the cameras stop rolling.

I was lucky enough to get a copy of Love in the Afternoon thanks to the publisher through NetGalley. I watched soap operas all through high school and college and loved the idea of the story. I’m really glad I gave debut author, Alison Packard’s book a try.

I loved both Kayla and Sean from the moment they appeared on the page. Both are really strong characters and I was excited to see they would get a chance to work with one another on the show. Of course, the chemistry between them was pretty obvious from the moment they met, and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen between them. Both had bad past relationships with other actors and have sworn off dating actors. However, neither can really fight their attraction for one another and it only gets stronger with each day they spend together. Sean becomes even more protective of Kayla once he discovers she is receiving threatening letters and has a stalker. I loved how he wanted to take care of her and protector from the unknown threat. I loved the build up for the relationship for Sean and Kayla. While they were attracted to one another from the very beginning, they didn’t act on their attraction right away. Once they finally made love for the first time, it was perfect. Reader gets both super sexy and sweet love scenes with Kayla and Sean.

With the stalker still in the picture and Sean being a jerk about an audition Kayla does, which he thinks his dad set up, things get bumpy for a bit between them. Luckily, Sean gets his head on straight in time to catch the stalker and find out the truth about his dad. I will say I figured out the stalker very early in the book, but liked the drama it added to this really wonderful contemporary romance.

The official release date for Love in the Afternoon was December 17, 2012. I’m so glad I got the opportunity to read a new-to-me author with this story, and look forward to more books from Alison Packard in the future.