Rose Josten has a carefully curated life. She is a successful businesswomen with a great house, three accomplished sisters, and two adorable pugs. She has worked very hard to get to where she was, about to become a partner in the international consulting business where she works. She has sacrificed for her sisters and for her desire for stability. But she doesn’t have much passion in her life.
After a family tragedy, Rose chose to change her music major into a business major, and from there she helped her older sister open her salon, helped her younger sister and her husband buy a house big enough for their four kids, and helped her youngest sister get an MFA in fiction writing without having to worry about student debt. Now her sisters are all in good places in their lives, she’s at the top of her career arc, and she is bored. Rose wants more for her life.
Rose’s assistant often gets emails from people wanting consulting help but can’t afford to hire the company or who want a backdoor into her expertise without officially hiring the company for some reason. It’s one of those emails that catches Rose’s attention. There is a woman in town who has been invited to pitch her new movie to a millionaire producer who could make or break her career. But her friend and photographer is concerned about her.
Ash Stewart is a brilliant artist, but she tries to control every variable, micromanaging all of her employees. That’s fine for her day job of filming commercials for local used car lots. But for a feature film with a millionaire producer, that type of behavior would not fly. She needs help, her friend says. Rose never says yes to these emails. But there is something in this one that makes her want to take a chance.
The first moment Rose met Ash, she had been impressed. Ash had been wearing a vintage t-shirt that looked like she had genuinely been a fan of the ‘90s band back in the actual ‘90s. She had ripped jeans and a stylish haircut and piercing blue eyes. Rose was a goner. The attraction she felt toward this gorgeous hip woman makes her want to help her, even if this woman would never be interested in a businesswoman like Rose.
The more Rose learns about Ash, the more she is interested in the project. They have a short amount of time to put together a pitch for this potential backer. Ash needs a script, which she’s already written, some cast members, a schedule, a budget, and some filmed scenes for proof of concept. It’s a lot to put together. Ash is a brilliant director and can handle the vision of the film. It’s the practical elements that she struggles with. But those are the things that Rose can handle with her expertise.
But as they get closer to the pitch date, things get more complicated. Ash has equipment problems and a growing attraction to Rose. But a traumatic event in her past keeps her from getting too close to anyone. Rose, meanwhile, is trying to stay professional and help Ash with her pitch, but she keeps finding herself drawn to Ash in ways that maybe is a little much. Will they be able to focus on the film and the pitch, or will their mutual feelings explode into a fiery car crash that derails everything?
Behind the Scenes is a rom com that celebrates the chemistry that develops when you meet the right person at the right time and give things time to develop slowly. Author Karelia Stetz-Waters brings all the heat with this story that balances business and art in a story of secrets, healing, and possibilities. These women a strong, smart, and fierce, and they know themselves well. While they are dealing with personal issues, neither one is looking for someone else to complete them or fix them or take care of them. They are both independent adults, which makes their romance even more powerful.
I thought Behind the Scenes was so moving. The way these women see each other, the way they deal with obstacles, the way they have survived and thrived in the midst of personal difficulties made this book so rich with the complex characters and intimate feelings. I could not read this one quickly, as the emotions are dense and the love develops slowly and naturally. The scenes are rich and succulent, even when Rose and Ash are just talking. There is a weight to this love story that came as a lovely surprise to me, and I think it needs to be savored and not rushed. This is a unique love story, redolent with respect, warmth, and comfort, and it is powerful.
Egalleys for Behind the Scenes were provided by Forever (Grand Central Publishing) through NetGalley, with many thanks.
