Title: Husbands

Author: Mo Fanning

Genre: Romcom/Suspense

Publisher: Spring Street Books

Publication Date: 6th June 2024

Rating: 4/5

Cover:

Book Summary:

In Hollywood, every pavement star tells a story. Not all of them shine. 

Wannabe actor Kyle Macdonald is down on his luck. Working as a supply teacher in an inner-city Birmingham school, he’s single again at 28, and sleeping in his childhood bedroom beneath a ‘Hard Candy’ Madonna poster.

He gets a call claiming he drunkenly married top Hollywood director Aaron Biedermeier in Vegas six years ago. Rather than panic, he sees a golden ticket to fame and the life he’s always fantasised about.

But the glamorous veneer of Los Angeles – non-stop sunshine, celebrity actors and exclusive hotel suites – starts to crack, revealing a darker, corrupt underbelly to La-La Land. Kyle digs deeper into his so-called husband’s past, unearthing disturbing allegations of abuse and underage sex parties.

With the help of Biedermeier’s fiancé, actor Noah Winters, he embarks on a cross-country race to unravel the mystery and expose the truth – finding love along the way.

Review:

It’s always quite tricky to balance genres that don’t necessarily gel together very easily, such as romcom and suspense/crime. However, Husbands manages to do it rather well, seamlessly combining quirky humour and some romance with a story concerning the darker and decidedly unglamorous side of Hollywood. I found Husbands an addictive read from beginning to end. Kyle is a relatable and entertaining character – a wannabe actor who has yet to get his big break and is currently working as a teacher. After he receives a call reminding him about the time he got drunkenly married in Vegas to a very famous Hollywood director, he flies to LA, hoping to leverage this as a way into the life he wants, and is thrown into a world of wealth, corruption and lies.

Husbands is full of twists and turns, quite a few of which took me by surprise. The characters range from mysterious and layered to duplicitous and downright horrifying. I found Kyle mostly likeable and was rooting for him to find his way through this murky industry and perhaps even find love, although I do have to say I found his naivety a little concerning at times! Overall, Husbands is an enjoyably entertaining journey with a serious undercurrent running through in its sensitive handling of the sadly seemingly prevalent exploitation and corruption that takes place within the film industry. I would recommend this is you’re looking for an original and quirky romantic thriller of sorts.

★★★★

Thank you to Hannah and the publisher for my copy of the book. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.

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