[About The Book]
TV writer Annie McDermott has finally landed her dream job. The nightmare part: she has to share an office with her nemesis.
Arrogant (and distractingly handsome) Art Sullivan – who Annie hasn’t seen since their college days – was supposed to be Hollywood’s Next Big Thing. So what’s he doing in a soap opera writers’ room, apart from pushing Annie’s buttons?
Soon though Annie’s got a bigger distraction: someone’s trying to sabotage the show. But she’s not going to let her dream go without a fight. Even if it means asking for Art’s help to stop them.
After Annie and Art find themselves sharing a very hot kiss at the office (which they swear will never happen again), things get even more complicated. But if they can quit arguing long enough to finally admit they make a good team, there might just be another plot twist ahead …
[ My Review ]
Love Scene by Anna Carey published May 7th with Hachette Ireland and is described as ‘a hot hate-at-first-sight, forced-proximity romantic comedy‘. I really enjoyed Our Song by Anna Carey which was a wonderful novel packed with nostalgia and memorable characters so I was delighted when Love Scene arrived at my door. It was a marvellous surprise when some of those memorable characters from Our Song popped up in Love Scene. But do not fear, it is a standalone tale so there is absolutely no issue if this is your first Anna Carey novel.
Love Scene is set in the world of the soap drama but it is more about the relationships off-screen than on-screen, as TV writer, Annie McDermott, soon discovers. Annie had a job in the UK but was itching to get back to Ireland so when the perfect opportunity reared its head she jumped in with two feet. A long-running soap in Ireland, Northside, was at a critical juncture needing an injection of fresh blood to survive. Annie is sold the idea that her previous experience on a well-known soap in the UK would be a catalyst for change alongside some other additions being made at the studio, so Annie arrived excited and raring to go.
Her bubble burst immediately when she realised that her co-worker was no other than Art Sullivan, an old college acquaintance who she had little respect for. Art had been quite a cocky student, popular with the girls and determined in his ambitions. He irritated Annie with his superior personality and she let him know it. Now, forced to share a space with him, she is confused as to why he is here. Didn’t he go to the The States to conquer Hollywood?
Annie had been a devoted fan of Northside when she was younger and to be part of the team writing the scenes should be a dream come true, but something is just not right. As the days pass, Annie becomes aware of an undercurrent within the studios. Art and herself feel the wrath of their boss, a bullish man with no respect for his employees. As the stress mounts and the reality of where she is at begins to gnaw at Annie, she finds refuge in the most unexpected place.
Art and Annie quickly discover that this career move may not have been well-advised. With little choice but to stay afloat they struggle to remain composed. Annie surprises herself by softening her attitude to Art, resulting in an unexpected slip of judgement…or was it? Passion aside, they both quickly determine that the only way forward is to work together which is proving a challenge for many reasons. Can they get their act together and work as a team or is this journey together going to result in chaos?
Love Scene is an enchanting romance bursting with a kaleidoscope of personalities all vividly depicted. Anna Carey creates gorgeous characters, all very relatable and funny. A joyous read, this is the type of novel that just gives readers positive and uplifting vibes. Love Scene is a really wholesome romantic story with lots of warm and witty dialogue, bursting with charm and appeal, a very sweet read.
[Thank you to Hachette Ireland and Plunkett PR for a copy of Love Scene in exchange for my honest review]
[ Bio ]
Anna Carey is an Irish Book Award-winning novelist, journalist, editor and scriptwriter who spent her teens and twenties playing in bands. She is the author of seven acclaimed novels for young adults. Her debut novel The Real Rebecca won the Senior Children’s Book of the Year prize at the 2011 Irish Book Awards and her last book The Boldness of Betty was shortlisted for the same award in 2020. Her drama podcast The Famine Monologues was released by RTÉ in 2021 and her play The Making of Mollie was staged in 2024.
Our Song, her first book for adults, published in June 2025 and was shortlisted for Popular Fiction Book of the Year at the An Post Irish Book Awards. Her second romance novel, Love Scene, will publish in summer 2026. She is married to her former bandmate Patrick Freyne and lives in Dublin.
