Double Standard
An 831 Stories Romance
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- Pre-Order
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- Expected Jul 28, 2026
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
They both need each other—in more ways than one. A Hollywood fake-relationship romance heats up in Nashville.
Freshly minted leading lady Ana Barlow is living the dream, preparing to go on location to film a Greek-god epic at Nashville’s replica of the Parthenon. But when a sighting with her married co-star threatens to tank her career, she comes up with a plan: She’ll pretend to date his stunt double, Levi Stephens, and let everyone believe he’s who she was spotted with. Luckily, Levi, an industry newbie, needs to leverage this movie’s potential as much as she does.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Thomas (Untangled) spins romance gold in this un-put-downable contemporary. Actor Ana Barlow, who has an unfair reputation for being "difficult," is headed to Nashville to film Athena's War, a movie she hopes will rocket her career into a new stratosphere. Then an ill-timed, misconstrued photo in a gossip rag sparks speculation that she's involved with the female director's husband, Colt Haggerty, the film's leading man. Ana saves face by claiming to be in a relationship with Colt's stunt double, Levi Stephens, and insisting he was the one in the photo. Thomas enhances the ensuing fake-dating plot with punchy prose and expert characterization. Strong, honorable Levi's down-to-earth Midwestern upbringing stands out in Hollywood, and his obvious love and care for the vulnerable Ana is endlessly endearing. So too is watching Ana, who suffered abuse at the hands of her mother and agent as a child star, learn to let down her walls and trust Levi with her heart. Meanwhile, the powerful message about the double standards faced by women, both in the entertainment industry and elsewhere, who are villainized for behavior that is valorized in men, hits home. This works on every level.
