Falling Stars

More soap opera than romance novel, Axelrod’s light social drama about life on the set of a hit television show packs some real emotional punches and evokes both classic cinema and the difficulties of 21st-century celebrity. The on-screen chemistry between Valerie Saunders and Sam Newman that makes We the People a success clearly comes from real attraction, but Sam is still in thrall to his alcoholic, manipulative wife, and Val fears endangering her career with scandal. They try to ignore the erotic tension in their developing friendship while the cast gossip about them on the Internet, but their detailed thoughts as they film their steamy scenes give the reader the real scoop about what’s really going on. Their different ages and races aren’t ignored but don’t form a major part of the couple’s difficulties. The story’s history as a series of blog posts gives it an episodic feel. Given the setting’s relationship to modern media, that’s not entirely a defect, but the unresolved ending will leave traditional romance readers unsatisfied. [em](BookLife) [/em]