Note: It’s a lot of yearning.
In writing this review, I tried to categorize the main characters’ relationship as enemies-to-friends-to-lovers or grumpy/sunshine, but neither one fits. I expected a sweet and charming romance set among the landmarks of Paris, but I got a very serious, surprisingly deep take on celebrity, fame, and integrity.
Nicholas Madden is the brooding, short-fused, paparazzi-hating serious actor. After campaigning for and being cast as Frederick, the main character in The Throne, a queer romance period piece set in Belle Époque Paris, Nicholas is determined to make the role his career-defining, and potentially award-winning, pinnacle of his career.
He is only one member of a star-studded cast. Led by a terrifying and well-respected director, the film is Nicholas’s dream opportunity. The only thing that could potentially torpedo it is that his co-star is not a seasoned actor but the runway model and influencer Chris Lavalle. Chris is French, famous, and gorgeous, but he has zero acting experience. No one understands why the director cast him, and she is keeping quiet on her motivations.
Nicholas loathes Chris from the start and is convinced his chance at transforming his favorite book, The Throne, into a masterpiece of cinema is ruined. Chris weathers Nicholas’s scorn with practiced ease. However, despite Chris’s easy demeanor, he is the person most nervous about his own acting ability.
Once filming is underway, it becomes apparent why Chris was cast as the antagonist and romantic interest. His acting ability surprises everyone, especially Nicholas. Nicholas quickly becomes Chris’s champion, and the two men bond.
Nicholas is attracted to Chris. Chris is out, but Nicholas is not. Nicholas does not want to hide, and he admires how Chris adeptly handles his image while remaining genuine about who he is in real life.
As the actors grow closer and paparazzi visit the set, speculation about Nicholas’s sexuality and the reason he campaigned for this role are shared widely across entertainment websites. He is not ready to come out, but he cannot ignore the relationship he and Chris are forming. They are also blocked from pursuing one another openly as the director has a strict “no romantic entanglements on set” policy.
Like I mentioned earlier, I expected this to be a fun romp through Paris with some celebrity shenanigans and stolen kisses in darkened alleyways. Instead, I got a serious examination of what actors sacrifice in service to a role, to their director, and to the film production overall. Whether or not they are a proven quantity like Nicholas, or a shining newcomer like Chris, they are not allowed to phone it in. They must prove themselves again and again, all the while smiling while enduring the cruelties of the media.
Nicholas and Chris are not victims, but they do not get away with anything, or at least not for long. This book feels like it is based on real events. Anything that can go wrong goes wrong. It is angsty and beautiful and I enjoyed it more than I expected.
This is a slow, slow burn. It is not humorless but it is not your typical light read. It is set in Paris, but it could have been set in any major city as Paris is simply a background character. The actors are tied to their hotel rooms and to the set, so there are no cafe lunches or walks along the Seine. There is sex, but it is neither frequent nor explicit.
If you are looking for a romance about the cost of celebrity, forbidden romance, and metric ton of yearning, then I highly recommend this book. It also doesn’t hurt that it is extremely well-written.
