Down for the Word Count

de Piper Sheldon (2023)

Résumé : With a single phone call, I swapped my life of movie scripts and paparazzi for bedtime stories and skinned knees.

I always dreamed of having a family. As my two childhood friends settled down with partners of their own, I worried it was too late for me.
Until her. The beautiful woman who chased me down and stole my heart.
And to think she accused me of stealing.

After that awkward encounter, I thought I'd lost her for good. Then months later, I showed up at the only home I'd ever known to find the mystery woman, a precocious child in tow, and my aging father figure in desperate need of supervision. This incredible stranger took on more than she ever bargained for and needed help.

There was only one thing to be done.

Now I'm a single-sort-of-dad to a child who isn't my own and she's a kind-of-sort-of mom to her niece in need, as we work together to care for the man who helped raise me. I want nothing more than to take this role of a lifetime and make it last.

But this isn’t Hollywood and I’m just an actor.
I’m doing my best to support them all, but can my help ever be enough?


Note : 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥

Down for the Word Count est le 3e et dernier tome de la série Unlucky in Love de Piper Sheldon, après Charlie et Kate, puis Emma et Wesley, c'est au tour d'Harrison de trouver son grand amour auprès de Frankie.

Harrison est le golden boy de l'Intrepid Trio, le seul continuant à jouer dans des films. Il n'a pas une mauvaise réputation, mais disons qu'il est plus celui qu'on appelle pour faire la fête que lorsqu'on a un soucis, seuls Charlie et Emma le connaissent très bien, pour le reste du monde, il est juste un acteur, presque cliché de lui-même. Cependant, depuis que ses deux meilleurs amis ont trouvé leur moitié, il commence à se lasser de son mode de vie et aspire à plus de tranquillité et d'avoir lui aussi quelqu'un à aimer.

Lorsqu'il apprend que Georges, l'auteur des livres dont a été adapté sa série TV, ne donne pas de nouvelles à son éditeur, il décide de lui rendre visiter pour vérifier que tout va bien, et en même temps faire un break auprès de celui qui a été comme un père pour lui.

La vie de Frankie a été chamboulée depuis quelques mois : sa soeur lui a laissé dans les bras sa fille de 6 ans, Colette, pour partir tenter sa chance et devenir actrice. Ne pouvant pas s'occuper de Colette tout seule, Frankie est venue vivre chez la seule personne qui lui a apporté de la stabilité : Georges. Il a été sa famille d'accueil quand elle était ado, et aujourd'hui il les accueille toutes les deux dans sa grande maison. Georges l'a embauché pour faire le tri dans toute son oeuvre : ses livres, ses notes, les interviews, les memorabilia etc...

Frankie n'a pas besoin de plus de complications, mais les complications arrivent quand même : d'abord avec Harrison, il souhaite l'aider à s'occuper de Georges et Colette, Frankie a du mal à lui faire confiance, d'autant qu'il réveille en elle toute sorte de sentiments qu'elle pensait ne plus éprouver.
Ensuite c'est la mère de Colette qui débarque en laissant de faux espoirs à sa fille, Frankie va devoir mettre les choses au clair avec sa soeur car Colette a besoin de stabilité.

Frankie et Harrison sont tous les deux toute suite attirés l'un par l'autre mais ils vont devoir dépasser leur a priori et découvrir qu'ils sont beaucoup plus que ce qu'ils laissent voir en surface. Ils ont chacun leur raison pour ne pas se livrer d'emblée. Leur romance était inévitable, ils sont faits l'un pour l'autre.

Dans mes reviews des tomes précédents, la série TV fictive et la fanbase faisaint beaucoup penser à Firefly, ici Geogres m'a fait aussi penser à Terry Pratchett. Ce tome clôture très bien la trilogie. Je vous le recommande !

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Down for the Word Count is the 3rd and final volume of the Unlucky in Love series by Piper Sheldon, after Charlie and Kate, then Emma and Wesley, it's the turn of Harrison to find his true love in Frankie.

Harrison is the golden boy of the Intrepid Trio, the only one continuing to act in films. He doesn't have a bad reputation, but let's say he's more the one you call to party than when you have a problem, only Charlie and Emma know him very well, for the rest of the world, he's just an actor, almost a cliché of himself. However, since his two best friends found their other half, he begins to tire of his lifestyle and longs for more tranquility and to also have someone to love.

When he learns that Georges, the author of the books from which his TV series was adapted, does not give any news to his publisher, he decides to visit him to check that everything is okay, and at the same time take a break from his life with the one person who was like a father to him.

Frankie's life has been turned upside down in recent months : her sister left her 6-year-old daughter, Colette, in her arms to go try her luck and become an actress. Unable to take care of Colette on her own, Frankie came to live with the only person who gave her stability : Georges. He was her foster family when she was a teenager, and today he welcomes them both into his big house. Georges hired her to sort through all his work : his books, his notes, interviews, memorabilia etc...

Frankie doesn't need more complications, but the complications arrive all the same : first with Harrison, he wants to help her take care of Georges and Colette, Frankie has difficulty trusting him, especially that he awakens in her all kinds of feelings that she thought she no longer felt.
Then it's Colette's mother who arrives leaving false hopes for her daughter, Frankie will have to clear things up with her sister because Colette needs stability.

Frankie and Harrison are both immediately attracted to each other, but they will have to overcome their preconceptions and discover that they are much more than what they let on on the surface. They each have their own reason for not giving in straight away. Their romance was inevitable, they were made for each other.

In my reviews of the previous volumes, the fictional TV series and the fanbase reminded me a lot of Firefly, here Geogres also reminded me of Terry Pratchett. This volume closes the trilogy very well. I recommend it !