Play the Part by Naomi Loud is the second book in the Marsford Bay series, which started with On the Line. Play the Part follows Ozzy’s brother and James’ best friend in a forced proximity contemporary romance filled with angst and messy drama.
Connie Broadbent and Huxley McKenna had a one-night stand at her best friend’s and his brother’s engagement party. Fourteen months later, Connie finds out that her famous actor boyfriend is publicly cheating on her, so she comes home to Marsford Bay to escape all the noise.
That’s when the perfect opportunity falls into her lap in the form of The Remington — the oldest theatre in Marsford Bay, that is just in need of a new owner and some renovations to return it to its former glory.
At a McKenna family Sunday dinner, James puts them on the spot — leaving Connie no choice but to hire Huxley to help her renovate. The problem is, they’ve been avoiding each other since their tryst, and there’s no shortage of built-up resentment.
Forced to work in close proximity, Huxley and Connie give in to their worst impulses. They are frustrated and angry, locked in constant emotional games with each other. Between Huxley’s dedication to self-sabotage and Connie’s severe allergy to dealing with her feelings, these two are in for a wild ride.
One of my favorite things about this book is that these characters feel like people I might actually know in real life. They’re regular people, making messy and dramatic life choices. Besides the fact that Connie’s ex-boyfriend is a famous actor, all of the rest of this could very easily have happened in my friend group in our mid-twenties.
Play the Part is very character-driven. Connie and Huxley and their sometimes clashing personalities are the complete focus of this story. The plot is mostly just these two navigating their attraction and attachment issues. If you are a reader who needs an action packed story in which things really happen, this book will not be for you. But if you, like me, can also get down with a book in which the focus is just dysfunctional personalities interacting, then this book is fun.
The story is fast-paced, filled with messy interpersonal chaos that keeps readers hooked. There is other woman drama and other man drama, meaning that the characters are romantically involved with other people during their love story. A lot of romance readers don’t like this — it hits close to home for pretty much everyone.
I am torn on my feelings, on one hand, other people drama feels real as simply a fact of life. On the other hand, it can be a little eye-roll-inducing when the characters are just using these other random, flat characters just to create conflict. In Play the Part, it is somehow both. It seems true to the characters, but also seems like, without it, there would be absolutely no story here.
The spice in this book is absolutely its high point. All the angst and tension in the lead-up give the spicy moments added depth and feeling, and the sexual chemistry between Connie and Huxley is palpable on the page.
Play the Part is a light and easy read. Despite the fact that Huxley, in particular, has been through some serious shit, the book is focused on the healing rather than the darkness of his story. It made for an enjoyable afternoon read, but that said, it felt like this book should have been longer. Huxley and Connie’s issues were wrapped up so quickly in a neat little bow, and it didn’t seem believable. If you’re the kind of reader who just wants sexy spice and messy characters doing messy things without digging too deep, this book is completely enjoyable.
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