The Reluctant Star: A Modern Day Eros and Psyche Retelling

Only the test of true love will be revealed when the lights shine down, and the cameras begin rolling…

Norah Reid, a PhD Psychology candidate and part-time barista, is tired of living her life compared to someone else. As the likeness of Vivianne Spenser, Hollywood Heiress to the Spenser Dynasty, Norah wishes the world would acknowledge that she’s more substantial than just her looks. After a chance encounter with a handsome, broad-shouldered stranger, Norah thinks she’s finally met someone she can trust—only to discover that the man who’s piqued her interest is Vivianne’s son, Marlon Spenser.

Hollywood Darling Marlon Spenser lives the fast life, never planning on falling in love—yet finding himself helplessly attracted to beautiful men and women, hoping for a happily ever after, only to discover that the relationships are never long enough to last. When Marlon meets Norah, he finds the stars shifting his perspective to something enduring. Norah becomes the center of the earth’s rotation for him, until a meddling Vivianne Spenser coaxes Norah into her new Reality TV show to test their relationship.

Suddenly Norah finds herself at the bidding of Vivianne and Marlon surrounded by the glitz and glam of Hollywood—and the pressure and status of a celebrity lifestyle she never asked for. The dreams of what could be sweep Norah up, captivating her with true happiness, until it all goes wrong. Can she fix it, or is true love only just a dram the fates are tempting her with?

In this celebrity/local retelling of Eros and Psyche, The Reluctant Star is a tale set in modern day Hollywood. One of instant and fast love, of healing and forced proximity, Marlon and Norah’s story measures the depth of roots and new love when it’s tested against time and who will remain on top. This is the original novella featured in As Fate Would Have it, the gods and goddesses adult retelling anthology with an additional 7500 words for original and new readers alike!