Love isnât just an act in this captivating and flirty romance by New York Times bestselling author Jane Porter.
Forty-nine-year-old Margot Hughes has lived and breathed theater for the past twenty-five years. After a devastating breakup with her playwright fiancÊ, she wants nothing to do with the industry. She has sworn off New York, theater, actorsâall of it. She returns to her hometown on Californiaâs central coast and takes a job in real estate, where she manages significant investment properties. But Margotâs suddenly thrown back into the theater world when Sally, her friend and boss, who had been restoring and funding Cambriaâs historic theater, has a heart attack. Before she knows it, Margot is tapped to take over the troubled summer production of Barefoot in the Park.
But the play is no walk in the parkâthe leads and director have all quit, and Margot struggles to find new actorsâĻuntil Max Russo arrives. Forty-five-year-old Max is a former soap opera star turned rugged cowboy on TVâs most popular western series.  Max has a huge following and is the perfect hero to step up and save the play, provided Margot stars opposite him.   Although adamant she would never return to theater, Margot enjoys the long hours of rehearsal with a professional like Max, who is charming, witty, and passionate. But when the curtains close, can Margot allow herself to fall for Max when he represents everything she left behind?