Reviewed by Sadonna

TITLE:  Total Creative Control

SERIES:  Creative Types

AUTHORS:  Joanna Chambers & Sally Malcolm

NARRATOR:  Simon Goldhill

PUBLISHER:  Self-published

LENGTH:  9 hours and 26 minutes

RELEASE DATE:  February 27, 2023

BLURB:

When fanfic writer Aaron Page landed a temp job with the creator of hit TV show, Leeches, it was only meant to last a week. Three years later, Aaron’s still there….

It could be because he loves the creative challenge. It could be because he’s a huge Leeches fanboy. It’s definitely not because of Lewis Hunter, his extremely demanding, staggeringly rude…and breathtakingly gorgeous boss.

Is it?

Lewis Hunter grew up the hard way and fought for everything he’s got. His priority is the show, and personal relationships come a distant second. Besides, who needs romance when you have a steady stream of hot men hopping in and out of your bed?

His only meaningful relationship is with Aaron, his chief confidante and indispensable assistant. And no matter how appealing he finds Aaron’s cute boy-next-door charms, Lewis would never risk their professional partnership just to scratch an itch.

But when Lewis finds himself trapped at a hilariously awful corporate retreat, Aaron is his only friend and ally. As the professional lines between them begin to blur, their simmering attraction starts to sizzle

And they’re both about to get burned.

REVIEW:

Aaron Page shows up at a TV production company for a temp assignment.  The creator the hit vampire show Leeches manages to run off every assistant assigned to him.  For you old folks, think Murphy Brown’s secretaries 😉  But Aaron manages to corral Lewis and not only that, he’s a huge fan of the show.  He’s got a lot of insight for Lewis about the characters and why they resonate with the fans.  He doesn’t share with Lewis that he also writes Leeches fanfic under a pseudonym because Lewis is entire proprietary of his character and his show.  He has complete disdain for the fans and their input as well as the fandoms in general. Aaron is only taking this job temporarily until he starts his teaching job in the fall.  But Lewis convinces him to stay.

Fast forward three years and the show is more popular than ever.  There’s  sort of homerotic friendship between one of the vamps and a human and this is of course fodder for the fans and the fanfic writers.  But the biggest news is that there is interest in producing a US version.  This could be huge for the production company, the network and for Lewis’s career.  However, the guy in charge has a lot of “ideas” about the changes they should make for the US version.  Based on “test data” they want to make the gay character straight, change the romantic arc, etc.  Lewis is opposed.  His boss Toni wants him to work with Charlie, the Network guy, to make it happen.

The meeting to discuss this “idea” is to take place at Charlie’s “estate” out of London.  There are all sorts of “surprises” for Toni and Lewis and Aaron when they arrive.  Like they are supposed to “fast” for the rest of the night and then there is a “movement” seminar.  UGH!  Lewis and Aaron and Toni are none too thrilled about this.  There is a completely obnoxious drunken dinner where Charlie is really insulting to pretty mcuh everyone – but especially Lewis and Aaron gets him out there.  Lewis is not in a good place and Aaron takes care of him and one thing leads to another.  Lines are crossed and Lewis is worried he’s really screwed things up. Then he opens his mouth and makes SURE he’s screwed it up.

When they start talking about the changes and that Charlie wants, Aaron loses it.  He accidentally outs himself as a fanfic writer and Lewis is furious.  While he knows that Aaron is great at his job and loves the show and the characters, he sees it as a breach since he’s part of the show and has inside access/information.  He accuses him of basically being unethical writing what he deems “porn” and Aaron is furious.  Lewis hasn’t even read any fanfic and has no idea why people write it love it.  Aaron is devastated because of course he realizes now that he’s been in love with Lewis and he can’t go on the way they are.   It’s going to be up to Lewis to make things right and figure out what he really wants.  Not just for the show, but for his life.

Oh my.  Aaron and Lewis really are something.  It’s clear that everyone else has a better understanding of their relationship than they do.  Whether it’s Lewis’s brother, their co-workers or Aaron’s boyfriend, everyone else knows that there is more to this than Lewis being Aaron’s boss.  They are both deeply invested in Leeches, the show that Lewis created and that Aaron has loved long before he took the job as Lewis’s assistant.  When a week long temp gig turns into 3 years and then there is the possibility of the US version, Aaron and Lewis have spent long hours making this show the best it can be.  Aaron’s secret fanfic writing and his adoration of the characters are just a part of it though.  He has supported Lewis in everything as his assistant, works on scripts, etc. as his role has grown.  Lewis knows that Aaron is far more than his assistant and makes the assumption that since he hasn’t tried for any of the other open positions that might be a step up the career ladder that Aaron is indeed happy with the way things are.  He’s made sure Aaron is paid commensurate for what he does even if he doesn’t have a different title.  The awful retreat with the head of the network that wants to sell the series to the US market is a shi*tshow.  I had to laugh out loud at quite a few parts of that whole scenario having been forced to attend “volunteer” retreats for my jobs over the year.  Between people getting drunk (almost always happens) and people saying inappropriate things (happens too much) and the whole power dynamic that makes those kinds of outings incredibly uncomfortable for many I thought the authors were spot on.  Lewis is clearly convinced that all he has to offer is his hit show.  He’s able to find men, but he’s not able to sustain a relationship – mostly because he hasn’t tried and is not willing to make himself vulnerable.  He’s never dealt with his trauma and it’s holding him back from building real relationships.  It turns out the only real relationships he’s had are with his brother and with Aaron.  Aaron has fooled himself into believing that this job is enough for him.  He loves working with Lewis on the show, but when their relationship changes and Lewis says things that really cut Aaron, he begins to see that he indeed has relied on Lewis and his job for too much.  Lewis respects Aaron but he’s got a couple of blindspots that lead him to make summary judgements about things without really knowing what he’s talking about.  It takes a fairly hard shove to get him to open his eyes and see the light.  I was really rooting for these two to figure themselves out – well really for the scales to fall from Lewis’s eyes and realize that he’s loved Aaron all along and taken him for granted.  It’s not easy and Aaron does a wonderful job of standing up for himself and forcing Lewis to figure things out on his own without Aaron taking care of him.  I absolutely adored Aaron from their very first interaction/conversation.  He was so worthy of the love and so passionate about the show and the characters.  Lewis was kind of a jerk to a lot of people and Aaron was the one person besides Lewis’s brother who ever got to see the real Lewis hidden on the brusque, angry, demanding and exacting mask he showed the world.  Kudos to Aaron for standing his ground and getting what he needed.  Thoroughly enjoyable HEA.  Highly recommended.

Simon Goldhill is a new narrator to me.  In checking audible, this appears to only be the second book from him.  I thoroughly enjoyed his performance of this story.  He was able to adroitly convey the passion of both Aaron and Lewis – for the show, for the characters, for fan fiction/fandom, and finally for each other.  There are a lot of characters in this story and I thought Mr. Goldhill did an excellent job of making each voice distinct and believable.  I particularly enjoyed some of the scenes at Aaron and Lewis’s work, the god awful work retreat and the convention.  While this book definitely has rom-com vibes, there is definitely plenty of angst and pining and slow recognition of more than boss/assistant relationship feelings and how that impacts both Aaron and Lewis when they finally open their eyes to what is right in front of them the whole time.  This performance kept me engaged and interested in every new twist.  I look forward to listening to more of Simon Goldhill’s work in the future.

RATING: 

BUY LINKS:  

Audible

Amazon