One of my favourite things about being a book blogger is putting together book lists based on a recent or current read. After a short hiatus, I’m back reading The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren (12) again, which is all about a reality TV dating show and I’m really enjoying it so of course I had to put together a list of My Favourite Reality TV Fiction.
Critics of reality TV might dismiss it as mindless fluff but the truth is that reality TV can and has shaped the world we live in so before I discuss My Favourite Reality TV Fiction I want to get serious for a minute and talk about my introduction to reality TV with the 1st reality TV show I ever watched all the way back in 1994: Season 3 (San Francisco) of The Real World (1992+) on MTV.
The Real World SF was truly ground-breaking because of one of its cast-mates, Pedro Zamora (1972-1994). Pedro was one of the 1st openly gay men with AIDS to be portrayed in popular media and brought international attention to HIV and AIDS (he tested positive for HIV during his junior year of high school aged 17) and LGBTQ issues and prejudices. Pedro’s romantic relationship with Sean Sasser (1968-2013) was included on The Real World SF and was nominated for MTV’s Favourite Love Story. Pedro and Sean’s commitment ceremony was the first same-sex ceremony in TV history. Tragically, Pedro passed away just hours after the final episode of The Real World: San Francisco aired on 11 November 1994 from AIDS-related progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy aged just 22.
The clip below for MTV’s Proudest Moments features Wilson Cruz talking about Pedro’s legacy.
Back to My Favourite Reality TV Fiction and as a reality TV fan, new episodes of my favourite shows predominately air between September and December so how do I get my reality TV fix during the other 8 months of the year? From books, of course.
As always, if you’ve got any recommendations, you can let me know either in the comments or by e-mail at louisehallbooks@gmail.com.
P.S. If you’re looking for more Book Lists, you can find links to them all in the Archives.
Happy reading x
(1) Learning to Tango: Sex, Lies & Webcams (Cate & Kian #5) by Louise Hall (2021)
I couldn’t put together a list of My Favourite Reality TV Fiction without including my own, Learning to Tango: Sex, Lies & Webcams, which was inspired by my love of Strictly Come Dancing (2004+).
“I just can’t believe that my shy little sister danced the Cha Cha in front of millions of people on Saturday night. I can still remember how mortified you were when I accidentally walked in on you shaking your hips to Shakira when we were teenagers.”
In the nine years that they’ve been married, Cate and Kian Warner have been to hell and back but Cate might be facing one of her biggest challenges yet when she’s signed up to compete in a dance competition on national TV to raise money for her prenatal depression charity. Still as much of a Neanderthal as ever, Kian doesn’t just have to contend with watching another man put his hands all over his “angel”, he also has to prepare for what could be his final season as a professional footballer, seeking to end his career on a high by winning the league with his Seattle F.C. team-mates.
Of course, it wouldn’t be the Warners without a generous sprinkling of family drama. Join them for the clichéd emotional rollercoaster as family bonds are pushed to breaking point, friendships are betrayed and old scars threaten to reopen. The question is, when the music stops and the final whistle blows, just who will be the winner and more importantly, will any of them still be speaking to each other?
(2) Kissed by Reality by Carrie Aarons (2016)
If you like reality TV dating shows like The Bachelor (2002+), you’ll love Kissed by Reality. Leighton & Finn’s angsty, second-chance romance is 100% rose-worthy.
Falling in love is hard. Falling in love on national television is impossible. Right?
Leighton Aldridge did not sign up to meet her soulmate; she signed up for the lights, camera and action. So when the Hollywood-native ends up with the wounded war veteran and a ring on her finger, it’s a surprise to everyone.
What isn’t a surprise is the way she breaks Finn Wyatt’s heart, or the massively public breakup that follows.
But a year later she’s back, ready for another round on the reality TV show that brought them together. Her ex-fiancé has no idea why she left, and the dark secrets she’s bringing as baggage might make him change his mind about her.
She knows what they had was the real thing, and she’s ready to fight for him, even if it means ultimate embarrassment and heartbreak.
Finn is the new Mr. Right, the country’s favourite single guy, and the object of 25 women’s affections. But when his ex-fiancé steps onto set and back into the limelight, he wishes he never agreed to another season.
Leighton shattered his heart for the world to see, and he’s not ready to face that reality. Or the fact that he can’t focus on anyone else when she’s in the room.
Can Leighton convince him, and America, that she’s the one? Or will her future with Finn only consist of fifteen more minutes of fame?
Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Book by This Author / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog) / Second Chance
(3) Tools of Engagement (Hot & Hammered #3) by Tessa Bailey (2020)
House-Flipping + Reality TV. Of course I was going to love Tools of Engagement.
Hair, makeup, clothing, decor… everything in Bethany Castle’s world is organized, planned, and styled to perfection. Which is why the homes she designs for her family’s real estate business are the most coveted in town. The only thing not perfect? Her track record with men. She’s on a dating hiatus and after helping her friends achieve their dreams, Bethany finally has time to focus on her own: flip a house, from framework to furnishings, all by herself. Except her older brother runs the company and refuses to take her seriously.
When a television producer gets wind of the Castle sibling rivalry, they’re invited on Flip Off, a competition to see who can do the best renovation. Bethany wants bragging rights, but she needs a crew and the only member of her brother’s construction team willing to jump ship is Wes Daniels, the new guy in town. His Texas drawl and handsome face got under Bethany’s skin on day one, but the last thing she needs is some cocky young cowboy in her way.
As the race to renovate heats up, Wes and Bethany are forced into close quarters, trading barbs and biting banter as they remodel the ugliest house on the block. It’s a labour of love, hate, and everything in between, and soon sparks are flying. But Bethany’s perfectly structured life is one kiss away from going up in smoke and she knows falling for a guy like Wes would be a flipping disaster.
Tags: Enemies-to-Lovers / Favourite Author / Favourite Series / Love Under Construction
(4) Wreck The Halls by Tessa Bailey (2023)
Melody Gallard may be the daughter of music royalty, but her world is far from glamorous. She spends her days restoring old books and avoiding the limelight (one awkward tabloid photo was enough, thanks). But when a producer offers her a lot of money to reunite her mother’s band on live TV, Mel begins to wonder if it’s time to rattle the cage, shake up her quiet life… and see him again. The only other person who could wrangle the rock and roll divas.
Beat Dawkins, the lead singer’s son, is Melody’s opposite—the camera loves him, he could charm the pants off anyone, and his mom is not a potential cult leader. Still, they might have been best friends if not for the legendary feud that broke up the band. When they met as teenagers, Mel felt an instant spark, but it’s nothing compared to the wild, intense attraction that builds as they embark on a madcap mission to convince their mothers to perform one last show.
While dealing with rock star shenanigans, a 24-hour film crew, brawling Santas, and mobs of adoring fans, Mel starts to step out of her comfort zone. With Beat by her side, cheering her on, she’s never felt so understood. But Christmas Eve is fast approaching, and a decades-old scandal is poised to wreck everything—the Steel Birds reunion, their relationships with their mothers, and their newfound love.
Tags: Christmas / Favourite Author / Musicians / One Bed
(5) Royally Matched (Royally #2) by Emma Chase (2017)
Before reading Royally Matched, I was sceptical that any other couple could live up to Nicholas & Olivia in Royally Screwed, the 1st instalment of the Royally Series but there’s a reason Emma Chase is one of my favourite authors and Henry & Sarah’s sweet and funny romance is equally five-star worthy.
Some men are born responsible, some men have responsibility thrust upon them. Henry John Edgar Thomas Pembrook, Prince of Wessco, just got the motherlode of all responsibility dumped in his regal lap. He’s not handling it well.
Hoping to help her grandson to rise to the occasion, Queen Lenora agrees to give him “space”—but while the Queen’s away, the Prince will play. After a chance meeting with an American television producer, Henry finally makes a decision all on his own:
Welcome to Matched: Royal Edition.
A reality TV dating game show featuring twenty of the world’s most beautiful blue bloods gathered in the same castle. Only one will win the diamond tiara, only one will capture the handsome prince’s heart.
While Henry revels in the sexy, raunchy antics of the contestants as they fight, literally, for his affection, it’s the quiet, bespectacled girl in the corner—with the voice of an angel and a body that would tempt a saint—who catches his eye.
The more Henry gets to know Sarah Mirabelle Zinnia Von Titebottum, the more enamoured he becomes of her simple beauty, her strength, her kind spirit… and her naughty sense of humour.
But Rome wasn’t built in a day—and irresponsible royals aren’t reformed overnight.
As he endeavours to right his wrongs, old words take on whole new meanings for the dashing Prince. Words like, Duty, Honour and most of all—Love.
Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Series / Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog) / Royal
(6) Hearts on Air (Hearts #6) by L.H. Cosway (2017)
Hearts on Air might be #6 in the Hearts Series but it’s also an introduction to the Running on Air Series, which follows Trevor and his cast-mates’ adventures filming their parkour (the sport of traversing environmental obstacles by running, climbing, or leaping rapidly and efficiently – Merriam-Webster) reality TV show around the world.
3 weeks. 5 cities. 15 impossible stunts. One reality show.
Trevor Cross came into Reya Cabrera’s world with a bang and faded out with a whimper. They vowed to make it work, but life had other plans. After chasing his TV dreams for years, Trev finally became the UK’s next big reality star, but he alienated his family and friends in the process. Now he finally has everything he ever wanted. Women. Money. Fame. But none of it means anything when he doesn’t have the one thing that matters most: love.
Money leaves a gaping hole. Fame surrounds him with loneliness. And no woman makes him feel like Reya used to before the whirlwind of success pulled them apart.
He has a plan to get her back. However, with a hectic filming schedule looming, the only way to do that is to convince her to come on the road with him. Reya has been stuck in a rut for a while, and the opportunity to travel across Europe and play her music for new audiences seems like heaven. The only catch? She has to do it with the one boy who ever got close enough to break her heart. But he’s not a boy anymore, and as she gets to know him again she can’t deny her respect for the man he’s become.
Every time she’s around him her heart feels full of air, like a balloon about to pop. Little does she know, Trev’s feelings are just as tumultuous as hers. One thing’s for sure, these three weeks on the road together will either make them whole again or break them irrevocably.
Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Series / Musicians / Second Chance
(7) Air Kiss (Running on Air #0.5) by L.H. Cosway (2017)
Leanne Simmons and Callum Davidson are complete opposites. As soon as they meet they know they won’t get along. However, for the sake of their TV show they agree to put their differences aside, but it’s not as easy as they think.
For one, there’s the unexplainable physical attraction they can’t seem to shake. And for two, everything out of their mouths seems to rub the other the wrong way.
Leanne wonders how she can be attracted to such a careless, narcissistic playboy.
Callum wonders why he can’t get a girl who dresses like a boy out of his head.
Before long their attraction becomes a temptation neither one of them can resist.
Tags: Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog)
(8) Off the Air (Running on Air #1) by L.H. Cosway (2019)
Spending a month filming a reality TV show with your ex is no picnic.
Especially when you’ve signed a contract stating that the two of you will not, under any circumstances, have romantic relations while filming.
Leanne Simmons and Callum Davidson never had an easy relationship. From enemies to lovers and back to enemies, they’ve been on again/off again for years. Things come to a head when Callum gets into an altercation with a rival for Leanne’s affections. Their management decide enough is enough and give them both an ultimatum: sign the contract or leave the show.
Unwilling to give up their livelihoods, Callum and Leanne sign on the dotted line. However, like always, they can’t resist making a bet. Callum thinks it’s only a matter of time before they break the agreement, while Leanne is determined to see it through.
Can she resist him for an entire month without losing her sanity? And what if this is the one bet that finally breaks them both?
Tags: Five Star Reads (Pre-Blog)
(9) Something in the Air (Running on Air #2) by L.H. Cosway (2020)
Michaela Olsson has found her soulmate in James Khan. There are just a few teeny, tiny problems…
One, he’s her boss, two, he’s too old for her, and three, well, he happens to be engaged to somebody else.
She’ll take this crush and bury it deep. She’ll take it to her grave. James already belongs to another, so she’ll lock her secret up so tight it’ll be deprived of oxygen, suffocate and die.
Too dark?
Matters are only made worse when James asks her to move into his newly purchased house to supervise the renovations. Working together every day is bad enough, but living in a house he owns is far more intimate than she expected. Then, when James decides to call off his wedding without any explanation whatsoever, Michaela wonders if perhaps her feelings for him aren’t as one-sided as she thought.
While he was engaged James shared a flat with his fiancée, but now he’s moving into the house that Michaela has been living in by herself. She hadn’t intended for it to happen, but the place has started to feel like home, and with the object of her affections suddenly sharing her living space, things become infinitely more complicated. And heated.
Soon Michaela learns she might’ve had more to do with James calling off his engagement than she could’ve possibly imagined.
Tags: Workplace Romance
(10) Sadie on a Plate by Amanda Elliot (2022)
Sadie is a rising star in the trendy Seattle restaurant scene. Her dream is to create unique, modern, and mouth-watering takes on traditional Jewish recipes. But after a public breakup with her boss, a famous chef, she is sure her career is over–until she lands a coveted spot on the next season of her favourite TV show, Chef Supreme.
On the plane to New York, Sadie has sizzling chemistry with her seatmate, Luke, but tells him that she won’t be able to contact him for the next six weeks. They prolong their night with a spontaneous, magical dinner before parting ways. Or so she thinks. When she turns up to set the next day, she makes a shocking discovery about who Luke is….
If Sadie wants to save her career by winning Chef Supreme, she’s going to have to ignore the simmering heat between her and Luke. But how long can she do that before the pot boils over?
Tags: Chefs / Favourite Author / Jewish
(11) Tonic (Tonic #1) by Staci Hart (2016)
The conflict surrounding a cast member (Joel) and a producer (Annika) falling for each other on the set of a reality TV show immediately reminded me of Season 7 (Seattle) of The Real World (1992+) when it was discovered that David was in a clandestine relationship with Kira, who was a casting director for Bunim-Murray Productions and had interviewed him during the audition process. Kira lost her job as a result of their relationship. If you want to find out more, check out this interview with David from Jezebel.
Joel Anderson doesn’t take anything seriously.
Not his relationships, which have been few and far between since his brutal divorce. Not the drama of working in a tattoo parlour, which seems to be around every corner. When things get him down, he smiles and cracks a joke. But he’s not the kind of man you cross, or you’ll find yourself at the wrong end of his fists.
Annika Belousov takes everything seriously.
Like her job as a reality television producer, given that she typically has something to prove. Or her love life, which is defined by a series of requirements — affluent, ambitious, accomplished, to name a few. Definitely her family, who worked their whole lives to afford her every opportunity, a sacrifice she doesn’t take lightly. When she’s tapped to produce a reality show at Joel’s shop, she doesn’t think twice, just goes in for the kill, as if there were any other way.
The second Annika walks into Joel’s shop, he makes it his mission to crack her open, but she’s not having it. He’s all wrong — too crass, too hairy, too un-serious. But it doesn’t take her long to find out there’s more to him than smirks and tattoos. And what she finds could put her career and his heart on the line.
Not that Joel cares. Because for the first time in a long time, he’s found his tonic.
Tags: Favourite Author / Favourite Series / Tattoo Artists
(12) The True Love Experiment (DNADuo #2) by Christina Lauren (2023)
Felicity “Fizzy” Chen is lost. Sure, she’s got an incredible career as a beloved romance novelist with a slew of bestsellers under her belt, but when she’s asked to give a commencement address, it hits her: she hasn’t been practicing what she’s preached.
Fizzy hasn’t ever really been in love. Lust? Definitely. But that swoon-worthy, can’t-stop-thinking-about-him, all-encompassing feeling? Nope. Nothing. What happens when the optimism she’s spent her career encouraging in readers starts to feel like a lie?
Connor Prince, documentary filmmaker and single father, loves his work in large part because it allows him to live near his daughter. But when his profit-minded boss orders him to create a reality TV show, putting his job on the line, Connor is out of his element. Desperate to find his romantic lead, a chance run-in with an exasperated Fizzy offers Connor the perfect solution. What if he could show the queen of romance herself falling head-over-heels for all the world to see? Fizzy gives him a hard pass—unless he agrees to her list of demands. When he says yes, and production on The True Love Experiment begins, Connor wonders if that perfect match will ever be in the cue cards for him, too.
Tags: Favourite Author / Five Star Reads
(13) Ready to Run (I Do, I Don’t #1) by Lauren Layne (2017)
It’s a Book List so of course it’s got to have at least 1 x book by my joint all-time favourite author, Lauren Layne and My Favourite Reality TV Fiction is extra-blessed because we’ve got 2 from the I Do, I Don’t Series.
Jordan Carpenter thinks she’s finally found the perfect candidate for Jilted, a new dating show about runaway grooms: firefighter Luke Elliott, a known player who’s left not one but three brides at the altar. The only problem? Luke refuses to answer Jordan’s emails or return her calls. Which is how she ends up on a flight to Montana to recruit him in person. It’s not Manhattan, but at least the locals in Lucky Hollow seem friendly…except for Luke, who’s more intense – and way hotter – than the slick womanizer Jordan expected.
Eager to put the past behind him, Luke has zero intention of following this gorgeous, fast-talking city girl back to New York. But before he can send her packing, Jordan’s everywhere: at his favourite bar, the county fair, even his exes’ book club. Annoyingly, everyone in Lucky Hollow seems to like her – and deep down, she’s starting to grow on him too. But the more he fights her constant pestering, the more Luke finds himself wishing that Jordan would kick off her high heels and make herself comfortable in his arms.
Tags: Favourite Author
(14) Runaway Groom (I Do, I Don’t #2) by Lauren Layne (2018)
Gage Barrett’s reputation as a ladies’ man has been greatly exaggerated, but none of that matters after a drunken bet lands him on Jilted, a reality TV show that matches runaway grooms with wannabe brides. Now he’s stuck at a Hawaiian resort with nineteen women competing to drag him back to the altar – and one contestant who’s even more miserable than he is. Gage has no idea how feisty, independent Ellie Wright wound up in the cast, but it’s obvious she hates his guts. And if there’s one thing Gage likes, it’s a challenge…
Ellie can’t believe she let her best friend talk her into exchanging her dignity for a glorified bikini contest. Still, she could use the exposure – her business is struggling – and she’ll probably be one of the first to get eliminated anyway. But Gage isn’t the shallow jerk Ellie anticipated – and he’s in no rush to send her home. As stolen kisses turn into secret trysts, she finds herself losing track of what’s real and what’s for the camera. With the wedding finale looming, this runaway groom is tempting Ellie to start believing in storybook endings.
Tags: Five Star Reads
(15) Mr Fixer Upper (Fixer #1) by Lucy Score (2017)
Another House-Flipping x Reality TV collab? Yes, please. Gannon King is a sexy-as-hell alpha male (you might need a fire extinguisher on hand when you get to *that* shower scene) with a squishy, marshmallow heart. Paige and Gannon’s sister, Cat are both kickass females in typically male-dominated industries and I dare you not to fall in love with adorable Malia Dufour.
Gannon King is great with his hands and—if you believe what you read on Twitter—he’s “sex in a toolbelt.” The reality TV star learned his lesson about falling for pretty packages the hard, painful, humiliating way and he’s not making that mistake again.
Sure, “Legs” is gorgeous as hell and smart-mouthed—two of his favourite qualities in a woman. But she’s an icy network kiss-ass. At least, that’s what he thinks until he catches her being human.
Field producer Paige St. James has zero time for temperamental stars, especially Gannon who does his best to get under her skin. She’s got plans to get out of reality TV and do something that matters.
But ratings are king and, when Paige and Gannon’s sparks are captured by cameras, the network smells a time slot victory. After an on-set accident and a vindictive celebrity “girlfriend,” Paige finds her reputation in tatters and her job hanging by a thread.
She never should have trusted him…
But now that he’s gotten those talented hands on her, Gannon’s never letting go.
Tags: Enemies-to-Lovers / Five Star Reads / Love Under Construction
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Louise Hall 