***4.5 "You captivate me. Do I captivate you?" Stars*** 
 Showmance was just what the Dr ordered. A slow building romance filled with characters that were so real, so flawed and so genuine that I couldn't help but fall into adoration with them. 
 I fell into full adoration with Rose and Damon from the very beginning. Rose didn't have a typical childhood and was dealt a blow to her heart that could have turned her cynical, but didn't. She is sweet, compassionate and still carries the belief in her heart that there is someone out there made just for her. I loved how real Rose was and is someone that I'd love to have as my friend and confidante. 
 Damon has always been shy, but acting brought out another side of him and he became Hollywood's golden boy at a very young age. But the loss of his most trusted protector and manipulation and lies from one who should have protected him drove him further into himself and had him walk away from the limelight. My heart hurt for Damon and what he'd been through as a child and I loved watching how he evolved from shy and awkward to being more confident and settled with himself and the world without losing the simple goodness that lived in his heart and soul. 
 Rose and Damon's road to their HEA can definitely be classified as a slow building romance with quite a few false starts and potholes wreaking havoc along the way, but I enjoyed every second of it. Even when I felt that some of the issues should have been done away with earlier, I loved it because after reading so many books with insta-love going on this was truly a breath of fresh air. Yes, there is instant mutual attraction between them, but neither jump into the fire immediately. They are both at point in their lives where they are both on uneven ground and have quite a few things to work through personally and they end up doing it together and separately which helped to strengthen their friendship before becoming romantically involved. I loved their bantering and the sexual chemistry between them was hot, but I what I loved seeing was how they truly got who the other was, respected it and brought out the best in each other. 
 I loved that Moulin Rouge was the play they were working on since it is one of my favorite movie musicals and soundtracks, so, yes, I had the music on a constant loop while devouring the book. The supporting cast of characters were very well done and really helped to add more depth to the story. Iggy, was definitely a fav, but the one who peaked my interest the most was Julian. I know that comes as no surprise since he had such a presence throughout the entire story, so I'm in total squee mode that we'll be getting his story in 2017!!