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Showing posts with label Hollywood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hollywood. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
LDS Hollywood Romance Upbeat and Real (with a Giveaway!)
1:00 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
When Evie Jennings eloped with her boyfriend two years ago, she thought she was making a fresh start with the man she loved. Then he abandoned her, divorcing her through the mail. Evie hasn't seen Q since their hurried nuptials. Her friends and family urge her to move on, but to what? It's humiliating enough to be a 24-year-old divorceé, let alone living with her parents and attending a Young Single Adult (YSA) ward. She's enrolled at UCAL, but she's not even sure what she wants to be when she grows up. Evie's confused—about past mistakes, present decisions, and what kind of future she could possibly have when she's so messed up and broken.
After receiving scathing reviews on his forthcoming movie, Hollywood golden boy Ridge Dashly is starting to worry about his future, too. With his career on the line, he reluctantly agrees to an image re-boot, which includes enrolling at UCAL. Surrounded by starry-eyed co-eds, Ridge longs for someone who can see past his Hollywood heartthrob image and appreciate his true self. A chance encounter with Evie Jennings convinces him that she could be a true friend, if not a whole lot more. Soon, the two are exchanging flirty texts, swapping secrets, and stirring up enough gossip in their singles ward that even the paparazzi takes notice.
It took me a minute to realize that Love Unscripted—Tiffany Odekirk's sophomore novel—is actually a companion novel to her debut, Love On Pointe. It's not a sequel but a story concerning the same family, just a different member. With Emmy Jennings' HEA on the horizon, it's her twin's turn to find love. Although Evie's constant wallowing bugs, she's a sympathetic heroine and likeable enough that I wanted a happy ending for her as well. Ridge is a little too perfect, but it's also easy to desire good things for him. Their story has a fun premise, unoriginal and predictable though it may be. The tale's got religious undertones, but it's not overly preachy or sappy which makes it an appealing read for anyone who enjoys clean, upbeat contemporary romance. What I appreciate most about Odekirk is that she presents members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in a realistic way. Her characters make mistakes, treat each other in ways that aren't always kind, have doubts, struggle with their testimonies, question their Church leaders ... in short, they reflect real LDS people. Her story people—like IRL Mormons—are imperfect people striving to be better. Overall, then, I enjoyed Love Unscripted and will certainly read Odekirk's next effort (which I'm hoping will concern the mysterious Drew Jennings).
(Readalikes: Love On Pointe by Tiffany Odekirk; also reminds me of contemporary romances by Melanie Jacobson [especially Perfect Set], Brittany Larsen, and Jenny Proctor)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for discussions of subjects (pornography, spousal abandonment, premarital sex, etc.) that may not be appropriate for readers under 12
To the FTC, with love: I received a finished copy of Love Unscripted from Covenant in exchange for an honest review to be posted during the book's blog tour. Thank you!
--
Interested in more opinions of Love Unscripted? Follow along on the blog tour by clicking the links below:
*Sept. 24th: http://mybookaday.com/
*Sept. 25th: http://fireandicereads.com/, https://brightlystreet.com/, https://www.rockinbookreviews. com/, http://www.blogginboutbooks. com/, http:// gettingyourreadonaimeebrown. blogspot.com/
*Sept. 26th: http://thoroughlyhere. blogspot.com/, http://ldswritermom.blogspot. com/, http://lisaisabookworm. blogspot.com/, http://lifeiswhatitscalled. blogspot.com/
*Sept. 27th: http:// katiescleanbookcollection. blogspot.com/, https://www.wishfulendings. com/, https://www. singinglibrarianbooks.com/
*Sept. 28th: https://whynotbecauseisaidso. blogspot.com/, http://booksaresanity. blogspot.com/, http://literarytimeout. blogspot.com/
Want to win a copy of Love Unscripted for your very own? Or a $25 Amazon gift card? How about both? Enter to win this awesome prize using the Rafflecopter widget below:
Thursday, March 22, 2018
Historical Hollywood Novel Gripping and Glamorous
7:22 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
When Christine McAllister, owner of a chic vintage clothing shop in Hollywood, receives a donated movie prop, she's stunned. How did Scarlet O'Hara's iconic hat end up in her hands instead of in a film museum? There has to be a story there. As Christine hunts for answers, she uncovers a tale as rich and intriguing as any she's seen on the big screen ...
It's 1938 and employees of Selznick International Pictures are scurrying to produce a film of epic proportions. Sure to be a major hit, Gone With the Wind must be perfect, with every detail flawlessly executed. Desperate to escape her debutante life in Alabama, 22-year-old Violet Mayfield accepts a secretarial position at the studio and is thrown right into the intoxicating whirlwind of Hollywood glitz and glam. Her roommate, Audrey Duvall, is a promising but aging actress who, at 30, is desperate to land a significant part in a real movie. In the meantime, the entrancing beauty appoints herself Violet's mentor, teaching the newcomer the ins and outs of life in Tinseltown.
While Violet's aims are different from Audrey's ambitions, they're just as encompassing. As the years pass and their dreams seem in danger of dying, both women will do things of which they're not proud in order to get what they want. The consequences of those decisions will echo throughout their lives, changing their focus, their friendship, and their futures.
I enjoy Susan Meissner's quiet, compelling novels and Stars Over Sunset Boulevard is no exception. Since I always seem to prefer the past sections in a dual timeline story, this one especially appeals because only about 10% of it takes place in the present. With its magical setting and complex characters, the 1938 tale is absorbing enough on its own. Meissner's vivid storytelling brings the hustle and bustle of a Hollywood studio to life, with fascinating historical details to make it even more intriguing. I found myself easily wrapped up in the setting, the characters, and the plot in this engrossing novel about the lengths to which we'll go to get what we want.
(Readalikes: I haven't read many novels about Hollywood/the film industry, so I'm not sure what to compare Stars Over Sunset Boulevard to plot-wise. Stylistically, of course, it's similar to Susan Meissner's other dual timeline novels.)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language (no F-bombs)
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
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