Despite a few weaknesses in the plot and some minor uneven spots in pacing and characterization, the book is an enticing,...
When Meg Barnes, a Hollywood icon of a certain age, loses everything to her con-man husband, she decides to track him down to get it all back—or at the very least her self-respect, her reputation and maybe even a chance at the love of her life.
Not long ago, Meg Barnes had it all. A popular star of a famous mystery series from the past, she lived the high life until the day she received a phone call from Paul, her husband, telling her he’d been kidnapped. After gathering everything of value she can find to get him back, she is devastated when he never returns, then even more tormented when she realizes everything she believed about him was a carefully crafted fantasy. Now, after a year away from Tinseltown, Meg is back for pilot season, older, wiser and ready to figure out what happened to her ex and all the money he scammed in his infamous real estate con. While auditioning, she runs into an old friend who is convinced he saw Paul in San Diego. The hunt is on. Complicating things are Meg’s lawyer and friend Sid, who seems to know more than he should; his wife, Carol, who is determined to get Meg back into the Hollywood fold; and Jack Mitchell, the FBI agent who keeps digging into all of their business and who is way too handsome. Meg doesn’t know who to trust or where to go, but she’ll find loyal allies in unexpected places as she forges a new life for herself from the ashes of her old one. This is the first novel by Scott, who starred in the original Dark Shadows series, and the author’s knowledge of the world of Hollywood is evident in the background details throughout the book, offering a fun, sly behind-the-scenes tour of a world most of us know little about.
Despite a few weaknesses in the plot and some minor uneven spots in pacing and characterization, the book is an enticing, witty romp; a sparkling Hollywood-set tale that will entertain and satisfy.Pub Date: March 26, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-611098860
Page Count: 310
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2013
An effervescent Regency romantic mystery brings a decrepit estate to life.
A hunt for treasure—and treasures of the heart.
Peter Rathbone, the Duke of Compton, isn’t ever expecting visitors—his estate is so impoverished that he keeps a tennis racquet at the dinner table to fend off attacks from bats. Suddenly, however, he becomes the host to two parties: the Earl of Macklin, whom he hasn’t seen in six months, and a group of young women (plus chaperone, naturally) who went to school with his late sister, Delia. Led by Miss Ada Grandison, Sarah and Charlotte and Harriet are all eager to help the duke uncover a secret that Delia told Ada about just before her accidental death. Though the house is in disrepair, they all settle in, with chaperone Aunt Julia taking the opportunity to teach them how to run a household. Ada keeps looking for chances to be alone with the duke, to discuss Delia’s secret, and their private encounters spark a mutual interest. But Peter, for his part, won’t act on his feelings, having nothing to offer her, and Ada grows frustrated. After they all discover that Delia’s secret is a potential treasure trove hidden on the estate, the girls race to solve the puzzle Delia left behind and find the fortune. Peter’s not sure anything will come of it—but the chemistry between Ada and him continues, treasure or not. In the fourth volume of her The Way to a Lord’s Heart series (How To Cross a Marquess, 2019), Ashford continues her explorations of a world outside, but not apart from, London society. With a light mystery and evocative detail, she sketches a gentler side of Regency life, away from the haut ton. Although the budding romance between Ada and Peter is sweet and compelling, it’s the friendship between Ada and her three girlfriends that really sets the book apart. All of the dialogue, but especially theirs, is fast-paced and charming, adding a welcome richness to the story. The appearance of Lord Macklin might seem odd to readers who are new to the series, but the book can be read on its own, and fans of the series are sure to enjoy the latest entry.
An effervescent Regency romantic mystery brings a decrepit estate to life.Pub Date: April 28, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6344-7
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
Empty calories, presented cutely enough.
A family wedding forces a runaway fiancée to stick her toe back in the dating pool.
In this weightless debut, Emmy Everett emerges from seclusion—three years in Rhode Island working in a tackle shop—to return to Scarsdale for older brother Josh’s wedding to graceful Meryl. But Josh isn’t sure he wants to get married this weekend: He might be in love with Elizabeth, a holistic veterinarian with whom he has a connection (it was “like they were hearing the same song”). Urged on all sides to be supportive of her sibling during his crisis of indecision, Emmy can’t avoid contemplating the vacuum in her own love life. Mind you, that could easily be remedied, since suitors dog her every step. There’s Josh’s best friend, sexy chef Jaime; old local boyfriend Justin, although he now reveals himself to be gay; and above all ex-fiancé Matt, last seen sleeping in a motel room next to the abandoned engagement ring as Emmy slipped out the door with the knowledge that “she was losing him slowly anyway.” Dave milks the reliable wedding scenario set pieces, supplementing them with various comic characters, including Meryl’s birth parents, a pair of sociology professors never previously seen outside the Ozarks, and Emmy’s Jewish mother (“Eat just a little”). The book offers a kind of innocent yet worldly-wise charm via Emmy’s perky running commentary, but for every burst of invention, like the power outage that throws the doomed wedding off course, there’s a heaping portion of familiarity, especially in Matt’s prostration before Emmy (“I still have the engagement ring”) and her inevitable conjoining with an even more over-romanticized prospect.
Empty calories, presented cutely enough.Pub Date: May 22, 2006
ISBN: 0-670-03756-7
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2006
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