For My Finale by Sienna Waters

⭐⭐★

Sienna Waters has long been a strictly romcom writer. One doesn't expect any particular depth of either characterization or plot from her. But this one is a little short on both the anchor fronts of her books — romance and comedy.

On the night of winning an Oscar, Lilah Paxton's acceptance speech begins with, "I quit". After that, with no plan in mind, she ends up at an English, Bankton. The plot relies heavily on her unsuitability for living in the largely rural village. Comedy comes only from there — especially the slapstick kind.

Blossom Baker, the owner of the local café, The Bankton Bean, was a teen fangirl with a crush on Lilah Paxton. She's also Lilah's new neighbour. Blossom's cheerfulness, brightness and overall lovability remains more tell than show. 

Lilah's agent, Margot is constantly offering Lilah great opportunities that Lilah refuses — even when she'd going utterly crazy with boredom. The villagers treat Lilah with a certain unsettling and unwarranted condescension, showing some weird kind of reverse superiority.

The MCs have very little chemistry until almost a third (or slightly over a third) of the book and then it's just suddenly there all the time. That was pretty abrupt and unconvincing. 

Waters' ability to write good humour and comedy shine in Chapter 2. That is a delightful scene in which she introduces all the major characters with drama. 

The second moment that was enjoyable was Lilah lying down on her back and screaming her boredom in wordless yells at the sky. While this could've been a serious moment, Waters' makes it light enough to be enjoyable, while still conveying Lilah's emotion.

But that is about it.  

On the whole, I didn't start this book with any expectations, but realised there must've been some when it failed even on the minimum. 

This is not a book I'd recommend on any level — but wouldn't actively dissuade anyone looking for a light, essentially uninvolving read. It's just there. 

⭐⭐★

It's in Her Kiss by Rachel Lacey

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐★

Sophie Rindell and Julia Vega are struggling Broadway actresses. They meet while auditioning for the same role. The role is of the leading lady, Bianca, a dream for both of them. After the audition, Sophie invites Jules to hang out with her and her friends and Jules accepts.

Sophie is out and undeniably attracted to Jules. Jules is curious but hasn't taken any action on her possible attraction towards woman. 

Both get a call back, but while Jules is cast as Bianca, Sophie is part of the ensemble and an understudy for the two main leads. As the rehearsals progress, Jules and Sophie's relationship also progresses. But both carry their own baggage that interferes with their relationship.

This book is equally story driven and character driven and really scores high on the characters-driven aspect. Jules and Sophie are complete human beings with positives and negatives. With ambitions and fears. With hopes and dreams. With multiple aspects and dimensions. 

Lacey does a brilliant job with keeping all actions of each of them in the perfect trajectory of their character. All their actions are understandable since we get to know their drivers so well.

Jules, with her softness, vulnerability and awareness is a tad higher on the appealing quotient. Even when she messes up due to being in the closet, she is quick to realise it and apologise. Sophie is much more confident, a little more aggressive and explicably (because of past experience) self-protective. Yet she reaches beyond her fears and frustrations, which is so admirable.

We were totally drawn into the story and into the characters. This book was a wonderful read and we wholeheartedly recommend it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐★q

Star Struck: A Lesbian Romance by Mia Archer

⭐⭐⭐
Tabitha Cartwright became a teen sensation starring in a popular superhero TV serial. Now a young adult, she's in the process of transitioning onto the big screen. There are rumours about her and an actor and a studio wants to cash in on the interest in the possible romance of the two former child stars by making a cheesy romance with the two in the leading roles. Amy is an extra on the set of the movie for the meet cute scene. She's had a crush on Tabitha forever but knows to keep her head down if she wants to have anything like a career in the movies. Except that Tabitha singles her out to hang out. Amy is surprised to discover that Tabitha's sexuality is one of the better kept secrets about her.

As Tabitha and Amy find more and more in common, the movie is quickly getting all but derailed.

We wish we'd got a better sense of what the two leading ladies looked like. We know Tabitha has a radiant smile, but little else. Also, both Tabitha and Amy behave like irresponsible teenagers most of the time which, given their backgrounds didn't quite jell.

Tabitha and Amy have great chemistry in the first couple of scenes but it doesn't pop the same way later. Even the relationship didn't really grow. In fact, though there was an immediate U-haul, the relationship didn't quite move past the initial awkward stages since they never got around being completely emotionally open and vulnerable with each other. Amy in particular was rather unmindful and uncaring about the situations she was putting Tabitha in. She also didn't have any real appreciation of Tabitha. We didn't get the sense that Amy actually saw Tabitha. And that was rather sad. The onus of making the relationship a relationship lay entirely with Tabitha and though she seemed to put in everything, it never seemed like her efforts were returned in any way.

With the way things are between them in the end, this is more HFN than HEA unless Amy does a whole lot of maturing emotionally rather quickly -- something that we don't see happening.

This book constantly teetered on the possibility of moving to magnificence. At every point we hoped that it would move into being more detailed, have greater depth and explore more dimensions in characterisations and the relationship -- but that never happened. As someone once said (think it was Somerset Maugham) people don't write as they want to, they write as they can. We just wish there was more to this one, though.

Overall, this is an okay read in the short reads niche.

⭐⭐⭐

Finding Jessica Lambert by Clare Ashton

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A spectacularly written, madly immersive age gap romance.

Travelling on the tube in an evening like any other, Anna Mayhew's ordered and orderly world is shaken by the arrival of a panic-stricken young woman into the carriage. With no one else stepping up to help the obviously distressed woman, Anna offers help which is gratefully accepted. Anna takes the stranger to a coffe shop to calm her down and slowly the woman regains composure. But just enough to be less panicked as long as Anna is around. Suspecting that there is a stalker, Anna overcomes her own fears and takes the stranger, Jess, home where the overwrought woman literally collapses in Anna's bed into deep sleep.

Thus begins Anna's and Jess' journey. Jess' unexpected arrival in her life helps Anna slowly peel of layers of fear and protection that she'd donned over the years. Anna's presence in her life helps Jess gain more control of herself and her life. 

This is a long book in which we savoured every word, lived every emotion and were submerged in every moment. 

Jessica Lambert and Anna Mayhew. Two wonderful characters. Two women so strong and so vulnerable. So complete with well-defined strengths and fears. We were swept away by the detail with which they've been brought to life and totally swept into them, individually and as a couple. When they have a fallout in the narrative -- we've never so strongly and desperately rooted for any two people to get back together.

Ashton creates two women with their own demons and doesn't waver in their characterisation all through giving them both remarkable dimension and depth. It is unspeakably beautiful to see how they support each other in facing their demons. It is particularly wonderful the way Ashton writes one of them on the autism spectrum and encompasses the many behaviours, good and bad, in her characterisation. 

Describing nano-emotions and micro-feelings, Ashton's brilliance and her sparklingly real ladies had us completely in the zone. We appreciated that they both were actresses who loved the profession and embraced it. While one had trouble coping with the attendant attention because of personality issues, the other welcomed and sought it. And that is really how it works. 

This is an awesome book which we actively and vehemently recommend.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

One Golden Summer by Clare Lydon and T. B. Markinson

⭐⭐⭐★

This is a lightweight romance between trapped-by-unwanted-success-superstar and a wine shop owner in a quint beach town.

Forty-nine year old Kirsty McBride, divorced for seven years, owns a wine shop in Sandy Cove in partnership with her old friend, Helena. She has a fairly good relationship with her parents, though her mom is far from subtle about nudging Kirsty to find a partner. Her life is on an even keel. And her business could be expanding to include divorce parties. Kirsty has floated the idea to her new, posh, affluent, recently divorced customer, Ginger, who seems interested in such a party.

Saffron Oliver, star of a hit franchise, Girl Racer, has been acting since she was fifteen, is hugely famous (enough to command eight figure fees for a single movie) but practically burnt out and rather lost at just thirty-two. She wants time off and convinces her pushy agent to leave her alone for a month. Saffron plans to spend the month in Sandy Cove, where her sister, Ginger, has relocated to.

Saffron and Kirsty inevitably meet and are assigned by Ginger to work on her divorce party together. The two are attracted towards each other but carrying their own baggage which could well crush the budding relationship.

All the characters -- Kirsty, Ginger, Helena but mostly Saffron -- are immensely engaging. The dialogue fun and the atmosphere light. Lydon and Markinson are both solid writers so the narrative flows fluidity. So as a purely fluffy read, it ticks all boxes. 

We know that we're not supposed to overfeel something meant to be as lighthearted as this book, but we found Saffron intensely tragic. She keeps saying no one hears her or listens to her, and that is repeatedly proved true throughout the narrative. Also, she seems to be alone in almost all her relationships including with her sister and with Kirsty. She seems to be the only one reaching out, the only one trying to convince the other of her authenticity and the only one trying to make a relationship. Our heart really bled for her.

But our final take is that this is a very well paced, easy flowing, quick entertainer.

⭐⭐⭐★

Stepping Stone by Karin Kallmaker, Narrated by Abby Craden (Audiobook)

⭐⭐

One struggling actress waiting for her break. One scheming and self-serving leading lady angling for an award. One A-listed good-hearted hunk of an actor. One indie producer and her sure-to-succeed new movie.

Selene Ryan, an indie producer is putting together the cast for her new movie, Barcelona. She wants to cast Hyde Butler, the current box office darling. Hyde is also interested since this movie would help him establish his acting chops and move beyond being just an action hero. Jennifer Lamont, Selena's ex wants the role of the leading lady in said movie to consolidate her position in the industry. Selena and Jennifer had lived and split in public scandal. Selena feels used and misused by Jennifer and though Jennifer is endlessly attractive, Selena wants nothing to do with her. Except that Jennifer is perfect for the role. Gail Welles is cast as the other woman in the drama. While the drama of the movie is being shot, Selena, Gail and Jennifer have their own off-camera story progressing.

Selena Ryan is breathtakingly insipid. Her utter lack of being anything interesting is exacerbated by having two women with very well-defined personalities interested in her. Even her friend-cum-colleague Kim is more interesting. She is supposed to be hardworking, efficient and a fair employer. She is all that. But she is only that. It flummoxes us how a person who is the centre of a triangle with two other very interesting characters can be so beige. Even when Kim has an allergic reaction, Selena is the only one who does nothing and finds herself being able to do nothing. (In fact, only Jennifer kept her head in that scene and did something constructive).  

Gail Welles, currently-a-waitress-but-waiting-for-a-break actress, is instantly likeable. Her likeability factor jumps many notches in her audition scene where she goes quite berserk with the script. Then there is the whole I-won’t-hide-my-eagerness-for-the-role part which is so endearing. She singlehandedly creates chemistry between her and Selena and keeps it going through the entire slow burn of a book. We love the fact that she’s not traditionally beautiful but arresting nevertheless, and that she can out-act all her co-stars.   

However, the most captivating and charismatic person in the whole cast is definitely Jennifer Lamont. Cast as the antagonist, Jennifer is supposed to be a scheming, manipulative user but she comes across as honest and genuine. Her scheming is transparent and she doesn’t try to hide the fact she is ambitious. (A whole scene where she talking about her shelf life, about her insecurity about Gail and then about confessing that she thought villainy was the only path – it’s all just so upfront and authentic). There is, in fact, something guileless and innocent about all Jennifer’s machinations. In all her persistent approaches towards Selena asking to get back together, it never felt that Jennifer didn’t have genuine feelings about the woman (Selena) who is singularly and constantly rude (very rude) to her.    

There's nothing particularly new or exciting about this extremely predictable story (except maybe that Hyde is a genuinely nice guy -- literally scraping the bottom of the barrel here to find something) but Abby Craden's smooth voice carries you through painlessly and engagingly.

We'd recommend this only for the Voice (Abby Craden) more than the actual content or the story because frankly, there are way better romances that this one that you can invest your time in. 

⭐⭐