The Director’s Cut by Janice Thompson

A Backstage Pass (Book 3)

Tia Morales is used to calling the shots. She's the director of the popular sitcom Stars Collide, and her life on set is calculated and orderly. Well, most of the time. But her life outside the studio is another matter. If only she could get her family to behave as well as her stars do! When she starts butting heads with handsome camera operator Jason Harris, it's enough to send a girl over the edge. Will she ever learn to let go and take life--and love--as it comes?

Full of the humor and crazy family dynamics Janice Thompson fans have come to love, this colorful story gives readers an inside look at Hollywood and a healthy dose of romance.

My Review:
How good it is to see Lenora Worth exiting from her pink convertible! I was delighted to meet her again along with several other characters from the Backstage Pass series. The author has the ability to write characters such that this reader feels as if they are long-time friends. The novel can be enjoyed without having read the other titles in the series; however, the entire series is worth a reader's time.

I loved peeking behind the scenes of this award-winning sit com. Hollywood personalities are magnetizing. We fans can't get enough!

If you're looking for a lighthearted summer read, get a copy of The Director’s Cut! I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Available June, 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. Thank you to Donna Hausler for my copy.

Love in Disguise by Carol Cox

Delightfully Engaging Blend of Romance, Suspense, History, and Humor.

When costume-maker Ellie Moore suddenly finds herself out of a job in the middle of a bleak Chicago winter, she uses her knowledge of theatrical disguise to secure a position as an undercover operative with the Pinkerton Detective Agency. Her assignment: find the culprit behind the theft of silver shipped from the mines near Pickford, Arizona.

Disguised as Lavinia Stewart, a middle-aged widow, Ellie begins her investigation. Soon she finds she must also pose as the dazzling young Jessie Monroe, whose vivacious personality encourages people to talk.

Mine owner Steven Pierce is about to lose his business after the theft of several bullion shipments--until hope arrives in the unlikely form of Lavinia Stewart, who offers to invest in Steven's mine. In his wildest dreams, Steven never expected to be rescued by an inquisitive gray-haired widow...or to fall head over heels for Lavinia's captivating niece, Jessie.

But then the thieves come after both Lavinia and Jessie. Ellie isn't safe no matter which character she plays! Will she be forced to reveal her true identity before the criminals are caught? What will Steven do when he discovers the woman he loves doesn't exist?

My Review:
And the Oscar goes to . . . Ellie Moore! A wannabe actress, Ellie poses as both Lavinia Stewart, an aging widow, and as Jessie Monroe, her young, eye-catching niece as she sets out in the Wild West to solve a mystery of stolen silver ore. She manages to fool an entire small Arizona town, and therefore, she certainly deserves that Oscar. The reader must be willing to suspend disbelief as Ellie first poses as Lavinia in a grey wig and then Jessie in a red wig. I don't think that she would have fooled me.

Ellie's relationship with Christ ranges from nonexistent in the beginning to fuzzy at the ending. There seemed to be no point where she begins a relationship. She does begin attending church, but only as part of Lavinia's character, not as her true self; it fails to make an impact on her. There are times that she asks for God's help when she's in a jam, but I found her non-faith confusing for a Christian fiction novel.

I did not like the way the author chopped off action in a chapter and then in the following chapter, summarized what had happened. I'd much rather witness the action. In other words, show me don't tell me. In addition, there are some sentence fragments. All of these things make this not one of my favorite books.

Thank you to Bonnie at Christian Fiction Blog Alliance and Publisher for my copy.

If you would like to read the first chapter, click here.

If you would like to buy a copy, click here.

Giveaway! Waiting for Sunrise by Eva Marie Everson

Sometimes finding your future means making peace with your past.

Patsy Milstrap wishes she could leave her past behind. Though she tries to put on a brave front for the sake of her family, the wounds still ache, and the scars on her soul are still deeply felt. At her concerned husband's gentle insistence, they take a vacation from South Carolina on Cedar Key, an idyllic island on Florida's Gulf Coast. A week in paradise will do them good, he says.

When a familiar--and most unexpected--face greets her at a seaside restaurant, Patsy knows she can no longer run from the past. But what will opening old wounds mean? And what will the future hold?

With a large helping of Southern charm, Waiting for Sunrise is a touching story of family, young love, and the need for forgiveness. Eva Marie Everson expertly draws out the bittersweet moments of life, weaving them into a tale that will envelop your soul.

My Review:
This is the second book in the Cedar Key series, but it is the first one that I've read. It can be read alone without having read the first.

Characters are well formed with flaws. This makes for an interesting and complex story line. The reader follows Patsy Milstrap from childhood throughout her adult life. She's a person that I would have liked at any age. Life for Patsy is not easy, but she usually muddles through. She keeps her problems to herself until one day she breaks. I cannot tell you more without divulging the plot.

Trust me, this book is worth reading!

Thank you to Donna Hausler for my copy. Available June, 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

To read the Prologue, click here.

To enter to win a Kindle Fire, click here.