Pretty Face by Lucy Parker Published by Carina Press on February 20th 2017
Genres: Adult, Romance
Format: eBook
Source: Bought
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Highly acclaimed, award-winning author of Act Like It Lucy Parker returns readers to the London stage with laugh-out-loud wit and plenty of drama
The play's the fling
It's not actress Lily Lamprey's fault that she's all curves and has the kind of voice that can fog up a camera lens. She wants to prove where her real talents lie—and that's not on a casting couch, thank you. When she hears esteemed director Luc Savage is renovating a legendary West End theater for a lofty new production, she knows it could be her chance—if only Luc wasn't so dictatorial, so bad-tempered and so incredibly sexy.
Luc Savage has respect, integrity and experience. He also has it bad for Lily. He'd be willing to dismiss it as a midlife crisis, but this exasperating, irresistible woman is actually a very talented actress. Unfortunately, their romance is not only raising questions about Lily's suddenly rising career, it's threatening Luc's professional reputation. The course of true love never did run smooth. But if they're not careful, it could bring down the curtain on both their careers…
Heading into Pretty Face I was quite nervous for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I didn’t love the first book in the companion series, Act Like It. It had plenty to like but for some reason I didn’t vibe with it completely. Nevertheless, I really wanted to check out this companion, especially after it came highly recommended by many others, which brings me to the other reason I was nervous to pick this one up – hype. I was afraid it wouldn’t live up to those expectations but I’m happy to say Pretty Face is a lovely romance novel absolutely worth digging into!
The story takes place in the London theater as we have Luc Savage gearing up a new production and desperately trying to cast one of the leads. Lily has dreamed of joining the theater but she has been labeled the ditzy blonde type as people seem to confuse reality with her famous soap opera character, as well as judge her by her looks and high-pitched voice. Luc was not interested in Lily auditioning at all but once he does he realizes there’s more to her than just a ‘pretty face’.
I loved these characters. I love that Lily was determined to break down those stereotypes bestowed upon her and succeed in this new endeavor. She has to deal with quite a bit of negativity and sexism but she holds her chin up through it and perseveres. She has a very kind heart and owns her sexiness and I love that she still has that touch of vulnerability. It was very important for Luc to learn to not to judge a book by its cover, so to speak. He’s pretty stiff in the beginning with this sort of grumpy exterior, but I love how he opens up around Lily. There is a lot of stigma associated with dating your boss, especially in the entertainment world, and they were entirely aware of those issues heading into their relationship and what it might mean to their careers. The romance is this slow burn with lots of swoony moments mixed in with witty humor. Their connection was undeniable to everyone around them and us as the readers. They have so much to overcome with not only the work issue but also family drama and rampant rumors spread with the help of the trashy tabloid determined to find a way to destroy them in the media. My adoration for the story only grew as I read and it is such an amazing reading experience when that happens.
Pretty Face is absolutely worth a read! The story is smart, the characters are dynamic, and the romance is beyond sweet. Grab yourselves a copy of this one if you haven’t already!
Jenea’s Book Obsession
I really like the sounds of this, I need to check out the first book too now. Great review!
Sara @ Forever 17 Books
I liked this one a lot more than the previous book. They are companions so you don’t have to read the first book before checking out this one but perhaps you will enjoy it more than I did!
Jen Ryland
I definitely preferred this book to Act Like It! Hoping there is a third and that we like it too…
Jen Ryland Reviews
Sara @ Forever 17 Books
There is a third! It comes out later this month!
Sam@WLABB
I am just in love with this whole series. I loved Luc so much, and this book left me with a big stupid grin on my face.
Sam@WLABB recently posted…Blogiversary – Look Who’s 5!!
Sara @ Forever 17 Books
It was such a sweet story!
ken
Hello Sara, I love reading romantic books, and always searching for new books. Thank you so much for sharing this.