Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Leaving romantic wreckage behind him, Nick Charles and his best friend Barb Anderson use Nick’s sizable inheritance to fly to one of the most exciting places in the world—New York City—with plans to open their own theater. In doing so, they meet Ross Taylor, the handsome real estate man and actor, and Rudy his construction-worker cousin. Ross is determined to heal Nick’s fragile heart, while shy Rudy and oblivious Barb stumble toward their own connection. Will Rosie Dupree, a rigid method actress, and talented but devious Gordon Holmes destroy their theater dreams? Was choosing the original piece, Starting Over, by an unpublished young playwright the best move for opening night? Will the invited critic show up? Amid the frantic and colorful world of the New York City theater scene, Nick and Barb must open their hearts and risk everything for their endeavors to succeed—both on the stage and behind the scenes.

 

 

States of Love: Stories of romance that span every corner of the United States.

Book Review

New York is an exciting place for many reasons, and the theater, with potential fame and fortune for those who “make it” is one aspect of its allure. It is not a side of New York I am very familiar with, but it made this story of Nick moving there to realize his dreams even more interesting. I got to see his struggles with setting up his own theater, from finding a location to choosing a play and actors, as well as his wonder at finally experiencing the insane rush it must be to live in the fast lane. Add a wonderful lifelong friendship with his childhood buddy Barb, a new romance, and all kinds of colorful and quirky characters, and you’ve got one very entertaining tale!

Nick is lucky to have inherited millions from his eccentric grandmother, and the way in which it happened is unusual and very funny. He knows what he wants to do with the money, and I was with him every step on his way as he moves to New York, gets used to the way things are done there, and fights all the expected as well as unexpected obstacles he encounters. Learning about the way small theaters operated along the way made things even more interesting, and his passionate romance with Ross had me hoping they’d figure out how to make things work long-term.

Ross works in real estate, but he is also an actor. Made me wonder if anyone in New York (other than maybe all the investment bankers) is not interested in playing some sort of role up on the big stage. Ross is a great guy, and luckily very patient, because with all the hang-ups Nick still has about his horrible ex, it takes quite some time for Ross to work his way through the virtual wall Nick has put up around his heart. Once Ross does? The way he and Nick relate in and out of the bedroom is amazing and very sweet.

The ever-present sense of humor with which Nick tells the story made me smile more than once, and his sometimes self-deprecating comments were hilarious. It made some of the less fun memories more bearable and added a flavor of snarkinesss to some of the proceedings that I really liked. Nick and Ross get along really well from the start, but Nick has been burnt once and is careful about getting in more deeply. It’s a good thing that Ross is patient, but even that can’t prevent Nick from making a disastrous assumption at the wrong moment... The parallel romance Barb experiences was as unexpected as it was cute, and the villain was as obvious as he was nasty.

If you like sweet stories about characters intent on realizing their dreams, if you enjoy reading about guys overcoming the obstacles their past and life throw at them, and if you’re looking for an entertaining read in a great setting, then you will probably like this novella.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novella, 137 pages/49157 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	22-March-2017
Price	$5.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/a-company-of-players-by-ken-bachtold-8300-b