Lily Lamprey has starred as a ditzy flapper on the hit TV
show Knightsbridge for four years. And now that her
contract is up, she wants nothing more than make her
dream come true: act on the stage. Gaining some
respectability would also be a perk, because her TV stint
made her look like a brainless floozy, which most people
believe is how she really is. Luc Savage, theatre
director extraordinaire, is desperate: the renovations of
the Queen Anne Theatre in London's West End are not
progressing smoothly, he lost his lead actress -- not
once, but twice -- and his casting director suggests Lily
for a secondary role. Luc is aghast! How could TV's sexy
trollop with the annoying, breathy voice ever play the
Virgin Queen? Lily does end up getting the part, but she
might be even more nervous than Luc about it. Luc likes
Lily's presence, but that voice!
Because of Lily's voice issues, I was reminded of SINGIN' IN
THE RAIN, and PRETTY FACE by Lucy Parker
just might be to romance novels what the movie classic is
to musicals! Bright and shiny as a new penny, lively and
witty, I loved the tone right from the start: easy,
natural, irreverent as only the British can be, and so
funny. The dialogues are spectacular, the characters so
sharply drawn, they became real to me, and I adored Lily!
Luc is more of an enigma: his director persona threatens
at times to take over the man, but he also possesses that
dry wit that nearly matches Lily's. I loved the
camaraderie between Lily and her co-star Ash -- I would
like to see more of him at some point -- as well as the
interactions with the theatre cast, each and everyone
fascinating in all their peculiarities.
Ms. Parker descriptions of the life of theatre actors is
so vivid, it made me feel like an insider, privy to the
hard work, the gossip, as well as the dedication of all
those involved, and all this done very wittily, indeed.
The author also presents keen observations on the
infamous English tabloid press, as well as various
prejudices encountered in the art world. The interactions
between Luc and Lily are priceless: he appears stone-
faced and inflexible, and for the most part, that's what
he is, he is also more than a decade older than Lily, but
he is pleasantly surprised that Lily is not the bimbo he
first thought her to be, and she does realize the poor
quality of her voice could doom her forever to playing
tarts. Both Lily and Luc are hit by an attraction they
can't explain, that shouldn't happen, but it does, which
tortures them, as the implications could be disastrous to
both their reputations, and they are torn between nipping
the romance in the bud, or going along with it, and this
is as enthralling as the best thriller.
PRETTY FACE is a fascinating look at everything that goes
on in the production of a play, and so delectably done
that I wanted to savor every sentence while I needed to
devour the book as quickly as I could. PRETTY FACE is
lively, funny, dazzlingly well written, fantastically
entertaining, and the very definition of romantic. There
is that moment of sheer perfection when Lily and Luc
simply look at each other: pure magic! I shared Lily's
terror and excitement on opening night, I suffered when
the show had to go on, I never wanted PRETTY FACE to end!
Brava, Lucy Parker, and thank you for a unique and
utterly entrancing reading experience!
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…
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