The start of this story is downcast, with Emily bumping her
car into a solid pole and hating to ask her sister on the
phone for money as she's been trying so hard to make it in
acting. A couple of commercials aren't impressive. Then we
take a bus ride to background on a film set, in historic
Kentucky racing country, and both Emily and the story perk
up rapidly.
STUDS AND STILETTOS abound in a true-life film about a
famous racehorse, his girl groom who disappeared and his
Lothario owner. Emily has an agent who just tells her how
to spend money on her career, so it's good for her to
follow a more experienced extra, Judith, and pick up
information. Like, don't take photos of the actors, and
keep your face out of camera on one set so you can be in a
different crowd scene later. The horses intrigue the girl
as she is sure her skill set would be useful there, and
better paid too. Maybe trailer park West Virginia kids
didn't have Thoroughbreds, but she loves horses.
Standing around for hours watching, with sudden action
shots is great fun for Emily, and when she bumps into Dan
Barrett, movie horse trainer, matters definitely look up
for her. The Humane Association has strict rules but
nobody cares what long hours the people work. Dan likes
Emily's horse wrangling skills and she's on to handle a
rearing racehorse. Maybe that's not all Dan likes. An
assistant to Dan gets jealous and makes trouble. What
happened to the original groom though? She vanished and
never reappeared, twenty years ago.
I found Bev Pettersen's book to be a great fun read, with
the new person on set showing us all the behind the scenes
action and asking all the questions we'd love to ask. The
varied characters speed the story along and the hard,
physical work of caring for horses is well portrayed.
Emily - we have to admire her gutsy efforts and stamina, as
well as her genuine concern for the horses. Where money's
concerned she's not the smartest however, blowing her first
pay. Where men are concerned - well let's say she could
learn a hard lesson. The background mystery adds tension
with at least three murder suspects walking around the set,
but no proof. The adult relationship adds spice. This
horsey girl loved STUDS AND STILETTOS from starting gate to
finishing post.
She craves the bright lights. He shuns them.
Emily Murphy isn’t afraid to swap her fancy wardrobe for a
worn pair of barn boots. Working on the set of a Kentucky
movie might be just the ticket to landing a real acting job
and proving to her sister she can accomplish something
worthwhile.
Dan Barrett knows a lot about hard work and even more about
horses. And while he’s drawn by Emily’s beauty and pluck, he
wants a stay-at-home ranch girl. But fighting their
attraction is difficult, and soon they both realize that
what they thought they wanted isn’t what they really need.
Unfortunately, Dan isn’t the only person watching Emily. And
the other one is a ruthless killer determined to keep a
tragic secret buried.
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