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!