Pretty Face - Lucy Parker (London Celebrities #2)

While I'm picking my way through a few family-saga-romance-type books, kind of in the vein of The Thorn Birds, I found myself wanting to read something a bit faster, more contemporary, and with a more prominent and delicious romantic factor.  After reading Act Like It earlier this year, it seemed like Pretty Face was an obvious contender.

Set in the same theater-universe as Act Like It, this book follows theater director Luc Savage as he attempts to stage a production of a new play about Lady Jane Grey, Mary I, and Elizabeth I.  He ends up reluctantly casting TV actress Lily Lamprey in the role of Elizabeth--reluctantly because, after seeing Lily's TV performances, he's convinced that she can't act and is probably as vapid as can be.  Oh, and she has the voice of a porn star.

Lily and Luc do not have instant chemistry--they pretty much hate each other at their first meeting.  However, their attraction grows quickly, partially on a physical basis and partially on an emotional one.  However, both are leery of entering any sort of relationship because of Luc's role as Lily's director.  Lily knows that having a relationship with her first stage director could tank her stage career, particularly because she's viewed a brainless slut by the media--a result of her TV role and a bad case of typecasting.  And Luc doesn't sleep with people who work for him.  Still, as the play gets closer and closer to opening night, they get closer and closer, drawn by all sorts of circumstances involving both of their families, and romance blossoms.

The writing here is just as good as in Act Like It.  The chemistry between the characters is palpable.  Is it a little dramatic?  Yes.  But I didn't find the ultimate conflict to be as overdone as the one in Act Like It was.  It was also nice to see Richard and Lainie in brief, though they certainly did not appear often or long enough to steal the book from Lucy and Luc.  The burn is slow, and that does make the book seem a little longer than it really is--it clocks in at only 222 pages according to Goodreads, but it seemed to take a disproportionately long time for me to read something of that length.  That said, it was a very enjoyable read nonetheless, and a great way to spend my Sunday afternoon

4.5 stars out of 5.