Single mother Amy Ross guards heart and privacy with fierce determination. When the curtain rises at the old theater, she sets aside past heartache and anger to revel in the new, exciting character she plays each night. When the theater owner brings in a handsome business partner to help with renovations, she quickly slams the stage door on any ideas of romance with the dashing actor.Handsome … film star Thomas Buchanan is intrigued by the mysterious leading lady. Her beauty and talent capture his attention, but the sadness he glimpses behind her cool demeanor draws him with a fire he hasn’t felt in years. He yearns to know Amy better and forges a rocky friendship through her son’s adoration of his movies. When danger returns from Amy’s past, Thomas discovers breaking through her emotional armor could be a deadly challenge.
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There’s nothing Amy Ross loves more than acting on stage, even if it is to a smattering of people in her town’s theater. Sure, it’s run-down but she loves it. When Ollie, the owner of the theater introduces her to his new business partner, Thomas, sparks fly. She tries her hardest to ignore her feelings for Thomas but she can’t shake them. He is a patient man and is willing to wait. He even befriends her son Aiden to gain her affection. But Amy doesn’t trust men, not anymore. She’s haunted by a dark past that suddenly resurfaces. Thomas offers an escape for her and Aiden but can she trust him when he confesses he loves her? Has she put his life in danger, too? What happens after the curtain call?
After the Curtain Call is a sublime romantic suspense. From the first page, I connected with Amy and her loneliness. The chemistry between Amy and Thomas sizzles. The characters are so relatable, it was easy to stay in their world. The plot moves at a steady pace with plenty of twists and turns. What I love most, though, is the setting. I’m a huge theater buff and the author takes the reader behind the curtain and stage to what it’s really like. The ending had my heart in my throat. A brilliant romantic suspense and one I highly recommend!
Disclaimer: I received a copy from the author in the hopes I’d review it.
My Rating: 5 stars
I’ve never read anything by either of these authors so when I was approached by Ms. Nancy Polin to read this, I really didn’t know what to expect. I don’t know if I was expecting to love the book as much as I ultimately did. What a pleasant surprise!
I got a laid back feeling from this book as I was reading. While there didn’t feel like there was a rush to the plot, it really scooted along nicely. There were a couple of times in the story where I felt like things could use a little bump to keep things flowing but other than that, it was great. I can usually pick out what is going to happen next with these romantic suspense novels but I must admit, this one caught me off guard a couple of times. That doesn’t happen often but it’s always welcome when it does!
I enjoyed the main characters, Amy and Thomas. I liked the romance between these two and it was always interesting to see if Amy was going to brush him off or finally relent. I do wish that I had gotten to know all of the characters a little more … I’m a greedy reader and I always want more than the author is willing to give. I just wanted to know more about them. At no point in the story did I feel like I didn’t understand any of the character’s motivations but at the same time, they did feel a little … empty at times. I wanted to know them like I know my best friend – every single secret!
All in all, it was a really great book. I was always interested and completely invested in the story and I found myself regretting reading it so quickly because I didn’t want it to end. I’m interested to see what these authors have in store for them in the future because this one was great!
* I received this novel in exchange for an honest review *