Re-released with a new COVER! In this captivating strangers-to-lovers, standalone romance from USA Today bestselling author, A.M. Madden, Hollywood’s hottest actor meets his dream woman: a free spirit who has no idea who he is. After personal heartbreak and professional setbacks, Landon Price is running on empty. If he doesn’t take a break from the public eye soon, he’ll risk becoming another … becoming another cautionary tale in a town that’s full of them. So in between film projects, Landon asks his agent to clear his schedule and then he simply . . . vanishes. Renting a discreet home on a remote Hawaiian beach for the summer, Landon begins to recharge. And in the process of finding himself, he meets a beautiful, feisty local who challenges everything he thinks he knows.
Zara Jobert has no interest in being a conquest for a cocky playboy from the mainland—even one with undeniable charisma and movie-star good looks. So, she’s pleasantly surprised when the handsome newcomer’s persistent advances mellow into cozy banter and sneakily seductive intimacy. When Landon reveals his true identity, Zara’s hurt that he lied, but she doesn’t care that he’s famous. Unfortunately, not everyone feels the same way. And falling for Landon might come with a heartbreaking choice—between Zara’s old life, and a new love.
Vanishing Act is a contemporary, strangers-to-lovers, secret identity romance with adult content.
more
I’ve been a fan of A.M. Madden since her Back-Up Series and I will read anything that she writes. So when Vanishing Act became available, I gobbled it up. I always have fun with the highly sought after actor going into seclusion only to come out with the love of his life, which is what this book is basically about.
Zara has been living on her small island in Hawaii for a long time now and it’s pretty clear that she isn’t that emerged in current pop culture. They lead a simple life but you can tell that she’s always wanted to break free and do something else. When her dog takes off on her and ends up in the arms of one of the most handsome men she has ever seen, Zara’s life takes off in a new direction.
Landon ends up in Hawaii after needing a moment to escape everything. He’s pretty much off the grid and absolutely no one knows where he is. He quickly adapts to the peaceful life that Hawaii is offering him but one look at Zara and she consumes him. He will do whatever it takes to make her his.
Here’s the thing about this book. It certainly has some great moments and I seriously enjoyed the relationship between Marshmallow and Landon. In fact, I might have enjoyed a little bit more than the relationship between Zara and Landon. The moments between man and dog were absolutely hilarious.
I enjoyed Landon’s banter and the fact that he goes after what he wants. He certainly has charm and swagger and he is easy to connect to. Separately, I liked Zara as well. I think she has her moments and can banter just as well but I fell short with them together. I honestly think it was because the first part of the book moved way too slow to me. It was almost 50% before the two of them figured out what was really going on with them and I just felt the pace and progression to that point was slow. Of course, this is my own opinion and I think others might not think that at all.
Don’t let my rating fool you, I did enjoy this book and I do recommend it. I just needed to be honest about my own struggle to really connect to the main characters and the pace. Honestly, if you like the actor falling for someone who has absolutely no idea who he is and that bit of freshness, then give this book a go. I think you might enjoy it.
Vanishing Act is a lovely, really well developed story about a burned-out movie star and the beautiful young local woman he meets when he goes off the “grid”. Life has gotten to be too much for Landon Price and he just needs a break from it all. Against the advice and wishes of his agent he trades in the limelight and heads for some much needed down time on a remote, scarcely inhabited Hawaiian island. There, thanks to one match-making ball of fur, he runs into the gorgeous and slightly sheltered Zara. There’s an instant attraction on his part, but Zara, even without knowing who he really is, doesn’t have much interest in the handsome stranger. He’s too cocky, too overwhelming, too unrelenting. But he’s determined to break down her walls and show her resistance to him is futile!
Landon, or Lance as he’s known on the island, and Zara have a sweet romance that really blossoms over the weeks he’s in Hawaii. After initially pushing him away, Zara discovers there’s so much more to Lance than what she expected. And even after finding out who he really is, her feelings are too deep and she decides he’s worth being with.
Zara and Lance encounter a few obstacles on their path to a happily ever after, namely her father, Lance’s career, and the distance between them. But thanks to an unexpected ally, Zara realizes she needs to finally take charge of her own life, even knowing her father won’t be happy with the choices she makes. It’s time she started living on her own terms, instead of continually letting the past stifle her.