Straight Reading from the Library: Fallen Star by Allison Morse

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Allison Morse will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

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Who killed 1940s screen goddess Gloria Reardon? Her unsolved murder hypnotized the public with its scandalous details and shocked two generations.

In this coming of age gothic tale, avid feminist and aspiring filmmaker Kate Bloom discovers long lost footage that holds the key to who murdered her grandmother. Legendary movie star, Gloria Reardon, may be dead, but friends and lovers from the Golden Age of Hollywood’s heyday are still very much on the scene, and it seems everyone has something to gain or lose from Kate’s discovery. Enlisting the youthful and brash film restorer Dylan Nichols as her closest ally, Kate becomes haunted by Gloria’s glittering past. Caught between glamorous Old Hollywood and the gritty, exciting New Hollywood of the 1970s, Kate is determined to find out what really happened to her grandmother and in the process, becomes the killer’s new target.

READ THE REVIEW

What an interesting story!  I wasn't sure what to expect from this, but thoroughly enjoyed it. Part mystery, part romance and a little bit of a ghost story, Allison Morse did a great job keeping me intrigued and entertained.

A terrifying incident from the start of this story really molds Kate into the woman she becomes.  She's determined to expose the underbelly of the movie business with her documentary films, but instead becomes embroiled in the mystery of her grandmother's murder when she locates missing film from the day of her murder.  And is that grandma's ghost giving her nudges along the way?

Add in a love interest in the form of not-exactly-handsome, but somehow appealing Dylan Nichols who has a few secrets of his own, and then set it in the 1970s (I'd not realized the time period, actually, until they mentioned Dylan had directed an episode of The Partridge Family!).

I really enjoyed the characters in this book, from Aunt Lillian to the detective to Jarvis, and Kate's bestie, Natalie.  They were all unique and well drawn, and a good part of the reason I enjoyed this read.  The setting, too, was well done and believable.  I lived through the 70s and it seemed quite accurate without being overbearing.

The mystery was decently done and kept me guessing nearly to the end. The romance was a bit on the back burner, but still solid and Dylan was the perfect guy to help Kate through the problems in her past.  All in all, a solid read and an author I'd be happy to read again. 4.5 stars!

READ AN EXCERPT

Kate returned to the sealed box and ripped off the tape and flipped the lid open. Light bounced off a container with a shiny handle on top. The premonition of what it might be now solidified into something more than fantasy. Trying to remain calm, she told herself that it couldn’t possibly be what she hoped it was. It had been lost...destroyed...right?

Her heart pounded as she used both hands to lift the metal container. She undid the latches. Inside were two round 35 mm motion picture canisters.

“Lillian!” she shouted.

As she pried off the top of the first canister, she was assaulted by the pungent smell of vinegar. The film appeared brittle. She was afraid to touch it in case it turned to dust in her hands. But she had to know. With the tips of her fingers and holding her breath, she unwound a small piece of film and looked at it. There, captured in the frame, was Gloria––the costume, the set behind her…there was no mistaking it. These reels were from Emperor Smythe. It was the infamous missing footage from the day Gloria was murdered on that film set.

“Lillian! Quick, Lillian!” Kate returned the footage to the canister and closed it up.

Her great-aunt hurried back to her. “What? What is it?” Her eyes widened as she gazed at the canisters. “Is that what I think it is?” Lillian asked.

“The footage. The missing footage.”

MEET THE AUTHOR

Allison is the author of two novels: The Sweetheart Deal and Fallen Star. She lives with her husband in a house in the hills that’s filled with books.

For book club resources and to learn more about Allison and her new fiction, please visit her Website at http://www.allisonmorseauthor.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/allison.morse.16
Twitter ID: @AllisonMorseLA

Buy the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Kobo.

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Straight Browsing from the Library: The Sweetheart Deal by Allison Morse

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Allison will be awarding $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

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Some people in her small rural community think Ellen Hamilton, the business savvy daughter of the town’s largest employer, is too big for her britches. After all it’s the 1950s and women have no place in running corporations. But when the company is threatened with takeover by John Adair, the man who broke her heart and "betrayed" her family business years ago, she’s determined to stop at nothing to win. Yet, when the cool Ellen turns molten in John’s arms, will she discover the truth about the past in time to seal The Sweetheart Deal.

READ AN EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT

Where would their lives be now if she had just believed him? If she’d been brave enough to take a chance?

As if John could read her mind, he said, “We can’t change what happened, Ellie. I wish we could.” He turned from her and walked away.

She watched him go until he turned a corner.

She felt herself retreat, fold in, as she reached inside for someplace safe, away from the pain.

Voices sounded behind her. She turned and saw a group of guys she recognized from the factory tumbling out of the bar. Most of them shuffled unsteadily, except for Doug.

He’d worked at the factory since he was a teen. The guy always made her skin crawl, even though to the Hamiltons, he was nothing but respectful.

The large man trailed a younger one, bullying him. She remembered that it was Doug who had been in the center of the jeering gang of men who had threatened Cindy the other day until she’d been rescued by Trigg.

Ellen looked back to where she’d last seen John, and her godfather’s words came back to her. Time to choose what is worth fighting for.

Yes, it was.

And she knew how to do it, too. She wasn’t Sam Hamilton’s daughter for nothing. She had a plan of her own. In fact, from the moment her father had mentioned the innovative tank design, an opening in the game had winked at her, one that was amusingly obvious, even in the midst of all the maneuvering and double-dealing going on around her. She had seen the moves necessary. Simple, really. Success was within her reach. She just hadn’t had the will to execute it, until now.

She smiled up at the black sky, almost taunting it with her unwillingness to allow her heart to break.

She was in love with John. Always had been. And she saw no reason to try to change that fact, even if she could.

And with that certainty, she now knew what was worth fighting for, what was worth winning. This town, her family, faults and all, were worth it.

She ran down the sidewalk.

When she turned the corner, she saw John’s blue convertible peel away and head out of town.

And, you, John Adair, you’re worth it.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Allison Morse grew up in a family of actors in Los Angeles; before the age of five, she started acting classes, which she adored. She continued in the family business until her early twenties when her curious spirit led her to consider other interests.

After receiving a B.A. from U.C. Berkeley, she went on to earn a M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy, and a J.D. from U.C. Hastings College of the Law.

Although she loved learning from each of her varied careers she always knew that storytelling was as essential to her as breathing. So as she pursued her professional life, she kept to a strict writing schedule, and joined the Romance Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.

She lives with her wonderful husband in a house in the hills that’s filled with books.

Allison can be contacted at http://www.allisonmorseauthor.com.

Buy the book at Amazon or The Wild Rose Press.

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