First line: The Glitter Baby was back.
From the back cover: Fleur Savagar is the most beautiful woman in the world…to everyone but herself. With her oversized hands and paddle-boat feet, her streaky blond hair and funny green eyes, she lives a life filled with secrets that began before she was born. That was when her bewitching mother left home to find James Dean and met Errol Flynn instead. Now Fleur has to grow up quickly, and life won’t make that easy.
Jake Koranda is both New York’s most brilliant playwright and Hollywood’s hottest actor. Difficult, talented, and tormented, he has no patience for international glamour girls, not even ones with beautiful bodies and smart-aleck mouths. But there’s more to the Glitter Baby than shine, and Fleur’s tougher than Jake expects. Even with the odds stacked against her, she’s fiercely determined to discover the woman she’s destined to be.
An ugly duckling who can’t believe she’s turned into a swan…A tough-guy movie start with a haunted past…In a land of broken dreams, can two unlikely lovers trust their hearts?
My thoughts: I love Susan Elizabeth Phillips – her books are funny and despite the length, they are easy to get caught up in. I have been trying to finish all the books in the Wynette, Texas series in anticipation of the release of The Great Escape due out in July.
In Glitter Baby, we get to hear about Fleur and Jake’s story. Having already read some of the books that are in this series (What I Did For Love, and Call Me Irresistible), I knew the outcome, but that kind of made the book even more interesting – it was like a jigsaw puzzle. I had the completed picture in my mind, but just needed to see how the pieces fit together.
Glitter Baby takes us through Fleur’s childhood to womanhood, highlighting her relationship with her mother and her lover. We see her learn how to become her own person, despite having a mother that is obsessed with Hollywood and will do anything to be in the company of stars, and a father who is manipulative, vindictive, and totally self motivated.
Jake Koranda is funny and yet deep. He is a brilliant playwright and Hollywood’s hottest actor. Jake did not want to use her in his movie, but the director ends up hiring her. At that time, she is 19 and he is 28. This is how they meet. He’s tortured, but not completely – there’s just a little something there to make him vulnerable. He and Fleur are destined for each other – you realize it very early in the book and are cheering for them throughout all their ups and downs, including a betrayal involving Jake and Belinda, Fleur’s mother.
This book is very hard to put down…it’s separated into sections going from past to present, and has many characters, some who you will love (Fleur and Jake) and some that you will not like as much (Fleur’s parents). It is funny, heart-wrenching, and I cannot wait for the next book in this series.
(I borrowed this book from the library.)
Books in the Wynette, Texas series (from FictFact):
- Fancy Pants 5. Glitter Baby
- Lady Be Good 6. What I Did for Love
- First Lady 7. The Great Escape – to be released July, 2012
- Call Me Irresistible
Discover the Author:
Website / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads
Purchase the Book:
I don't read many romances, but I love Susan Elizabeth Phillips, too, although I haven't read all of her books. She's so funny!
Some of her scenes are definitely the laugh-out-loud types!!!