I was an immediate fan of Lucy Parker after reading her first book, Act Like It. To say I had high hopes for Pretty Face would be putting it lightly. I am very pleased to be able to say that this book rocked my world.
Before I dig into the romance, I want to touch briefly on one of the most interesting aspects of the book. Actress Lily Lamprey has a voice… unfortunately it’s distinctive for all the wrong reasons. When she gets the role in Luc Savage’s new play, the first thing she has to face is voice lessons. And these lessons are intense! I learned so much about this process. I had no idea how involved or rigorous voice training is. I think Lucy Parker did a fabulous job of showcasing this in the book, making it a natural part of Lily’s character arc and making it interesting for the reader. No info dumping here!
Then there is the romance! Ah, it is just wonderful. Luc is quite prepared to dismiss Lily as a second-rate actress, only good for the soap she currently plays on. Lily is the vapid, man-stealing, sex goddess of the show and well, Luc is having an impossible time seeing her as anything else. But then she auditions and slowly but surely Luc realizes Lily has so much untapped potential. (Lily knows this by the way! That’s why she’s auditioning. She is ready to move on from her her current typecast role into deeper and more meaningful acting experiences.)
And then well, the heat is on. From the moment these two meet, there is a visceral connection between them. Even as Lily dismisses Luc as a jerk for his preconceived notions about her, there is no doubting the friction between them. And that friction only grows as they work together. And believe me, you will feel it. The pull and longing between these two is just incredibly strong and volatile. Luc and Lily know they cannot give in because there is a lot on the line. Lily already faces backlash for her new role. No one is willing to believe that she got the job just based on her audition. And Luc is restoring a theater on top of crafting his current production. He is facing intense media scrutiny of his own.
Nonetheless as any seasoned romance reading veteran knows, love does win out. It just takes some compromise on both sides. Luc has never really been in deep love. While he is just recently out of a long-term relationship, his new feelings for Lily exceed anything he has ever felt before. And darn if it is not utterly romantic seeing him do whatever it takes to make sure Lily feels happy, safe, and loved. I really fell hard for this pair. It is clear that love has taken them both by surprise in a big way but they do find ways to welcome and embrace it.
Lily, I just really admired her. She is ambitious and hardworking (as seen by not only vocal lessons but all the intense rehearsals she goes through). And don’t forget her work on the soap opera. While it would be too easy to dismiss that role, Lily always gave it her all, perhaps unfortunately playing into her own typecasting by how successful she played the man-eater type woman.
Pretty Face really does apply to both Lily and Luc. Both characters seemed pegged by media and paparazzi at first but there is so much more to them than appearances. I simply loved watching them fall deeply in love with each other. I swear, this is one of the few books that gave me goosebumps! Their connection felt that natural and robust to me.
Pretty Face is available now and is worth the price! And while you’re at it, purchase Act Like It also!
ARC provided by Netgalley.
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Tagged: Lucy Parker
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