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Review: The Runaway Actress by Victoria Connelly

The Runaway Actress
Buy on Amazon: The Runaway Actress $6.64

The Runaway Actress

This was my first Victoria Connelly novel, I believe, although her book Molly's Millions is either one I've  been wanting to read, or have read a few years ago.  Regardless, I have seen her come up quite often in my Amazon recommendations and so a couple of months ago when on my book buying frenzy, this was one of the books purchased.  I also had purchased "A Weekend with Mr. Darcy" as ell as " Mr. Darcy Forever". Sadly, I haven't had a chance to read either, as in the midst if all that buying, one day I received an empty envelope.  No clue what it was supposed to be, it wasn't until contacts the company on the envelope and through a little digging, discovered it had been the "Weekend with Mr. Darcy", it had been the only copy I could find  in the states and haven't gotten around quite yet to reordering it.  Oh well, I didn't know if reading "Mr. Darcy Forever" would mess me up in anyway, so please fellow bloggers, readers if you have advice regarding this, Pls let me know!

Ok....  I guess I should talk about the book.....  Tangents... Enough said!

I wonder if I'm the only blogger in the world who goes off script...  Probably just me. I guess I won't be cashing in my millions anytime soon...  Shucks. 

I'm not quite sure what I was envisioning "The Runaway Actress" to be.  Maybe a little more Danielle Steele type drama with sex and drama, which is probably why it took me a little bit of time to get around to reading it.  I was pleasantly surprised when it was more along the Katie Fforde / Jill Mansell style of reading. Those are more my cup of tea, so to speak.  

Hollywood

The Runaway Actress in question is Connie Gordon, a superbly huge Hollywood actress.  When we meet her, she seems to be completely dissatisfied with her life.  She finds herself looking around her and questioning everything about her life.  She's starting to feel a bit suffocated by it all...  

Meanwhile on the other side of the world: Lochenbrae: Scotland

The Connie Gordon fan Club Headquarters resides in a little "one horse" type town in the middle of nowhere; Lochenbrae, Scotland.  Lochenbrae's only claim to fame is the connection to Connie Gordon through Connie's own mother! Who has Londonderry moved on.  Maggie Hamill, who has been running the Connie Gordon Fan Club for the past five years, writes to Connie once more as she has often over the years, inviting her to visit the head quarters of her fan club.  But Maggie isn't holding her breath. She can only imagine the glamorous life that Connie Gordon has and knows it's highly unlikely that Lochenbrae would be anything of interest to someone with such a fabulous life.  
The whole of Lochenbrae seem to be involved in some way or another so the Connie Gordon fan Club.  Although, the Connie Gordon fan club isn't the only thing they have going on.  The next most exciting part of Lochenbrae would possibly be the LADS group, the local Amateur theatre group.  Every year the group performs a play around Christmas time.

Hollywood Meets Lochenbrae

Back in Hollywood, after a run in with a former boyfriend, Connie is more desperate than ever.  She's tired of all the fakeness and lies that Hollywood life has to offer.  In the midst of her crisis, she finds the Connie Gordon fan clubs letter in which Maggie has once again invited Connie.  Connie vaguely recalls receiving other invites, and now the invitation is starting to seem an answer to her prayers. Next thing she knows, she's arrived to Lochenbrae, home of the Connie Gordon fan club.

Connie, who has made the long journey looking for peace and a place to escape, soon begins to wonder if perhaps escaping to her "Fan Club Headquarters" might not have been the best way to escape all the adulation she was so longing to avoid. 

It doesn't take long for Connie's life to become entwined with those of the people of Lochenbrae, but who can she really trust?  She forms an almost immediate bond and friendship with Maggie, but some of the things Maggie has been doing catches Connie off guard and makes her question Maggies motivations and whether she can truly trust her or not.

This is one of those books that can be a bit difficult to describe, because you don't want to give too much away. I loved all of the characters inside the pages of this fun story.  You have a stereotypical type innkeeper, who makes you feel all warm and cozy.  A volatile, one-time famous London director who has some secrets and a past he's been running from.  A local whose obsessed with Westerns, a resident heartthrob, a fun-loving brother (of Maggie), a nosey busy-body whose anything but pleasant, and a sleazy local reporter whose would be chomping at the bit to sink his teeth into a good story.  This book definitely wasn't short of some strong, fun characters.

It was an easy read.  It was a story, that I wasn't forcing myself to read, but was enjoying and savoy ring each moment. It was a heartwarming story with characters I fell on love with.  It definitely leaves me wanting to read more of Ms. Connelly's books. She definitely has a gift of capturing characters that you can relate to, as well as emotionally connect with.  She managed to throw a couple of curve balls along the way.  Bits that were totally unexpected. 
If you love the small town, village type settings and the stories that go along with those backdrops, then you will fall in love with e characters housed in this book.  Her writing style reminds me of a cross between a lighter Danielle Steele mixed with Jill Mansell with a tad Katie Fforde thrown in for good measure!

I would definitely rate this in the 5 Star category. I could very well see this being acted I on the big screen. 

Have you read Victoria Connelly's Darcy series?  If so, will it totally mess me up of I skip ahead to "Mr. Darcy Forever"?  

That's all folks!

Sassy Gal
 (To purchase The Runaway Actress on Kindle, please see the link at top of page (Below pic). 

Thanks!!  Have a blessed day!

1 comments:

Suus said...

This story sounds really good, I'm going to check it out on amazon straight away!

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