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A review by wrongheaven
Fallen Star by Susannah Nix
5.0
I was lucky enough to obtain an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I've been a fan of Susannah Nix's for a while now, ever since a friend recommended her Chemistry Lesson Series. I loved her foray into the world of Hollywood with Rising Star, but I think Fallen Star may me my favorite of hers yet.
Where Fallen Star really shines is in the characterization of her leading male, Scott. Usually with Romance you expect the female protagonist to be the most textured character, but Nix is able to flip this idea on its head. Grace, Fallen Star's protagonist, is an every-day character (allowing the reader to imagine: "I could easily be her.") However, Scott is so well drawn and layered that you really empathize with him and want him, perhaps more than Grace, to get the Happily Ever After. This, to me, is where the book really succeeds because it makes a character we assume we know (and have read about on TMZ) something completely different than expected. The book has real emotional stakes to it.
Most of the book is a slow burn romance, which has the effect of the eventual getting together feeling earned and more emotionally resonant. The sex scenes are steamy, but Nix know to not go to that well too often and she leaves it to the imagination of the reader in several key spots.
If you love movies, you have an extra bonus of getting to peek behind the curtain of Hollywood a bit. It's not often you read about insurance premiums on actors, for example, but this book gets all the touches right (I assume!) and lets you imagine what it would be like on a film set.
Overall, I really loved this book and devoured it in less than 24 hours. Nix has a nice casual (but not dumbed down) writing style which lets you easily slip into the world she creates. I'm looking forward to her next one.
I've been a fan of Susannah Nix's for a while now, ever since a friend recommended her Chemistry Lesson Series. I loved her foray into the world of Hollywood with Rising Star, but I think Fallen Star may me my favorite of hers yet.
Where Fallen Star really shines is in the characterization of her leading male, Scott. Usually with Romance you expect the female protagonist to be the most textured character, but Nix is able to flip this idea on its head. Grace, Fallen Star's protagonist, is an every-day character (allowing the reader to imagine: "I could easily be her.") However, Scott is so well drawn and layered that you really empathize with him and want him, perhaps more than Grace, to get the Happily Ever After. This, to me, is where the book really succeeds because it makes a character we assume we know (and have read about on TMZ) something completely different than expected. The book has real emotional stakes to it.
Most of the book is a slow burn romance, which has the effect of the eventual getting together feeling earned and more emotionally resonant. The sex scenes are steamy, but Nix know to not go to that well too often and she leaves it to the imagination of the reader in several key spots.
If you love movies, you have an extra bonus of getting to peek behind the curtain of Hollywood a bit. It's not often you read about insurance premiums on actors, for example, but this book gets all the touches right (I assume!) and lets you imagine what it would be like on a film set.
Overall, I really loved this book and devoured it in less than 24 hours. Nix has a nice casual (but not dumbed down) writing style which lets you easily slip into the world she creates. I'm looking forward to her next one.