Acting Brave by Helena Newbury
(Fenbrook Academy #3)
Publication date: January 2015
Genres: New Adult, Romance
Synopsis:
She’s spent her whole life acting. But is she good enough to make him believe she doesn’t love him?
Three years ago, a terrified girl named Emma fled a world of crime and abuse in Chicago and bought a one-way ticket to New York. She reinvented herself as an actress, enrolled at the prestigious Fenbrook Academy and buried her pain beneath a vivacious new persona. Her new name was Jasmine.
Three years ago, a terrified girl named Emma fled a world of crime and abuse in Chicago and bought a one-way ticket to New York. She reinvented herself as an actress, enrolled at the prestigious Fenbrook Academy and buried her pain beneath a vivacious new persona. Her new name was Jasmine.
Now she has to pull off the performance of her career.
Landing her dream part in a police show, she finds herself falling for her co-star, Ryan, a real-life cop. If she lets him get too close, he’ll awaken memories she doesn’t want to face and uncover secrets that could endanger them both. But how can she keep a guy at arm’s length when she has to kiss him on camera?
Landing her dream part in a police show, she finds herself falling for her co-star, Ryan, a real-life cop. If she lets him get too close, he’ll awaken memories she doesn’t want to face and uncover secrets that could endanger them both. But how can she keep a guy at arm’s length when she has to kiss him on camera?
The last place Ryan imagined himself was on a TV show. Blaming himself for the death of his partner, he’s on a downward spiral of rage and guilt. The show is his last chance…but how can he keep it professional when his co-star is a woman he’s crazy about?
As their on-screen and off-screen relationships merge, things go from hot to blistering. But when Jasmine’s old life catches up with her, will a cop be the one person she can’t be around…or the only person who can save her?
Review
★★★★★ stars
Wow. This book was brutal on me emotionally. I had no idea Jasmine's story was going to affect me this much. I should've known I wasn't going to come out of reading this series unscathed, especially having read the previous two books in the series, but somehow I was.
Jasmine and Ryan gave off some amazing sparks. It was both hot and frustrating to see them dance around each other the way they did. I understood why they weren't pursuing the attraction they felt, but that doesn't mean I agreed with their faulty logic behind their actions. Some of my favorite scenes took place while they were filming or doing things to prepare for filming. During those times the barriers they'd put up between each other were down. There's one scene while they're filming which is especially stands out. It's one I don't think I'll forget for a long time to come; It was really hot because Jasmine forgot about everything going on around her and just focused on Ryan.
I had no idea what truth really lay behind Jasmine's rich girl facade. I found myself hurting for her when it became clear how painful her past had been. I wanted to rage and rail and for Jasmine to go vigilante, but I understood how being Jasmine kept her together. I liked how Ryan supported Jasmine in all things, even when he felt helpless. I know it was hard for him to hear her truth. It was really hard for me to reconcile what'd happened to her and who was responsible for it. It just felt wrong. I was torn between weeping and raging and ended up weeping tears of anger and pain.
Helena Newbury has won me over. I am a huge fan now thanks to this book, and the others in the series, that really touched me. The story is well written and paced really well. There are also lots of twists that inevitably left me in tears. This is a book and series to be experienced. I really do hope the Fenbrook stories aren't finished. If they are, I can't wait to see what Helena Newbury writes next.
Jasmine and Ryan gave off some amazing sparks. It was both hot and frustrating to see them dance around each other the way they did. I understood why they weren't pursuing the attraction they felt, but that doesn't mean I agreed with their faulty logic behind their actions. Some of my favorite scenes took place while they were filming or doing things to prepare for filming. During those times the barriers they'd put up between each other were down. There's one scene while they're filming which is especially stands out. It's one I don't think I'll forget for a long time to come; It was really hot because Jasmine forgot about everything going on around her and just focused on Ryan.
I had no idea what truth really lay behind Jasmine's rich girl facade. I found myself hurting for her when it became clear how painful her past had been. I wanted to rage and rail and for Jasmine to go vigilante, but I understood how being Jasmine kept her together. I liked how Ryan supported Jasmine in all things, even when he felt helpless. I know it was hard for him to hear her truth. It was really hard for me to reconcile what'd happened to her and who was responsible for it. It just felt wrong. I was torn between weeping and raging and ended up weeping tears of anger and pain.
Helena Newbury has won me over. I am a huge fan now thanks to this book, and the others in the series, that really touched me. The story is well written and paced really well. There are also lots of twists that inevitably left me in tears. This is a book and series to be experienced. I really do hope the Fenbrook stories aren't finished. If they are, I can't wait to see what Helena Newbury writes next.
*Thank you to the author for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for them in any manner.*
Purchase:
AUTHOR BIO:
I’m a New Adult Romance author who loves writing about what happens when love and dreams collide with the real world. I wrote my first novel, Dance for Me, in daily chunks in a very busy, very noisy coffee shop, which meant I had to order a black Americano every hour, on the hour, to keep my seat and wound up wired on caffeine most days. I hit the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists in summer 2013. Unlike my characters, I can’t dance.
Author links:
Giveaway:
Tour-wide giveaway
- A Kindle Fire HD7 (US & CAN)
- A Fenbrook Academy T-shirt (choice of size) (US & CAN)
- 3 x $10 Amazon gift cards (INTL)
This one has me steamed up, whew
ReplyDeleteIt's the total package and it'll leave you with a book hangover!
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