Title: Show Biz
Author: Ruby Preston
Number of Pgs. 242 paperback
Publication date: April 16, 2012
Publisher: Dress Circle Publishing
Genre: Adult Fiction
Publisher: Dress Circle Publishing
Genre: Adult Fiction
How I got the copy: Received a copy from author in exchange for an honest review and a stop on the Blog Tour.
From Amazon:
After four years in Manhattan, slaving away as the under-appreciated apprentice to the brilliant, but ruthless "King of Broadway," Scarlet Savoy is finally on hr way to becoming a Broadway producer in her own right. A chance meeting with an influential gossip columnist sparks romance- but can he be trusted? A shocking suicide turns Broadway on its head and Scarlett finds herself at the center of the storm as everything she thought she knew about the business of Broadway begins to unravel.
After four years in Manhattan, slaving away as the under-appreciated apprentice to the brilliant, but ruthless "King of Broadway," Scarlet Savoy is finally on hr way to becoming a Broadway producer in her own right. A chance meeting with an influential gossip columnist sparks romance- but can he be trusted? A shocking suicide turns Broadway on its head and Scarlett finds herself at the center of the storm as everything she thought she knew about the business of Broadway begins to unravel.
I've been using a new way of reviewing that I saw over at Making the Grade. It breaks the book down and makes it easier to rate. The way it works is each category gets a score out of ten points. Then you add them all up + 50 (50% automatically for each book) and that's your score out of 100.
Plot 8/10: I love musicals so I jumped at the chance to read anything relating to broadway...and the fact that it was about a producer made me even more excited. I was not disappointed. I loved seeing all the behind the scenes of how a show is made from getting a composer to investors. And on top of all that there is a suicide and a scam going on to make the plot a little thicker! The budding romance also added more to the drama. I'm not sure if I just don't enjoy Adult Fiction as much anymore or what, but it was a little hard for me to get into in the beginning. Once the drama started to unfold, but I was hooked. And the ending had me giggling.
Characters 8/10: Scarlett is so different than any other Chick Lit main character I've ever read. She's worked her way up to the top and is really strong, but still breaks down easily. She's got game in her Zebra jacket! I loved Reilly's character. He's a charmer compared to her other "love interest" who is really old. Scarlett's boss Margolies really bothered me. That was probably the point, but I just wanted to slap him! The two Jeremey's, Scarlett's friends and business partners, where definitely the comedic relief.
Setting 9/10: New York is an amazing place. Most of the book takes place in offices, restaurants, apartments, but I still got a feel for the area. And the parts where they're working on the show we get to see all the behind the scenes action. I wish we could have seen more of New York though.
Pacing 8/10: It was a little slow at first. I like books that start out with action of some sort, but I understand that it was important for us to see Scarlett's life before it got crazy. I will admit that the first page caught my attention though, but it wasn't until things started getting heated the pacing really sped up.
Style 10/10: I loved that each chapter was a scene. It fit with the book and they were short enough that I could read a few scenes here and there when I had time (because my OCD won't let me put a book down when I'm in the middle of a chapter). It is in different point of views which really enhanced the story since we got to see different sides of the story and we could understand character's motives better.
Final Thoughts: If you're a Chick Lit lover and enjoy Broadway you won't want to pass this one up! It's got drama, comedy, romance, and mystery.
Total: 93/100
Author Bio:
Ruby Preston is an up and coming Broadway producer currently working on several new musicals on the Great White Way. She couldn’t be more thrilled to be living her dreams in the Times Square trenches of Manhattan. Ruby loves hearing from readers and Broadway fans so feel free to drop her note via email ruby (@) rubypreston (dot) com or twitter @Broadwayruby.
Connect with Ruby!
My website: www.rubypreston.com
My publisher Dress Circle Publishing: www.dresscirclepublishing.com
Twitter @BroadwayRuby
Buy the Book!
http://www.amazon.com/Showbiz-
And on Barnes & Noble's Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
And on iTunes.
