Leading Lady

Lawana Blackwell has, just this past year, become one of my favorite authors. This is the sixth book of hers that I have read, and I enjoyed it very much. If you've not read the first two books in the Tales of London series, then I do believe you must do so before reading this one, which is the third. If I hadn't read those other two, I think I would have been confused a lot of the time and had a difficulty with keeping characters straight---I also would not have liked the book as much. I'd actually give this book 4-1/2 stars, because the ending wasn't QUITE there. I was thrilled that I spent most of the book not exactly sure how it was going to turn out---for me, it wasn't totally predictable, which was a nice change from so many novels of the genre. However, the ending, once it did arrive, seemed to be rushed. To use a theater term (appropriate for the subject of this book), the "denouement" left something to be desired. This author has a tendency to do this in many of her books---you race to the end because it's such a great read, and then BAM! it's over all at once, leaving you going, "That's it?" So that was kind of disappointing. Still, I love Lawana Blackwell's stories. She does such a great job of showing the passing of time, and you get to know her characters to the point where it feels like they are your own good friends. Even the antagonists in her stories are likeable in their own ways. I look forward to reading more of her novels in the future.

"Leading Lady" was my first Lawana Blackwell book, and I was very impressed. I love the theatre, so I was drawn to the plot immediately, since it is set around the London theatre, just near the turn of the century. The characters are warm and inviting, taking you into their webs of love, deception, happiness, and anguish. Though predicable and stereotypical, the characters were very alive, and will make you forget that you probably already know how everything will end. The antagonist gets their comeuppance, and the protagonist lives happily ever after. My complaint is that the main characters kept shifting, and I couldn't keep track of how people were related to one another. It didn't hinder me from understanding situations eventually, but it was perplexing. I immensely enjoyed reading about classic London theatre and the gossip that revolved around it. If you love reading about life in the late 1800s, and enjoy the theatre, then this book is a must. I recommend.

I really enjoyed this new story by Lawana Blackwell. Set in the theatre world of London in the late 1890s, she creates a plot and subplots of lively characters onstage and backstage. Bethia Rayborn is the new wardrobe mistress of London's Royal Court Theatre. She accepts a seemingly innocent invitation for a tea outing with her cousin Jewel's cousin Douglas Pearce after the departure of her intended fiance, Guy Russell. That cup of tea turns into a persistant and relentless pursuit as Douglas begins stalking her after she repeatedly refuses his attentions. In the heat of anger as he continues to persist, Bethia writes him a scathing letter, sending Douglas off on a wild chase which results his death. Douglas's sister, Muriel decides to take her revenge on Bethia by becoming the new leading lady in the Royal Court with the intent of sabotaging Bethia's job and eventually steals Guy away from her. This story includes a handsome new actor named Noah Carey from York with a past of his own. I am loving all of Lawana's books and am looking forward to her upcoming release "A Table by the Window".