Grace Doll by Jennifer LaurensMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: Received electronic version for review
Genre: Contemporary/Historical Romance with fantasy element
Book Description: Grace Doll had everything a girl could want: Fame. Fortune. Beauty.
Everything except, of course, her freedom. So when a powerful movie producer forces an experimental treatment on Grace--one that's purported to make beauty immortal--she stages her own death to escape him.
With the help of trusted friends, Grace slips into hiding. She's forever flawless, forever young and forever pursued by her past.
But when a stranger arrives on her doorstep, holding the key to a life she thought she'd left behind, Grace must decide between the safety she's known... and embracing the role she was born to play.
My thoughts: I couldn't put this book down. I had to find out what happened next.
The book begins in 1949. Grace Doll is a celebrated actress. She is adored by the public. She has an innocence that comes across on screen. Unfortunately her life is far from innocent. Her obsessive husband controls her life. He is a pedophile who faked documents changing her age from 13 to 16, then had her family killed. As the story begins she is now 17 and in fear of a husband who continually rapes and manipulates her.
She trusts her make up artist and her personal assistant, Jonathan and Oscar. They figure a way for her to escape. They did not consider Rufus' obsession to immortalized his wife by undergoing experimental treatment to literally make her immortal.
The story jumps to modern day where Brenden has just attended the funeral of his father, Jonathan. His father carried a secret to his grave, the location of Grace Doll. Brenden is given the task of taking the contents of a safe deposit box to Grace. He expects to find an elderly woman.
This book was packed with action and drama. Brenden was an angry and frustrated young man. I enjoyed seeing his anger lessen as he learned more of his father's life. Grace in many ways remained an emotional mystery to me.
This was a fairly quick read. There are content warnings with language and rape. The rape is not described in detail, but you know the circumstances around it.
Jennifer's Top Ten Indulgences!
1. An occasional Rockstar ( can't drink caffeine-makes my heart flutter)
2. Friday night date dessert.
3. iTunes song purchases for my WIP soundtracks.
4. bubble bath for nightly soaks.
5. Botox.
6. A personal trainer twice a week.
7. Time for Writer's Group every week.
8. Souvenirs when I travel.
9. Magazine subscriptions for my Nook
10. Candles so the house smells fab.
About Jennifer: I write YA books. Whatever my heart desires, I write. I don't have someone over my shoulder, in some office somewhere telling me what I can and cannot write. Or should and shouldn't write. I listen to my heart, the center of my muse, and trust my instincts.
I've written since junior high school. An only child, I grew up writing big stories about big families. I also write YA under the name of JM Warwick. My hometown of Palos Verdes, California figures in much of my work, as does my current home of Pleasant Grove, Utah and other favorite places. I love to travel.
They say "write what you know" and I do. I am a mother, I have six children, five cats and a huge doberman/dane dog. I have a supportive husband and we've been married 25 years. Our lives, though challenging with a handicapped child who has autism, are centered in our family.
My life experiences have worked into all of my novels. Some more heavily than others, but parts of me are in each story. I love stories rich in family drama, where family members overcome obstacles through love and miracles.
Find Jennifer at:
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