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Curtain Call
Kerry could hardly believe her luck when she landed a part in a play starring the celebrated actor Ryan Maxwell - and it was not long before she had fallen under his spell. But with the glamorous Paula Vincent as his leading lady, was it likely that Ryan would ever see Kerry as anything but a promising young actress?
- GenresHarlequin RomanceHqn
191 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 1971
46 people want to read
About the author
Kay Thorpe
181 books65 followersKay Thorpe was born on 1935 in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, UK. An avid reader from the time when words on paper began to make sense, she developed a lively imagination of her own, making up stories for the entertainment of her young friends. After leaving school, she tried a variety of jobs, including dental nursing, and a spell in the Women's Royal Airforce from which she emerged knowing a whole lot more about life - if only as an observer.
In 1960, she married with Tony, but didn't begin thinking about trying her hand at writing for a living until she gave up work some four years later to have a baby, John. Having read Mills & Boon novels herself, and done some market research in the local library asking readers what it was they particularly liked about the books, she decided to aim for a particular market, and was fortunate to have her very first, completed manuscript accepted - The Last of the Mallorys, published in 1968. Since then she has written over seventy five books, which doesn't begin to compare with the output of some Mills & Boon authors, but still leaves her wondering where all those words came from.
Sometimes, she finds she has become two different people: the writer at her happiest when involved in the world of books and authors; and the housewife, turning her hands to the everyday needs of husband and son. Once in a while, she finds it difficult to step from one role to the other. She likes cooking, for instance, but she finds that it can be an irritating interruption when she's preoccupied with work on a novel, so the quality of her efforts in the kitchen tend to be a little erratic. She says, "As my husband once remarked, my writing gives life a fascinating element of uncertainly: one day a perfect coq au vin, the next day a couple of burned chops!"
Luckily Kay has daily professional help with her housework, and that leaves her time to indulge in her hobbies. Like many other Mills & Boon authors, she admits to being a voracious consumer of books, a quality she shares with her readers. She likes music and horseback riding, which she does in the countryside near her home. But her favorite hobby is travel - especially to places that will make good settings for her books.
Kay now lives on the outskirts of Chesterfield in Derbyshire, along with husband, Tony, and a huge tabby cat called Mad Max, her one son having flown the coop. Some day she'll think about retiring, but not yet awhile.
In 1960, she married with Tony, but didn't begin thinking about trying her hand at writing for a living until she gave up work some four years later to have a baby, John. Having read Mills & Boon novels herself, and done some market research in the local library asking readers what it was they particularly liked about the books, she decided to aim for a particular market, and was fortunate to have her very first, completed manuscript accepted - The Last of the Mallorys, published in 1968. Since then she has written over seventy five books, which doesn't begin to compare with the output of some Mills & Boon authors, but still leaves her wondering where all those words came from.
Sometimes, she finds she has become two different people: the writer at her happiest when involved in the world of books and authors; and the housewife, turning her hands to the everyday needs of husband and son. Once in a while, she finds it difficult to step from one role to the other. She likes cooking, for instance, but she finds that it can be an irritating interruption when she's preoccupied with work on a novel, so the quality of her efforts in the kitchen tend to be a little erratic. She says, "As my husband once remarked, my writing gives life a fascinating element of uncertainly: one day a perfect coq au vin, the next day a couple of burned chops!"
Luckily Kay has daily professional help with her housework, and that leaves her time to indulge in her hobbies. Like many other Mills & Boon authors, she admits to being a voracious consumer of books, a quality she shares with her readers. She likes music and horseback riding, which she does in the countryside near her home. But her favorite hobby is travel - especially to places that will make good settings for her books.
Kay now lives on the outskirts of Chesterfield in Derbyshire, along with husband, Tony, and a huge tabby cat called Mad Max, her one son having flown the coop. Some day she'll think about retiring, but not yet awhile.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 21, 2017
A beautiful, moving love story set during a West End theater production of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra. The principals, an ingenue destined for greatness and the acclaimed actor who not only saw her potential but fell hard for her, were totally giving me Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier vibes.
A perfect vintage feel. An incredibly lifelike and evocative portrayal of life in a theater troupe, with its daily trials and tribulations, its camaraderie and little romantic intrigues, and the sense of acute anxiety that can suffocate on opening night.
My previous reading experiences with Kay Thorpe have been pretty atrocious so I was completely blown away by the loveliness of the principal characters and the romanticism that pervaded this sweet story. Even the comeuppance of the one villainous character was not forgotten and it was absolutely smashing and warmed my cold, black heart that needs to be powered by spite to be truly content.
Highly recommend it to fans of chaste, vintage romance where the sex and steam take way, way of a backseat to compelling storytelling, character development, and vivid setting. Basically, I felt that Kay Thorpe did for the theater world what Mary Burchell accomplished for the fashion world in Under the Stars of Paris and Violet Winspear achieved for the ballet world in Tender Is the Tyrant. So if that kind of story is your cuppa, run, don't walk, to openlibrary.org and have a happy read!
A perfect vintage feel. An incredibly lifelike and evocative portrayal of life in a theater troupe, with its daily trials and tribulations, its camaraderie and little romantic intrigues, and the sense of acute anxiety that can suffocate on opening night.
My previous reading experiences with Kay Thorpe have been pretty atrocious so I was completely blown away by the loveliness of the principal characters and the romanticism that pervaded this sweet story. Even the comeuppance of the one villainous character was not forgotten and it was absolutely smashing and warmed my cold, black heart that needs to be powered by spite to be truly content.
Highly recommend it to fans of chaste, vintage romance where the sex and steam take way, way of a backseat to compelling storytelling, character development, and vivid setting. Basically, I felt that Kay Thorpe did for the theater world what Mary Burchell accomplished for the fashion world in Under the Stars of Paris and Violet Winspear achieved for the ballet world in Tender Is the Tyrant. So if that kind of story is your cuppa, run, don't walk, to openlibrary.org and have a happy read!
February 27, 2019
Sweet vintage story about an aspiring actress’s first big break, cast in Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra. She meets the hero, a celebrated and successful actor, after her audition. They strike up a friendship – even though the heroine thinks the hero is interested in the leading lady and he thinks she is in love with another actor.
It’s obvious from the opening that the H/h are meant for each other, but the heroine has other things to think about. There are long passages devoted to the interpretation and staging of this play. I found them fascinating, but if theatre isn’t your thing, you might be tempted to skim.
I especially liked the ending where the hero is encouraging the heroine to take an opportunity “up north” that will be good for her career and he will follow. He believes in her talents and marriage isn’t going to stop her ambitions. Loved it.
Naksed has a more indepth review if you are interested in spoilers.
It’s obvious from the opening that the H/h are meant for each other, but the heroine has other things to think about. There are long passages devoted to the interpretation and staging of this play. I found them fascinating, but if theatre isn’t your thing, you might be tempted to skim.
I especially liked the ending where the hero is encouraging the heroine to take an opportunity “up north” that will be good for her career and he will follow. He believes in her talents and marriage isn’t going to stop her ambitions. Loved it.
Naksed has a more indepth review if you are interested in spoilers.
April 26, 2021
A Bern Smith cover, and frankly not one of his best. Depicting one of his many placid, mildly pretty, limp haired heroines—she doesn't really look the type to go far in the cut-throat world of the London theatre.
The romance is sweet in this one. Kerry is smart and career oriented—a savvy adjacent kind of heroine and though forceful H makes plenty of MCP comments towards her they're basically the 30 something male's version of pulling a girl's ponytail.
The absolute best thing about it is that KT used Antony and Cleopatra as the play to build the theatre romance around instead of one of Shakespeare's more popular plays. I especially liked the many scenes showing what staging a play entails—unusual in its specificity—so high marks for that. But good grief is actor/mentor Ryan an ass! Spouting one conventionally stupid interpretation of the play after another, including his sexist and racist take on Cleopatra. And the smug certainty as he does it—about a play which revels in the uncertainty of motive and character—it makes me hiss just thinking about it.
I'm sure Kerry is destined to be knighted by the Queen for her contributions to the arts and sciences, but in Curtain Call she's just the ingenue who's nodding her head sagely at everything the powerful men say. I'd have liked her better if she'd remembered the "girls rule boys drool" rule and at least silently agreed with the interpretation of the actress playing Cleopatra, OW or not. Instead she too throws Cleopatra under the chariot; mentally demoting her to a secondary character in comparison to the honorable (my ass!) Antony/H. So boringly typical.
But grousing aside Curtain Call is low angst fun and the H, despite his performative chauvinism redeems himself in the end, as does KT, because finally, finally! this is one vintage heroine who isn't asked to give up her career for her HEA.
The romance is sweet in this one. Kerry is smart and career oriented—a savvy adjacent kind of heroine and though forceful H makes plenty of MCP comments towards her they're basically the 30 something male's version of pulling a girl's ponytail.
The absolute best thing about it is that KT used Antony and Cleopatra as the play to build the theatre romance around instead of one of Shakespeare's more popular plays. I especially liked the many scenes showing what staging a play entails—unusual in its specificity—so high marks for that. But good grief is actor/mentor Ryan an ass! Spouting one conventionally stupid interpretation of the play after another, including his sexist and racist take on Cleopatra. And the smug certainty as he does it—about a play which revels in the uncertainty of motive and character—it makes me hiss just thinking about it.
I'm sure Kerry is destined to be knighted by the Queen for her contributions to the arts and sciences, but in Curtain Call she's just the ingenue who's nodding her head sagely at everything the powerful men say. I'd have liked her better if she'd remembered the "girls rule boys drool" rule and at least silently agreed with the interpretation of the actress playing Cleopatra, OW or not. Instead she too throws Cleopatra under the chariot; mentally demoting her to a secondary character in comparison to the honorable (my ass!) Antony/H. So boringly typical.
But grousing aside Curtain Call is low angst fun and the H, despite his performative chauvinism redeems himself in the end, as does KT, because finally, finally! this is one vintage heroine who isn't asked to give up her career for her HEA.
November 28, 2017
Reminded me a lot of Mary Burchell's work. I was swept away with the whole theatre angle.
A fun, vintage, Harley.
A fun, vintage, Harley.
July 16, 2020
Sweet older read. Not terribly exciting but at least the H was decent to the h. You could tell thy he was attracted to the h.
September 25, 2011
This was a favorite of mine. Really enjoyed the characters and the story of the actors. I carried away an understanding of Antony & Cleopatra by Shakespeare.
September 14, 2023
8/10 Love this author's writing style. Bright and sparkling throughout. The acting world is exceptionally well portrayed, reminding me of Mary Burchell's portrayal of the singing world. It had the typical scene where the heroine - an actress in a minor role - steps in at the last minute to fill in the OW's main role and does it well. Low angst romance. Deduct marks for hero's unnecessarily crude statement "I gave up raping my women a long time ago" in an otherwise good scene when heroine fell asleep in his apartment.
abrierto-to-read-hr-other
July 23, 2022Kerry could hardly believe her luck when she landed a part in a play starring the celebrated actor Ryan Maxwell - and it was not long before she had fallen under his spell. But with the glamorous Paula Vincent as his leading lady, was it likely that Ryan would ever see Kerry as anything but a promising young actress?
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November 28, 2019I enjoy half of the book. Sweet and witty
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews