Starlet's Light

The Starlet #3

by Carla J. Hanna

Starlet's Web takes GOLD & Starlet's Light takes SILVER in the 2014 Readers' Favorite International Book Awards: Christian Romance!

Love. Trust. Acting. Cancer survivor-actress gives up the fight until she sees the light. Liana Marie writes her third memoir as she struggles with trust and commitment and shapes the role she plays.
~ - ~
I'm actress Liana Marie Michael and am dying. In my last two memoirs, I show how I'm the ideal Hollywood product. In writing Starlet's Web and Starlet's Run, I realized that the drama in our stories affects the lies in our real lives. The thin, young ideal of beauty is as much of a lie as the plot twists and dialogue we create to hide our insecurities.


In this memoir, I make a mess of my love life while shooting a film in Great Britain. I dump Manuel for his own good. I love him with all my heart. So how could I not when he has a bright future? My dad visits and puts my past in perspective. I spend weekends in the hospital. I learn to rely on Franz, Evan and Amelie. Yes, I hook up with my Swiss billionaire-heir friend Pierre even though I miss Manuel every minute. But it all makes sense, especially since I am so done with acting.


We are all flies and spiders in a web of stories. If I live a more authentic life, can love prevail despite my many faults? Can truth alter Hollywood's web?
~ - ~
Genres: New adult college romance, YA romance, NA romance, teen love and romance, young adult, new adult, YA, NA, teen, coming of age, contemporary, interracial fiction, inspirational romance. Contains sex and mild swearing.

ebook

First published May 1, 2013

About the author

Starlet's Web took GOLD and Starlet's Light brought in SILVER in the 2014 Readers' Favorite International Book Awards!

Carla J. Hanna is the author of award-winning young adult romance and coming of age fiction novels for readers who enjoyed Nicholas Sparks' A Walk to Remember, Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love, Gayle Forman's If I Stay, or John Green's The Fault in Our Stars.

Mrs. Hanna lived in Santa Monica, CA where her children played with the children of celebrities. She mingled with plenty of nannies and a few good celebrity moms. She received her Master’s in English/Communications from Colorado State University and lives near Denver, CO with her husband and two children.

LOVE. LIES. ACTING. THE STARLET SERIES.

Starlet's Man - Lights. Cameras. Lies. High school student athlete, Manny Biro, is caught between the boy he should be and the man he wants to become.

Starlet's Web – Love. Lies. Acting. Hollywood entangles talented teen actress in a web of lies.

Starlet's Run – Love. Intentions. Acting. In a world where an actress is a product and everyone is a critic, can young love survive? Should it?

Starlet's Light – Love. Trust. Acting. Young Hollywood actress is 'so done' with acting. She gives up the fight until she sees the light.

Starlet's End – Love. Justice. Living. The Hollywood elite are pointing fingers at those responsible for anti-aging drugs. Can justice be served? TBR May 1, 2016

http://www.carlahanna.com/
http://www.amazon.com/author/carlajhanna
http://www.facebook.com/CarlaJHanna
http://www.twitter.com/carlajhanna
http://www.wattpad.com/CarlaJHanna (over 28,000 fans!)

Reviews

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful, by far the best of the series. More review to come but had to put this out. Loved it! This was a stand alone novel if needed to be, the writing is smooth, with connections to the earlier story without over doing it. The characters development in growing up is great, open and honest, there was so many things i enjoyed about this book! I am so looking forward to the next novel.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review also posted here on TotalTeenFiction.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Spoiler warning! This is the 3rd book in the series and contains spoilers from the previous 2 books.

This is the third book in the Starlet series and follows Lia/Marie as she heads to the UK to start filming her latest project. With the moment she meets Pierre fast approaching and her health still in the balance, there's still a lot for her to deal with.

I was really excited to read this book as I knew there were going to be scenes in the UK. It was really cool to see Wales used as a filming location because let's face it, Wales gets neglected a lot when people think of the UK. I love the scenes where Marie is on set and we get a sneak peak at the movie business.

There was tons of drama to sink your teeth into with Starlet's Light. Marie is still having health issues and it seems her life is hanging in the balance at times. I really feared for her. It was also really moving to see her relationship with her mother, whose health is deteriorating even faster. They've had a lot to overcome and it's not easy, but it was really heartbreaking to read about.

What I was most looking forward to in this book was a chance to really meet Pierre. In the previous two books we've only heard from him in email conversations and I couldn't wait for him to make an appearance as Marie heads to Europe. And I wasn't disappointed! He was just as charming and gorgeous a character as I was hoping him to be and I was doing all sorts of squeeing as Marie realises how much she cares about him. I was really rooting for the two of them from the last book and they had great chemistry together in person. I adored that we got to see Pierre's family too and how they became included in the story.

Sadly, Manuel was still very much present and I disliked him even more in this book. He's still completely horrible and very controlling. What made it worse is that Marie seemed to have lost all ability to make decisions for herself, and instead made her choices of who to be with based on everybody else telling her who she'd be better of with. I feel like Marie has the potential to be that strong character and make decisions but she's far too easily influenced by those around her in Starlet's Light, and seems to spend more time talking to people about being in a relationship with someone than actually enjoying being in one. In the middle of all the drama with Manuel it seemed like Pierre got forgotten about which made me sad.

The first half of Starlet's Light was definitely more enjoyable for me and like the previous books it raised some really important issues. I liked the plotline about Marie's health and what her future holds. She had some really tough things to face up to such as the chance she may not have children. There were also some really tense scenes where her stalker shows up on the scene. I've become really invested in the characters so with one more book left to read I'd definitely be interested in carrying on with the series. I just hope Marie gets a chance to become a stronger, happier character in future and that Manuel gets what's coming to him!

Find more books like this at TotalTeenFiction!

[MustHaveMocha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here are some additional reviews posted on Amazon:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Book EVER !!, May 12, 2013 By Marcia Sherrill (NEW YORK, NY, US)
This review is from: Starlet's Light (The Starlet Series, #3) (Kindle Edition)

I'm twenty and it's about time someone talked about God in a romance novel. We have vampires and players, witches, and social outcasts who never talk about God. We have teens having sex with their brother or getting gang raped, wanting to kill themselves, or deciding if they're gay, but again no God. So FINALLY.

Lia is 18 and an actress filming somewhere in Britain. Her boyfriend has to go so he doesn't mess up her performance during love scenes. She's horny and dealing with heart failure and betrayal. So she falls for another guy. But this isn't the normal player-romance-love-triangle. This is real-life desperation and loneliness. I totally felt her pain. I also felt her struggle with why God made this all happen. THANK YOU for talking about the elephant in the room. I struggle with what I think about God, too - not in a Jewish vs. Christian vs. Muslim way but in a `why is life so hard' way. This is Job as a teenager.

I love the last part of Starlet's Light because I see the light, too. I hugged my mom. I just cried but felt more at peace. I thought about God and just felt more acceptance - like Lia. Cool.
___

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful, May 9, 2013 By Jessica - This review is from: Starlet's Light (The Starlet Series, #3) (Paperback)

Yet again the author has knocked it out of the park! Each novel leaves me wanting another. It is fascinating to see the growth of all the main characters. A book that is impossible to put down!
___

5.0 out of 5 stars Hot Actress Warms the Alps, May 8, 2013 By Andrew Money "CaddoMoney" (Fayetteville, Ar United States) – This review is from: Starlet's Light (The Starlet Series, #3) (Kindle Edition)

Starlet's Light launched me right onto the set of a feature film where the director will blow up a castle. My kind of movie! I didn't read the other books but had no problem getting right into the book. It was well-written with a great balance of description, action, and dialogue from the perspective of Lia, a mixed-race super hot sweet actress. 5-stars for writing.

The plot was tight and believable. Lia goes from movie set to hospital, working while dealing with illness. We've all been there. You have to either push through or feel sorry for yourself. Lia's no whiner. 5-stars for story.

Pierre. Dude. No. I'm a guy. He'd make his move sooner. She's hot and sweet and with a spoiler, come on - there's no way you'd hike around the Alps with such hotness and not keep her locked up in your mansion forever. You'd give a girl like that the world. Manuel deserves her. Pierre does not. 4-stars for Pierre.

Overall, 4.75, rounded to 5. Well-written, great story with Manuel as a dude and Pierre as a dud.

[Carrie Slager · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Full disclosure: I received a free print copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.]

Remember how yesterday I said Starlet’s Run was better than the first book, Starlet’s Web? Well Starlet’s Light is better than both! The overall quality of writing is better, the characters are better as they mature and Carla Hanna’s message comes through loud and clear but not in an obnoxious manner.

Finally Lia sets off on her own away from Manuel for a change and she also meets Pierre. I hope I’m not spoiling too much when I say that a love triangle happens. Yes, I was inwardly cringing when I thought I knew what Carla Hanna was doing to Lia’s love life, but she had such an amazing twist on the love triangle that all was forgiven. In fact, more authors should do love triangles that way. It would certainly make for more interesting books and less one dimensional characters.

But while there is quite a bit of romance going on, Lia emerges as a character that isn’t completely dependent on the men in her life. She has her own interests, both loves and hates her career as an actress and struggles to control her life despite her failing health. Lia grew quite a bit in the first and second books in the series, but it’s really Starlet’s Light where she becomes a memorable character. She doesn’t have it easy and you can really feel her suffering, but with the help of her friends and her spirituality she makes it through to a sort of acceptance of her condition. Her realization at the end of the novel only makes you connect with her more. Lia’s far from perfect and she realizes that, making her my favourite character in the series.

As I said about the first two books, this is not a book you read for the plot. No, this is a book you read for the message as well as the characters. And believe me, the message is terrifying as we get to see even more about how horrible Hollywood is behind the scenes. I had my own terrifying realization as well while reading this: I’m fat. My dear little sister, who is described as a stick by pretty much everyone who sees her is fat. Why? Because we’re not that Hollywood size 0. Now, this didn’t make my self esteem plunge so much as make me realize how cookie-cutter the Hollywood ideal is. Seriously, Lia’s skewed view of beauty in the beginning is terrifying once it’s pointed out to you as a reader and it sends the message home better than any PSA or Dove Self-Esteem Project video.

If you haven’t started the series yet, I’d highly recommend it. Even for those of us who don’t like romance in general, the Starlet series is still a worthwhile read. If you like great main characters who actually grow throughout the series, you’ll love it. And, of course, if you’ve already read the first two books you’ll love the third installment of the series.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

[Lifeisgood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Masterfully Crafted Series

The Starlet Series is the most intricately layered social commentary wrapped in a love story I have read in the coming of age genre.

Starlet’s Light is the 3rd installment in protagonist’s Liana Marie Michael Durglo’s short life. She’s 18, begging for guidance, searching for a reason to endure the pain from Congestive Heart Failure, a consequence of her performance-enhancement drugs used to clutch onto a commercial product’s youth. Although she didn’t choose to take the drugs, Ms. Hanna makes it clear that young actors and their parents do choose plastic surgery. The series demonstrates that both Hollywood and the Western society see actors not as people but as talent that must look too thin and too youthful and must do what it takes to stay that way. Everyone accepts plastic surgery on a teen in Hollywood as the price to pay for fame – forget that we’re cutting up kids – we as a society expect it – just as we turn a blind eye to doping and steroid use for athletes. We as a society need to know how that acceptance shapes us and cuts us, too. Starlet’s Light forces that introspection.

What I found clever in the series was that each book had a story arc, the two combined had an arc, and then the three stories combined had an arc. Wow. The arc in Web was trust/betrayal – betrayal/trust. Run’s arc was indecision/commitment/indecision. The arc in Light was suffering/acceptance. Look at the first scene in Starlet's Web: social media skewers Lia for her success, her PR branding makes Evan dump her, leaving her alone but with better social liking. Look at the last scene in Starlet's Light: social media saves her, providing her the means to companionship. As someone who appreciates the craft of writing, Ms. Hanna mastered the story arc.

She also flipped a genre requirement on its head. Romances require an obstacle to tear the couple apart but not enough to prevent that required happy ending. She examines the love triangle and shows that our beloved genre requirement means “cheating.” I suspect that she thinks that our stories influence our moral choices and we as a society are constantly reinforcing affairs in our love stories. If we were too dense to get her point, she has Lia’s character, Muse, filming one of the most famous love triangles of all times: Camelot’s demise. Ms. Hanna, I got it. Well done.

Full disclosure: Ms Hanna's rep contacted me. I agreed to review on my blog but have now closed it due to health reasons.

[Selina Liaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first read the synopsis of The Starlet Series (Starlet's Web, Starlet's Run and Starlet's Light), it sounds really really interesting. This is because it is my first time to stumble on books on a celebrity's life, especially one who is becoming an adult.

When I started with #47 Starlet's Web, I love the starting. However, as I continued reading, I find that the writing style has changed and there's no...whatchamacallit 'Oomph' in the story.

I love the characters but I find the main character very whiny. It seems like the whole story is being deliberately lengthen. So, yeah... I kinda got bored in the middle.

The good thing about Starlet's Web is I got to experience the 'celebrity lifestyle' which I have absolutely no idea whether its true or not. Other than that, its okay.

After finishing book 1, I did not feel satisfied with the ending so I decided to give another try by reading book 2, Starlet's Run.

Apparently, book 2 can be read as a stand alone series but I find it ridiculous.
There's a lot of elements in book 2 which are really connected to book 1.

The main character is still being whiny and there's a lot of jealousy going on.

The main highlight of Starlet's Run is when the main character has cancer due to a 'special' drug that her mom gave her. I know it sounds terrible when I said it like that but you gotta read the story to find out the whole story. I don't wanna put it here because they are spoilers. =)

Anyways, I find Book 2 to be Slightly better than book 1. However, I still find the book kinda boring. (Sorry Carla! I love the theme, covers and all but I believe with better editing, it'll be a great read!)


Since I've finished Book 2, I was thinking, "What the heck." and proceeded to read Book 3 (Starlet's Light) because I got this book for an honest review.

And I gotta say, Book 3 is so much better than the previous books.
Because, its FANTASTIC.
I'm so glad I endured book 1 and 2 because this reminds me of life.
Life is torturous (I'm not talking about the book!) but in the end, its super beautiful you just want to live over and over again.

I love the twist in book 3 and I gotta say, its a damn surprise.

Sincerely,
Selina.

[Kristen Lester · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sent this book from the lovely author Carla Hanna to read and review.

Book Cover: As I have said in past reviews of this series I feel like these covers are very pre-teenish compared to the story's content but the more I have traveled through this series the more they are starting to grow on me. *STAR*

Story: This story keeps me on my toes. It's loaded with love, drama, comedy, and emotion. I laughed and cried during the story line of this book. *STAR*

Author: I really enjoy reading this authors works knowing that she has a passion to make a difference in this world for the up and coming generations. She does a really incredible and right on job of explaining where our society is and where Hollywood is today. She has taken this work and turned it into an eye opener for people who don't really know much about the Hollywood life. *STAR*

Characters/Relationships: Oh my goodness I was so stoked to see where the relationship statuses went in this book and I was not disappointed at all. I love the characters even more in this book as the relationships continue to progress and change. *STAR*

Cleanliness: There are a few cuss words used in this book but they are minor words and used in context of the situations. NO STAR


Overall Review: From reading through this entire series when I finished reading this book I had one word in my mind and that was WOW! I feel like I have developed friendship with these characters after seeing everything that they've been through and feeling like I experienced it with them. I am so incredibly excited about Scarlet's End but will be sad to see the series end but happy to know that Marie has discovered herself and what she wants in life. I would recommend this series to anybody in college looking for a chick flick read with romance, comedy, and interest in the Hollywood lifestyle.

[Goodday · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful coming-of-age series! Each book contains heartfelt insight. Set in Hollywood, STARLET’S WEB shows us what it is like to be a successful, yet very isolated, teen actress. She’s not only hit with betrayal by her mother, but is forced to confront the reality that being ‘in-demand’ and competitive in the movie business means plastic surgery. STARLET’S RUN shows what it is like to fall deeply in love but be 'too young' to commit – especially since everyone around the young couple is terrified of what a divorce would do to her image. Afraid of making mistakes, the adults urge the couple to know themselves first - a great message for everyone. However, the adult decisions of the past have been responsible for Lia’s terrible illness. I loved how Lia stays 'realistically' positive in spite of everything and we can all learn from moving on.

The third book in the series, STARLET’S LIGHT, is amazing! It’s a beautiful love story veiled in a scathing social commentary. It shows us all the power of truth and commitment in a world driven by profit and social media ugliness. At first the series reads as a love triangle but it's not. When I finished the series, I felt like I had been peeling back the leaves of an artichoke and had finally reached the heart.

[The Book · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the 3rd installment of the Starlet’s series, Liana goes to the UK to film a movie and ends up leaving Manuel behind. Liana does this mostly because she feels guilty and does not want her medical issues to hinder the life he could have without dealing with all her problems.

We meet Pierre, the mysterious pen pal who was only mentioned in the two previous books. Liana gets to know Pierre better and thinks they have some chemistry, but she is still confused and does not know where her heart really lies and with whom. Liana’s medical problems seem to have gotten worse. She feels as if she is staring death in the face but still finds the will to go on and look toward the future.

In Starlet’s Light, Ms. Hanna does another excellent job of grabbing your attention and keeping the reader constantly wondering. There are some emotional moments that touch your heart with this installment and surprises you just do not see coming. I am looking forward to the next installment, which I hope will be soon. Great Job Ms. Hanna. You have officially gained a new fan!!!

[Ariella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing read. I just finished this book. Marie and Manny go through a hardship. I don't think Marie is selfish but sometimes she is. I love Manny and Marie together. I hope she gets her happy ending. I highly recommend this series.

[Connie Nordmark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series! Young adult girls will love these books!

[Bookish Indulgenges with b00k r3vi3ws · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third and final installment in the series and we are drawn back into the drama that Liana Marie Michael’s life is. With work taking her to Europe and meeting Pierre one would think that Liana has enough on her plate. Throw in Manuel and her mother’s failing health, Liana is kept on her toes throughout the book.

Liana is off to Wales to shoot for her next big project. This gives her a chance to meet her European friend, Pierre, with whom she has been corresponding for quite some time. It also gives her a chance to evaluate her feelings for both Manuel and Pierre as she comes to conclude that she cares quite a bit for Pierre. I finally see some chemistry in this book. Pierre and Liana have something that feels quite tangible. Manuel continues to be in Liana’s life in some way or the other and I dislike him more and more. He certainly doesn’t deserve Liana and Liana too, deserves someone much better than him. So, who does she finally end up with? Read the book to find out.

Throughout the series, I feel Liana’s dad is the only one who tries to bring some sense of normalcy in her life. For that I adored him. Liana’s Dad and step mom have a good perspective of her life and they continue to try and be there for her. Thankfully I felt the drama aspect of the book was much more controlled than the second book in the series. As such, it was easier to read the book in one sitting.

To round up the series, it is for those who like YA Dramas and quite an entertaining one at that.

[Carla Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course I loved it!

Pitch: An actress gives up the fight until she sees the light.

Synopsis: Despair overwhelms actress Liana Marie-for good reason. She dumps childhood best friend Manuel and hooks up with rich hottie Pierre. But God doesn't make mistakes. Love prevails.

[Lindsey]

Amazon freebie 5/7/13