Stage Bound

Curtain Call #2

by C.K. Wiles

What was I thinking?
Putting myself and everyone in the theater at risk;
I couldn’t seem to help it,
I needed to prove something to myself—to him.
Peter was right, I was just being stubborn.

Now I find myself tied up with this new act
torn between the needs of my heart and the desires of my body,
and Peter is nowhere to be found.
My stomach is in knots but I have to see this crazy thing through.
I've made a mess of things
and if I can't clean it up soon my relationship and my career will go up in flames.

***

Book two of the Curtain Call romantic comedy series promises all the humor and heat found in Showtime Rendezvous. Fran is torn between her devotion to Peter and stubborn pride. Tying herself to a new act stirs a passion she never expected, but her new desire comes at a cost. The heat of Fran's desire could not only threaten her relationship with Peter, it could consume the entire theater, ending the Plaisir De Rouge forever.

"More of the witty, entertaining, and sexy humor of CK Wiles sets this novella up for a fast paced, laugh out loud read."

108 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2019

About the author

I live in Colorado and love nothing more than walking my dog on a chilly day, writing a good story and irritating the neighbor's noisy cat. When I'm not loitering around a firefighter's workout room for inspiration, you can find me hard at work, editing manuscripts, consulting other authors and writing steamy scenes to heat up my latest book. I would describe myself an adventurous hermit with a with a unicorn's soul who enjoys spicy sesame chicken and smooth scotch. Nothing can shake my zeal for life and all its crazy experiences; not even a friendly, feline nemesis wailing out his revenge beneath my bedroom window.

Reviews

[Tracy Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Curtain Call series strikes again! The fun is back, and the steamy chemistry continues. Fran and Peter take center stage as a mysterious new act heats up the theater. More of the witty, entertaining, and sexy humor of CK Wiles sets this novella up for a fast paced, laugh out loud read.

[J_McA 251 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes a person just wants a good “take your brain out/suspend disbelief” piece of entertainment, similar to a sitcom on TV. This book fits the bill perfectly. This is the second book in a series by C.K. Wiles. I read both of the books in less than a few hours on a lazy Sunday afternoon. There is nothing deep or thought provoking about either book. The author knows a little bit about the stage, but there were a few errors that those who are familiar with theaters might notice. I can’t fault the far-fetched nature of the stories either, because they were just light, fun reads. The author does manage to get a few theater personalities right; I particularly liked that Fran collected Pez dispensers. Many years ago when I was doing theater, there was a guy who collected them: we called him “Pez-Man” and it was always fun to see which ones he had with him. So that character trait made me like the series a little more. If you’re looking for a total brain break, this is the book for you. But be sure to read the first one before starting this one because there are references that make more sense when you understand the backstory. Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Patricia Stoltey · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, if you haven’t read the first novella in this series, I recommend you start there. I reviewed Showtime Rendezvous earlier, and since it introduces the characters so well, it’s a great place to start. After that, you definitely will want to read Stage Bound which takes the small theater and its management and employees a different direction. There are elements of the thriller in this novella to add depth to the plot, plenty of erotic scenes to stir up your senses, and a surprise ending that will make you ask when the next novella in the series will be released. This is a fast, fun read for those of us who need to lighten up a little. I was given an advance copy of this book for proofreading and was so distracted by the excellent story I often forgot I had a job to do. Most enjoyable

[Paul Franco · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lady ostensibly in charge of a theatre company has to juggle her boyfriend, her boss, her friends, and a mysterious new act as they put on a show. She not great at handling the pressure, but she perseveres, mostly with the help of Pez dispensers. But when things go wrong. . .
Despite the shortness, it felt really long. A lot of times it seemed like I was making no progress at all. In particular, the mechanical explanations had me skipping.
On the plus side, there were some thoroughly funny moments, and the relationships were fun to see. A couple of well-crafted erotic scenes helped too. I wish I could up the score a notch, but the main plot could have been much better. I feel like I could have cut at least ten pages off and it would have been better.
2.5 pushed up to 3/5