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Center Stage #4
Fast Acting
Love isn’t just in the air: it’s contagious.
Kathleen Fitzgerald has never been the leading lady. In her stage roles, she’s always the second banana or the sidekick. And in love she’s forever the bridesmaid, never the bride. Showing up to support her best friend at her weekend wedding by the sea is a well-rehearsed role. Until one look from handsome fellow wedding guest Russell King makes her feel like a star.
Law professor Russell King was raised to be the consummate gentleman, and after a failed marriage, he’s extra hesitant about getting involved with women. Except Kathleen is a knockout: creative, irreverent, and unconventional, making him seriously consider stepping off his carefully-trodden life path to trip the light fantastic with the quicksilver actress.
The scene is set for a weekend fling but when the curtain comes down there might just be potential for an encore that leads to love.
Kathleen Fitzgerald has never been the leading lady. In her stage roles, she’s always the second banana or the sidekick. And in love she’s forever the bridesmaid, never the bride. Showing up to support her best friend at her weekend wedding by the sea is a well-rehearsed role. Until one look from handsome fellow wedding guest Russell King makes her feel like a star.
Law professor Russell King was raised to be the consummate gentleman, and after a failed marriage, he’s extra hesitant about getting involved with women. Except Kathleen is a knockout: creative, irreverent, and unconventional, making him seriously consider stepping off his carefully-trodden life path to trip the light fantastic with the quicksilver actress.
The scene is set for a weekend fling but when the curtain comes down there might just be potential for an encore that leads to love.
181 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 17, 2021
52 people want to read
About the author
Adele Buck
14 books193 followersA New Hampshire native, Adele still has membership card number 430 from her hometown library even though she has lived in the D.C. area for over 20 years with her fantastic husband and the requisite number of melodramatic cats.
Having worked as (among other things): a bookseller, a server, a communications manager, an actor, and a stage manager, Adele is currently employed as a librarian at a Washington, D.C. law school.
To keep up with the latest, please sign up for her newsletter on adelebuck.com.
(Photo credit: Brian Adams PhotoGraphics)
Having worked as (among other things): a bookseller, a server, a communications manager, an actor, and a stage manager, Adele is currently employed as a librarian at a Washington, D.C. law school.
To keep up with the latest, please sign up for her newsletter on adelebuck.com.
(Photo credit: Brian Adams PhotoGraphics)
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 25, 2022
Although this is the last book to the series, it's the first one I've read. That being said, it was easy to follow the characters on their journey to love. There was sass, a little drama and a sweet and steamy romance. I liked these characters and how their romance unfolded in a believable manner. This well written story has made me want to check out the previous books :)
November 29, 2021
The actress and the law professor meet at the wedding…
It all started with a suitcase the size of Pluto. Ridiculous overpacker Kathleen is standing in the parking lot contemplating how she is going to get her massive suitcase and her bulging tote bag across the lot to the hotel that’s the site of her friend’s destination wedding. Enter groom and his best friend. Of course, it’s sparks and sizzle at first sight between Kathleen and Russell and the playful banter they have as he helps her carry her bag inside really sets the tone for the rest of the book.
If given a list of tropes, Love at First Sight, would be toward the bottom. The cynic in me cannot seem to accept the possibility of it and I spend a lot of time mentally rolling my eyes. Once I realized that was the plot, I expected my enjoyment of the story to wane but that didn’t happen. While they definitely knew this was something more than a weekend fling they weren’t declaring their love and promising happily ever after after just a few hours of knowing each other. The realistic take was refreshing and helped temper my immediate dislike for the trope.
Russell is a good guy, raised by his mom and sisters to be a gentleman and I appreciated how the author challenged a number of actions and thought processes from Good Guys that are still kind of crappy or undermining toward women. I want to be clear, Russell is a genuinely good guy and not one of those Good Guys who only act the part to get laid or get brownie points. Kathleen was constantly forcing Russell to reexamine what being a gentleman and respecting women actually means for him.
Kathleen’s insecurities about never coming in first and the pressure she feels from her family are a nice contrast to Russell’s old-fashioned ways. It was a good representation of what many of us feel.
Overall this book hit the spot for me in every way. The sweetness and sass was perfectly balanced, the drama was low-key, the feels were swoony, and the sex scenes were steamy. It was a great ending to the series and I heartily recommend all of them.
I received an ARC of this book but all opinions are my own.
It all started with a suitcase the size of Pluto. Ridiculous overpacker Kathleen is standing in the parking lot contemplating how she is going to get her massive suitcase and her bulging tote bag across the lot to the hotel that’s the site of her friend’s destination wedding. Enter groom and his best friend. Of course, it’s sparks and sizzle at first sight between Kathleen and Russell and the playful banter they have as he helps her carry her bag inside really sets the tone for the rest of the book.
If given a list of tropes, Love at First Sight, would be toward the bottom. The cynic in me cannot seem to accept the possibility of it and I spend a lot of time mentally rolling my eyes. Once I realized that was the plot, I expected my enjoyment of the story to wane but that didn’t happen. While they definitely knew this was something more than a weekend fling they weren’t declaring their love and promising happily ever after after just a few hours of knowing each other. The realistic take was refreshing and helped temper my immediate dislike for the trope.
Russell is a good guy, raised by his mom and sisters to be a gentleman and I appreciated how the author challenged a number of actions and thought processes from Good Guys that are still kind of crappy or undermining toward women. I want to be clear, Russell is a genuinely good guy and not one of those Good Guys who only act the part to get laid or get brownie points. Kathleen was constantly forcing Russell to reexamine what being a gentleman and respecting women actually means for him.
Kathleen’s insecurities about never coming in first and the pressure she feels from her family are a nice contrast to Russell’s old-fashioned ways. It was a good representation of what many of us feel.
Overall this book hit the spot for me in every way. The sweetness and sass was perfectly balanced, the drama was low-key, the feels were swoony, and the sex scenes were steamy. It was a great ending to the series and I heartily recommend all of them.
I received an ARC of this book but all opinions are my own.
February 28, 2022
This book is a sweet romantic comedy with insta-love connection . This characters are likeable and the storyline is great .
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 1, 2022
Cute story, lots of lusty looks and a bunch of open door scenes. The ending felt a bit abrupt though, so I’m not sure how I feel about that.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews