Last winter, I read my first Brooke Williams novel. Accept This Dandelion was pure romantic comedy fun, and I knew I wanted to read whatever else Williams released. Her most recent novel, Mamarazzi, released yesterday, and it's just as fun as Accept This Dandelion!
Danica Bennett isn't sure what she hates more...her job or the fact that she's good at it. As one of the many Hollywood paparazzi, she lives her life incognito and sneaks around trying to get the best shot of the latest star. When she is mistaken for an extra on a new, up and coming TV show, her own star rises and she becomes the one being photographed. Add that to the fact that she's falling for her co-star, Eliot Lane, and Danica is in a whole heap of trouble.
From beginning to end,
Mamarazzi is just plain fun! I found it very easy to identify with Danica, a woman who got into the paparazzi business to pay the bills but dreams of becoming a "legitimate" photographer. Her struggles—the moral dilemma of whether to submit a particular photograph, the guilt she felt due to leaving her Alzheimer's afflicted mother in a nursing home in Nebraska while she chased her dreams in Hollywood, and the question of when to reveal her identity to Lane—felt realistic and added depth to the novel.
I enjoyed the romance between Danica and Lane, but more than that, I loved watching Danica's journey. She began as a woman who hid in the shadows (out of necessity), and she became America's sweetheart. Of course, many other things happened before and after she became famous, but those are things you should experience for yourself!
Mamarazzi is definitely a fairy tale—I would be stunned if something like this happened in real life. But that just adds to the charm of the novel—what girl hasn't at some point dreamed that a famous actor would fall in love with her? A few times, I didn't necessarily buy what was happening (usually regarding Gage, one of Danica's co-stars on the TV show), but overall,
Mamarazzi is a delightful romantic comedy, and I'm looking forward to reading Williams' next release.
4 stars.
Content note: Mamarazzi is a sweet romance—no swearing or sex. It's perfectly acceptable for everyone from preteens to grandmas.
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Brooke Williams writes in a sleep-deprived state while her daughters nap. Her romantic comedy is best read in the same state. Brooke has twelve years of radio in her background, both behind the scenes and on the air. She was also a television traffic reporter for a short time despite the fact that she could care less about hair and make-up. Today, Brooke stays at home with her daughters and works as a freelance writer for a variety of companies. When she isn’t working for paying clients, she makes things up, which results in books like
Mamarazzi. Brooke is also the author of
Accept this Dandelion,
Wrong Place, Right Time,
Someone Always Loved You,
Beyond the Bars. She looks forward to her first children's book release
Baby Sheep Gets a Haircut in June 2016. Brooke and her husband Sean have been married since 2002 and have two beautiful daughters, Kaelyn (6) and Sadie (2).
Connect with Brooke:
Facebook
Website
Blog
Note from the Author on the book's inspiration:
I've always been fascinated by the Hollywood life and the idea that "they" are different from "us." The idea for Mamarazzi has been with me for a long time. I'm not even exactly sure when I came up with it, but in college, I had a screenwriting class and I had to write a portion of a screenplay. I wrote "Paparazzi," which was the same general idea only with a male lead character. When I began writing romantic comedy, the idea came back to me and I decided to change the main character to a female and call it "Mamarazzi." I even had a naming contest so that facebook fans and blog readers could name the characters in the book. Every character in the novel is reader named and approved! Overall, I wanted to examine what happens when you take someone from one side of the fence and plop them on the other side. In the end, famous or not, we're all just people. And in this book, they all have secrets...
And next from Brooke Williams....
"Dandelions on the Road"
releases November 5, 2015...
pre-order today by clicking below
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free for review from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
Brooke Williams' based-on-The-Bachelor romantic comedy series concludes with After the Final Dandelion.
Brooke Williams writes in a sleep-deprived state while her daughters nap. Her romantic comedy is best read in the same state. Brooke has twelve years of radio in her background, both behind the scenes and on the air. She was also a television traffic reporter for a short time despite the fact that she could care less about hair and make-up. Today, Brooke stays at home with her daughters and works as a freelance writer for a variety of companies. Brooke is also the author of " Mamarazzi," "Accept this Dandelion," "Dandelions on the Road," “Wrong Place, Right Time,” “Someone Always Loved You,” and “Beyond the Bars.” She even has children's books on the market, such as "Shower in the Rain" and looks forward to releasing “Baby Sheep Gets a Haircut” in June 2016 with Wee Creek Press. Brooke and her husband Sean have been married since 2002 and have two beautiful daughters, Kaelyn (6) and Sadie (2).
(Free as of 8-20-14)
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