Book Review: Act Like We're In Love by Christi Barth

Act Like We're In Love by Christi Barth
Publisher: Eternal Press
Release:October 7, 2010

Paperback, 254 pages
Romance, Contemporary

My Review:

Why I read this: I was contacted by the author and thought it sounded like a great romance premise, one I haven't read so I jumped at the chance to read Act Like We're In Love.

How is the novel driven:  It's romance, so it's driven by character and I love Linnea and Luke!


My Thoughts: Such a fun book.  I think my favorite thing about Act Like We're In Love was the great characters Ms. Barth created.  From Linnea and Luke to Ingrid and Wes, the characters were great together and separate.  I loved their banter, the fun and the heat between the romantic interests.  And you get all of that set to the backdrop of putting on a performance of Guys and Dolls.

First a confession - I love plays and musicals, love the theatre, but I have never seen Guys and Dolls, but it was fun to get a feel for it from this book.  I am now hoping to see it one of these days.  So with that confession out of the way, know that the production takes a backseat to the romance.  It's the vehicle for the two main characters to get to know each other, but it's not as important to know the plot of Guys and Dolls to read the book.

Ms. Barth does a marvelous job of introducing the characters and giving them plenty of situations for each of them to grow in.  I loved watching the missteps that each would make along the way to their happily ever after.  The dialogue and romance kept things moving along and there was never a dull moment.  Act Like We're In Love had me laughing out loud at times  and it made me feel that wonderful feeling like I was falling in love for the first time as well.  I think Ms. Barth does a wonderful job with the emotions as well as the dialogue.

Great romance, good heat and a fun plot to drive the book along make this a 5-star book to me.  I look forward to reading more by Ms. Barth.  Her type of romance is right up my alley and she has a great knack for characters, humor and romance.


My Rating:  5.0/5.0

About the Book:

When two people make beautiful music together onstage, can their love survive once the curtain falls? Linnea Larson is willing to do anything to keep her family's Minneapolis dinner theatre from going under. Anything, that is, besides accepting a date from the Hollywood hunk her father hired to inject a dose of star power into their production of Guys & Dolls. It's a toss up whether his greatest claim to fame is playing a superhero on screen, or a super stud off screen. Neither fact convinces her he's got what it takes to share her stage. And thanks to a life long pact with her best friend, she never dates actors.

Luke Powell has fame, fortune, and an endless string of women, but also a lingering dissatisfaction with his picture perfect life. Looking for a change, he escapes to his theatrical roots. What he finds are wary cast mates, a nervous best friend convinced the show will ruin Luke's career, and an adorable costar who stubbornly refuses to go out with him. Suddenly singing and dancing aren't the only challenges he'll tackle over the summer. Far from the spotlights of Hollywood, can he find happiness in the footlights of a tiny theatre?

Despite Luke dragging her into his daily paparazzi nightmare, Linnea can't deny her mounting attraction to his irresistible charm. And even if she's crazy enough to chance getting involved, their fling would have a guaranteed expiration date. He's leaving at the end of the run, and she's tied to her family's theatre. Why risk the inevitable heartbreak? Their job is to act like they're in love, but will they decide it's worth the leap to fall in love for real?

About the Author:

Christi Barth spent years performing in musicals, singing about love and giving people a happy ending in every performance. Then as a wedding planner she spent every day immersed in romance. Now she writes it! After winning several writing contests, she debuted her novel Carolina Heat to rave reviews. She lives in Maryland with the absolutely best husband in the world (sorry ladies, but it's true!).

It is exciting to share her love of the theatre with the world through Act Like We're In Love. For all her fellow Broadway fans, favorite shows include Guys & Dolls, Phantom, and The Most Happy Fella. A special curtain call for Gilbert and Sullivan's The Gondoliers, the show where she met and first starred opposite the love of her life.

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FTC Information: I received this book from the author for an honest review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.