Reviewed by Susan
TITLE: Prince of the Playhouse
SERIES: Love in Laguna #3
AUTHOR: Tara Lain
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 240 pages
RELEASE DATE: April 4, 2016
BLURB:
Driven by his desire to become a successful fashion designer and concerned with hiding his questionable past, Ru Maitland lets his obsession with action movie star Gray Anson on the big screen replace his social life. Then obsession and reality collide when Ru is asked to design fashion costumes for a special performance of Hamlet at the Playhouse in Laguna starring none other than Gray Anson. Gray turns out to be a compelling mix of shy and brash and, despite a high profile engagement to a female socialite, the signals Gray sends Ru have his libido doing the salsa.
Gray Anson has what most people only dream of—great wealth, huge fame, a job he loves. For that, he’s given up any semblance of privacy and the right to say no to the thousands of people who depend on him and the millions who love him. He sees everything he’s ever wanted just outside the bubble of his life, but how can he make the compromises needed to embrace it? When Ru’s shady past crashes into Gray’s paparazzi-haunted present, both men have to learn that sometimes the only acceptable compromise is the truth.
REVIEW:
Prince of the Playhouse is the latest offering in the Love In Laguna series and features one of the most colourful and beloved characters in the series, Ru. Ru is a Drama Queen of the highest order. Flamboyant and out and proud, he is beloved by all who know him. His current obsession is Gray Anson, star of the silver screen. Ru has decided he is just about the most perfect thing he has ever seen and he has been letting his obsession become a slight distraction. Ru has a very full plate career wise. He has been working on his debut runway collection that is bound to make him a star in the fashion world. When an admirer of his work offers him the chance to design the costumes of the actors in a new local production of Hamlet, he is reluctant to say yes……until he discovers that the star of the production is going to be no other than Gray Anson! This sets in motion a series of events that is going to change Ru’s life forever.
Anson Gray is a major movie star…..and miserable because this status has him firmly in the closet. He believes that coming out would ruin his career and he feels that too many people depending him to let them down. So he lets his management do just that – manage his public image and who he is seen with. As a result, he is stuck in a fake relationship with a woman he cares nothing about. All of this changes when he meets Ru. Irresistibly drawn to the dramatic man, he just can’t stay away even though he knows it could doom his career. The press already suspects that he is gay.
When a chance encounter leads to the possibility of Ru’s past coming to light, both men must decide if what they have found together is worth standing up and fighting for.
I loved Ru. He is one of those fun characters who is a delight to read. As a result of meeting him previously, I found myself feeling protective of him. And at times throughout the book, I wondered if Gray was good enough for Ru. His actions to protect himself ended up hurting Ru and I wanted to smack him and tell him to come to his senses!!
This is a light, fun read with just the right hint of angst to make it riveting. The writing flows nicely and I found myself flying through the story. This is a worthy addition to the series that Tara Lain fans will enjoy.
BUY LINKS: