Reviewed by Becca
TITLE: Fault Lines
AUTHOR: Shane K. Morton
PUBLISHER: I.M. Limited
LENGTH: 250 pages
RELEASE DATE: April 2, 2019
BLURB:
Drag goddess, Ursula Moolay, left Kentucky as fast as her size twelve pumps could carry her and created a new life for herself in Los Angeles. Here, she has found herself surrounded by a group of people with their own secrets and lies.
A daytime Soap stud hiding in the Hollywood closet.
A reality television producer prepared to destroy his star.
An aging showgirl- the complex’s mother hen, fighting to survive.
A married male escort desperately hiding his profession from his pregnant wife.
And finally, Ursula, pulled into a terrifying ordeal of drugs, murder, and deception as she grapples with her own identity.
Enter the world of red carpet meltdowns, sex tapes, shopping with drag queens, earthquakes, mortgages and murder.
Can they survive or will they each fall into the cracks of LA’s fault lines?
REVIEW:
Wow. This book was pretty awesome. I swear it made me think of the Real Housewives shows on tv. As far as I can tell, this isn’t a part of a series, per se, but Ursula’s story starts in the book, The Trouble With Off-Campus Housing. This book was dramatic, comedic, and a mystery plus so much more. The characters are broad in range, from drug dealers and murderers to the sweetest ladies you could ask for. It was a community of people who made their own family in each other. Those who stuck by each other through thick and thin. But it’s also a journey of redemption, forgiveness, and growing up. Learning that certain things aren’t all it’s cracked up to be when you hurt the ones who mean the most to you and change you into something you never thought possible.
Well, this journey starts with Ursula, who is not only considered a drag queen, but she is also trans. MtF. She goes to get a loan to get herself a house, only to discover she already owns one. And the person who bought the house under her name is a sleazeball she actually owes her career to. But he committed fraud and forged her name and that is unforgivable. The problem is, when she goes to confront him, she finds out he just died days earlier in a freak accident in a strip club. When the lawyer contacts her, since everything is technically in her name, she’s the owner of it all. But as she’s clearing everything out and finally setting all her stuff all up, she discovers a hidey hole full of drugs and money. So she calls her off and on again boyfriend, Kris, who is a cop. Little by little, the case is getting bigger. They’ve been after these people for a while, and now Kris is worried for Ursula. During all this, Ursula is making friends with the neighborhood. And it’s becoming quite clear she’s like a mom to most everyone. They are coming to her and relying on her for support and friendship. And things are getting bad. Her oldest friend, is said to have committed suicide, but Ursula knew it was murder because the lady was too arthritic. Another young lady found out she’s pregnant and is terrified to tell her man. Her man is terrified, because he’s been cornered into prostitution with no choice. Another lady ends up with cancer, and it’s hard because she’s a rock. But the more things are going on, the worse it gets. Ursula gets kidnapped and she may not make it out alive.
I’m telling you this reminded me of that tv show, Real Housewives or whatever the name was. Not the reality shows but the actual tv show. Drama everywhere, people up to no good. Manipulation, backstabbing, murder, betrayals, and so much more. But it was so good to read. You guys will love this if you haven’t read it already. Ursula is just great. I love pretty much all the characters in this story. Except the bad guys of course. But Ursula just captured my heart. Born Morris, she always felt she was in the wrong body. She got hell for it, of course, growing up, because people are assholes. But having a career as a drag queen wasn’t just a thing for her. Being a woman was everyday. It’s who she is. Who she feels like she has always been. Just because the equipment is wrong between her legs is not what’s right doesn’t mean she’s not a lady. And she’s just special. She’s mama bear. She just takes everyone in under her wing. No matter who. And she’s fierce when she needs to be. (You should see what she does when she gets kidnapped.) She’s just amazing and I fell in love with her from the start.
The whole cast of characters is so broad and eclectic. Another mama bear, a gay couple in television, a lesbian couple who are opposites in every way but the love is so obvious. You have the young, innocent couple. Well, not so innocent, but still. And a lovely little old lady that is stricken with grief but still the sweetest as can be. It’s a great cast. Lots of lessons to learn and things to go through. It’s such a good story and I loved every minute of it. I hope to see more of Ursula.
RATING: 
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