Reviewed by Sammy

TITLE: Fade to Blank

SERIES: London Lies

AUTHOR: C. F. White

PUBLISHER: Self-Published

LENGTH: 261 pgs. (novel)

RELEASE DATE:  July 27, 2020

BLURB:

Accused of a murder he didn’t commit, vilified celebrity Jackson Young enlists the help of a rookie journalist to clear his name and write his biography.

Jackson has a secret though. One he must keep from becoming public. But Fletcher’s dreamy green eyes, Irish drawl and effortless charm makes it hard to suppress those long-buried feelings, even if it could compromise his innocence.

Uncovering the murky past behind Jackson’s rise to fame, Fletcher grows closer to a man he’d once declared as talentless, and their intense attraction starts to affect not only his professional integrity but the life he’d made since moving to London.

Falling for the subject of his book could be fatal for Fletcher, and Jackson should know better than to trust a journalist.

Fade to Blank is the first book in the London Lies trilogy set in 1999, and is a slow burn, enemies to lovers, hurt/comfort romantic suspense.

REVIEW:

There is a reason why this author, C. F. White, is a go to auto-buy for me and it starts with how magnificently they create characters that are immediately enticing and makes one eager to read their story. Fade to Blank’s Jax and Fletcher are no exception that that idea. Jax is in prison for a murder he didn’t commit and upon release is determined to have his story told—despite the fact that he knows it may be dangerous to him and to the writer who will publish it. So he goes to an enemy of sorts—a gossip columnist who completely shredded Jax’s last performance on stage. To be fair, Jax was drunk and no doubt high while performing and the stage, while not his normal venue, is still a place he loves to act. But all that isn’t really important to Jax at the moment He needs to get his story written and stay out of jail as his case is still open and he remains the only suspect.

Needless to say Fletcher is not only wary of Jax begging him to write and publish the story, he’s also not quite sure he believes Jax is innocent. Then the investigation begins and as Fletcher uncovers more and more of Jax’s past and his claims against the star making giants that run nearly every aspect of Jax’s career, Fletcher begins to see patterns that are very disturbing. He also begins to admit to an attraction for the man that is unsettling not to mention borders on infidelity as he is in a relationship with a well-known, much older stage actor. Then all hell breaks loose and Jax and Fletcher find themselves on the run trying to stay alive and write the most damning story of the year.

First off if you are not familiar with the London Lies series by C. F. White then it’s important to note that there is a pretty big cliffhanger at the end of this novel and only a happy for now scenario for Jax and Fletcher and even calling it that may be an overstatement. But trust me when I say there is hope for these two if they can manage to get off grid and get Jax’s biography written and published. The good news is the second book in this series is already out and the third is about to be released so you can continue their saga uninterrupted if you desire. I can guarantee you I will certainly be doing so.

The story is compelling and layered with lots of dark machinations going on in poor Jax’s life that have brought him to this stage. Having to remain in the closet so that his star image remains untarnished is not his choice but his every action is controlled by business managers who have not only syphoned off his money, much as his parents have over the years, but ruled over his image down to who he is seen coupled with in public. It is one such person who is found murdered—discovered by Jax after a drunken, drugged night he can’t remember.

Jax, in many ways, is a tragic hero despite the fact that he seems to have lived a carefree life. As we learn more about his past we see a manipulated child star who was sucked into fame and fortune and never allowed to really assume control of his own life. You might think it’s a stretch to not scoff at the idea that a star cannot free themselves from that kind of chain but the way the author writes this story it is painfully obvious Jax simply couldn’t.

Then we have Fletcher who left home to come to London in order to avoid taking over the family farm. Once there he is smitten by a much older stage actor who tries to shape and mold him into the boyfriend he wants to have seen on his arm while still having bits on the side to keep his libido happy. But Fletcher is a one man kind of guy and he is uneasy with the fact that marriage is looming when he’s not certain he can trust his fiancée. Plus Fletcher wants to write—and not the gossip he is currently putting down on the page. He finds himself torn between helping Jax and trying to trust the guy and fulfilling his duties at the gossip rag for which he works.

Once the action heats up in this novel it never stops and the layers keep peeling back making it even more enticing to read. I found myself eating this story up and desperate to start the second in this series right after I finished this one. C. F. White is an excellent storyteller and Fade to Blank is a really great beginning to the series. I cannot wait to get my hand on book two.

RATING:

BUY LINKS: 

Amazon