Falling Star by Gill McKnight

Publisher:                Bold Strokes Books


Solly Rayner's marriage is falling apart. Her partner, Danielle, has been cheating with other women and now she wants a divorce. Although Danielle has never shown much interest in their three children, she is threatening to demand joint custody of them and she is planning to move to the other side of country. 

Faced with the fact that her children might be forced to commute back and forth across a continent, Solly retreats to the beach house of her sister Janie and Janie's partner, Marsha, for a summer break on Topaz Bay. She hopes to find the quiet there to sort through her feelings and decide what she wants to do with the mess that her private life has become. 

That isn't to be however. Marsha is a former movie stuntwoman and has rented out part of the land for an adventure movie to be filmed there. Contributing to the general uproar is the presence of Gin Ito, the world's most famous stuntwoman and Marsha's best friend. Gin is hoping that, though she is there to perform in the movie, some time spent with her friends will help her recover from a tragedy in her life. Naturally, Solly and Gin are attracted to each other, but both are hesitant to be involved because of their individual situations. The story is full of movie stars, dangerous stunts, paparazzi, and film lingo. The suspense is provided by the manipulative and deceitful Danielle whose unexpected arrival turns into an attempt to exploit the women's friendship for her own ends. With so much pain surrounding both of their lives, the chances of Solly and Gin finding a way to be happy together are slim.

Falling Star is one of Bold Strokes Books’ Matinee Romances. The description on the publisher's home page says: Our newest print line, Bold Strokes Matinee Books, are sharp, satisfying, quality reads for busy women who want to take some time out for pure entertainment. The focus is on excitement, sexual attraction, drama, and fun in a tightly written, engaging package. What that appears to mean is that these books are shorter, fast-moving books that can be read quickly. That would seem to be desirable for someone who enjoys reading, but doesn't have a great deal of time. Characters are presented in a breezy manner and the focus is directly on the elements of that story and not what might have gone on before to set up the story. 

There is an inherent danger in this concept. The structure of Falling Star is fine and the story is all right, but, at times, it seems to be rushed and not developed as well as it could be. The book sacrifices some of the understanding of the characters in the attempt to keep everything moving along. In general, however, the story meets the description of what a Matinee Romance is supposed to be.

If you're looking for a book that can be finished in a couple of hours and provides some light entertainment, then Falling Star will suit your needs.