AUTHOR: Jen Turano
DATE: 2016
PUBLISHER: Bethany House Publishers
STARS: *****
Lucetta Plum is an actress on the rise in New York City, but is forced to abandon her starring role when a fan's interest turns threatening. Lucinda's widowed friend, Abigail Hart, is delighted at the opportunity to meddle in Lucetta's life and promptly whisks her away to her grandson's estate to hide out.
Bram Haverstein may appear to simply be a somewhat eccentric gentleman of means, but a mysterious career and a secret fascination with a certain actress mean there's much more to him than society knows.
Lucetta, who has no interest in Abigail's matchmaking machinations, has the best intentions of remaining cordial but coolly distant to Bram. But when she can't ignore the strange and mysterious things going on in his house, it'll take more than good intentions to keep her from trying to discover who Bram is behind the part he plays.
.What a fun story! Although Playing The Part is book three of Ms. Turano’s “A Class of Their Own” series, it stands on its own merit without any difficulty. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Lucetta, Bram, Abigail, as well as the many secondary characters in this Gothic romp. (Now there are two words I never thought would go together!) The tangled plot weaves mystery, danger, and wonderful sparks of romance into a rich, delightful tale. None of the characters are typical, and that adds a great deal to the appeal.
I was given an e-copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion. I highly recommend Playing The Part and award it five stars.