I'm on my way to your house, guided by the stars: IN HER SPOTLIGHT.

In Her Spotlight by Amy Spalding
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tess Gardner is a well-known actress, most famous for a Marvel-type role entitled Princess Platinum. She's famous but also held to a pretty high standard--and has to hold to pre-existing expectations. Ready to prove her acting chops, she get a theatric role, but a #MeToo scandals forces out her famous director. The replacement, Rebecca, just happens to be the same Rebecca whose heart Tess broke years ago at theater camp, since Tess was unwilling to admit her sexuality to herself, or Rebecca.

I love this series, though this book was a bit slower than the others. It wasn't quite as fun, with no big queer group of friends, and Tess was certainly hard to like. She's especially mean to her best friend, taking her for granted. And she lives up to her actress name, acting as if the world revolves her. (I could go without hearing the phrase "Professional Actress Tess Gardner" ever again.)

Eventually Tess' redemption arc makes it a bit easier to warm up to her--and the book. She's deeply closeted and hiding who she is: that's never easy. I found this more a coming out story than a true romance. The chemistry between Tess and Rebecca is a slow burn, without some of the wit and charm in other Spalding books. When the story focuses on Rebecca's exploration of her sexuality, it's nuanced and well-done.

We do get to see Max and Sadie (from the other books in this series) and a bit of Ari--that was fun, and I wish there was more of them. Over time, I warmed up to Tess' cast for the play and they were some strong foils for her. Overall, this story builds, culminating in a good ending.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Kensington in return for an unbiased review.

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