Cut to the Chase by Lisa Girolami

Cut to the Chase by Lisa Girolami

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A good solid book involving an A list actress and someone somewhat on the fringes - a woman who puts together photo books based on photographs they've taken on set.

Her latest book, 'her' being the photographer character, is called 'Cut to the Chase'. The book is designed to show pictures from action movies - or, more exactly, photos from action scenes. For various reasons, when she gets the project, there apparently are only two action films currently in production. And it would be hard to put together a book based on two films (apparently, it'd even be hard to put together one based on just three films). But Paige Cornish keeps digging and is told about a film in production that is keeping a somewhat low profile. Potentially because the costars a woman not known for action (an top tier actress, but known for comedy roles, not action). So Paige pulls some strings and adds that film to her project.

That 'not an action actress' would be Avalon Randolph. A woman that Paige has lusted after since she first saw her on the screen. Some unknown time ago.

That's one of the issues I had with the book - I've no real clue how old people are. I've a greater idea of the length of the book - the length of time that the book encapsulates, but not how old the people at the start. I know that the book is roughly three months long because the project that Paige embarks upon has a three month deadline. And starts at the beginning of the book, and is being released at the end of the book. So, three months.

Unlike some books I've read lately, there's some obvious chemistry between Avalon and Paige. Despite the fact they don't really fit together well. Paige is the more shy, reserved, let's have an evening at home watching B-film horror films; while Avalon is more of the 'let's go places with 800,000 people also there, where the noise is too loud to hear anyone talk, and there's a good chance people with cameras will take our picture' type of woman. They both see something desirable in the other, though, despite their personalities not really matching up well.

That's an interesting dynamic that unfolded in this book. I've read several celebrity books, some may or may no have traveled similar roads as this book here, but this one still seems different than the norm. For many reasons. Not the least of which is the part where one of the characters is shown falling apart over the course of the book; the conflict point is quite reasonable; but then so is the reconciliation. Bah, I'm not really saying why I think the book is different. Other books have had actresses who have found themselves in trouble. This is one of the few where the trouble isn't 'straight A list Actress trouble is trying to hide being a lesbian (or bisexual' for Avalon is already an out A list lesbian, nor is it a 'allowing trouble to act as a smoke-screen to hide something else that might hurt the ability to keep acting (i.e., illness; see: Jae's Hollywood series)'. Instead, here, Avalon actually is a wild bitchy woman on a collusion course with trouble.

It's also interesting to watch Avalon grow. Taking little steps, 'is this the issue?' 'No, you arrogant bitch, you still haven't reached the real issue', to finally actually move from vaguely dislikable character to vaguely . . . redeemable character.

I haven't really mentioned Paige - she also has her POV expressed, but is like-able from beginning to end. But? bah.

Turning to my status updates to draw things to mention: there are at least two sexually graphic scenes that occur in this book, one of which is quite erotic (I've no real idea what I mean by that, neither is fade to black so . . ..).

Rating: 4.45

January 25 2018



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