Devon’s review of The Final Act by Bonnie Dee
Contemporary Erotic Romance eBook released by Samhain Publishing 26 Aug 08
Am I the only one who adored the old TV series “Fame”? I watched it religiously, my sisters and I played it, and choreographed dance routines to the music. I even went to see the cast perform when I was ten. I love the behind the scenes, struggling performers trying to make it kind of thing. If you’re a fan of “Fame,” “Rent,” “A Chorus Line,” and like stories, you will likely enjoy The Final Act, which follows the national company of a “Rent”-like musical. While on the road the actors face personal and romantic struggles.
There are three main storylines. Elena and Michael are relative unknowns who win starring roles as star-crossed lovers. Their onstage chemistry translates into offstage sparks, as their opposing personalities clash. But is the flippant Michael capable of love? Elena’s friend Denny is in a long term, committed relationship with Tom. But the long separation is taking its toll, as Denny fears Tom is cheating. Then there’s Gretchen, fresh from Ohio, who nails her very first audition. She finds herself unprepared for the pace of the touring life, and her involvement with guitarist Jake only gets her further in over her head.
Although the romantic elements are strong, and the sex scenes hot and explicit, this was more of an ensemble piece than a traditional romance. The individual romances on their own weren’t enough to keep my interest, but the way the story was structured, moving back and forth between characters, my interest was fully engaged. Dee’s usual unusual character development was in evidence. The characters did not always behave sympathetically (sometimes I downright disliked them), but they were so believably human in their weakness, that I hoped for the best.
Take Jake, the pit guitarist. Yes, he introduces Gretchen to recreational drugs, but he’s not some evil, After School Special, despoiler of innocents. He truly loves Gretchen, but he is so effed up and has such low self-esteem that he has no idea how to be in a healthy relationship. I wanted him to get a comeuppance, but I also kinda liked him. I cared for Michael and Elena the least. She was bitchy and he was glib and smug. But some hot chemistry was generated there. Denny and Tom were the most likeable characters, but even they make some missteps.
If you have always harbored secret fantasies of bright lights and greasepaint, pounding the pavement to Broadway auditions and you sing show tunes in the shower, The Final Act will appeal to the actress/waitress in you. While not the strongest Dee romance, this is an appealing, grown up, sexed up version of “Fame,” and my inner chorus girl thrilled to it.
Grade: B-
The Summary:
Life imitates art? One can only hope…
Elena is a by-the-script actress whose co-star, Michael, has a gift for improvisation that drives her crazy. Fighting a fiery chemistry, they work to keep their on-stage romance where it belongs—on the stage. But a year-long road tour stretches before them. How long can they keep a lid on their simmering passion?
When his left-behind boyfriend, Tom, seems withdrawn on the phone, Denny questions his lover’s faithfulness. Their once-solid relationship faces its biggest test during the long separation.
Inexperienced Gretchen is thrilled to land her first professional role in the musical, Transitions, but the pressures of performing are more than she bargained for. Entranced by her wholesome sweetness, Jake, the pit guitarist, endangers the very qualities he admires by giving her a “little something” to take the edge off her nerves.
Every night for a year, they’ll play out a “happily ever after” on the stage. Before the last curtain call, will life imitate art?
Warning, this title contains the following: explicit sex using graphic terms. Almost public sex, m/m sex, drug-addled sex and a lot of horny backstage fooling around.
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