Essentially Bookish: Review: Starlight

Starlight by Mimi Strong

5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult

Blurb:

So, I fly my rockin' curves off to LA for the big Peaches Monroe (that's me) underwear shoot.

I'm nursing a broken heart from you-know-who, when along comes Keith Raven. Sexy, tanned, and nearly naked. He's my new co-model, and let me tell you, Keith is the full package with a big package (wink, wink).

My new bestie Mitchell warns me that all male models are walking disasters, but I think Keith's different. He meditates, for example. And, unlike some people, he doesn't toy with my affection.

Staying at Keith's apartment in LA and swimming in his pool is heavenly, not to mention the more intimate details of our Rebound Arrangement. What's a Rebound Arrangement, you ask? It's a fixed-length romance and a great way to turn your world upside-down.

Meanwhile, Dalton Deangelo is trying to redeem himself and win me back. He sucks at redemption, but he is charming.

Something tells me that before I leave LA, I'll be forced to make a tough decision.

My Thoughts:

I want to make it clear to those of read this review that this book is the second book and you must read the first book.

(Stardust) Peaches is a smart mouth, sassy, curvy girl who works as a manager of a bookstore. Its there that the famous actor Dalton comes into her shop to hide from the paparazzi, Peaches lends the actor a helping hand . Soon enough they are in an amazing relationship, that is until she realized the beautiful lines he told her were just that lines of a possible upcoming script.

Negative: Cliffhangers are included.

Positive: By the time this post is set up Starlight book will be available to read straight after.

Now on to Starlight

Peaches is heartbroken that Dalton had used her as pretty much a research project, using the lines on a movie the script on her. Like the confident woman she is she still held her head high and continues to work on the modeling gigs. Its there that she meets her hot modeling partner Keith who just broke up with his girlfriend. Together they both come to an agreement with their attraction with each other to stay with together for at least 9 days until Peaches goes back home.

I really loved this book. When I first got the book I was hoping for more of Dalton apologizing and trying to make it up to Peaches. After learning about Keith and seeing their relationship I really liked Keith better than Dalton. Keith was understanding and caring, and Peaches trusted him enough to reveal that she had a son to him. He was there to help pick up the pieces when Dalton broke her heart. I loved the connection between Keith and Peaches. I loved all the characters and how everyone seemed to have a story so it made the characters more real.

I couldn't help but laugh at the color choices of insults. One thing I had to notice is at times I had to try to quiet it down when I would just burst out with a laugh randomly. My family kept looking at me like I'm nuts when I would laugh. I really look forward to the next book in this fantastic series!

Overall I loved this hilarious laugh-out-loud book and think you lovely readers will enjoy this book as much as I did. Highly Recommend.

Book #1, STARDUST will be ON SALE for 99 cents during the blog tour, and is available now at:

Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobobooks

Q&A with Mimi Strong

Q. Wasn't the first book originally called “We are Made of Stardust?” Why did you change it?

A. I love weird titles, but it was too weird, even for me. Even I kept mistyping the thing, so I knew readers were having trouble with that mouthful.

Q. Where did you get the idea for this series?

A. Part of the inspiration is from that great romantic comedy movie, Notting Hill. Also, about a year ago, I wrote a book about a smart mouth waitress, and people loved the character so much. It was a YA book, and I had this weird psychic feeling (ha ha) that people might like a sassy character like that in an adult book, along with lots of sex and romance and great banter. I knew that I'd love to read a book like that, so I figured it would be fun to write, and it is!

Q. How many Peaches Monroe books will there be?

A. After Book 1 came out, I asked my readers how much Peaches they wanted. Everyone said they loved Peaches, wanted the experience to never end, and wanted many, many books. I don't usually write long series, so I decided to make it 4 books, total. That's a quadrilogy. Each one is a full-length novel with its own storyline, and the books are inter-linked.

Q. Will Peaches find love?

A. Um, what do you think? Do I seem like a particularly cruel author? ;-) I'm trying to write a romance here! I think it will happen, eventually.

Q. When people find out you write erotic romance, do they treat you like a freak?

A. Yes, but I am a freak, so that's okay.

Q. When is book 3 coming out? And book 4?

A. I haven't set a date yet. I write fast, so it won't be too long, but I need to take my time and take care of Peaches while simultaneously torturing the poor girl. Writing a series with a character that readers love so much makes me feel like Peaches Monroe is a real person, and I'm just licensed to write her story. If I don't do a great job, I worry I'll get fired. So, I'm going to try to get you more books as quickly as I can without getting fired. (Don't worry about my mental health; I hear this is completely “normal” for authors of series.)

Q. Where do you get your ideas?

A. Many of the details come from all around me. I have a friend who makes root beer and spilled it in my kitchen while I was writing Starlight, so that became a character Mitchell used to date. Peaches' clothes all come from stylish women I see around me. The phrase “earth muffin,” which is used a lot in Starlight, came from my Aunt Bev, who came to town briefly in July. She said the phrase, which I'd never heard before, but instantly loved. A good portion of the story is entirely made up while I'm sitting in a very plain room, facing a wall, so I don't know where all that comes from. My head, I suppose.

Q. Who would play the characters in a movie?

A. I think I should play them all, with puppets. The sex scenes could be a real challenge, but I'm willing to try.

Q. What's the hardest part of writing?

A. Usually I say it's the words. But today I'll be serious and give you a serious answer: fear. Always the fear. I'll be typing a sentence and imagine a specific person reading that sentence, and it stops me cold. It's a huge mind game to get over that stage fright. Some authors drink. I've tried a beverage or two, and it doesn't help at all, so I just have to stare down the blank page and the fear, totally sober, like a good role model. (You're welcome!)

Q. Have you won any major awards with your writing?

A. I have made bestseller lists, but my only actual “award” came from a friend who made me a certificate saying I am now a “good” writer because I've passed the million-word mark. I printed that out for my office wall. I'LL TAKE WHAT I CAN GET! LOL.