Queen B’s Decree: I found Second Chances in Hollywood to be adorable. It’s set in 1959 in Hollywood and that’s definitely a time period I haven’t read about much.
Josie is a nurse who moved to Hollywood from her hometown in Kansas two years ago to get a fresh start when a patient talks her into auditioning for a Western show. And surprise, she gets the part! From there she meets our Hero, Robert (aka RJ), a fellow actor.
Their relationship goes wrong after an attempted goodnight kiss goes wrong, but when RJ is ill with the flu, Josie nurses him back to health…albeit reluctantly, initially. I loved their relationship. Once they got back on track and moved forward, both Josie and RJ were so supportive of each other. It reminded me a bit of The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry, both trying to sacrifice for the other. And when disaster lurks and I feared the dreaded miscommunication trope, both quickly opened up to each other and communicated.
And I can’t forget the side characters. Beau, Charlie, and Cassie were all integral to the story and felt like individual characters without taking away from the primary romance. The spice is pretty tame compared to what I usually read, but it was sweet and loving and fit the characters so well.
Lastly, I can tell the author put a ton of research into this, and there’s nothing better in a historical romance than accuracy!
Thank you to the author, Sarah Hendess, who sent me a copy of Second Chances in Hollywood and I’ll greatly treasure it!
Book: Second Chances in Hollywood by Sarah Hendess
Series: Midcentury Hollywood #1
Genre: Historical
Hotness: mild salsa
Plot Devices/Tropes: coworkers, hollywood