Review & Quote-Tastic: Limelight by K. Ball

Publisher: K. Ball 
Format Read: Kindle book
Source: the author in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 15, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords*
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Love…in the spotlight.

Anna Lainey is a successful author who values her privacy. The last person she would imagine herself dating is a movie star–yet when she meets Benjamin Worthington on the set of a major motion picture, sparks fly–and before she knows it, she’s caught up in a very public whirlwind romance.

But Anna has kept herself distant from others for a reason–she has a secret, crippling panic disorder. When Ben’s fans turn against her and begin stalking her, her worst anxieties have come to life. She doesn’t want to live without Ben–but she can’t live in the limelight either.

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I picked several because I couldn't choose just one. :D

"Don't worry, Anna. Ben once forgot a naked girl in my flat," Geoff mused. "Just left her there, stark naked in my bed."

Ben glared at Geoff, but Geoff flashed him a triumphant grin. Anna, for her part, turned to Ben with a shocked expression on her face before breaking into laughter.  "How exactly do you forget that you left a naked woman somewhere?"

Ben groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "It was an accident."

"Then let me clarify. How exactly do you accidentally leave a naked woman at someone else's house?"

 

 **********

She kept telling herself that her brain and her heart were confusing those two (aspects of Ben) and that her attraction to him was mostly the fame and general awe she held him in.

It was a lie, and the more time she spent with him, it was more obviously a lie. But she needed the lie. Oh, she needed it and Anna clung to it because her life depended on it. Falling for a man like Ben would be the end of her.

 **********

If he made another move, she wasn't sure she would have the strength to say no. She wasn't even sure why she was saying no anymore. Because she wanted more than just his fingers wrapped around hers. She wanted him, body, heart, and soul. Even if it would destroy her.

 **********

"There needs to be an adoption program out there, where families take in random strangers."

"That's called marriage, dear."

Bea's Thoughts:

I've yet to read a bad book by Ball, and this was a wonderful book. It's a romance, which is not her usual genre, but she got it right and then some. She also tackles the often controversial topic of book covers being whitewashed, racial discrimination, internet etiquette and trolls, and panic disorders. Ball also has quite a bit of herself in the book, at least going by what she posts on twitter that is used in the book. That gave the book, for me anyway, a more personal and immediate feel. But, even if you don't follow her on any of her social media, you'll still get a feel for who she is without it interfering with the story.

Anna is a shy, slightly reclusive, successful author who finds herself attracted to successful, famous movie star Ben. Ben has fans who put the 'fan' in fanatical and they do not like it when she and Ben hook up, believing her unworthy, even threatening her life. Anna's panic attacks come to the fore with the fame, attention, and stress that come with being with Ben and I felt for her. Even without a panic disorder, it must be difficult when one partner is in the public eye and the other less so. Both Ben and Anna fumble their way through the relationship, making mistakes but learning from them and trying to do better. At times, Ben was an ass but he was basically likable and he did try to be a better person when he screwed up. Anna was easier for me to relate to, with her love of books and her familial experiences with cancer. Yes, sabotaged by another cancer book. Sigh. It's important to the story but not a major part of events so I was able to deal.

I loved Ball's mix of romance, humor, and contemporary hot topics. It's hard to pull off but she does it beautifully. I cared about the characters, I rooted for Anna and Ben to work out, and I couldn't stop reading. "Limelight" is engrossing, fascinating, and kept me reading until about 4 in the morning.

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