Customer Reviews

American Diva (Thrillseekers Anonymous, Book 3)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I really wanted to like this book, as I enjoyed the first two books in this series, but American Diva was just a frustrating read. This story is about Audrey, an ultra-famous pop singer of 28, and Jack, an ex-military, pilot and stunt person for Thrill Seekers Anonymous. Jack gets hired to provide security after she gets a few threatening letters.

First let me say that I think Julia London is a very talented writer, but as I have come to know her stories are either a "Hit" or "Miss". And her misses can almost always be boiled down to the same fundamental problem: the story focuses on characters who you simply don't like or care about. This is the problem with American Diva.

In American Diva, *ALL* of the secondary characters are jerks. Her co-workers, boyfriend, and entire family are all horrible people with no redeeming qualities. None of the subplot stories were fun, entertaining, or enjoyable. The story also includes a bad guy, and we know from the beginning who he is, so it was just a subplot to keep Jack and Audrey together. When the bad guy gets caught, it was very anti-climatic. To make this book worse, the heroine Audrey is not very likable. She is a diva, and acts horribly through most of the book. She is either a raging *itch without apology, or a complete doormat getting walked all over. She has a few normal moments with Jack, but in most of their very short and totally unrealistic relationship she is awful to him. She makes a few "TSTL" decisions that frustrated me to know end. Jack was the best part of the book, but truthful he is the same guy from so many other romance novels. His character is so cookie cutter, i.e...tall, built, dark hair, blue eyes, handsome as sin, treats his woman like gold, and can perform in bed like stud he thinks he is. I wont even get into how I didn't like the ending, but just know it has a strange conclusion that did not leave my heart melting. It left me scratching my head thinking "huh, that's it?!"

Given all of this, I would highly recommend you read the first book in the series "Wedding Survivor" as it was great. The follow up "Extreme Bachelor" wasn't as good, but it was a likable story. But skip this one.

Thrillseeker Jack Price supplements his nest egg that will enable him to open his own flight school by taking a protection assignment for a popular singer who is being stalked. Alternative folk-rock musician Audrey LaRue chucked her music style at the urging of her manager boyfriend Lucas to play soulless bubble gum pop. Riding on her coattails of fame, Lucas will do anything to get them into the spotlight, even tipping off paparazzi as to her whereabouts. He hires Jack to oversee Audrey's security, but soon the attraction between singer and bodyguard is hard for the two to resist, particularly since she and Lucas have drifted apart the last couple years. Audrey surrounds herself around people who don't seem to have her best interests at heart - she is just a means to their ends. Even Audrey's family - ever the bloodsuckers - they see Audrey as their own personal Monopoly bank. Can she turn her back on Team Audrey so she can control her own career and make a life with the man she loves?

London's latest Thrillseekers Anonymous novel is probably her most melancholy, missing most of the humor that made "Wedding Survivor" so good. Audrey is both a doormat and a diva who's really just an insecure singer caught up in a maelstrom she's not sure she even wants. Jack exudes confidence as he pursues a woman guaranteed to break his heart and trades barbs with best pal Michael. Most of the secondary characters are pretty nasty, particularly her mother and personal assistant Courtney, making readers wonder why she hasn't cleaned house and taken control of her own destiny. My biggest gripe though is that this was released as a trade paperback, making it twice the price of the rest of the series.

I loved AMERICAN DIVA! I thought the struggles that Audrey faced were very real. I can imagine not being able to just dismiss a guy you've known for years and who helped you reach stardom because you have fallen for a 'hottie'. I didn't like Lucas because he was a leech and used her to further his own career, but I thought Audrey needed Jack to open her eyes. Eventhough she loved Jack, she had to be true to herself for once and grow out of being dependent on others and giving in to their pressures. The bad guy was secondary and was only a means for Jack and Audrey to meet. London gave such vivid descriptions in this novel as all her novels. I could experience how Audrey and Jack felt about her blood sucking family. There were some parts that made me laugh out loud. For example, when Jack said that her family was like the making of a Jerry Springer family. The love scenes were fantastic. London gave a very insightful foray into the world of superstardom. I thought it was very believable and interesting. I admired the way Jack gave her time to come to her own decision because he realized what a tough choice she had to make. Reading this novel was like watching a great movie. London knows how to tell a story. I must agree that the ending was sort of abrupt, but it didn't take away from the story. I also love the fact that London writes both historical and contemporary. She hasn't abandoned the genre that put her on the map. I just recently discovered her through her historicals because my other favorite historical authors have started writing crime/mystery genres. London is good with both genres. I had to go back and buy all of her novels. DEVIL'S LOVE and WICKED ANGEL are must reads. The THRILLSEEKERS series is great. All of the guys are hotties.

I was so waiting for this book. It was very disappointing. The first
two books in the series were very good. This one was a very frustrating
read I stopped and started it a couple of times. It was too up and down and you did not care about the characters. After waiting so long for the final book in this series it was a big disappointment. They made the book an oversize paperback raised the price and it was not worth it.

I had such high hopes for Julia London's latest book. Both her historical and contemporary romances are some of the best in the romance world but American Diva was anything but the best.

Singer Audrey LaRue is America's newest sweetheart. She is the "It" girl of the moment and while this brings about many new career opportunities for her, it is also bringing out a stalker. Audrey hires Thrillseekers Anonymous member, Jack Price, to be her new security man. It is his job to watch over her, keep the press at bay, and stop her stalker.

Jack Price accepted the job as Audrey's bodyguard in order to help him fund his dream: to own and operate his own flight school and air hangar. But what should be an easy, uncomplicated job, is anything but. Audrey and her entourage, particularly her boyfriend Lucas, are demanding, needy, annoying, and whiny. Audrey has no control over them or her business dealings and this chaos shows on every page of this story.

What could have been an interesting and engaging bodyguard/celebrity romance was anything but. Audrey is a terrible character. She puts up with some major verbal abuse from her "boyfriend" and cannot make up her mind about what direction she wants her career to go in. She professes to be in love with Jack, but heck if she can truly decide between the two men. She is careless and demanding and in general, a very annoying character.

I truly don't know how Jack managed to fall in love with her. This story was a confusing disaster of characterization. Unfortunately, this series, which has had me hooked from the first book, ended with a big bust. If you truly want to read this story, pick it up from the library. It's not worth buying.

Julia London is still a favorite author of mine. I re-read many over her stories over and over again, but American Diva will not be one of them.

Definitely the most fun Thrillseekers installment yet. Loved the tabloid headlines! Audrey may seem like a diva, but the author gives us insight as to why she has to mask her true insecurities and feelings. Friends, strangers, even her family just seems to want a piece of her. No one cares about who she is deep down until Jack comes on the scene. And the creepy stalker, very creepy! Too fun to pass up.

Audrey LaRue seemed to be the golden girl of the music scene, a talented, popular beauty who charmed teens to the senior set with her voice and had a long-standing relationship with a fellow singer. Then, as often happens with the famous, she acquired a stalker. To deal with this problem, she hired Jack Price, a no-nonsense guy with dreams of a better life, which this job could finance. At first, he seemed totally unimpressed by the diva, then he saw past the facade she put up to shield herself and fell in love. Seeing in Jack the sort of man she needed, one person who would love her and not use her, Audrey responded; however, her boyfriend is not ready to let go, and neither is the mysterious stalker who brought Jack into her life.

**** Two intertwined storylines are deftly played out in this light, yet absorbing novel. Audrey proves to be a much more complex character than she first seems to be. Fans of Susan Elizabeth Phillips and early Sharon Sala will love this book. ****

I truly wish London would write more modern books like this as I read them as soon as I find them. I requested this one for the Kindle and to my delight found it...but it took quite a search. This was the latest in her TA series, but read as a stand alone. Think Carrie Underwood meets very hot not-so-average pilot|bodyguard. Loved it!

Even if you're not a fan of the "become the next American star" shows that dominate TV lately, you can't help getting sucked into this fast-paced story about a small town girl's meteoric rise to pop stardom.

Audrey LaRue is today's it-girl, and everyone wants a piece of her. She rocketed to superstardom after a few hits on her second album, and while she's grateful for her success, she's not as pleased with the lack of privacy that comes with it. She's surrounded by shallow hangers-on, and she doesn't know who her true friends are anymore.

When she meets Jack Price, they clash. She's looking for some peace and quiet, a few minutes away from the chaos of her life, and he gets the impression she's shallow and full of herself. Audrey has learned to put up a false front, and acts like the diva she's rumored to be.

When her life is threatened, Jack reluctantly agrees to take charge of her personal security while she's on tour. His dream is to own and operate a flight school, and the money he'll get from being Ms. LaRue's bodyguard is just what he needs. What he doesn't expect is to find is a compassionate woman behind the diva façade, a woman who needs him, a woman who unexpectedly slips into his heart...

Julia London's style is laced with the kind of subtle wit that really appeals to me, and American Diva has an easy flow that kept me interested throughout. The story makes me realize how glad I am that I can read about being famous without having to experience it myself. Audrey is touring with a manipulative manager/boyfriend who's riding on her coattails, a backstabbing personal assistant who's deliberately leaking bad publicity to the press, a pocket rat of a dog (the nicest of the bunch, by far) and miscellaneous other toadies. Her family sucks; they put the "funk" in dysfunctional. When she meets Jack, it's refreshingly different. He's the only one in her life who isn't just using her for his own personal gain. But love doesn't come easy for these two. They fight the attraction that's simmering between them, but in the end their chemistry will make your pulse race and your palms sweat. You'll definitely want to read this one.

5 Kisses, 1 Pepper

~Lindy
Reviewer, TwoLips Reviews, LLC
[...]

I was disappointed with this book. The series started out awesome, then went into a decline. This book had some good parts, but it was a book that I could put down. American Diva did have some good parts, but was absolutely predictable.