I've had this book sitting on my to-read shelf for a while now, so I'm glad I finally cracked it open. It's a good read, and I appreciated the setting (I actually visited Savannah just a few weeks ago) and the characters had a lot of potential. Still, I feel like I never really got into the story and while I was glad to see the relationship between between India and Philip, I didn't think the couple got enough one-on-one time for the reader to feel their passion. Overall, I kinda want to label this book a tame read - not bad by any means, but lacking the chemistry that makes a compelling novel. ( )

I have been on a suspense reading jag and in desperate need of a change of pace. Dorothy Love’s latest historical novel, A Respectable Actress, was the perfect choice! Well-researched and richly detailed, this book brought post-Civil War Savannah and St. Simon’s Island to life. I became thoroughly immersed in the sounds and sights of a genteel world struggling to adapt to the new order in which they find themselves. Add a romance and a mystery, and you get a complex book that definitely exceeded this reader’s expectations. A Respectable Actress gets a highly recommended designation from me.

India Hartley is a renowned and beloved actress endeavoring to make a living following the loss of her father and her theater company. She hopes that touring the theaters of the South will be a fresh start for her life and career. But an actress is sometimes treated with disdain and suspicion and could prove the perfect person to take the blame for murder. India soon finds herself swept into a murder charge and left to rely on Phillip Sinclair, the brooding attorney hired to represent her. Desperate to belong, India finds herself once again on the outside feeling the judgment of others.

There are a great many things to love about A Respectable Actress. I connected with main character, India, immediately. The story is told in the third person from her perspective. This reader felt all the emotions — fear, doubts, confusion and loss of identity — as India strives to regain her equilibrium and prove her innocence. India is the consummate actress, and while she is successful in hiding her emotions from others, her true self is revealed. Other characters are well-developed as well. The historical details of the novel ring true. I learned a great deal about the theater of the 1800s as well as the plight of Southerners, both genteel and common, in the aftermath of the Civil War. Fortunes were lost and roles were changed. Some characters, such as Amelia, Phillip’s sister, and Binah, a former slave, meet the challenges with courage and determination. Others give in to despair and depravity. I found the novel also had just the right balance of mystery and history. Fans of du Maurier’s Rebecca and/or the historical novels of Eugenia Price, especially her St. Simon’s Trilogy, will find much to love here. As for themes, Love explores how appearances play a large role in how we view and treat others.

So if you are looking for a book to sweep you away into another world, with great characters, an intriguing plot, and excellent research and writing, be sure to check out Dorothy Love’s A Respectable Actress.

Highly Recommended.

Audience: adults.

(Thanks to LitFuse and Thomas Nelson for a review copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) ( )

Title: A Respectable Actress
Author: Dorothy Love
Pages: 374
Year: 2015
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
India Hartley is a well-known actress who has decided to tour the southern portion of the United States, performing plays at various locations. Her first stop is Savannah, Georgia, and it may be her last. During the play, one of the actors is shot and India is seen holding the smoking gun. She has a fan who hires India the best lawyer in the state, Philip Sinclair. He believes his client is innocent, but must find proof. The plot is a bit more complicated than he initially thought, drawing in someone from his past. While spending time with Philip, India falls in love with him. Sometimes he seems to reciprocate those feelings, but at other times he is aloof. As India’s trial takes place, she puts her trust in Philip. While trying to prove India’s innocence, Philip also must struggle with his feelings about someone from the past before he can proceed with his future.
I did enjoy the scenery and time period in which this story was set. This story tries to add some mystery to liven it up, but it just didn’t work for me. It was very predictable, and I found the main male character, Philip, cold and distant. I really didn’t connect with the lead female character, India, either. Philip put his faith in the law and India believed Fate gave her a second chance at life. There was no mention of God or any type of relationship with Him. I could have picked this book up from a secular publisher just as easily as I did from Thomas Nelson. I am disappointed in the lack of faith issues with this book as well as some other recently released books from this publisher.
My rating is 3 stars.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” ( )

Monday, November 2, 2015
A Respectable Actress by Dorothy Love, © 2015

All the world's a stage and all the men and
women merely players. They have their exits and
their entrances and one man in his time plays
many parts . . .
--WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Savannah, Georgia, December 20, 1870
The packed theater is erupted with gunfire as the leading man, Arthur Sterling, goes down.

Visiting actress, Miss India Hartley, is rushed off to the Chatham County Jail. Theatrical noises during the performance of Suspicion at the Southern Palace Theater could not buffet the sound shattering the night.

Father had often reminded her that every situation seemed less daunting in the light of a new day...
A Respectable Actress, 3

One moment, one change in the script by house director Cornelius Philbrick, rearranges lives forever.

St. Simons Island, Georgia, January 5, 1871 ~ Indigo Point
Defense attorney Philip Sinclair has been hired by a benevolent socialite to defend actress India Hartley. Mrs. Sutton Mackay has long been an admirer of the theater and wants to divert scandal for Miss Hartley.

The house was of the West Indies style, built above a tabby basement, with wide, covered verandas and tall windows framed by shutters.
Ibid., 33

Mr. Sinclair's sister, Amelia, and housekeeper, Mrs. Catchpole, are in residence at their plantation home as they deem to keep it from further decay and ruin since the war. As with her heart, India hopes to keep in the same repair as she faces what the future may bring to her silent, hesitant thoughts, intermingled with hope and assurance that Truth will prevail.

Returning on the steamer back to Savannah for the trial, would her sanctuary at Indigo Point following the inquest be enough to quench her fears ~ of the unknown beyond her innocence?

~*compounded*~
"From the ruin of her old life had come this love, this priceless treasure."
Would her heart be summoned?

Join this story as secrets become evident and freedom hopeful.

***Thank you to author Dorothy Love and to Thomas Nelson for this copy of A Respectable Actress for review. This review was written in my own words. No other compensation was received.*** ( )

"Gunfire exploded to the right of the stage, a burst of sound that temporarily deafened her." As I read that very first sentence of the book, I knew it was time to get comfortable because this book was going to grab my attention till the very last world was read. India Hartley is a well known actress who finds herself being arrested for the murder of her co-star Arthur Sterling. How could a prop gun get replaced by a real gun without anyone seeing it? Who would want Arthur dead?

Since India is so famous, it is impossible to go anywhere as she awaits trial without being recognized. The mobs must have been terrifying to India, with all the accusations being thrown at her. Her lawyer, Philip Sinclair decides he must step in and help his client out. He invites her to come stay with him and his sister at his plantation. Hopefully being away from the strains of the charges against her, India can get some rest and collect her thoughts.

I loved the time period this intriguing story is set in the post Civil War era. There were people during this time period still trying to recover from the effects of a war that had devastating consequences. The author develops India's character very well and shows how vulnerable she became as she struggled to prove her innocence. A once very famous actress is now nothing but a recluse. How does she feel knowing that her stardom is almost a thing of the past? Will her loneliness cause her to feel unwanted ?

As the investigation heats up, something turns up that will be far more explosive than anyone could ever imagine. What was discovered that has everyone scrambling and talking? India will go through a torturous trial and there will be twists that the reader will not see coming. I love mystery books that are unpredictable and keep readers guessing till the end. Will you be surprised of the verdict at India's trial ?

I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest review. ( )