AWAY FROM THE SPOTLIGHT by Tamara Carlisle

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In the closing weeks of law school, Shannon Sutherland meets handsome and charming Englishman Will MacKenzie. Initially swept off her feet, Shannon finds that Will has a secret that, once discovered and the consequences realized, could destroy their fledgling relationship. Will and Shannon take great pains to have a normal relationship but, ultimately, find it impossible to do so. Will the pressures of their careers and the temptations of others drive Will and Shannon apart? Can Will and Shannon live a happy life away from the spotlight?

The premise for Away From The Spotlight is one that is every teen age girls fantasy, handsome movie start falls for normal girl. The characters of the book are well described and the plot has its emotional ups and downs.

I liked Will he is a extremely kind and caring man and he wants to do everything in his power to treat Shannon as a queen, Shannon is a brilliant girl a lawyer and the two of them have what amounts to true love at first sight.

This book reads as more of a narrative, told from Shannon's point of view, I feel that in some ways limits the your ability to emotionally connect with the characters. Away From The Spotlight is also 420 pages long, I felt some of situations were drawn out and this book could have been 2/3rds the size it is.

The plot twist towards the end is a huge emotional punch and the chapters that follow really could have been left out and just gone right to the big ending.
I loved the depth of love for each other the characters expressed and I cried at a couple points during the book but it could have been so much more if it wasn't in first person narrative (but then that is just my opinion)

If you are looking for a sweet romance with a happy ever after with a twist then this book fits the bill.



This is another case of the characters have sex but it is a "behind closed doors" sort of thing more implied never directly addressed.



EXCERPT:

I took the opportunity to confront John. “What was that in there? You know those are Will’s friends.”

“I know.”

“Will is my boyfriend. You shouldn’t be doing things like that and particularly not in front of his friends.”

“Which is it that bothers you: that I was holding your hand or that Will’s friends might see?”

“Both.”

“I’m not sorry. I need your friendship right now. Anyway, isn’t that what friends do?”

“We’re not five-years-old. At our age, no, it’s not what friends do.”

“Don’t be mad. I’m sorry. I can behave myself.”

“Can you? Because I don’t know if we can be friends if you can’t.”

A pained look crossed John’s face. “Yes, I can behave myself. Please.” We were silent as we continued to walk to my car. As we approached my car, John asked, “Uh, can you give me a ride back to Max’s? Because my car’s there and I’m kind of stranded.”

I rolled by eyes and grimaced. “Get in.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Tamara Carlisle is a former attorney and business consultant. Away from the Spotlight is her first published work of fiction. She currently is working on two additional novels: one is about love in the music industry and the other is a work of paranormal fiction. Tamara currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with her British husband and daughter. For further information, go to http://www.tamaracarlisle.com.

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Tamara’s Goodreads Author Page also includes a blog detailing trivia relating to Away from the Spotlight.