Talk of the Town
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
Between Hollywood glamour and small-town secrets, what is the truth? The show American Superstars is the hottest thing on television, but its associate producer, Mandalay Florentino, is worried. She's just arrived in the tiny town of Daily, Texas, to arrange a surprise "reunion concert" for hometown finalist Amber Amberson. Only it turns out everyone in town seems to know the secret. And paparazzi are arriving. And word from Hollywood is that Amber has disappeared with a "bad boy" actor. Can anything go right in this tumbleweed town?
Imagene Doll loves her town of Daily, Texas, but things are lonelier without her beloved husband. Life seems dull. At least until that fancy-dressed woman pulls into town, looking terrified and glamorous all at once. Soon life's not the least bit boring as Imagene--and the rest of Daily--find themselves at the center of a media maelstrom...with a young girl's future on the line.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
When Hollywood producer Mandalay Florentino comes to the tiny hamlet of Daily, Tex., she's not at all sure what she will find. She's trying to do damage control because Amber Anderson, a good-girl gospel singer from Daily who is a contestant on Mandalay's AmericanIdol "like reality show, keeps getting herself caught in the tabloids. Mandalay's also trying to keep a lid on the fact that Amber's about to become a finalist, but in a one-stoplight town like Daily, the mere presence of folks from Tinseltown tips off the whole community. Making matters even more complicated, as Mandalay holds off paparazzi, sniffs out the underhanded doings of her conniving boss and begins to suspect her L.A. fianc of philandering, she loses her heart to a blue-eyed country boy who's got a secret of his own. Wingate (Tending Roses) pens a light and entertaining story of life in a small town with Texas-sized charm. The narration alternates competently between Mandalay and her new ally, Imagene, a widow who discovers new life even as her 70th birthday looms. The novel's Christian themes are incorporated quietly, as characters grow in grace without melodramatic conversions or bedside confessions. Fans of Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt's brand of engaging, contemporary chick lit will enjoy this story.