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In Spotlight and Shadow by Rachel Scott McDaniel - The Doors to the Past series delivers again with another well-crafted dual timeline story. It opens in modern day Pittsburgh, with Elise stressing about whether she'll ever win approval - in a relationship or professionally. She wants to earn a spot playing violin in the symphony but her stage fright is so bad she's terrified to audition. Her friend sets up the audition for her, and the same day a mysterious package arrives for Elise - and she's convinced that the valuable piece of jewelry hidden inside is a clue to her father's identity. When Elise goes to visit her music teacher and mentor, she's shocked and embarrassed to find her high school crush there. Pierson disappointed her years ago, and now he's a big country star. But he seems determined to help her over the stage fright, help her track down the clues to her father's identity, and maybe rekindle more than just a friendship between them.
The historical timeline takes place in the 1920s, in the theater in Pittsburgh. Sophie is a hopeful stage actress with a mysterious past, and when some valuable pieces of jewelry are stolen from theatre patrons, it seems she may be connected. To her dismay, the detective working on the case is none other than Sterling, the man she left at the wedding altar with no explanation. As Sophie is framed for the thefts, she must try to make things right with Sterling, and eventually decide to reveal her secrets in order to clear her name and catch the real thief.
The jewelry is the piece that ties the two stories together, but the common theme is that both ladies are struggling to find their identity and worth amid rejection and uncertainty about their parents. Both Elise and Sophie question whether the relationship with their respective beaux can survive the pain of the past and the questions about who they really are. Both storylines take a few unexpected turns along the way as the main characters change and grow.
From the publisher:
A Gem of a Mystery Takes Center Stage
Walk through Doors to the Past via a new series of historical stories of romance and adventure.
Elise Malvern has a habit of letting people down. Her former boyfriend who hoped she'd be his bride. Her grandfather who hoped she'd take over the family's auction company. But mostly she's disappointed herself. What's the point of pursuing her passion as a violinist, if she is too scared to audition for a seat in the Pittsburgh Symphony? Her internship at the elegant Heinz Hall places her in the wings of the stage, but never on it. By accident, she discovers an old stage prop. Her instincts tell her there's more to the paste necklace than meets the eye. Whether a good idea or not, she accepts help from a childhood friend, who happens to be a country music megastar - Pierson Brooks. Pierson and Elise share a history; one she doesn't care to repeat. The more involved they become in the mystery, the more things get tangled, including her heart.
A century earlier . . .
Sophie Walters longs for center stage, her name on the marquee, and all that jazz, but climbing her way into an acting career is more difficult than she imagined. Having spoiled all her chances in Hollywood, she returns to Pittsburgh, accepting an insignificant role in a popular production. She watches her dreams pass by from behind the curtain at the illustrious Loew's Penn Theatre. She finally gets the coveted spotlight, but not for her talent. No, her surge to fame is all one terrible mistake. Somehow, she's suspected to be a notorious jewel thief known around Pittsburgh as The Mirage. The man she pleads for help is non other than the man she jilted at the altar five years before, Sterling Monroe.
Visit Barbour Publishing for more info on where to buy.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing through NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a review.
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This is a book with a shadow on the cover for the February 2023 Mini-Challenge.
This is a book set in a workplace (#31) for The 52 Book Club's 2023 Reading Challenge
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