A Respectable Actress

"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 show more 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. show less

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 show more 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.) show less

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.

A Respectable Actress by Dorothy Love is a lovely historical romance/mystery novel. India Hartley is doing an acting tour. She is currently in Savannah just before Christmas in 1870. India is performing at the Southern Palace Theater. Cornelius Philbrick is the manager of the theater and he has decided to spice up the evenings performance for a critic. He insists that India shoot (pretend) the person in the play instead of hitting him over the head. Cornelius states the firing pin was taken from the gun. India protests but if she does not do as he asks, then she will be replaced (and she needs the money). India does as directed and Arthur Sterling (the actor she was to pretend to shoot) is really shot. India is immediately arrested for show more the crime.

An admirer Mrs. Sutton Mackay hires Mr. Philip Sinclair to be her lawyer. Philip takes India off to his plantation Indigo Point on St. Simon’s Island to work on her defense (and so she does not have to stay in jail). Philip is working to restore St. Simon’s Island and his plantation. India discovers a mystery in the house with a closed room set up like a shrine and a missing former slave girl. India discovers a vital clue that could solve the mystery and could lead to her freedom. Will Philip and India be able to figure out who really killed Arthur Sterling in time to save India?

A Respectable Actress is good story. I liked the mystery. It contained some interesting twists and turns. I found India to be a strong character (for the most part) and the setting is just gorgeous (I would love to visit Savannah). I give A Respectable Actress 4 out of 5 stars. A Respectable Actress is nicely written though a little slow. Overall, A Respectable Actress is a good Christian historical book. I enjoy books that have strong female main characters (especially in an historical novel). A Respectable Actress shows how detrimental secrets can be.

I received a complimentary copy of A Respectable Actress from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

India Hartley has spent most of her life on stage, being raised by her father, he taught her all aspects of thespian living.
Now she is all alone after her father’s death, and continues to do what she knows, by being an actress. What she doesn’t know that her life is about to change forever, this job in Savannah, Georgia may well be her last. Her life is changed by an alternation in the script, that she doesn’t approve of, but has no choice but to preform.
The results are the death of one of the performers, and now she is charged with murder, and with no extra funds, what is going to happen to her? The gallows? Enter a lover of the arts, and her hometown of Savannah in the form of Mrs. Mackay who brings a very successful lawyer to show more help her in the form of Philip Sinclair.
Philip ends up being more than her lawyer, but also her protector, and brings her to his planation on Indigo Point. Her she meets his sister and housekeeper, and many of the Island inhabitants, but not all are as they appear, and there are a lot of secrets that are waiting to be found out.
While we travel around this are of Georgia, we find that it is still trying to heal from the after affects of the War, and we get glimpses of what life was like during this period. You will be drawn here and feel you are walking in India’s shoes, and where they lead you may not want to go, but are forced to open each of the doors.
Will India end up dying for a crime she was innocently forced to do, or will Philip be able to work his magic and free her. Open the pages of this book and the Author will draw you right in, when it is ended, I wanted more. Enjoy!
I received this book through Litfuse Publicity Book Tours, and was not required to give a positive review. show less

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 show more 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.*** show less