Review: Sweet!
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 12 13, 2013
Reviewed by Barb Taubfor TheRomanceReviews.comWhen my daughter was in preschool, still too tiny to read the newspaper without spreading it out on the floor in front of her, she saw a small advertisement announcing auditions for a travelling production of Hans Christian Anderson. And that was all it took. That first stint as a talking cat led her to New York City and a life in the theater. But for each starry-eyed child actor or high school drama club member, there are uncounted numbers of those for whom life and reality has a different plan.In TINSEL MY HEART, Christi Barth tells the story of Becca Huntley's dream of taking the Big Apple by storm. Like most of us, life gets in Becca's way when her grandmother needs her care. Like so many others, Becca turns to community theater for her drama fix. But unlike most, she has the talent and drive to succeed, and turns that energy into award-winning local productions.Poised on the edge of her biggest triumph--and biggest risk--Becca and her Lyndale Park Players have staked all on their Christmas Show and her old friend Tyler, now a famous director, donating his expertise. All seems lost when Ty enters rehab just as production is about to start. Becca is stunned when his business partner Jack steps in reluctantly to take on the director's role. Jack and Becca also have a past, friends who misread signals at every point, but neither ever forgot their attraction to each other.TINSEL MY HEART is a predictable, sweet story. The writing is professional and the story rolls out as the formula demands. The two main characters fight misunderstanding, misguided friendship, and the weights and expectations of family and community. I'm giving three stars because there are no surprises, but romance lovers will enjoy the familiar steps of the dance. This is a terrific potential setting, where each member of the production has a personal history and story just waiting to be told. I can't help wistfully wishing that more time had been taken to paint a fuller picture of the joy and fulfillment so many get from the selfless hours they devote to community theater, perhaps by providing a couple of three-dimensional supporting characters.Christi Barth's writing is more than competent, and potentially could go much farther than the three stars I'm giving to TINSEL MY HEART. I'm going to hope that she takes those risks going forward. Meanwhile, for someone looking for a quick, sweet read, TINSEL MY HEART will not disappoint.