Review: The writing will suck you in.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 28, 2014
ARC generously provided by author in exchange for an honest review.4.0 Smoking StarsI read this book several months ago under the title Mannequin.  It ended with a cliff hanger and I was unable to read anymore (not available).  Then I was contacted by the author, Olivia Besse, that she was making some changes and the books would be rereleased.  I was thrilled when given the opportunity to read this whole series.  Mannequin is only the first half of Etoile, so it was worth the wait.Elodie Marais did not have the easiest start in life.  She was born in France and left orphaned by her parents.  She was raised in an orphanage.  She had her first love at the early age of 14 and then had her heart broken by that same boy.  It was during that time that she was discovered by a modeling agency scout.  Elodie had big dreams of making it big in the fashion industry to only realize that the industry is brutal and she had to grow up very quickly.  Elodie is now living in New York, trying to make some money and a name for herself.  She lives in a flat with several other models who become her family.  After being on her own for so long Elodie finds herself with the attention of two men,  James, an investment banker (every models dream) and Tyler, a very sought after famous male model.The two men in Elodie's life are very different, yet there are things about each one that she is drawn to.  The question is should she listen to her heart or her head.First I have to say that this book does not paint a glamours life of modeling.  I am sure it is actually very realistic and it shows how hard it is on the people who work in the business.  I am also pretty sure that I have lung cancer now from reading this book, all they do is smoke.  In fact there was one point in the book that I swear I could smell the smoke.I am going to do my best on this review but I am afraid I will not do it justice.  I really enjoyed it and I really liked Elodie.  She is in a tough business and she is all alone but she is a good person and this book shows her growth as a person.  She is learning about the business but also who she is.  She is also learning what she believes may not be what is actual.Elodie meets James in a bar with her model friends.  He is perfect, he is handsome, kind, thoughtful.  He has a great job (every model dreams of ending up with an investment banker) and he really seems to care about Elodie.  Tyler was Elodie's first.  She meet him at an agency party and he was gorgeous.  She decided it was time to trade in the V card and who better to give it to.  Then a few years later she runs into him again and there is still such a pull between the two.  However, Elodie just can't seem to let herself trust Tyler, afraid he will end up hurting her.  She must decide who to give her heart to.Okay at first I really liked James but as the book went on I felt the pull toward Tyler, he is just such a great guy.  He is the reason she gets her big break.  I felt myself cheering for him more and more (often to my frustration).I will say I really like the characters and the story and it was unlike anything I have read lately but all the credit to this story goes to the author Olivia Besse.  Her writing is fantastic, it is so descriptive and really sucks you into the world she is describing.  I really felt everything this book described and couldn't wait to read the next one in the series.