Review: Memorable and Distinctive Voices
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 01 12, 2014
Models and Lovers by Johnny Ray is a contemporary romance about Balarie Danson, a modeling agency booker, and the growing relationship with her new boss, Tommy Conseco.Balarie lands a dream job with a premier New York agency, placing male models in photo shoots with clients. In the first week, she lands a new account with a fashion shoe designer and saves the day with an existing client.The agency’s gorgeous, unmarried owner shows up at the same functions as Balarie. While she is attracted to the charming businessman, his firm rule on her first day was clear: do not sleep with the agency’s models. Reluctant to mess up this terrific job, Balarie keeps her heart in the right place when it comes to Tommy. But a sizzling evening of Argentine Tango with the enthusiast Tommy tips the scales into a romantic tryst. It blossoms into a looming business scandal, and that is not the biggest consequence of what is to come.Models and Lovers had some intriguing passages. The intricacies of Argentine Tango were fascinating. The supporting characters, especially Balarie’s assistant, had memorable and distinctive voices.This good story could be improved by rewording some of the narrative so events happened in order. Presenting actions one at a time would also smooth the flow. A few places needed grammar tightening by removing adverbs.  Replacing some of the “telling” with “showing” would bring more of the characters’ feelings to life. Despite these matters, Johnny Ray has the knack for creating memorable characters and placing them in an interesting setting. I enjoyed visiting the world of modeling agency tango.