The Shark by Cara Malone is the sixth book in the ShudderCon series and does a good job of showing second chances have no timetable. And when they happen in Las Vegas, the outcome is a big win.
Sabrina Grace is down to her last chance to become a screenwriter. After leaving Hollywood four years earlier to tend to a family emergency, her name doesn’t exude confidence from television producers. She decides to come to ShudderCon, the place where her journey began, and give her dream one last shot. She’s hoping for a second chance. What she doesn’t expect is a second chance with the woman she left behind.
Evelyn Green usually loves the annual trek to ShudderCon, but this year she’s dealing with a lot of professional drama. Her lead actress is caught up in a scandal, the network is considering cancelling her show, and all Evelyn wants to do is hide in her hotel all weekend. Better yet, hide in her Los Angeles home. All thoughts of leaving take a backseat when she literally runs into Sabrina Grace, her former mentee, in the elevator. She’s the last person Evelyn expects to see, especially since the last time they spoke Sabrina torched her career, along with their budding romance. It’s going to take a lot for Evelyn to trust Sabrina again, and this time the stakes are much higher.
Can Sabrina convince Evelyn to give her a second chance? Or will this ShudderCon truly be her last?
The Characters
I love how Malone gives us two amazing women who represent the two professional spectrums in the film industry.
Sabrina Grace is a young woman with a big dream to be a screenwriter. She’s ambitious, determined, and confident in her ability. She is also strong-minded in fulfilling her dream her way, which makes opportunities more difficult to achieve. Sabrina does her best to stay true to herself and firmly believes that it will pay off, eventually. She is not willing to compromise when it comes to her craft and the people she loves. Unfortunately, her uncompromising mindset will cost her more than her dreams if she’s not careful.
Evelyn Green is the picture of success in Hollywood. She has gained her success by taking advantage of the opportunities that fall into her lap. She’s confident, cool, but she’s also vulnerable. Evelyn arrives at ShudderCon amidst a soon-to-be public scandal on her hit show. She runs into the one person who was able to break through her shell, then leave without a trace, four years ago. There is a reason Evelyn is nicknamed “The Shark,” but this weekend that shark might be caught by a determined minnow in the form of Sabrina Grace.
The Writing Style
I haven’t read the other stories in the series, but I do feel Malone did a wonderful job of capturing the Con atmosphere and what it’s like for industry professionals, fans, and people who are both. Having been to a few Cons myself, the whole excitement of going is based on the hope of seeing, and being seen, by some of your favorite actors, writers, and industry professionals. Malone’s writing gives you total immersion and really has you wishing ShudderCon was a real event.
The Pros
There’s a great balance between Sabrina and Evelyn. Both realize they’ve made mistakes over the years, and both are willing to redeem themselves to their professions, and each other, to get their Hollywood ending.
The Cons
I feel the cover was not a good representation of the story. I understand that the covers in this series have similar designs. I feel that for this specific story a woman in a smart, sparkly-looking suit would’ve been better. That would’ve made more sense since the title of the book is Evelyn’s industry nickname.
The Conclusion
This story was so good I literally read it in two days. Malone plunges you headfirst into the world of ShudderCon and gives us two women that are fun to watch along their journey back to each other and the dreams they left behind. Pick this one up with the others in the series and get the true experience of ShudderCon from all angles.
Excerpt from The Shark by Cara Malone
When the elevator door slid open, Evelyn stepped inside along with a half-dozen other ShudderCon attendees. Sabrina swam through the crowd as fast as she could and shouted, “Hold the door!” but her plea fell on deaf ears.
Evelyn didn’t look like she was in the mood to do Sabrina any favors. Based on how Sabrina had left things with Evelyn the last time they were together, she didn’t blame her. If anything, Evelyn seemed ready to mash the elevator buttons in an effort to hurry the process along. In the end, what saved Sabrina was an errant basketball.
It popped out of a chubby brunette’s hands, flew through the air and bounced off someone’s head in the lobby. They groaned and spiked it into the ground, and the ball bounced into the elevator, tripping the sensor as the door began to close.
It gave Sabrina just enough time to push her way inside, where she tripped over someone’s luggage and landed on her ass as the door slid shut.
“That was quite an entrance,” Evelyn said, rolling her eyes as she held out a hand to Sabrina. Even from Sabrina’s vantage point on the floor, Evelyn was one of the most stunning women she’d ever met – long and lean with smooth skin the color of toffee and eyes that managed to be simultaneously mesmerizing and dangerous.
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Series
Shuddercon Las Vegas
Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 9781696406369
Publisher: Lisben Press
Cara Malone Online
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