Mission Hollywood
by Michelle Keener
Series: Red Carpet Romance #1
Published by Ambassador International
Publication Date July 16, 2019
Genres: Christian Fiction, Clean Romance
Setting: California Contemporary
Main Character Ages: 18-24, 25-34
Written for: Adults
Pages: 296
Synopsis:
A Hollywood bad boy. A pastor’s daughter.
What could possibly go wrong?
Movie star Ben Prescott arrives back in Hollywood after causing a scandal with his ex-girlfriend in Rome.
Chased through the airport by paparazzi, he jumps into a limo hoping for a quick getaway. Instead he finds Lily Shaw, a pastor’s daughter and preschool teacher. When the paparazzi capture a photo of the two of them together, Ben’s agent demands that he do whatever it takes to keep the story from hitting the gossip pages . . . even volunteer to work at Lily’s church.
Sparks fly as the movie star and the pastor’s daughter work side by side. When Lily accompanies Ben to the premiere of his latest movie, Hollywood takes notice. Under intense media scrutiny and pressure from the movie industry, Ben must risk his career to follow his heart, but Lily wants the one thing he doesn’t have, faith.
Mission Hollywood is an inspirational story about love, faith, and second chances.
I would like to thank Celebrate Lit for giving me this copy of the book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.
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Just a few pages in I knew this to be a great story!! The writing was very compelling, enticing me forward one sentence at a time, making me read carefully to not miss a single word. While the story was not overtly humorous, moments throughout caused me to smile.
Lily’s strong faith and desire to share it with everyone she meets comes out so clearly when she is surprised to find herself in the backseat of a limo with none other than A-list movie star, Ben Preston. I love the way it only took a few words before she was talking to him about God’s love! And then when Ben tried to hit on her, oh my! While restrain myself from telling my husband everything that is happening in all the books I read, I couldn’t help myself on this one!
While Lily was wise enough to know that she and Ben could never have a future unless he was saved, she did have a faith crisis, and for good reason. I appreciated that she had to go through this, and it wasn’t just a momentary doubt.
Ben’s life had been difficult before he made it big in Hollywood. His parent’s hypocrisy and the way the people in the church turned their backs on him had him bitter towards God. While he started as a stereotypical Hollywood playboy, underneath the facade was a man who carried deep hurt and wanted change.
I loved seeing Ben on the floor in Lily’s after-school care class, playing with blocks with the boys. Their conversation about his black eye, which caused him to stay hidden in his house for three days to avoid the paparazzi, was so funny!
In addition to Ben and Lily, I became deeply attached to Lily’s family and Chris, Ben’s director friend. In fact, after the first chapter, I already knew I wanted to read much more about Noah, Lily’s older brother!
There is a hint of mystery and danger when vandals cause damage to the mission. Things escalate from there in a big way!
I think the title of the book is unfortunate as it could be misleading. While the cover accurately reflects how Ben and Lily met, I came close to passing it up without reading the synopsis, thinking it was about yet another wannabe actor. What a shame that would have been! Mission Hollywood is the name of the church Lily’s parents founded in a poor area of the town, ministering to the forgotten and the destitute. Don’t think this is a typical Hollywood love story. While there is romance (and it is sweet!), there is so much more.
If you enjoy Christian romance that is more about changed lives than swoony kisses, this is a great choice for you!
More from Michelle
Why Hollywood?
That’s a great question! Of all the places I could have set a Christian romance novel, why pick Hollywood? It isn’t exactly the first place that pops into your mind when you think Christian romance, right?
The truth is I spent four years of my life trying to become an actress. I was a theatre major in the Los Angeles area and I spent a lot of time in Hollywood. I’ve been down Hollywood Boulevard, visited casting offices, and gone to open-call auditions. In those years, I saw the good and the bad of the movie industry. I saw dreams shattered and hearts broken under the glamourous lights of the Sunset Strip. Years later, when I started thinking about writing a Christian romance, I knew Hollywood was the perfect setting to tell the story of God’s unchanging, never-ending love for us.
Mission Hollywood isn’t just one love story, it’s two. The romance between Ben and Lily is definitely swoon-worthy, but there is also the story of how much God loves us. I hope you enjoy Mission Hollywood…it’s only the beginning of the story for the Shaw Family. Book two is coming in February!
Blog Stops
Among the Reads, October 24
Sara Jane Jacobs, October 24
Maureen’s Musings, October 25
Books, Life, and Christ, October 25
Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, October 26
Stephanie’s Life of Determination, October 26
For Him and My Family, October 27
Moments, October 27
Through the Fire Blogs, October 28
Pause for Tales, October 29
She Lives To Read, October 29
Older & Smarter?, October 30
Blessed & Bookish, October 30
Inklings and notions, October 31
Reflections From My Bookshelves, October 31
Godly Book Reviews, November 1
My Devotional Thoughts, November 1
Book Bites, Bee Stings, & Butterfly Kisses, November 2
Back Porch Reads, November 2
Texas Book-aholic, November 3
For The Love of Books, November 3
Quiet Quilter, November 4
janicesbookreviews, November 5
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 5
A Reader’s Brain, November 6
Books, Books, and More Books., November 6
Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Michelle is giving away a Red Carpet Collection, which includes
- a signed paperback copy of Mission Hollywood
- a custom Pura Vida bracelet in red carpet colors
- a signed and numbered print of the original painting “Redemption” by artist Charlotte Lauder
- a vintage-Hollywood style postcard
- a bookmark
- a magnet!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
https://promosimple.com/ps/ecf4/mission-hollywood-celebration-tour-giveaway
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About Michelle Keener
Michelle Keener is a wife, mom, and the author of three books. She lives in Southern California with her retired Marine husband, their two children, and one spoiled dog. When she isn’t writing, she is busy homeschooling, teaching creative writing workshops, or baking something involving chocolate.
Michelle loves to hear from readers.
Thank you for sharing your wonderful review of Mission Hollywood. This sounds like a must read for me.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Thank you, Phyllis! I am so grateful for your kindness and encouragement, and I’m thrilled beyond words that you liked it.
You’re welcome! I’m so glad I signed up for this blog tour so I was introduced to you. 🙂