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anasatticbookblog's review against another edition
4.0
Jack and Grace from The Redhead Series by Alice Clayton is one of my favorite book couples ever. In fact, this series was in my top three for Funny Happy Romances. If you haven't read The Unidentified Redhead and The Redhead Revealed by Alice Clayton, as of this posting they are on sale for $2.99 (sale can end at any time). They are a MUST READ 'Ana's Top Pick'. The Redhead Plays Her Hand by Alice Clayton is the continuation of Jack and Grace's story, and though it can be read alone, I don't recommend it at all.Jack Hamilton is Hollywood's Heartthrob and has been named Sexiest Man of the Year. He can't go anywhere without the paparazzi hounding him and it's beginning to cause cracks in the lighthearted, funny Brit. Especially because he has to keep his relationship with Grace a secret. Grace is finally where she dreamed of being her whole life. Starring in her own TV show that's just starting to film, the show is getting lots of Hollywood buzz. But the problem is, so much of the buzz is speculation from the press about Grace's "is she or isn't she" relationship with Jack and the fact that her show asked her to lose 15 pounds in the two weeks before they start shooting.
Jack is filming a movie in the Las Vegas Desert with co-star Adam Kasen, known to be a Hollywood bad boy. This guy is a total dickwad, but Jack is loving going out and partying with him every night. Drinking until he can barely walk, he isn't the Jack we know and love. Grace, usually the immature one in the relationship despite the fact that she is 9 years older than Jack, now has to decide whether to stand up to Jack, or let him blow off his 24 year old steam. She tries to bring it up a few times, but Jack knows just how to distract her, and it's usually with his tongue or just by being adorable.
“No way. Uh-uh. No boobies till we talk.” I tucked the sheets under each armpit and clenched my hands at my sides.
“How about one booby? One booby while we talk, and if I can contain myself, then I get them both before breakfast,” he offered, throwing his hands up in the air in supplication.
“How old are you?” I asked, raising one eyebrow.
“You know ruddy well how old I am. Recovery time, remember? Now drop the sheet on the left one and talk woman.” He poked me in the left shoulder.
Sighing, I adjusted the sheet so that the… good lord… so that the “left one” was out.
“Okay, what were we talking about?” he asked it.
“Eyes up here, George. It’s out, but you still have to make eye contact.”
Meanwhile, Grace has been starving herself on the 'cucumber and air diet' (which Jack does NOT like), and while she takes off most of the weight, as soon as she starts eating again, it comes right back on, and then some (surprise! she's human!) Hollywood makes her out to be a fat cow because she is a size 8! AN EIGHT! Such a big deal was made about her size, that The Redhead Plays Her Hand began each chapter with snippets of articles from all the online sites and magazines. Finally an article made her see the lunacy of the situation and she wised up. I loved how she stood up for all women and stopped playing into the hands of the Hollywood rumor mill.
"And in that moment, I realized how out of control everything had become. Big, small, curvy, or bony, beauty was beauty. I was healthy. I was exactly the size I was supposed to be, and that was it."
With Jack and Grace apart so much, and the fact that they can't even leave the house together without hiding their relationship, Jack is really feeling the strain. There is no doubt how much they love each other. This is one of my favorite things about this book. The love is never in doubt. If Jack and Grace are cocooned together without the real world getting involved they are great, but the press and public pressure makes everything so much harder.
Unfortunately...Jack was spiraling down to a bad place, and it was heartbreaking to watch. I understood why Grace didn't push. She didn't want to be his nagging old lady, but he was in a scary place that could have continued to get worse.
One thing that never suffered was their sex life. Jack was such a horn-dog, he was adorable, and he could never keep his hands or mouth off of Grace.
"Mmmm, Jack," I sighed, my eyes opening to take in the dark night, the stars above me twinkling, as the star below me thrust, low and deep"...
"He clutched at me, shaking as I shattered, face nuzzled into my breasts as his breath came as heavy as he did. "Love you, Grace. Love you. . . so much."
Likes:
- •I loved seeing my Sweet Nuts and Nuts Girl again!
- •Once again I just loved Holly, and her and Grace's friendship is one of my favorites of any book BFFs.
- •The whole issue with Grace's weight. Being a 'curvy girl' (read: fat), I really loved how Grace handled the whole thing, even though she was probably still underweight, just not according to Hollywood standards.
- •How much Grace and Jack love each other, they are meant to be.
- •Despite his partying, Jack wasn't being seen out with women all the time.
Dislikes:
- •There was a lot less funny in this book than the previous two. Definitely the most angsty of the series.
- •The role reversal between Grace and Jack. Jack seemed so out of character.
- •The end felt rushed.
- •I wish there was an epilogue, but I am hoping that there will now be a Holly story, so we will get to see Grace and Jack a little more. It just felt a bit open to be the end of a series completely. I just hope we don't have to wait too long.
Rating 4.25 stars 4 Heat
While The Redhead Plays Her Hand may not be my favorite of the series, I still really enjoyed the crap out of it. I took off a day to read it in one sitting and had an awesome day. The Redhead Plays Her Hand brought me out of my book slump almost completely, and I just hope Alice will 'grace' us with more on this group!
*Note: It had been over a year since I read the last Redhead book. I didn't re-read, and didn't really feel like I needed to.
The Redhead Series order by Alice Clayton
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wearethedepinets's review against another edition
4.0
I was too far into the book before I realized that this was not the first in the serious. Overall, it was a good story but I need to go back and read the other two to have a better understanding of the backstory
jeannethinks's review against another edition
5.0
This series was GREAT. I wish there had been ONE MORE CHAPTER!!
kfajardo's review against another edition
5.0
OMG i cant believe its over :( this is an amazing book. I love it.
maggiemaggio's review against another edition
4.0
It's been almost a year since I finished The Redhead Revealed. As much as I was absolutely dying to read The Redhead Plays Her Hand, and I was dying, it took me a chapter or two to settle into the book. Alice Clayton definitely has a style to her writing and if I had to sum that style up I would say it's over the freaking top. The characters, the settings, the words, and writing, it's a lot all up in your face at once and I think, having not read her for a year, it was a lot of handle.
But then I settled in and I was in love. The thing that gets me about Alice Clayton's books is that even though they're over the top, they're oddly relatable. I struggle sometimes with books that feature caricatures rather than characters and while, to a certain extent I do think there are caricatures and exaggerated situations in Alice Clayton's books, they also ring true in so many ways.
The entire time I was reading this was terrified since I thought I was closer in age to Grace than Jack, but then I realized I'm right in between the two and that made me feel oddly better about myself. Age is a big part of Grace and Jack's relationship and has been since they originally got together. Grace is nine years older than Jack, he's 24 years old which makes her 33 years old. In no way do I think 33 is old, some of my best friends are 33, hell some of them are over 33, but somehow, in this series, 33 feels old. Maybe because she's hanging around with a 24 year old? Or maybe because it's Hollywood? My point in saying all of this is that normally I'm not a fan of the older woman/younger man relationship. Not because I think there's anything wrong with it, I'm all in favor of cougars getting theirs, but sometimes I feel like it's such an issue it ends up eclipsing the story. And it's a big deal in Grace and Jack's relationship, absolutely, but I feel like it's more a big deal because of the industry that they work in rather than because it matters to either of them.
This book picks up with Grace starting to film her TV show and Jack getting ready to go out on location to shoot a movie. Grace and Jack are the same Grace and Jack that we've grown to love over the previous two books, but things slowly start to change. Grace is under more and more demands for the TV show, not only with the shooting schedule, but with the request from the studio that she lose 15lbs to help accentuate her cheekbones. I really liked how Grace handled this. Rather than being outraged or upset (ok, she was a little of both of those) she did it. Personally I think it's terrible that Hollywood is that way, but as Grace says, that's the way it is. Millions of women would do that and more, and is it really that different than being asked to cut or dye your hair? (Obviously so long as the weight loss isn't unhealthy, I still think it's gross, but I also realize that if you want a seat at the table you have to accept the rules.)
While Grace is making her TV show Jack is shooting his movie, but also living it up. One of the fellow actors on the movie, this d-bag Adam, is a washed up Hollywood bad-boy who sees his opportunity to become relevant again by clinging on to Jack. Jack starts going out to clubs, staying out to all hours of the night, and coming up drunk on an almost daily basis. Grace tries to talk to him about it, but Jack's feeling pretty obstinate and Grace has a lot on her plate without worrying about Jack (even though she spends a lot of time worrying about Jack) and things kind of just fester.
And I loved this. Not so much the actual festering, but that they were allowed to fester. Grace and Jack had little squabbles over his behavior, but there were no big, drama-filled blow-ups every chapter. I've always loved Grace and Jack's relationship and chemistry, it's so sweet and feels so genuine (minus the insane amount of sex they have) and I was glad that I didn't have to deal with them breaking up and getting back together and breaking up and getting back together on and on and on. Even though, given Jack's behavior, I was kind of wishing Grace would stand up and, as she would say, take him to the woodshed.
In the second half of the book a few of the chapter start with several pages of magazine and website clips about Grace or Jack or Grace and Jack. I liked getting to read some of the press, especially since the press featured so prominently in the story, but, and this is my only real criticism, there were just so many pretty clippings at the beginning of each chapter they kind of dragged on and got monotonous. Two or three would have sufficed, we didn't need ten.
With Grace's sudden fame and notoriety this book is so aimed at women. Grace's weight becomes a big issue in Hollywood and the gossip press and the main stream media. Jack's fans tend to think Grace is a fat cow, but the non-crazies really rally around Grace and she becomes kind of the poster woman for curvy women everywhere. Which, as someone who hates how women are often portrayed in the media, I loved it. Grace just has a great personality to begin with and I loved seeing her get the attention she deserves and loved that she stood up on behalf of curvy women every where.
Bottom Line: This is a great third installment (ending?) to The Redhead Series. I certainly hope it's not the ending, but I'm afraid it might be. Even though Grace and Jack go through their struggles in this one, they're as cute together as ever. I loved both of their story arcs in this one, especially Grace's, and I appreciated the lack of constant drama. If you haven't read this series I highly recommend it if you want something fun and over the top. If you've read the series and are deciding whether to read the third installment, I don't know what you're waiting for, do it now!
I received an electronic review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley (thank you!). All opinions are my own.
But then I settled in and I was in love. The thing that gets me about Alice Clayton's books is that even though they're over the top, they're oddly relatable. I struggle sometimes with books that feature caricatures rather than characters and while, to a certain extent I do think there are caricatures and exaggerated situations in Alice Clayton's books, they also ring true in so many ways.
The entire time I was reading this was terrified since I thought I was closer in age to Grace than Jack, but then I realized I'm right in between the two and that made me feel oddly better about myself. Age is a big part of Grace and Jack's relationship and has been since they originally got together. Grace is nine years older than Jack, he's 24 years old which makes her 33 years old. In no way do I think 33 is old, some of my best friends are 33, hell some of them are over 33, but somehow, in this series, 33 feels old. Maybe because she's hanging around with a 24 year old? Or maybe because it's Hollywood? My point in saying all of this is that normally I'm not a fan of the older woman/younger man relationship. Not because I think there's anything wrong with it, I'm all in favor of cougars getting theirs, but sometimes I feel like it's such an issue it ends up eclipsing the story. And it's a big deal in Grace and Jack's relationship, absolutely, but I feel like it's more a big deal because of the industry that they work in rather than because it matters to either of them.
This book picks up with Grace starting to film her TV show and Jack getting ready to go out on location to shoot a movie. Grace and Jack are the same Grace and Jack that we've grown to love over the previous two books, but things slowly start to change. Grace is under more and more demands for the TV show, not only with the shooting schedule, but with the request from the studio that she lose 15lbs to help accentuate her cheekbones. I really liked how Grace handled this. Rather than being outraged or upset (ok, she was a little of both of those) she did it. Personally I think it's terrible that Hollywood is that way, but as Grace says, that's the way it is. Millions of women would do that and more, and is it really that different than being asked to cut or dye your hair? (Obviously so long as the weight loss isn't unhealthy, I still think it's gross, but I also realize that if you want a seat at the table you have to accept the rules.)
While Grace is making her TV show Jack is shooting his movie, but also living it up. One of the fellow actors on the movie, this d-bag Adam, is a washed up Hollywood bad-boy who sees his opportunity to become relevant again by clinging on to Jack. Jack starts going out to clubs, staying out to all hours of the night, and coming up drunk on an almost daily basis. Grace tries to talk to him about it, but Jack's feeling pretty obstinate and Grace has a lot on her plate without worrying about Jack (even though she spends a lot of time worrying about Jack) and things kind of just fester.
And I loved this. Not so much the actual festering, but that they were allowed to fester. Grace and Jack had little squabbles over his behavior, but there were no big, drama-filled blow-ups every chapter. I've always loved Grace and Jack's relationship and chemistry, it's so sweet and feels so genuine (minus the insane amount of sex they have) and I was glad that I didn't have to deal with them breaking up and getting back together and breaking up and getting back together on and on and on. Even though, given Jack's behavior, I was kind of wishing Grace would stand up and, as she would say, take him to the woodshed.
In the second half of the book a few of the chapter start with several pages of magazine and website clips about Grace or Jack or Grace and Jack. I liked getting to read some of the press, especially since the press featured so prominently in the story, but, and this is my only real criticism, there were just so many pretty clippings at the beginning of each chapter they kind of dragged on and got monotonous. Two or three would have sufficed, we didn't need ten.
With Grace's sudden fame and notoriety this book is so aimed at women. Grace's weight becomes a big issue in Hollywood and the gossip press and the main stream media. Jack's fans tend to think Grace is a fat cow, but the non-crazies really rally around Grace and she becomes kind of the poster woman for curvy women everywhere. Which, as someone who hates how women are often portrayed in the media, I loved it. Grace just has a great personality to begin with and I loved seeing her get the attention she deserves and loved that she stood up on behalf of curvy women every where.
Bottom Line: This is a great third installment (ending?) to The Redhead Series. I certainly hope it's not the ending, but I'm afraid it might be. Even though Grace and Jack go through their struggles in this one, they're as cute together as ever. I loved both of their story arcs in this one, especially Grace's, and I appreciated the lack of constant drama. If you haven't read this series I highly recommend it if you want something fun and over the top. If you've read the series and are deciding whether to read the third installment, I don't know what you're waiting for, do it now!
I received an electronic review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley (thank you!). All opinions are my own.
shannon_cocktailsandbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Still love that Brit.
Full review to come closer to release date.
Full review to come closer to release date.
hlizmarie's review against another edition
4.0
Grace comes into her own in a HUGE way and it's glorious to watch. She gets an opportunity of a lifetime and it just makes her stronger, more confident and more supportive of herself. Jack surprised me too but in a not so great way. I actually started to not like him and think Grace could do better! I remember gasping aloud at one point so caught up in their issues and not believing what I was reading. I love the trajectory of their lives and career for both of them and where they ended up made sense. I can't believe I'm going to actually say this but the only thing I didn't like about this book was the sex. By the end I was just skimming past those interludes because they'd lost their effect by that point. It was just kind of ridiculous. And overall, it can be really hard to relate to these people. Much like in Wallbanger everyone lives a privileged, wealthy existence. Here's it's all Hollywood, paparazzi, etc. I think this final book though struck the best balance for me between being able to relate to them as human beings in relationships but also finding their lives pretty fantastic.
vanessa_issa's review against another edition
2.0
Eu queria ter gostado mais dessa série, mas não consegui. :/
Por várias vezes pensei em abandonar, mas não fazia sentido largar no último livro. Alguns momentos foram até fofos e engraçados, mas por algum motivo não consegui me envolver completamente. Talvez tenha escolhido o momento errado pra ler. Talvez gostasse mais se tivesse lido uns anos atrás, não sei. Valeu concluir a leitura pra tirar da minha lista, mas não é algo que eu sairia por aí recomendando pra qualquer pessoa.
Por várias vezes pensei em abandonar, mas não fazia sentido largar no último livro. Alguns momentos foram até fofos e engraçados, mas por algum motivo não consegui me envolver completamente. Talvez tenha escolhido o momento errado pra ler. Talvez gostasse mais se tivesse lido uns anos atrás, não sei. Valeu concluir a leitura pra tirar da minha lista, mas não é algo que eu sairia por aí recomendando pra qualquer pessoa.