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Backstage Boys #1
King of Hearts
About this Backstage Boys romantic comedy Unjustly accused of being a harlot, preacher’s daughter Nadine runs away to Chicago to become a waitress at the stagehands' favorite restaurant. There she is the sole witness to King Dave Flaherty’s humiliation at his ex-wife’s hands. Nadine knows what it’s like to fall from grace. And she knows that only she can use this teaching moment to reform that prince of players. All King Dave knows is that if he doesn’t seduce this waitress, his reputation will be mud for the rest of his life. ___________________________________ Praise for KING OF HEARTS I thoroughly enjoyed King Of Hearts. Ms. Stevenson exposes a little known sub culture in the entertainment industry, while spinning a tale of romance. She creates a raucous, bawdy environment as outrageous as it is humorous. I highly recommend it. — Miriam Sanchez Stevenson dares to write her characters as they speak and act. It made it easy to picture the story as it unfolded. … Did I mention that it was also pretty hot? … an often hilarious journey … never a dull moment … King of Hearts is a must-read for a mature audience with a sense of humor and appreciation for naughty bits. — S Keiko Mushi I opened it, scanned the first page, and read the whole book through in one sitting. — Caroline Stevermer They have a love hate relationship that turns into hot and steamy one. And ohhh shall I say steamy i am sure you could see the steam coming out of my ears while reading certain scenes. … King if hearts is a great romantic quirky book that is easy to read. Can I just say if you have just read this 1st chapter and wondering if you should buy it. Go for it as it is so funny and quirky I loved it. I totally recommend this book it is a great romantic comedy and I can’t wait for the next stagehand book. — Mel Haffner I really enjoyed this book, it was bloody hilarious. I loved the war of wills between King Dave and Nadine, their love/hate relationship was brilliant…lol. The things they did to each other was funny – but if you ask me Nadine plays a better game … no matter what he did Nadine would get one over on him. … this a great romantic comedy that is easy to read. Go grab a copy and see for yourself. — Kiki Silk ___________________________________ About the author Jennifer Stevenson lives in the Chicago area with her very own stagehand hero and two kittens who won't grow up. She gardens, bikes, and skates with the Fleetwood Speed Skating team. Visit her website Sign up for her newsletter Hang with her on Facebook Follow her on Twitter For more Jennifernalia, see what she's doing at the Book View Cafe blog About King Dave says of his calling, “I wouldn’t have picked anything else. For those of us in it, it’s a noble calling. Show business doesn’t happen without us. We’re the guts, the dirty underbelly, the grease on the transmission under all the chrome and shiny headlights.” Jennifer says about "I love my stagehand heroes. Who wants a skinny, self-absorbed actor or rock star who wears more makeup than I do? Stagehands have more fun, more family, and in many cases they make more money.
292 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 27, 2010
About the author
Jennifer Stevenson
67 books59 followersI started swimming at 40, riding horses at 42, roller derby at 52, speed skating at 54 ... something's backward there. Read about my latest bruise at https://www.facebook.com/JenniferStev...
I've been writing since I was four, and didn't publish a story til I was 34 ... something's backward there too. Read about my latest books at http://www.bookviewcafe.com/index.php...
Living my life backwards means I get to eat bacon every day and goof off all summer. Don't be fooled. Writing is still a job.
I've been writing since I was four, and didn't publish a story til I was 34 ... something's backward there too. Read about my latest books at http://www.bookviewcafe.com/index.php...
Living my life backwards means I get to eat bacon every day and goof off all summer. Don't be fooled. Writing is still a job.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 21, 2018
An interesting story! There is plenty of humor throughout the action. Orange is not a color I like but in their story it has its major part! Meet Nadine and King Dave and friends. Ex wife of King Dave starts a hilarious problem for Dave but the repercussions will have you laughing quite a bit. Where does the romance come in well somewhere near the beginning. Nadine is a suppressed virgin/ preachers daughter in a new environment and no longer in a small town of Texas. There is quite a mystery and plenty of twists to the story including blackmail.
Nadine and King Dave will have to work through a few issues but love will find a way. Nadine and Dave will have to make a few changes for their relationship to work. Learn how the unusual names come about and be prepared for a huge surprise! Enjoy this excellent and humorous story!
Nadine and King Dave will have to work through a few issues but love will find a way. Nadine and Dave will have to make a few changes for their relationship to work. Learn how the unusual names come about and be prepared for a huge surprise! Enjoy this excellent and humorous story!
February 22, 2020
Nice contemporary where he is not a billionaire, but I was more fascinated by the stage hand craft than the story
November 4, 2010
This is the strange love story of Nadine, who has runaway from home, her preacher father and absent mother, and King David, a stagehand at a Chicago playhouse who lives in the shadow of his father, the union president. King David is unlucky in love. Proof is now in his nether region from the ex who decides to mark him with orange paint over a car payment. Waitress Nadine witnesses the scene from the cafe window where she works waiting mostly on stagehands (King David's friends.) Now King David notices Nadine and feels he must keep her quiet else Nadine will tell everyone and ruin his reputation. He enlists his fellow stagehands, who are as odd as King David himself. Strangely, Nadine feels she is in danger for having witness all of this and takes the offensive, often beating King David at his own game. These shenanigans go on and on with unbelievable endings and more odd characters. One day they both decide they love the other and wham! they try romance now instead of the childish games of the first three-quarters of the book. The whole thing ends . . . going to have to read it.
This is an awkward love story that involves much foul language, most unnecessary, and scenes that felt pushed rather than gliding effortlessly from one to another. There are many grammatical and punctuation errors and reads more like a first or slightly edited second draft. The author makes note that her husband is a stagehand and her list of books are all about stagehands. This may be part of the problem - exerting too much of her life into her work, possibly without objectivity.
The characters are not well developed and never really change by the end of the story. In addition to being one-dimensional their actions are mostly implausible. For example, there is Nadine, a preachers daughter, always a "good girl" who nearly blows a gasket whenever anyone swears, yet quickly goes from hating David to lusting after him. For a devout Christian girl, still a virgin, living in the "big city" for the first time, she has no trouble lusting the first man she sees and then fantasizing rather luridly. Nadine changes in two chapters then reverts back the next and the next.. It all doesn't fit. Nadine is too unbelievable. and "King" David is childish and narcissistic. .
Then a young boy is thrown into the mix; David's son with the woman who painted him in the alley by the cafe. King David's mother and his ex refuse to let him spend time with his son. Why? Is David a bad father? A deadbeat? The problem given was David's lateness in sending the ex money for a car down payment, a Porsche no less. David is not a rich man but he doesn't cash his checks. Why? There are loose threads, strange coincidences to bring characters together and a rather boring read in general.
With that said, I think the author could write a great story with some editing and guidance. Involvement in a good critique group would also help this fledgling author. With work, her story could be a fairly good read. She does do an exceptional job writing the sex scenes. It shows her ability to tell a good tale. Now take the characters out of the bed and into the rest of the book with the same amount of energy, attention to detail and the desire to make every sentence count. Do this and these negative reviews will flip faster than King David fell from his wooden perch onto a cake.
NOTE: received book from author
This is an awkward love story that involves much foul language, most unnecessary, and scenes that felt pushed rather than gliding effortlessly from one to another. There are many grammatical and punctuation errors and reads more like a first or slightly edited second draft. The author makes note that her husband is a stagehand and her list of books are all about stagehands. This may be part of the problem - exerting too much of her life into her work, possibly without objectivity.
The characters are not well developed and never really change by the end of the story. In addition to being one-dimensional their actions are mostly implausible. For example, there is Nadine, a preachers daughter, always a "good girl" who nearly blows a gasket whenever anyone swears, yet quickly goes from hating David to lusting after him. For a devout Christian girl, still a virgin, living in the "big city" for the first time, she has no trouble lusting the first man she sees and then fantasizing rather luridly. Nadine changes in two chapters then reverts back the next and the next.. It all doesn't fit. Nadine is too unbelievable. and "King" David is childish and narcissistic. .
Then a young boy is thrown into the mix; David's son with the woman who painted him in the alley by the cafe. King David's mother and his ex refuse to let him spend time with his son. Why? Is David a bad father? A deadbeat? The problem given was David's lateness in sending the ex money for a car down payment, a Porsche no less. David is not a rich man but he doesn't cash his checks. Why? There are loose threads, strange coincidences to bring characters together and a rather boring read in general.
With that said, I think the author could write a great story with some editing and guidance. Involvement in a good critique group would also help this fledgling author. With work, her story could be a fairly good read. She does do an exceptional job writing the sex scenes. It shows her ability to tell a good tale. Now take the characters out of the bed and into the rest of the book with the same amount of energy, attention to detail and the desire to make every sentence count. Do this and these negative reviews will flip faster than King David fell from his wooden perch onto a cake.
NOTE: received book from author
January 1, 2011
GIST
King of Hearts begins with waitress "Queen" Nadine seeing stagehand "King" Dave Faherty placed in a compromising position by his cow of an ex-wife. Upon discovering that Nadine is a witness to a potentially career-shattering event in the form of an orange spray-painted junk, he attempts to remove her from the situation. Thus begins a rather amusing series of events that throws these souls together.
MY THOUGHTS
Jennifer Stevenson returns once again to the staff of a Chicago-based stagehand company, wherein we also see a few characters from the first novel. This time around, Stevenson follows the reluctant romance of a down-and-out stagehand that has given up on his dreams after years of being told he is worthless and being used by many of the people around him. Nadine the runaway preacher's daughter turned city waitress makes for a likable heroine, offering moral support and encouragement for him whilst at the same time dealing with her own troubled past. The progression of their relationship plays out wonderfully, showing how much these two characters complement each other.
There are numerous points of conflict that add to the story, making for an interesting read. Both have fathers that are somewhat oppressive figures. They are both estranged from their mothers. Dave is a divorcee dealing with a gold-digging ex-wife that uses their child as collateral. Dave has also become somewhat occupationally institutionalized after years working long hours with little in the way of real companionship apart from his best friend Bobbyjay Morton, the male protagonist from the first novel.
Of course, a lot of the conflict is created from the stupidity and misunderstanding of the characters, but it works perfectly for this romantic comedy. There are twists and turns, new things to discover about the characters.
The dialogue and internal monologue made me giggle at times, using language that added to the flavor of this tight-knit community of stagehands and their groupies. It is unconventional, to be sure, but Stevenson dares to write her characters as they speak and act. It made it easy to picture the story as it unfolded.
The sex scenes were sexy and cute, showing the differences in experience levels of the two protagonists. There was an element of discovery therein as well, and we got to see inside the heads of these two characters. We see the motivations and vulnerabilities of the two throughout. Did I mention that it was also pretty hot?
CONCLUSION
King of Hearts is a well-crafted story, with an often hilarious journey for Nadine and David. Though I highly enjoyed the first installment in the series Fool's Paradise, the sequel added more conflict which made it slightly more enjoyable for me. The characters are likable and language added flavor of the setting. The sex was hot, but added to the story as a whole. It was well-paced and there was never a dull moment. In conclusion, King of Hearts is a must-read for a mature audience with a sense of humor and appreciation for naughty bits.
King of Hearts begins with waitress "Queen" Nadine seeing stagehand "King" Dave Faherty placed in a compromising position by his cow of an ex-wife. Upon discovering that Nadine is a witness to a potentially career-shattering event in the form of an orange spray-painted junk, he attempts to remove her from the situation. Thus begins a rather amusing series of events that throws these souls together.
MY THOUGHTS
Jennifer Stevenson returns once again to the staff of a Chicago-based stagehand company, wherein we also see a few characters from the first novel. This time around, Stevenson follows the reluctant romance of a down-and-out stagehand that has given up on his dreams after years of being told he is worthless and being used by many of the people around him. Nadine the runaway preacher's daughter turned city waitress makes for a likable heroine, offering moral support and encouragement for him whilst at the same time dealing with her own troubled past. The progression of their relationship plays out wonderfully, showing how much these two characters complement each other.
There are numerous points of conflict that add to the story, making for an interesting read. Both have fathers that are somewhat oppressive figures. They are both estranged from their mothers. Dave is a divorcee dealing with a gold-digging ex-wife that uses their child as collateral. Dave has also become somewhat occupationally institutionalized after years working long hours with little in the way of real companionship apart from his best friend Bobbyjay Morton, the male protagonist from the first novel.
Of course, a lot of the conflict is created from the stupidity and misunderstanding of the characters, but it works perfectly for this romantic comedy. There are twists and turns, new things to discover about the characters.
The dialogue and internal monologue made me giggle at times, using language that added to the flavor of this tight-knit community of stagehands and their groupies. It is unconventional, to be sure, but Stevenson dares to write her characters as they speak and act. It made it easy to picture the story as it unfolded.
The sex scenes were sexy and cute, showing the differences in experience levels of the two protagonists. There was an element of discovery therein as well, and we got to see inside the heads of these two characters. We see the motivations and vulnerabilities of the two throughout. Did I mention that it was also pretty hot?
CONCLUSION
King of Hearts is a well-crafted story, with an often hilarious journey for Nadine and David. Though I highly enjoyed the first installment in the series Fool's Paradise, the sequel added more conflict which made it slightly more enjoyable for me. The characters are likable and language added flavor of the setting. The sex was hot, but added to the story as a whole. It was well-paced and there was never a dull moment. In conclusion, King of Hearts is a must-read for a mature audience with a sense of humor and appreciation for naughty bits.
Read
November 5, 2010Romance, it's said, happens at the crash-point between anticipation, excitement--and payoff. You know going into a romance that the lead pair are going to end together. The book is about how they get there.
Romance readers find their payoff in a variety of different aspects of a romance story. Some like long sensual scenes, others like an extended courtship. My favorite type of romance is the battle of wits, with comedy as a primary element.
King of Hearts was payoff in spades, diamonds, clubs and hearts.
Stevenson has set several romances in Chicago's theater life. The main characters are the backstage crew and the people they interact with, especially (so far) waitresses at a local diner. Tightly buttoned Nadine Fisher is one of these waitresses, having escaped to the north from her somewhat smothering background in a holy-roller small southern town. "King" Dave Flaherty is the leader of the backstage guys, a throne that is unexpectedly tough to hold onto. He's got to be the wildest with imaginative stunts (peering on a transformer, anyone, so the building shorts out?) and most successful with the ladies . . . so when Nadine catches him--on camera--getting hid short and curlies dosed with dayglo paint after a spectacularly unsuccessful breakup, she's one up on getting revenge against him and the whole male tribe.
Naturally the two spark with attraction as much as antagonism.
There's another thing about romances. Some readers like the focus so tight on the hero and heroine that side characters barely exist, except as furniture for the convenience of the h/h coming together. I get bored fast with that scenario. I like secondary characters with their own agendas, the more colorful the better. Stevenson has a deft hand with secondary characters, which makes for a delectably wild tangle at the climax.
Even though I knew where the romance would end up, I couldn't guess how they'd get there until the last pages. I loved that as much as I loved the fact that when we finally met the holy rollers, they were not the two-dimensional, easily despicable fundie twits that have become the stereotype in today's fiction scene. They also had their human side, real goals and conflicts.
Romance readers find their payoff in a variety of different aspects of a romance story. Some like long sensual scenes, others like an extended courtship. My favorite type of romance is the battle of wits, with comedy as a primary element.
King of Hearts was payoff in spades, diamonds, clubs and hearts.
Stevenson has set several romances in Chicago's theater life. The main characters are the backstage crew and the people they interact with, especially (so far) waitresses at a local diner. Tightly buttoned Nadine Fisher is one of these waitresses, having escaped to the north from her somewhat smothering background in a holy-roller small southern town. "King" Dave Flaherty is the leader of the backstage guys, a throne that is unexpectedly tough to hold onto. He's got to be the wildest with imaginative stunts (peering on a transformer, anyone, so the building shorts out?) and most successful with the ladies . . . so when Nadine catches him--on camera--getting hid short and curlies dosed with dayglo paint after a spectacularly unsuccessful breakup, she's one up on getting revenge against him and the whole male tribe.
Naturally the two spark with attraction as much as antagonism.
There's another thing about romances. Some readers like the focus so tight on the hero and heroine that side characters barely exist, except as furniture for the convenience of the h/h coming together. I get bored fast with that scenario. I like secondary characters with their own agendas, the more colorful the better. Stevenson has a deft hand with secondary characters, which makes for a delectably wild tangle at the climax.
Even though I knew where the romance would end up, I couldn't guess how they'd get there until the last pages. I loved that as much as I loved the fact that when we finally met the holy rollers, they were not the two-dimensional, easily despicable fundie twits that have become the stereotype in today's fiction scene. They also had their human side, real goals and conflicts.
November 25, 2010
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
As soon as I picked up this book I couldn't put it down as I wanted to know what was going to happen between king Dave (a very well know stagehand known around town and farbio with the women) and a waitress Nadine (who is the daughter of a pastor and ran away from home to move to chicago to change her good girl life and image).
Nadine witnessed something inappropriate involving king Dave and Tammy and she's disgusted with him for what he does, how he is a floosy, how he swears all the time and just his behaviour in general. But at the same time falling for his charm and wit.
King Dave just wants to pay her for her silence but nadine wants nothing of the sorts, she's a good girl and she feels it's her mission to help change his ways and make him a gentleman. But does she?????
They have a love hate relationship that turns into hot and steamy one. And ohhh shall I say steamy i am sure you could see the steam coming out of my ears while reading certain scenes.
King if hearts is a great romantic quirky book that is easy to read. I read the book in a day so to me that means a good book. I found myself wanting to know more if another book is going to be written count me in. A stagehand romantic comedy definitly on my list to share with friends. ( )
flagmelhaf76 | Nov 22, 2010
January 2, 2011
Thank you to Ms. Jennifer Stevenson for providing this e-book for me to read and review.
I have just finished reading the final pages of King of Hearts written by Jennifer Stevenson. It’s a rather lengthy novel and maybe a bit too long for the subject matter but it is a humorous look at romance between the proverbial bad boy and the straight up, damn near frigid girl-next-door. There are some great lines in the novel and I particularly liked the part about orange spray paint and King Dave’s genitals. It’s the banter between the two main characters that made for some very amusing situations they managed getting their selves into. Filled with other quirky characters that I loved, the book made for some fun and enjoyable reading. Besides the length being a bit too long the other thing that I didn’t really like was referring to King Dave as “King Dave” throughout the whole novel. I would have rather gotten the idea that this guy thinks a lot of himself by the reference to the name “King” and then turn to calling him Dave. Sounds nit picky but it’s just a minor thing for a funny book that makes for a great vacation read.
I have just finished reading the final pages of King of Hearts written by Jennifer Stevenson. It’s a rather lengthy novel and maybe a bit too long for the subject matter but it is a humorous look at romance between the proverbial bad boy and the straight up, damn near frigid girl-next-door. There are some great lines in the novel and I particularly liked the part about orange spray paint and King Dave’s genitals. It’s the banter between the two main characters that made for some very amusing situations they managed getting their selves into. Filled with other quirky characters that I loved, the book made for some fun and enjoyable reading. Besides the length being a bit too long the other thing that I didn’t really like was referring to King Dave as “King Dave” throughout the whole novel. I would have rather gotten the idea that this guy thinks a lot of himself by the reference to the name “King” and then turn to calling him Dave. Sounds nit picky but it’s just a minor thing for a funny book that makes for a great vacation read.
November 20, 2010
Nothing beats a good piece of chick-lit on a lazy afternoon. Granted, this isn't the kind of genre where you can expect big surprises, because it's usually the same story in different variations. Girl meets boy and after some back and forth they naturally end up together. In this case virginial Nadine moves from lecturing bad guy King Dave to completely falling for him. And vice versa.
I liked the theatre setting of the book and both plot and dialogues flow smoothly, if only the latter weren't trying too hard to give off a romantic/sexy vibe, that had me rolling my eyes more than just once. Most importantly though I simply didn't grow a liking to the main characters - they were simply to unrealistic to me.
In short: You shouldn't be too demanding, but if you are heavily into romance novels with a funny streak, this might be a good read for you!
I liked the theatre setting of the book and both plot and dialogues flow smoothly, if only the latter weren't trying too hard to give off a romantic/sexy vibe, that had me rolling my eyes more than just once. Most importantly though I simply didn't grow a liking to the main characters - they were simply to unrealistic to me.
In short: You shouldn't be too demanding, but if you are heavily into romance novels with a funny streak, this might be a good read for you!
November 8, 2010
I quite enjoyed this playful novel of new love and the bantering and chaos of feelings such can bring! “King of Hearts” does contain a few quick slightly graphic love scenes, but there is enough substance to the novel that the sex is a minor addition.
Well written, with unexpected twists, "King of Hearts" is a great read for anyone who enjoys remembering both the joys and pains of a new love! With a few surprises thrown into the story, Jennifer Stevenson has done a great job with this fun novel!
I received this ebook for free to review. Member of Librarything, goodreads, bookdivas and the Penguin book club.
Well written, with unexpected twists, "King of Hearts" is a great read for anyone who enjoys remembering both the joys and pains of a new love! With a few surprises thrown into the story, Jennifer Stevenson has done a great job with this fun novel!
I received this ebook for free to review. Member of Librarything, goodreads, bookdivas and the Penguin book club.
December 10, 2016
I really enjoyed King of Hearts. I am new to Jennifer Stevenson's books, so this is a first for me. I've never read about stage hands before and it's interesting to see some background into all they do. The book tells us the story of King Dave and the waitress, Nadine. King Dave and Nadine couldn't be any more different, but that difference could be what draws them together.
August 7, 2013
It is what it is, and it is a delightful romp! This is a 'theater' story the way we rarely see it--through the eyes of the crew, a blue collar story of the guys who run the lights and the waitresses who keep them caffeinated. Lots of sexy fun!
November 29, 2010
This book had a good story line going, but was a little too wordy.
I think if I knew more about the world of stage hands I would have enjoyed it more.
I think if I knew more about the world of stage hands I would have enjoyed it more.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews