MISS BUBBLES STEALS THE SHOW

Author: Melanie Murray ISBN: 0373895275 7/2005 CONTEMPORARY Publisher: RED DRESS INK

It's like the "big break" fairy knocked and I wasn't home! But my roommate was-he's up for a role on All My Children. And Miss Bubbles, my adorable and absurdly intelligent longhaired Persian, can now buy her own Fancy Feast-she's starring in a prestigious off-Broadway play, opposite the man of my dreams. What's going on here? I mean, hello, my name is Stella-it means star! Clearly I'm the one who's destined for divadom. I was just about to start really going for it, too: no more wasting time with good-for-nothing boyfriends, chocolate-martini hangovers and Oprah marathons. Just success! That was before my cat got her own dressing room and I landed the supporting role of stage mom. You know, a lesser girl might have contemplated hanging up her head shot. But not me. I'm determined to snag myself a lead rote ...and while I'm at it, the leading man.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Being a cat lover myself, I couldn't wait to crack open MISS BUBBLES STEALS THE SHOW. From page one I realized two things: Number one is that Stella can be summed up in one word—drama. Number two is that Miss Bubbles is completely adorable. MISS BUBBLES STEALS THE SHOW reads like an old friend telling you a wonderful story.

Stella being drama is part of the appeal of this book. Not only is she a struggling actress, it just adds a sense of realism to her character. From the moment that Stella wakes up in the arms of a strange man on page one, the action and laughs are non-stop. The great thing about this book is that everyone has a Stella in his or her life at some point and time. It's not hard to say,"Wow, she sounds like someone I know!"

I never saw the relationship between Stella and Christian coming, but, at his first appearance in the book, I knew he was going to wind up being an interesting player in this story. I loved the relationship that Stella and Christian had and how he slowly became her confidante and then her lover—of course, all with Miss Bubble's approval!

MISS BUBBLES STEALS THE SHOW is 295 pages of hysterical laughs and love between a girl and her friends, and her man and her cat, that will leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

Kristal Gorman