Shadows in the Curtain by Cami Checketts

From Goodreads:
Every stage actress wants fans, but what happens when one goes too far?

Emmy has the perfect life— a house on the beach, a successful career headlining the local theater, and love. But when a brutal murder brings unimaginable grief, Emmy’s world comes crashing down. As she tries to pick up the pieces, she can’t seem to avoid Josh, the new fireman in town.

Emmy does her best to fight the sizzle in her chest when Josh is near. But with the stalker still out there, terrorizing her and those she cares about, she can’t fall for anyone—especially Josh, a suspect in the murder investigation.

If Emmy allows a man to get close, it’s not just her heart she puts at risk, it’s her life.

My Take:
This one was hard for me. From the very beginning, before Emmy's husband is killed, she bumps into Josh and sparks fly. Emmy is married and feels guilty and thus stays away from him, but we get the impression that her marriage was more of a marriage between friends than ever between lovers. While this isn't bad, it kind of left a funny feeling in my mouth. Checketts does a good job though letting you know that Emmy loved her husband and that he was her world even though she never felt for him what she feels for Josh a year later when they start spending time together.

Josh is a great guy, but he does feel like a stalker. LOL, yeah, this story was definitely a different one for me. I enjoyed it though. Josh felt that immediate connection to Emmy and was disappointed to learn she was married. He respected that though and stayed away as well. However, he's also a fireman with an innate need to protect people. Add that to his attraction to a woman who does really have a stalker and it's understandable why he wants to look out for her.

I love how Checketts weaves a mystery while still giving you tender moments to let a romance grow.

I give this a 4.5 with a Clean rating.

1-5 scale and what it means:

1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad

2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing

3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive

3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love

4: Solid mind candy / worth reading

4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read

5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure

Movie Ratings in relation to my review:

Clean--Hallmark movies, some kissing, no nudity, no sex on or off "screen"

PG--Some innuendo but nothing kids don't hear every day, sex is all closed door

PG-13--some language (swear words not related to sex), more talk about sex, heavy petting, removal of clothing on screen, but sex is closed door.

PG-14—somewhere between PG-13 and R. Not erotica, but at least a paragraph of on screen sex

 R--swearing (F bomb, on “screen” sex, sometimes feels like the whole story is about the sex and not the relationship or some other plot, but not always