An aspiring makeup artist takes on predatory Hollywood in this addictive debut novel with biteâa sultry, thrilling blend of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Killing Eve, and A Promising Young Woman.
Itâs 1950 and Loretta Reynolds is newly arrived in Hollywood, fresh off a con that brought her from England to the sunny shores of California. Sheâs running away from a complicated past to fulfill her ambition of becoming a makeup artist to the stars.
When her new husband, a would-be actor, takes her to a sex-fueled Hollywood party on their wedding nightâhoping to trade her to a powerful director for a favorâshe discovers the dark side of Tinseltown and sets out on a path of revenge against the cruel men who use their money and power to play with lives and dreams.
In her quest for vengeance, Loretta gathers a band of La-La-Land misfits: a fading starlet past her prime, a friendly neighborhood sex worker, and a brooding screenwriter who proves yes, not all men are evilâjust most . . .
Now, Loretta is about to get her big breakâand Hollywood better beware. Loretta has learned a lot about makeup, and more. . . and some of her clients might not make it out alive.