Cathy Reviews: Box Office Poison

Cathy is taking over the blog again today to share her thoughts on a recent read, and as always, I'm extraordinarily grateful to her for sharing in the blog fun with me!

BOX OFFICE POISON
Linnet Ellery #2
Phillipa Bornikova
Adult Urban Fantasy
320 pages
Tor Books
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
What happens when exquisitely beautiful elves start getting all the roles in Hollywood? Human actors sue, that’s what. In a desperate attempt to keep the squabbling inside the Screen Actors Guild from going public, the president of SAG forces the two sides into arbitration.

Enter Linnet Ellery, a human lawyer working for a vampire law firm, to serve as arbitrator. Linnet discovers that there are sinister forces at work in Tinsel Town determined to shatter the fragile peace between elves, vampires, werewolves, and humans. Someone has been coercing famous elven actors into committing sudden and terrible acts of violence against humans in a series of tragedies that could turn the tide of public opinion against all the supernatural Powers.

During the course of her investigations Linnet realizes that a puzzling secret surrounds her, and that a strange power has been affecting the very course of her life. . . .

CATHY'S THOUGHTS
I'm very happy that Jenny asked me to review this book. It's the second in a series and I was waiting to find out what was going to happen to Linnet in this adventure. In the first book, This Case is Gonna Kill Me, we were left with a few loose threads I was hoping would be sewn up. I was concerned that the second book would not have the same appeal as the first, but I'm happy to say that Linnet's new adventure in Hollywood does not disappoint. 

In this book, Linnet has to help negotiate an agreement between human and Fey actors. The humans are jealous because the Fey are beautiful and get all the roles. Imagine that! Ms. Bornikova does take the opportunity to emphasize that there should be equal rights and opportunities for all and I got the impression that she felt this way beyond just the book. Even with Hollywood as a backdrop, I was hoping we would get the same Linnet as in the first book – someone smart, funny and a little quirky,  and again I was not disappointed. 

As only Linnet can, she finds herself in the midst of several murders and manages to survive. In the first book, these near misses had a funnier edge to them. Box Office Poison, though humorous, shows Linnet coming to the realization that there's something special about her that allows her to continuously escape, so these mishaps now add to her mystique rather than just being funny. It added further depth to her character. Linnet is in full Nancy Drew mode as she works to solve what is happening in Hollywood and why the elves seem to be out of control. We do get to meet some new  and amusing elfin characters and Ms. Bornikova definitely leaves us wanting to know more about them.
 
We do get to see Linnet's love of horses and her horsemanship again in this book. As I mentioned last time, I was wondering if this was going to be further developed and it plays a big role. I have to say that when I read these passages, some of the nuance is lost on me, but I know Jenny would thoroughly love it. This thread of the storyline gives a little more of a tease into what Linnet may be and who is watching over her while she fumbles through her investigations.
 
Now, for the romance. In the last book, John, her elfin PI and sort-of boyfriend, is stuck in Alfar. Linnet hasn't given up hope of getting him back and she wheels and deals to have a visit but........ As I've been told, romance in urban fantasy moves a bit slower, and it may just move a little too slowly for me. I am not always so patient, but I'm looking forward to the next book to see if John makes a bigger appearance. As a tease, in this book, there is a vampire that seems to be showing a little more emotion and attention to Linnet than would be expected from a vampire!
 
This book told a satisfying, contained story but gave us enough to think about so that we will anxiously anticipate the next book. I look forward to reading more of Linnet's adventures.

Rating: 4/5

• • • you can read Cathy's review of book one here • • • 

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This book was sent to me by the publisher  free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my (or in this case, Cathy's) honest opinion.