Shuttergirl

Publisher's Summary

I never forgot her. Not for one minute. Not from the last time I saw her, at 17, to today. I measured all women against her, and all women came up short. But being with her was unfeasible in high school, and it's taboo now. I see her sometimes, but I've never spoken to her. She runs, or I run. We're in the same town, on the same block, in the same building, and the gulf between us has been just too wide to cross. Until tonight.

He was my high school crush, back when I lived in a world that didn't want me. He was the perfect boy, and I was the outcast kid from the other side of town. And when he held my hand, I thought I could fit in just a little. I thought I could be his, and he could be mine. Then he left, and my life fell apart. Now we are the king and queen of opposite sides of Hollywood. And we haven't spoken a word to each other. Until tonight.

©2015 CD Reiss (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Cringe worthy

The book is almost entirely internal monologue. Didn't like the main character at all. I couldn't feel sorry for her when she brought everything upon herself. I typically love this author, but the characters, lack of dialogue and unbelievable plot made want my credit back.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Reiss, Raylan and Fox are a great team

C.D. Reiss is my go to author for dark and complicated romances. Jo Raylan is a go to narrator for sexy and emotional deliveries. When these two ladies work on a book together its pure magic!

Shuttergirl is a story about a girl and a guy with a high school history. The usual class separation romance. She (Lane) a girl who bounced between foster homes and he (Michael) a popular and rich guy with famous actors for parents. Fast forward a few years and she is taking his picture. He grew up to be an actor and she a paparazzi.

Lane is use to being the one behind the camera, not the one in front of it. At least that’s what she would have the world think. There was a time when she was the one having her picture taken. But those were by two sick guys using a teenage Lane as their sex toy.

Shuttergirl is a romance about two people finding each other again where one of them has a broken past.

Reiss and Raylan delivers another emotionally charged story about how dark the world can be, but if you let it, love can help shine some light in the darkness.

Even thought most of Shuttergirl is told from Lane’s POV (and narrated by Jo), Christian Fox was the perfect Michael. Fox is a raising start in the narration game. He delivers a great performance and I look for to listening to more of his work.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Magnificent Journey!

From the writing to the delivery, this book was simply perfect. The author's beautiful words are brought to life by the narrator's voice and emotion. I haven't read anything else by this author but I plan to now.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Another 5-star hit from amazing writer/narrators

CD Reiss is one of my favorite authors. She writes the most powerful, emotional, no holds barred stories. Shuttergirl is no exception. I waited a long time to finally read/listen to this book and I kick myself for it. The two main characters are electrifying together. Strong and independent, sure and competent, but damaged and real. The narrators for the audio-book, Jo Raylan and Christian Fox, were the perfect duo to bring these characters to life.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Beautifully written.

Shuttergirl is a second-chance romance – and it is done well. It is a slow-burn to love and sex story. The sex is traditional (no BDSM as you might find in other CD Reiss novels). The emotion was built up and up and the tension between the characters zinged.

I loved this novel. The imagery evoked by the writing was beautiful and there were many heart-stopping scenes. The writing was fresh and moving.

Laine is a toughened character and I could not relate to her at first. As I got to know her, I understood her attitudes toward her work and life. Though tough, she also has a soft side: Look out for Laine’s exquisite descriptions of Michael when she thinks his love is unattainable. Oh, and her references to her "parents" Sunshine and Rover are heart-melting. I found myself re-winding audio just to hear the gorgeous words about Michael and her parents again.

The story seems to end abruptly, but you can read the EPILOGUE on author CD Reiss’s website in the EXTRAS section. Unfortunately, it's not on the Audible copy of the story. The Epilogue is beautiful, and well worth the effort of finding it. It will also help make sense of the next novel, BOMBSHELL (a stand-alone and I highly recommend it). Michael and Laine make numerous appearances as a couple in BOMBSHELL so although both novels are stand-alones, SHUTTERGIRL should be read first if possible. I read them the wrong way around, and it was fine but I wish I'd read them the right way around.

Narrator Christian Fox’s performance as Michael is flawless. Jo Raylen narrates beautifully too – but it took me longer to warm to her voice. She won me over in the end and really embodied Laine well. I love listening to these narrators.

I recommend Shuttergirl (and the follow-up, BOMBSHELL) about Michael's actor friend, Brad.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Sweet & Spicy Romance

Shuttergirl by C.D. Reiss is a contemporary romance, and with its publication, Ms. Reiss continues to expand her repertoire of genres in which she dazzles her readers.

Who doesn’t adore a second-chance-at-love story? Shuttergirl does not disappoint in this department. It is filled with emotions and sensations that grip the reader from page one and continue to tug at you through the entire book.
Laine Cartwright appears to be a highly successful, apparently hardboiled paparazza who gets the shot no matter the consequences. Par for the course, Ms. Reiss’ characters are never that one dimensional. Laine is not really all that hardboiled. She’s developed a hard shell to protect herself from all of life’s unmet desires and expectations. Inside that shell is a vulnerable woman. Her past makes her vulnerable—her past circumstances and her past choices.

Michael Greydon is a god—deliciously good looking, a natural athlete, graceful and poised in all social and public settings. He is a Hollywood legacy despite his family’s wishes and his head for numbers. Michael has been raised to respect that legacy and to behave above reproach at all times . The paparazzi annoy him as much as any other celeb, but he doesn’t show it. He plays to the camera like he is Mr. Cool with no cares in the world.

When people from such different worlds find each other, do their lives merge into one charming, babbling brook or do they collide and form angry, class-5 rapids?

The secondary characters are fun and sometimes quirky; collectively they are the perfect foils to Laine and Michael. The litany of extras provide rich conversation and interesting plot points. Even Ms. Reiss’ secondary characters are multifaceted.

Laine and Michael are like a crisp black and white photo: dark shadows juxtapose to bright-white light. Together their black and white edges are crisp, and they highlight every crack in their respective facades. The interesting conflicts in the story are quintessentially LA and Hollywood. I loved that the conflicts are not far-fetched or overdone. I adored that there was a natural flow to the ending instead of a quick rescue to an unrealistic HEA. The story wraps up perfectly with both characters’ inner strength restored and their hearts filled with hope.

C.D. Reiss’ Shuttergirl is well written; it has a well-paced plot and engaging characters. The evocative descriptions give readers’ five senses a workout. No matter where the reader resides, s/he will feel like s/he knows LA by the end of this delightful romance.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Excellent!

I first read this book January of 2016. Loved it. Decided to purchase the audio version and was not disappointed! Jo Raylan and Christian Fox were excellent narrators. I laughed, cried, got angry, and giddy. I LOVE emotional reads. This is definitely worth purchasing!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

In Love

It's official. I'm in love with CD Reiss, don't tell my husband lol. Okay fine I'm in love with her writing, the characters she creates, the love she creates, and the way her story's make me feel.

This book made me want to run out and buy a $7k camera and live a story such as this.

It was breath taking and heart stopping. The drama was incredible and the characters were inspiring. I can't tell you how much I loved Laine. Her character was strong and powerful. She's one of my favorite female characters in all the hundreds of books I've read. All the characters were wonderful, Mike parents, his friends, Laine's friends, every character had a purpose and brought something to the book.

I loved the different POV and how often it went back and forth. Everything about this book was perfect and I can't think of anything I would change.

Along with my praise to the author, I'd love to give my praise to the narrators in the audiobook. Christian Fox and Jo Raylan did an outstanding job. I love the sound of Jo's voice. It's smooth and raspy at times. She reads so fluently and put just the right amount of emotion in it. It honestly made the book better, if that's at all possible. I will be looking for other books read by her.

I feel like there's so much more to say, but I'll end with: this book is a MUST READ. I know it'll be a book I will re-read over and over again. No time to proof read my review, I'm to excited to start Hardball by CD Reiss.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Meh!

Any additional comments?

Unfortunately, this story just didn't work for me - I didn't feel any chemistry between Michael and Laine, and I quickly lost interest by the 40% mark. I can't quite put my finger on it so maybe it was just me. I have read CD Reiss before and loved it, and this won't stop me from reading more by her!
The narrators did a great job but even they couldn't keep me vested in this story!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Okay..Not great.

What did you like best about Shuttergirl? What did you like least?

The narration was accomplished well, even though the story moved slow and didn't keep my continuous attention. Needed more dialogue between the main characters. The ending was the best part of this book.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

5 stars are not enough!

Totally loved everything about this! Outstanding writing, which is to be expected from CDReiss and amazing narrators. Jo Raylan is brilliant. She brings so much to her work. Depth, mood, huge feelings, intelligence...just everything!