MY REVIEW:
This is the third book I’ve read by Michele Northwood, and the stories she has tell are quite unique and unforgettable. Michele has quite the vast range of life experience under her belt which has given her insight to the lifestyles she’s writing about, making it accurate and on point. The circus life would not be an easy one by no means, so my props go out to her completely!
There are four main characters in The Circus Affair. Four European woman who have traveled to a foreign country to spend the season performing in the circus. Sarah, Wendy, Lisa and Malissa didn’t know one another before joining the quartet, but they grow together and become very close friends. Standing by one another’s side for every step of their journey. The book as a whole doesn’t have a whole doesn’t have a ton to do with their acts and the circus in general, it’s a bit more about the backscene stories and the camaraderie of the girls.
Of all four girls, Wendy has the scariest background. She actually joined the circus in order to escape and hide from her abusive husband. So, as the other three girls peruse relationships and/or flings or what have you, Wendy really just want to stay safe and supportive. Unfortunately, she can’t run forever and the danger she’s trying to escape is just around the corner.
Malissa is one of the lucky ones who truly does find love. She’s weary, and spends the majority of the book watching and waiting for Benjamin to be a no good dirty cheater, as that’s what she’s experienced before. She’s convinced that he has to have a wife up his sleeve, and she battles her inner demons all the while working her butt off along side the other girls so that they can maintain a jaw dropping show as they travel from place to place.
Sarah finds herself tangled up in the trapeze act with a fun loving flipper named Fernando. She enjoys his company and winds up learning a thing or two about the trapeze. Toward the end, tragedy strikes and Sarah has some very serious decisions to face as it pertains to her and Fernando’s future.
Lisa is torn between two young men throughout the story, Mario and Miguel. Mario is young, handsome and an absolute ladies man. Of course Lisa falls for his charm. Even after she catches him smoozing around with some other girl, she believes his crap and lets him in. It was a huge mistake, yet luckily for her, Miguel is an attenuative man who is willing to be patient and wait for her to give him a real shot.
All in all I found this book to be fun and upbeat. 4 stars for me.
DESCRIPTION:
After four dancers join a circus in Brazil, their idea of life under the Big Top changes forever. Given a tiny, cramped caravan for their six-month contract, they make a pact: to find a man who can take them away from their rust-bucket lifestyle.
Melissa is a hopeless romantic, but can she trust the dashing Ringmaster and his secretive ways, or does he have plans of his own?
Sarah’s goal is to remain at the circus, whatever the cost. But why?
Lisa, the youngest in the group, is as naive about the job as she is about life. She is looking for romance, but can she tell the difference between lust and true love?
Wendy’s only wish is for a quiet life, but will her disturbing past catch up with her?
Finding themselves outsiders in a Latin American world of female rivalry, magic tricks and murder, they walk a thin tightrope of discovery and learn how to live the nomadic life of circus performers. Amid the trapeze, treachery, and torrid affairs that constitute life in the sawdust strewn ring, a crime has been committed. Can the girls solve it in time and make it out alive?
If you’ve ever dreamed of running away with the circus, or are wondering what happens behind the scenes, this book is for you. Find out what really goes on when the curtains close, and what true circus life is all about.
Didi Oviatt -Author 