About the Book

Book: Her Part to Play

Author: Jenny Erlingsson

Genre:Contemporary Romance

Release date: June 18, 2024

Desperate for extra income after her mother’s passing, Adanne accepts a last-minute job as a makeup artist for a movie filming in her small Alabama hometown. She’s working to save her parents’ legacy and help her brother, but the money hardly seems worth having to face the actor who got her fired from her last job in Hollywood.

John Pope has made his share of mistakes over the years. But after turning his life over to God and enduring a messy breakup, he’s ready to start rebuilding his career. Imagine his surprise when the woman called in to cover for his usual makeup artist is a quiet but feisty newcomer on the set–and definitely not a fan.

Sparks of tension–and could that be attraction?–fly between them, but Adanne hates the spotlight, and John’s scheming manager has bigger plans for him than to end up with the humble makeup girl from the small-town South. Can these star-crossed lovers find their way to happiness? Or will the bright lights of Hollywood blind their eyes to what’s right in front of them?

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About the Author

Jenny Erlingsson is an author and speaker of Nigerian descent. After 12 years working in junior high and women’s ministry, she moved with her family from Alabama to Iceland. When she’s not running after her four kids or ministering alongside her husband, she can be found writing romantic fiction and creative nonfiction to inspire deep faith in diverse settings, as well as encouraging other writers. Her other writings have been featured on (in)courage, Live Original, Velvet Ashes, and more. And in the margins, you might find her reading five books at a time with a side of Icelandic chocolate.

More from Jenny

Sometimes it can be easy to underestimate the significance of our part to play in God’s story, especially when it’s something behind-the-scenes. I wanted to portray that in the story that unfolds between my characters Adanne and John. In Her Part to Play, readers are introduced to a make-up artist who had dreams of becoming successful in her career, but she sacrificed that to take care of her dying mother and ended up getting fired in the process.

This idea actually developed while I watched behind the scenes footage of The Chosen. Like any industry, profession or product, what we see is only a small part of the process. There are details that we don’t consider when we are being swept away in a story.

On the surface, working with the actor who got her fired was not the way Adanne wanted to earn much needed income. But there’s so much beautiful redemption that can be found in hidden places and that’s what John finds as well. Every day that Adanne works on his face to get him ready for his scenes, God starts working on both of their hearts. A beautiful transformation is carried out through someone who may not have seemed valuable in the grand scheme of things, but who was a very important part of the process.

Her Part to Play gives a glimpse of that through a charming romance between two people with different roles and from different cultures, but they both have a core need to be known and loved for not just what they do, but for who they are.

MY REVIEW

This story is like a breath of fresh air. The characters are very relatable and easy to like. I enjoyed how the author matches these two characters that are so different for each other yet they fit perfectly. Let me explain that last sentence. John is very well known as an actor. He has the looks that others admire. He is down to earth and just wants to be happy away from all the limelight. His manager seems to think he needs to date someone famous so he can get back as a super star. John isn’t looking for stardom anymore. What does he really want out of life?

Adanne is hard working as a makeup artist, running the community center her family started and helping her brother and his family. Her nephew is very ill so she tries to help out financially and other ways to help ease the burden her brother and sister-in-law have. Adanne is humble and is not interested in the Hollywood scene at all.

An unlikely friendship develops between her and John. One thing she says to him really got my attention. When she says to him, “But I think I would rather be remembered for who I am, not who I had to pretend to be.” Do we sometimes pretend to be someone else because we are ashamed of where we come from? Perhaps we pretend because we are insecure and need to feel accepted. This does make John examine his life as her words really hit home.

I can’t express how much I loved this story. The depth of each character gave me chills. The author brings two unlikely people together in a setting that is filled with drama and power. I loved that Adanne is very grounded in her faith. She doesn’t allow anything to turn her away from God. She struggles with trying to help others but forgets that she needs to take care of herself as well.

John is such a great character who fights through all the Hollywood drama to stay grounded in God. His heart grows stronger each day as he seek’s God’s wisdom. With both characters facing trials this book delivers an emotional look at believing in yourself.

I received a copy of this booke from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.