True-to-Life Romances #8

A young woman pursuing stardom in 1951 finds her dreams within reach when a modeling job leads to a screen test at Famous Studios, but her ambitions blind her to the devoted affection of Cliff Hamilton, a fellow drama-school dreamer from her past. As Isobel Graham ascends from bit parts to leading roles opposite the charming Leland Fiske, she must confront what her single-minded pursuit of fame has cost her—and who has been waiting all along.

Rising star Rita Carlyle has left her struggling past—and the man who supported her dreams—far behind, telling Bob Mason coldly that she doesn't even remember him. But when he reappears on a film set where she's now the lead, Rita finds herself flooded with memories of their devotion and his sacrifice, even as a new suitor, the charming Mike Arno, sweeps into her glamorous new life. Torn between the guilt of her cruelty and the intoxicating pull of her fresh romance, Rita must reckon with what success has cost her and who she's become.

A Hollywood actress watchers her newfound engagement to Bertrand Gleason become complicated when a glamorous newcomer named Regina arrives on the scene, and jealousy drives her to increasingly deceptive schemes to undermine her rival—until the truth threatens to unravel everything she's built. Written with the melodramatic intensity True-to-Life Romances knew how to deliver, "In Love and Hollywood" explores how far someone will go when fear of losing love turns to manipulation.

A young woman pushes her ambitious dreams onto Doug Temple, the man she loves, pressuring him to chase stardom instead of accepting his steady job—and when he finally pursues a Hollywood screen test to win her approval, his success brings him under the influence of a glamorous patron with her own designs on him. As Doug's career takes flight, the woman who orchestrated his rise discovers that the price of fame may be far steeper than either of them imagined.