"A Respectable Actress" by Dorothy Love

About this book:

  “When the illustrious India Hartley is accused of murder, she has to uncover the deceptions of others to save herself.
  India Hartley, the famous and beautiful actress, is now alone in the world after her father’s death and embarks upon a tour of theaters across the South. Her first stop is Savannah’s Southern Palace. On the eve of the second night’s performance, something goes horribly wrong. Her co-star, Arthur Sterling, is shot dead on stage in front of a packed house, and India is arrested and accused of the crime.
  A benefactor hires Philip Sinclair, the best—and handsomest—lawyer in Savannah to defend India. A widower, Philip is struggling to reinvent his worn-out plantation on St. Simons Island. He needs to increase his income from his law practice in order to restore Indigo Point, and hardly anything will bring him more new clients than successfully defending a famous actress on a murder charge.
  Because India can’t go anywhere in town without being mobbed, Philip persuades the judge handling her case to let him take her to Indigo Point until her trial date. India is charmed by the beauty of the Georgia low country and is increasingly drawn to Philip. But a locked room that appears to be a shrine to Philip’s dead wife and the unsolved disappearance of a former slave girl raise troubling questions. Piecing together clues in an abandoned boat and a burned-out chapel, India discovers a trail of dark secrets that lead back to Philip, secrets that ultimately may hold the key to her freedom. If only he will believe her.”


Series: Technically no, but it is connect to “The Bracelet” by the same author.

Spiritual Content- A Scripture is quoted; A few mentions of God; A mention of Providence and a godsend; The few ‘H’s when referring to God are capital; A couple mentions of prayer; Going to Church; Mentions of a chapel (that’s burned to the ground) and Church; Mentions of men of the cloth; Mentions of (fake) priests & nuns; It’s said at the end that India’s religious training had fallen to the wayside; An officer says India is “pretty and more famous than God Himself don’t mean she ain’t guilt as sin.”;

*Note: A room like shrine to a person; The saying “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” is said; A couple mentions of “goin’ to the devil”; A couple mentions of a witch; Mentions of ghosts, evil spirits & superstitions.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blasted’, two ‘shut up’s, and two ‘stupid’s; Mentions of curses said not written (Philip curses as well); Philip drinks at one point; A murder, blood & shooting (up to semi-detailed); Pain, Blood & a Knife (semi-detailed); A suicide (barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of perishing in a fire & deaths (barely-above-not-detailed); Many, many mentions of drunks, drinking & spirits; Many mentions of the Civil War (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of switches & bleeding; Mentions of hanging (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of throwing up & soiled sheets (barely-above-not-detailed); A mention of divorce; A mention of brawling; A mention of a drunk man coming after his wife with a knife (not detailed).

Sexual Content- two forehead/hair kisses, a barely-above-not-detailed kiss, and two semi-detailed kisses; Remembering a kiss (semi-detailed): Touches, Nearness & Embraces (semi-detailed); Noticing & Smelling; a ‘harlot’ and a ‘hussies’; A mention of catching a man kissing another girl; A mention of belonging to someone body & soul; A mention of a man’s “painted escorts”; Mentions of bawdy theater houses & inappropriate plays (which India does not take part in); Mentions of men who wink & leer at women; Mentions of a possible affair; Love, falling in love & the emotions.

-India Hartley
                                P.O.V. of India

                                              Set in 1870-71
                                                        367 pages

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My personal Rating-

{Add ½ a star for girls interested in law.}

The history & info on the courtroom & the theater in this book was really neat. I’ve read one other Dorothy Love book (“Carolina Gold”, which I haven’t reviewed) and she has a unique writing—educational almost—style. With this book, it was pretty clean for a murder mystery, but there was many, many mentions of drinking (including Philip drinking at one point) that made me, personally, uncomfortable. I never was completely sold on Philip, so that’s the main reason why my rating is low. Also, on another note: I’m not a fan of the cover at all. Faraway it’s not so bad and you can make it out, but in your hands it looks a really messy painting. ;)

See y’all on Monday with a new review!

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Thomas Nelson) for this review.