Mayne Attraction: In The Spotlight

By Ann Mauren
$0.00 Rating: 1 star1 star1 star1 star0.75 star
(4.63 based on 24 reviews)

Published: April 17, 2010
Words: 122,132 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9780984520114


Short description

Ellery Mayne is shocked to learn that she’s being shadowed by an elite security team and surprised by the love of one of her protectors, former CIA agent Ash Ryan. But their secret romance and his loyalty to his colleagues get pushed to the limit when the team's mysterious employer appears to claim more than just her heart. With her life 'In the Spotlight' Ellery is the 'Mayne Attraction.'

Extended description

After a foiled abduction attempt, Ellery Mayne realizes that an entire security detail has been shadowing her every move, protecting her from danger she didn’t know she was in. Working to uncover the secrets behind her elusive watchers, she carefully conducts her own surveillance, testing the limits of professionals who think she is clueless about them. Though they are hard to spot, their loyalty and care for her is not. When she finds a way to declare her feelings for one of her guards, he is blindsided with joy but fearful that his team will lose its lucrative security contract because of his relationship with the mark they’ve all come to love.

As secrets to the identity and intentions of the team’s mysterious employer begin to unravel, Ellery’s deeply buried affections resurface and battle with the love and loyalty she feels for her guards and her new love. Searching for answers and conscious that her choices will impact loved ones and guardian angels alike, Ellery find.. (Read more)


Tags

roses, canada, kentucky, backpacking, corvette, barbie, jewelry, surveillance, goth, geology, louisville, secret service, gems, state quarters, aquamarine, banff, ups, lake louise, kings island, frodo, skipper

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Reviews

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Review by: Meresankh on April 29, 2013 : star star star star
It was quite pleasant. I normally don't like books where the heroine has and strings along two love interests, but I have to admit that the author made it very convincing and heartfelt.
(review of free book)

Review by: Teacuppe on April 24, 2013 : star star star star star
Absolutely amazing. Can't stop reading at all. I see the heroine maturing emotionally throughout the story. It's frustrating how her shyness can put her in awkward situations but happy that finally broke free and disappeared.
(review of free book)

Review by: redfox on March 10, 2013 : star star star star star
I simply adored it! Hopefully, the second installment is as well written as this one!
(review of free book)

Review by: hummiv on Dec. 07, 2012 : star star star star
I found the story quite slow (took me 3 days to finish) and not til 100+ pages in did I get into it.

Now having finished I can't wait to see how the story progresses and also appreciate the build up from when her grandfather's death to where she is now - Hopefully the next two books are faster paced.
(review of free book)

Review by: Alyssa Novak on Nov. 13, 2012 : star star star star
I wasnt sure in the beginning if id like the book, but it was free and sounded alright. As i started reading i was glad i picked it up! I'm hoping to learn more about the circumstances surrounding Ellery's grandfathers death & the incident outside the store in the future.
I love romance books, though i typically go for the ones with a bit more of it. However the story was great! And had enough to make it throughly enjoyable while still sticking to the innocence of the character. I cant wait to see where she goes next in regard to her love life.
The sleepwalking made me LOL and catch my breath as well. Really left me wondering how much of her dreams & fantasies were just that :)

Overall, exceded my expectations and has me waiting impatiently for more.
(review of free book)

Review by: Sasha on Sep. 28, 2012 : star star star star star
I was browsing the internet for free ebooks and happened upon this little gem. I commute over an hour long bus ride to school everyday and was unable to put this book down every time I sat on the bus! I burned through this book in no time!! I Just LOVED it :)
(review of free book)

Review by: Alisha S on Sep. 23, 2012 : star star star star star
I enjoyed the book. I think Ellery was a good based character based on her age. Can't wait for more to see what happens.
(review of free book)

Review by: Sari Asmaraningtyas on Sep. 11, 2012 : star star star star star
I found out that the story's just made me want to read more for next book and chapter,I really enjoy this
(review of free book)

Review by: hrhsophia on Aug. 01, 2012 : star star star
I must admit based on the reviews I had very high hopes for this story. It did not deliver. Ellery makes Bella look like Superbowl quarterback. She is incapable of making any decisions and like Bella she is in love with two apparently great guys with a stranger than fiction life. This story lags in many places in fact I finished it out of pure curiosity. It finally got interested towards the end and then it was over. Like the Bella stories the next ones will be from one of the love interests' point of view> Hopefully the story gets better.
(review of free book)

Review by: tamara naron on March 05, 2012 : star star star star star
I enjoyed how Ellery cleverly narrated the story, I hope the others are just as good, I belive they will be narrated by Ash and Gray.
(review of free book)

Review by: Doris Holmes on Feb. 08, 2012 : star star star star star
Ellery tops the list of all time stupid heroines. It is an interesting story with two interesting male characters. The heroine does not come into her own until the end of the book and you are left hanging. I hope to get the answer in the next book.
(review of free book)

Review by: Chioma Vivien on Feb. 06, 2012 : star star star star star
Awesome! i enjoyed it so much and i want more more more. ernestly anticipating the next series. thumbs up!!!
(review of free book)

Review by: bugg0082 on Jan. 26, 2012 : star star star star star
Book 1 in the spotlight was amazing. I can not wait for books 2 & 3 to come out. Thank you :)
(review of free book)

Review by: bugg0082 on Jan. 26, 2012 : (no rating)
Book 1 in the spotlight was amazing. I can not wait for books 2 & 3 to come out. Thank you :)
(review of free book)

Review by: virda on Jan. 08, 2012 : (no rating)
This is a review for Barefoot Heroine that I purchased through Kobobooks.
I have read and loved "In the Spotlight" and cannot wait for book 2 & 3. In the meantime I have read your teaser and will be on pins and needles waiting for the release of "In the Smoke" and "Shadow".
As I finished Spotlight, I immediately went online to see what was next or if there were other books by this author and so signed up on the website.
I hope that there will be many more books to come in future.
(review of free book)

Review by: Divya P on Dec. 18, 2011 : star star star star star
:$ In my excitement I completely forgot to rate it. Haha without a doubt it's a five star novel.
(review of free book)

Review by: Divya P on Dec. 18, 2011 : (no rating)
To be honest, I downloaded this book a long time ago, maybe 5-6 months back? All I can say is, after I read it I immediately signed up with Ms. Mauren's website, and I've re-read the book atleast once a month, if not more! :)
It's a superb read, and the plot and characters are absolutely captivating! Honestly cannot wait for the rest :)
(review of free book)

Review by: Nana Jean on Dec. 16, 2011 : star star star star star
I love this story. Felt sorry for Ellery, having to chose between 2 good guys. i'm really in suspense of who she's going to chose or if she's gong to chose at all. Love to read more.
(review of free book)

Review by: Claudia Woods on Dec. 16, 2011 : star star star star star
I really enjoyed this book. I had a hard time putting it down. The ending left a lot of questions that I hope will be answered in the next tow books.
(review of free book)

Review by: Dhos23 on Dec. 15, 2011 : star star star star star
I really loved reading In the Spotlight, it was such a 'different' type of story. I loved all of the twists that it took, and I couldn't put it down! Can't wait to read the next two.
(review of free book)

Review by: Jessica Hillgrove on Dec. 13, 2011 : star star star star star
I stayed up so late reading this book, I couldn't stand to go to sleep and stop reading, it was so so so good. But at the end I was disappointed that things were not resolved. I felt Ellery should not have left things undone and unsaid, but I guess thats what the second book is for.
(review of free book)

Review by: anonymous thatgirl on April 03, 2011 : (no rating)
i loved this book,,,,when is the next one in the series goin to be publised.
(review of free book)

Review by: Jason McIntyre on March 30, 2011 : star star star star star
Ann Mauren’s “In The Spotlight” introduces us to the veritable Ellery Mayne. She’s a young, seemingly naive, affable sort with an infectious personality. You can’t help but grow to love her in the span of roughly five pages and then root for her as she tangles with Goths, undercover security personnel, worldly millionaires and even has the bones to stick up for a bedraggled restaurant waitress. Her wordplay and goofy sense of humour put us in touch with her as a real person and not just a character. She’s a coin collector, and an introvert finding her shell a bit too small these days. And she’s so genuine and forthright with her emotions, her opinions and her way of life. When Ellery falls into the warm embrace of love, we can’t help but hope she comes out better and stronger, not scarred and wanting. I hoped Ellery would grow and evolve, and, boy, did she.

“In The Spotlight” is the first of many for Author Ann Mauren. It’s written with personal attention and comes out the other end with miles of personality stretched behind it. The book achieves a sense of realness, whether Mauren has us scuttling around the Kentucky speedway or up the rocky inclines of a hiking trail near Lake Louise. I was inside this book, and I bet you’d like to be inside it too.
(review of free book)

Review by: Carrie Mays on March 11, 2011 : (no rating)
I loved this book.. I had so many emotions reading this book.. I cant wait to read the next book to know who she ends up with and what she will do next..The love that she has for Ash is so real but is complicated.. I couldnt put this book down..
(review of free book)

Review by: Enjoli Gilbert on March 09, 2011 : star star star star star
I've said this so many times now, but I'm super excited about this book. I'm glad I read In the Spotlight. It's such a different book and the plot is absolutely fantastic. Ann Mauren did a great job in creating characters that can stand alone and also merge together to form a perfect story! I know this book was super because I only finish a book in one day if it's FANTASTIC and this was beyond fantastic. I don't even have a word for how amazingly super duper this book was! :)
Then, one top of that, Ann is a GREAT author :D! I've had the pleasure of emailing her and she is what all authors excited about their work should be. She values the comments and imupts and questions about her books and that shows passion and love for her ccreations.
I can't wait until In the Smoke and In the Shadow! :)
(review of free book)

Review by: aramide on Feb. 07, 2011 : star star star star
I really enjoyed reading this book. Who were the people trying to kidnap her? She is a rich heiress, she was almost kidnapped, is there a connection? Grayson's dad keeping an eye on her is basically stalking, why wasn't she more upset? As much as i enjoyed this read, i had a few questions i would have liked answered.
As an avid reader, it all fell into place in my head as the story seems like pure escapism. Are u a young adult by any chance, if u r, then i can't wait to read when u r more mature, it'll be brilliant. Good luck.
PS, where're the other stories
(review of free book)

Review by: Sara Carrizal on Nov. 18, 2010 : star star star star
Your inner 16 year old will be entranced. Mauren hit the nail on the head with how it felt, er... feels to be a teen in love and in transition to adulthood. The main character was totally relatable, despite her very unique circumstances. All of the romance with none of the tawdry sex found in much of the YA lit out there. That makes it good clean fun for everyone. I look forward to the 2 follow ups "In the Smoke" and "In the Shadows."
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Review by: Steph on Oct. 01, 2010 : star star star star
In the Spotlight, Book 1 of the Mayne Attraction series

Ann Mauren

e-book, Smashwords, downloaded in Stanza format

e-ARC provided by author

read July 14 &15

Reviewed at http://www.fangswandsandfairydust.com


Description of Book (marketing copy)

Ellery Mayne is a high school girl who makes a disturbing discovery. After a foiled abduction attempt, she realizes that an entire team of security personnel are secretly shadowing her every move.

As she works to make sense of this startling development, she secretly transitions from the one who is being observed to the one who carries out observations of her own, testing the limits of a secret service detail who think they are conducting transparent surveillance on a clueless teenager.

When the mystery behind the secret security unravels, Ellery is faced with decisions that involve her future and the hopes of two unlikely love interests: a handsome but conflicted security agent who doesn’t realize she knows about him, and her first love—a boy that broke her heart—who has returned to explain his actions and his feelings for her.

Told from Ellery’s perspective, she puzzles over what could interest not one but two handsome suitors and a whole security force. Suddenly this quiet loner realizes that her life is In the Spotlight and she is the Mayne Attraction.


Earlier this week another book blogger asked if I would like to review an e-book written by a friend of here. The description sounded as if the book had a paranormal element, and it was only when I got to the identity of the antagonist that I realized that the work was a straight piece of literature, by then I was wrapped up in Ms. Mauren’s hypnotic style.


This is a YA book and the author pays attention to vocabulary by defining unfamiliar words in parentheses. However, this is done in the context of a word game Ellery and her mother play, so I was never sure if the device belonged to the author or the character. I think if it were to be identified as the author’s I would find the use of obscure words and definition overly pedantic. If it belongs to the character, it is very much in line with her personality.


The prose in this book is beautiful, elegant even. The female protagonist is very deeply revealed to us and she is certainly likable. I found the plot unrealistic in several details that would act as spoilers. If this were a fantasy piece (possible?) I could make a case for world building, but the foiled abduction spoken of in the marketing copy above and Ellery’s subsequent realization that she was being watched would have been enough to send me to the police even as a teenager.


I found it very hard to believe some of the supporting characters, although they were certainly very pleasant individuals who helped advance the story. But, their existence in Ellery’s world seems improbable. An important question I never found answered is who was trying to abduct Ellery and I never heard a good enough justification for the security detail having been hired in the first place. The blogger who asked me to do the review spoke about that with the writer for a while and apparently the next two books in the series are told as from Gray's point of view and Ash's. And she wanted to leave that and the further explanation of the security detail to be explained from their point of view. I prefer series where the books each stand alone and don't leave major cliff-hangers. People will buy the next book because the first is good. There are lots of ways to learn what happened other than buying.


In summary, this book offers, great character development, very engaging, though unrealistic story, fabulous prose and style. While I had that one issue, I enjoyed the read. I would recommend this book for older teens as it involves the more physical aspects of relationships, and it is literature enough for most adults. With books like this, I think a parent has a great chance to engage with their teenager by also reading the book and discussing it.


Note: The author has a great website upon which you can read 60% of the book, and it even has music embedded in it (not automatic – you get to choose whether it plays). A great feature is photos of locations in the movie. I often find myself thinking I wonder what a location looked like, with this website you get a chance to find out.
http://mayneattraction.com/
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: brynetcetera on Sep. 30, 2010 : star star star star
A bit heavy on the romance for me, but a fun read. Looking forward to more from Ann Mauren!

Full review: http://persyandarty.blogspot.com/2010/07/persy-in-spotlight-by-ann-mauren.html on The Moonlit Library of the Underworld, book blog of Persy and Arty.
(reviewed long after purchase)

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