Set the Stage by Karis Walsh is a romance is set to the backdrop of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Emilie is returning to acting and Arden works as a groundskeeper at a nearby park. The two women have both had trouble with relationships in the past and are resolved to not face those issues this festival season.

The beginning was a little slow but after the first four chapters of establishing who Emilie and Arden are, the pace picks up and it was easy to get lost in Walsh’s writing. The way she wrote each setting, it made the park or the stages just as important as the characters she was writing about. There were times when she wrote of Emilie portraying different roles and it felt like I was right there watching Emilie as she recited her lines.
I enjoyed they slow burn of attraction that steadily grew more intense between Emilie and Arden. They were friends first and then that blossomed into something more. It was fun reading about their walks, Emilie running lines and encouraging Arden’s garden designs, and eventually their romance.

As a first time reader of Karis Walsh, she’s definitely earned another fan.

This is definitely one of my favorite of Karis Walsh's books. I thought the characters were really well portrayed. I found Emilie to be really witty and fun to read about. Arden was a bit more serious but laid back in that odd balance. The two just worked well together and I found the read super sweet.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley. Overall this was a pretty meh book. It moved way too slowly and was far longer than it needed to be. This was a good romance novel and could have been just as good as a short story. The protagonists Arden and Emilie were engaging to read. They had some really interesting problems, but overall they did not seem like they should have been together. The chemistry was lacking as were the lovemaking scenes. I am a huge lover of live theater and all those scenes made me feel like I was in those theaters. So overall an okay book that would have been a better short story.

I enjoy a good slow burn romance. Walks in the park. Dinner out with interesting conversation and mutual respect. Arden Philips is understandably relationship shy, not living up to her potential and wanting so much to be in a committed relationship. Emilie Danvers is understandably relationship shy, working to gain control of her life, and a talented actor. When they meet, there is instant like of the other. I thought the back story for each of them was helpful in not only making them likeable but as a reader you wanted to care about them. The should or shouldn't I push and pull was a little prolonged but considering their previous relationship experiences, I can kinda see why they struggled with moving forward.

A very good book, with highly appealing characters, a welcome introspection into the realm of acting as a craft and lovely descriptions of the Pacific Northwest scenery.

Emilie, an actress, needed to get her acting groove back and was luckily hired on with a company in Oregon for the season. Her confidence was shot and hoped that being back on stage would help fire up her career. Arden, a local, naturally swore off dating actresses because it only led to heartbreak. Me and Arden met and immediately struck up a friendship. The friendship led less platonic feelings. There was a lot of back and forth between the characters because both had sworn off relationships. The development was sweet and you couldn’t help but root for them. I enjoyed how they helped each other realize and attain their dreams. I am thrilled I was able to review this book. It was great!!

When I finished reading this book, I had the feeling that there was something missing to make the story complete. Yes, the past of the two protogonists is well explained, although it is through pieces here and there, but you can get a pretty clear idea of ​​the two women. Also the relationship between them is quite well developed, although it is quite obvious that no matter how much the two fight against a romantic relationship, this will end up happening. But both struggles too much in their minds, analyzing their past mistakes and how they do not want to repite them again, thinking it over and over, to the point of being sometimes a little frustrating and exhausting. But I really liked the fact that both women have an always very positive attitude and that they support each other and that with this support they make the other one bring out the best of herself.

Emilie has been out of the industry for several years when she lands her dream job in Ashland, performing in a Shakespeare festival for the season. Arden has been burned many times over the years, by actors who show up for a season and then leave, breaking her heart. She promises herself she'll keep her distance this year. That is until she comes across the enchanting Emilie performing in the gardens where she works. They try to remain as friends but the attraction is too great. Will they be able to make it work or are they destined for separate paths?

I loved this! It was magical! The garden, the stages, the sets, the plays, the town... I don't even like Shakespeare but all the plays were written about with such love I couldn't help but have so much respect for what Emilie does and what Ashland stands for. It was beautiful.

Emile was a fantastic character. She was real, real body, real flaws, real roommates. I loved her process for acting and getting in the character, and I liked that it wasn't perfect. It made her relatable when nothing about her career or passions is relatable to me. I loved Arden too. She was unique and strong and fascinating. Their relationship was beautiful - it progressed naturally and believably. Nicely paced and not rushed. The conflict wasn't a secret from the beginning but it was nicely resolved and not too obvious.

This book far exceeded my expectations! I have to put it on my list to buy as a paperback! This is a book I would definitely read again - a perfect cozy, sweet, romance.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked this book. The characters are likable, the romance is sweet and the various scenes are simply charming. I love how Karis Walsh can describe a city, scene or location to the point I visualize and yearn to be there. Her description and story is amazing and keeps the pages turning. I always know a good romance will come with this author. I highly recommend to my students. Nice read.

I really adored this book. From the characters to the setting and the slow burn romance, I was in it for the long haul with this one. Karis Walsh to me is an expert in creating interesting characters that often have to face some type of adversity. While this book was no different, it felt like the author changed up her game a bit. There something new, something fresh about this book from Walsh.

When we first meet Emilie Danvers, Emilie is saving every cent she gets from her fast-food gig to save up enough capital to start over with her new career as an actor in an Oregon Shakespeare Festival company. Emilie has one a coveted lead role and is about to get her acting career back on track after a long hiatus. Nothing will deter her from her passion for acting. She’s learned this the hard way after giving up promising roles to travel with her ex-girlfriend. A relationship that left more scars than happy memories.

Arden Philips is a gardener at the nearby park from the theater festival. While Arden has had dalliances with the performers over the years, but she carefully guards her heart knowing that they are just passing through Ashland on the way to the next career move. Arden is unknowingly kind of stuck in a rut. Abandonment issues from childhood have caused her to settle for a career she likes but doesn’t truly love. When she meets Emilie, these two have an instant connection and draw each other out of their proverbial shells.

I have always enjoyed Walsh’s work. I think you are guaranteed a solid read each time you pick up one of her stories. This one felt different, it gave more, it felt like more. It’s not a page burner but a slow fulfilling story with beautiful characters that had a deep connection. You have an amazing backdrop that is laid out perfectly that just pushes the story to flourish even further. I absolutely enjoyed my time with this one. It is a great book to escape with!

3 1/2 Stars. I’m a fan of Walsh. Most of her books aren’t exciting pager turners, or filled with tons of angst and drama, instead they are well written, traditional romances that make you feel comfortable when reading them. I feel like I can depend on Walsh to deliver a book I am going to enjoy, and I appreciate that.

This book is about Emilie, who is returning to the stage to act in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Once a promising actor, Emilie gave up a career to follow her ex-girlfriend to Europe. This is her time to take back control of her life, and not let anyone else get in her way. Arden is a gardener who works in the nearby Lithia Park. She has a history of dating actresses, only to have her hart broken when they leave her behind. Can these two have a chance at a relationship, or is it doomed before they can even start?

One thing that Walsh absolutely excels at is settings. She makes every place seem real to us readers, the Shakespeare Festival was no exception. This place in Oregon just seems so magical. I’m going to have to look it up to see if it is real, if so, Walsh has convinced me it’s a place I have to visit.

Walsh also is really good at writing about jobs that other authors may overlook, and making them interesting to readers. Arden is a gardener/groundskeeper/artist, not the most exciting job, but I liked the scenes in the park. Walsh takes realistic settings, realistic jobs, and realistic people, and just makes it work.

I liked how the characters absolutely made each other better. They grow right before your eyes. The connection they have together is absolutely there and you hope somehow they can find a HEA. My only main complaint, I could have used just a little more heat, a tiny bit more passion or sparks, and this would have been a 4+ stars book.

If you are a Walsh fan, grab this book, you won’t be disappointed. Walsh is not a flashy author. But she is an author I can depend on and will continue to read her books.

An ARC was given to me by BSB, for a honest review.

I was struggling to decide between 3 and 4 stars for this book... and decided to go with 4. the setting of the story is nice and it draws a nice picture of Ashland and the Theater community there and the Parks. I liked the characters but I didn’t feel a lot of chemistry between them - there weren’t any sparks. I have to admit that I likes Emilies character a lot more than Arden’s but still both characters were likable and well portrait.

<i>Received this ARC from Netgalley and Bold Stroke Books for an honest review</i>

I cannot claim that this is a book that I’ve been waiting a long time to read, as I’ve occasionally mentioned for other books, but it is one I knew about and had on my to-read list. And I’m quite happy the book popped up when it did and I was able to read it.

This is the story of Emilie Danvers (hmm, Danvers, wonder if she’s related to Kara and Alex), and Arden Philips. Specifically the story of how the two first meet, and had a slow burn romance against the backdrop of an acting festival. Both have their chance to be the point of view, and both get their chance to be known by the reader.

The book opens with Emilie finishing a shift at a fast food restaurant. She’s greasy, and smells like fries. She’s made a few bad choices with her life to get to this point, but this is her last shift. Before she gives her two week notice. So there’ll be two more weeks of shifts. She’s moving on, getting a second chance at her first career choice – acting. She’s signed a contract to act in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival – a multi-month festival (many months, I forget now how many). There are many reasons for how she came about making some of the mistakes she made, but one of her solutions for not allowing herself to fall into that place again, is to focus on her acting – excluding all possible romantic entanglements from her life.

Meanwhile we have Arden Philips. Arden has spent her life in Ashland, both a small town near where Emilie has been working fast food, and the town that happens to hold the Oregon festival previously mentioned. She’s spent her life following her grandfather around a specific park, watching as he worked, learning, and helping. Grandfather’s gone now, but his impact on the park remains. As does his granddaughter – now working there after getting a college degree in landscaping. She has a tendency to fall into relationships almost exclusively (maybe exclusively) with actresses who she knows will be in the town for only a brief period of time. She’s gotten used to people leaving her life. Not how she planned her life, but she’s used to it now (something ‘forced’ upon her when her own parents left her with her grandparents in Ashland to pursue their own careers when Arden was something like 4 years old).

Arden and Emilie meet for the first time when Arden ‘stumbles’ across Emilie standing in the park practicing one of her acting roles (part of the acting job consists of acting in multiple plays at the same time). They both like what they see in the other, but Emilie stresses, immediately, that all they could be is friends. So that’s what they become, friends. Though both have these feelings and stuff.

I’m not certain about either main character’s actual age, though evidence seemed to suggest that both are somewhere around mid-to-late twenties. Probably closer to late twenties.

I quite enjoyed the story. And really want to go live in Ashland myself. Though I’ve no clue what I’d do there, job-wise. Sounds like a lovely place, though. Town and park.

Rating: 5.00

Expected Publication Date: November 1 (publisher website), 14 (everywhere) 2017

October 6 2017