I was really intrigued by the blurb for this book and I do love a bit of gossip and scandal so I started the book the same day that it landed on my Kindle!

The book was an easy read and I liked the layout that the author had used, the chapters were not too long and it was easy to dip in and out of the book without losing place and track of where I was as you could literally read about one of the Hollywood stars at a time.

It is 3.5 stars from me for this one rounded up to 4 stars for Goodreads and Amazon – a great way to pass a few hours and it was fun to have the “scandals” in one volume – I am sure there are many more out there and would be keen to see a second book in the series too!

When it is snowy and cold outside, superspeed readers like me can read 150 - 200+ pages/hour, so yes, I have read the book … and many more today. LOL

I received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley, the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review.  

From the publisher, as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews, I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸.

The dawning of the nineteenth century brought with it a new era for entertainment. Vaudeville was the preferred form of entertainment, until the popularization of the silent film. This new medium proved to be a draw for many of the stars of the Vaudevillian stage and soon they migrated to the exciting possibilities that the movies had to offer. Audiences were instantly enthralled and captivated by the stars of the silent screen. The early days of Hollywood were full of glamour and a newfound decadence. The stars in these films were instantly catapulted to fame and fortune and the spotlight of the public eye. 

The real people behind the glamour were far different than the characters that audiences grew to know and love and much like Hollywood today, the lives of the stars were often full of scandal and debauchery. This book examines the forgotten scandals of yesterday, featuring silent and silver screen stars like Jean Harlow, Mae West, Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin and Errol Flynn. Don't let the romanticized black and white world of yesterday fool you, their stories are rife with sex, drugs and murder.

An interesting and very, very fast read but I didn't learn anything new that I had ever heard of. (And they left out that they think Jean Harlow died of kidney problems after ... well ... bleaching the carpet to match the drapes!_  Some of the scandals seem tame to some of the stuff I see on E-Talk every day when they speak of Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein but for their time they were decidedly shocking. (And some of the pervy men would have gotten a LOT of jail time as well!)

Good for a quick read but nothing more than that. As always, I try to find a reason to not rate with stars as I love emojis (outside of their incessant use by "🙏-ed Social Influencer Millennials" on Instagram and Twitter..get a real job, people!) so let's give it 🎬🎬

Some interesting and unknown stories in this book, it is very easy reading and I read it quite quickly. No real shockers, I was expecting some really scandalous tales so was a little disappointed, I think it was the way the stories were written, more like short biographies of the actors involved. It reminded me of a buzzed article, which is fine if you are looking for something quick and easy to read but not what I look for in a book. I like my history with a bit more research behind it, rather than something I could look up on Wikipedia.

Creepy yet entertaining.  It was like watching a train wreck, you are shocked but can't turn your eyes away. A few if these scandals I knew a bit about; but many more were a complete surprise. It certainly have me a new perspective on the personal lives of some of my favorite stars of yesteryear.