Unscripted by Davis Bunn is a great read! You really get into the characters and storyline. Different subject and style than what I usually read. The world of Hollywood would be the last place I would want to read about but it is in the background. The story is about pulling for the underdog and good over evil.
Not only do you see Danny and Megan's relationship develop but you see Danny, who as a child grew in foster care system, find love and acceptance from friends who become like family to him. And you watch Danny change the lives of others. You also see the drama that goes on behind the scenes in the corporate world with lawyers. Megan could hold her on with the best. I would highly recommend Unscripted.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Publishing but the opinion is my own.

In Unscripted, Davis Bunn’s compelling prose pulls readers into the behind-the-scenes world of filmmaking.

When up-and-coming line producer Danny Byrd is sprung from jail for a crime he didn’t commit by a team of lawyers who won’t disclose who’s paying them, he seizes the chance to rebuild his career. The catch: a short deadline and no script. Danny and his team will be filming as they write.

Megan Pierce, one of Danny’s new lawyers, stays involved as the project goes ahead. She and Danny are attracted to one another, but he’s carrying a lot of baggage. Some of the actors also come with issues, weaving a thread of second chances through the novel.

It’s fascinating to watch the film project unfolding and affecting the people involved. Some of the legal and contract wrangling went over my head, but that didn’t affect my enjoyment of the story.

My one concern involves elements of the ending. Not wanting to give spoilers, all I can say is that if I understood the activity of the hidden enemy, then I don’t understand a resolution that gives them a business opportunity instead of legal charges. I was also disappointed not to see Danny at least tentatively investigating the faith of some key mentors.

Overall, Unscripted is an enjoyable read with characters and plot that catch the imagination and the heart.

Favourite lines:

"A dawn mist drifted through the streets, as vague as his whispers of fear and regret." [Kindle location 355]

"His burdens were too heavy. He could not be bothered to carry lies as well." [Kindle location 2813]

"Her silence was a dagger that carved away at all his arguments." [Kindle location 3372]

Recommended for readers who enjoy Hollywood stories, legal drama, relationships, and second chances.

Davis Bunn is a multi-award-winning author in a variety of Christian fiction genres as well as clean mainstream fiction. As Thomas Locke, he writes fantasy and techno-thrillers.

[Book has been provided via #NetGalley courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.]

Unscripted is a beautifully written inspirational romance. A fantastic plot with believable characters. I throughly enjoyed this book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading inspirational romance. My thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

Danny Bryd is a Hollywood producer who has an excellent reputation for getting things done and on budget. Things fall apart for him when his business partner steals the investors' money, and Danny finds himself in jail with both his career and reputation in shreds.
L.A. attorney, Megan is asked to be Danny's defender.
I learned quite a bit about the film making industry and found it quite fascinating, and at times cut throat. Everyone wants to get ahead.
Davis Bunn is one of my favorite Christian fiction authors and I enjoyed this story!
I was given an ecopy of this book from the publisher, Revell and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
If, like me, you enjoy a little romance in your reading, you'll be sure to enjoy how Danny and Megan's relationship goes from professional to romantic.

I usually absolutely love Davis Bunn’s books, but I have to say this one was really confusing. I spent half the book trying to keep track of everyone and figuring out what was going on. I think the premise is good and it was an interesting story (thus the four stars), but be aware going in that it takes a while for things to become clear. There were also some “That couldn’t actually happen” thoughts on my end. The writing is strong and the characters are interesting, so give it a try.

Thank you in advance to JustRead Publicity Tours and Revell for sending this copy to review. A positive review was not required and all words are my own.

This was my first introduction to author Davis Bunn.

This novel centers around line producer Danny Byrd who is well-known in Hollywood for being someone who gets things done on time and under budget. Because of his former partner (and former best-friend), RJ, taking off with some money from investors, Danny’s reputation is tarnished. And, he even faces criminal prosecution.

That is until Megan Pierce enters the scene.

Megan Pierce, a Los Angeles lawyer, has sacrificed years of her life proving herself to her impossible bosses only to find herself disgusted at their snobbery and their specious business practices. When an opportunity to actually make a difference comes her way, she knows she has to grab it--even though she's not entirely clear what "it" is.

Danny and Megan are each other's best hope for redemption. What they never could have imagined was that they might also be each other's best hope for love.

And with that, Bunn takes readers deep inside the film industry. One that is notorious with scandal, accusations of misconduct, as well as its own snobbery.

Now, Danny has a chance to redeem himself. Part that comes when he inherits a hotel, or at best the majority ownership. He’s wondering what that has to do with the restoration of his career and reputation.

Everything.

There he meets a young talent who has the makings of a star. Without a script and the only idea being a “Valentine’s Day” project – Megan, Danny, and a few colleagues set out to redeem his career.

As everything begins to look good, it goes bad – issues with the lead actor and other trouble behind the scenes. Still despite the adversity, they continue on, and the story develops even more from there. Even when RJ comes back into the picture, Danny is able to let go of that connection and form and romance with Megan.
This had twists and turns like a Hollywood movie, and some of the insight into the industry was exciting, frustrating, uplifting, and disheartening. Realism at its best in a fictional package.

Some of the story involving the script and filming felt forced and out of place, at least to me. It was hard, even by the end to tell what the plot of the “movie” was or was supposed to be – so the titled “Unscripted” works. The characters of both the “movie” and the book seemed out of place, but still worked in some manner of cohesiveness.

The concept of second chances, redemption, and overcoming odds was beautiful, as was the test of everyone’s faith. Bunn didn’t overly preach in the book, and some might find the references to God and faith are too light. Others might take issue with a song “That Old Black Magic”. I would say it was a balance.

This book was definitely a look into the film industry as well as challenges, hope, and forgiveness. Definitely an interesting book with raw emotions, and determination.

I was expecting a bit more suspense in this. It had a great premise and I feel more could’ve been added on the suspense.

Over all 3.8 stars.

Unscripted
by Davis Bunn

Revell

Christian


Pub Date 01 Oct 2019


I am reviewing a copy of Unscripted through Revell and Netgalley:



Danny Byrd is a young line producer well known in Hollywood for being someone who gets things done on time and under budget. His reputation takes a beating after his partner and former best friend who makes off with their investors money. Danny only has once chance to redeem himself and restore his ruined career.


Megan Pierce is an L.A Lawyer who has spent years of her life proving herself to her impossible bosses only to find herself disgusted at their snobbery and their specious business practices. After an opportunity to make a difference comes her way, Megan Pierce knows she must take it. Despite the fact she is not even certain what “ it” is.


Danny and Megan just may end up finding redemption in one another. What they could not realize is that they may also be each others hope for love.


I found Unscripted to be an intriguing, well written novel, with well developed characters, and is worthy of five out of five stars.


Happy Reading!

I was captured by the opening, curious as to what would happen next, “The entire Beverly Hills jail was nonsmoking and air conditioned. Four inmates to a cell. No overcrowding. Decent food for a jail…Not that Daniel Byrd had much experience with prisons.”

I was intrigued, wondered why this guy was in jail, and where this would lead. I hadn’t expected a start like this. The author develops a rich characterization that sucked me into the dilemma, mystery and conspiracy in the film industry. The author did an amazing job of taking readers deep into the film making process, from a spark of an idea, finances, finding talent, protocol etc. He even took readers into the creative process of writing and filming a movie. The story was told from Megan Pierce, attorney and film director Danny Byrd’s POV as they get together all that is necessary to make movie magic.

I felt for the characters and enjoyed how Danny worked with 14-year-old Emma to have her reach her potential at the same time have fun in the process. I was blown away when I read this and answered the question I had about how he knew so much about the movie making process. His bio states, “Davis work within the world of film began ten years ago, when he completed the graduate course in screenwriting at the British Film Institute. Since then he has completed a number of scripts, including Unlimited, starring Fred Thompson and Robert Amayo and released by Purflix in 2015….”In the spring of 2019, Starlings Entertainment acquired Bunn’s screenplay Island of Time and is currently developing it as a major feature film.”

This author hits it out of the park with this novel. It takes readers into another dimension, gives a peek into the tentacles of greed that seek to dominate the Hollywood scene. This story is just as magical as the film, they created in the book. I like that this authors’ stories show good triumphing when good people stand together to fight the good fight. I highly recommend this for your next book club read. There is so much to discuss.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins! www.bookfun.org
The Book Club Network blog www.psalm516.blogspot.com
Book Fun Catalogue front page www.bookfun.org

This was definitely a new genre for me from one of my favorite authors. I have read many of Davis Bunn's Christian fiction series, but this book is definitely general market contemporary. It is a clean read, quick read which I definitely enjoyed.

Danny Byrd has grown up as a foster kid along with his best friend J.R. They have gone in to business together as an agency for producing Hollywood films. But Danny now finds himself in jail and J.R. has absconded with every bit of their assets and set Danny up to be the bad guy. Someone sends an attorney, Megan Pierce, to represent him; and he also discovers that he has inherited half ownership of a lodge in San Luis Obispo, California.

This was an interesting storyline as it takes you behind the scenes in film production and shows the dog eat dog attitude of those involved in it. There was also a hint of cozy mystery in determining who was helping pay for all the good things that were happening to Danny. A touch of romance between Danny and Megan was the icing on the cake. Realistic characters both main and secondary and a good plot made this a good read.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions are mine alone. I was not compensated for this review.

I've enjoyed reading books by Davis Bunn for years. His writing has been in different genres and I can always count on a good read when his name is on the cover. Unscripted is mostly in the contemporary fiction category but it also has hints of suspense and romance.

The story centers around Danny Byrd who is a line producer in the film industry. Can I just insert in here that I had no idea what a line producer did? Now I do so I'm going to also count this as educational as well as entertaining. (It's my excuse for my reading habit and I'm sticking to it!) When the book opens we find Danny in the midst of a scandal that lands him in serious trouble ultimately leading to jail.

As the story progresses Danny's life up to this point is unfolded for us. He's been through the wringer but along the way there have been pivotal people that shaped his beliefs in himself and others. One of those people is Megan Pierce. She's an attorney from LA that has been hired to represent Danny.

There is an attraction between Danny and Megan right from the beginning. But they both feel like the timing is just wrong. The story that unfolds is that of redemption, overcoming, and acceptance. This turned out to be a beautiful story. It wasn't as heart pounding as some of Mr. Bunn's stories are but it was definitely worth the read. It is more of a glimpse into a life type of story than an escalating plot.

If you are looking for a gentle read that is filled with real life troubles that are overcome with hope then this is the perfect book for you. If you're looking for an excuse remember that you can call it educational reading. It is a fascinating look into the inner workings of making a movie.

David Bunn is one of my favorite authors, but I have to say that although I enjoyed it, it was definitely not one of my favorites.

After being wrongfully imprisoned, Danny Byrd is surprised to be suddenly up for release. If that wasn’t strange enough, he soon gets caught up in a whirlwind project to shoot a movie. Davis Bunn’s Unscripted tells how Danny gets back with old friends, finds new ones, and finds forgiveness.

As with all of Davis Bunn’s books, this one has a great story. One that holds your attention and carries a moral lesson. The characters’ descriptions and personalities are realistic and easy to relate to. They seem to be people that you would expect to meet if you were in their area. The action of the book drew me in during the first chapter, and didn’t let go. It had my attention up until the last sentence, and even then I wasn’t ready for it to end.

Several of the characters have to face something in their lives and decide if they are going to maintain the status quo, or go for something better. Danny has to face several issues related to his arrest and imprisonment, ones that stand in his way of becoming what his friends see in him. I really enjoyed the element of working for the underdogs and those who weren’t “important” enough to be noticed by the upper levels of society.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

How would you feel if your lifelong friend betrayed you and you ended up in jail? Daniel Byrd ‘s corporate bank account had been cashed out and he had no money to pay those whom he had hired so he was arrested for thievery. Danny was a (line producer - he was an accountant and managed the budget and day to day physical aspects of the film production.)
Danny was mysteriously released from jail early by his attorney and an unknown benefactor. He was then told that he had inherited an old hotel called Thrasher’s Ridge in Solvang, California.
He walks in the door, sees a beautiful young girl playing jazz music with a tenor sax like a professional musician and his fortunes changed....

I really enjoyed learning a bit about how the money is gotten for a movie or tv show. I also enjoyed the romance and seeing a young girl get discovered. I liked the romance and the little bit of mystery behind who was helping Danny. This story made me laugh and cry. I received a copy of this book from Revell for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

Davis Bunn is an extraordinary writer. This book was impeccably researched, so much so that at times, I lost what was happening because it was so detailed and elaborate. Extremely well done. It definitely could have had a biblically based redemption story seamlessly woven into the plot but sadly, Bunn missed that gem of an opportunity.

UNSCRIPTED...David.Bunn
Danny’s reputation in the movie industry is in jeopardy. In Hollywood one never knows who your friends are. When one he thought was a Friend takes off with the investors money. We meet Meg, who wants to prove herself. With the two of them can they retrieve and still come in on time. Good story of the movie industry, with action, well done
Given ARC for my voluntary review review and my honest opinion by Net Galley Revell.

I really enjoyed this book! Yes, for Christian fiction it wasn't as blatant with biblical truth as a lot of other books I've read, but there wasn't anything in it that was questionable either. I would be hard-pressed to categorize this as Christian fiction, honestly.

However, I really loved the character development. Danny is an interesting person. How he can forgive and how he worked through things was one of the reasons I finished reading the book. I really enjoyed the way the author had us delve into the innermost thoughts of several of the characters.

All the filmmaking facts and behind the scenes stuff was very interesting! I didn't find it detracted from the story at all, and felt the lawyers and people from Hollywood were true to life (though I have no personal experience, ha). It was an intriguing storyline, and I really enjoyed reading it. I would definitely look up more books by this author.

Unscripted carries incredible details and an inside look into the world of film making as well. While I found that sometimes a bit intimidating, I really enjoyed it and found it fascinating. It’s an incredible story that starts with a successful man, Danny Byrd, in a prison that you think will go one way, and then a wild ride of unpredictable turns ensues that left me turning page after page to find out what was coming. I was so engrossed in the story that I truly found myself invited into the room where it happened, alongside his fantastic band of misfits longing for second chances.

This book gives insight into the movers' and shakers' world within the film industry; a world I am glad to enter only in the pages of a book. The story focuses on producer Daniel Byrd and attorney Megan Pierce, both who desire to achieve top quality, but who also desire to avoid the trappings of the power mongers. Together, along with director Greg Riggs, writer Annie Callow, newcomer Emma Sturgis, and a very special cast and crew, they work to create magic that is not often found on today's screens.

The theme of healing from childhood wounds is strong in this story. While Megan's parents represent Christ to Danny, as did his last foster father, Christ is not credited with much of this healing. That was a bit disappointing. The book does tell a solid story with great characters. It is filled with visual and auditory images that reach deep into one's soul. I would recommend it as a good read, one that will work well in secular markets.

I am grateful to have received a copy of Unscripted from Revell via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review and received no monetary compensation.

I’ve read several of Davis’s books. He has a simplistic writing voice, but his insights aren’t simplistic. Several times his prose caused me to hit “highlight” in my Kindle.

One such relatable and poignant moment is when he describes the experience of his characters as younger boys going to the movies. There, they escape into story and “let their wretched pasts belong to other people.” Throughout the novel, Davis goes behind the scenes into filmmaking. Here—he goes even deeper behind the scenes and gives us the power of storytelling to transport viewers.

I enjoyed the filmmaking backdrop.

Overall, the story slowly unfolds as we learn who the characters are and what has happened to them. Once I had enough facts, I had to research the characters by searching and rereading. When I did, the betrayal by the MC’s best friend (see summary) didn’t feel developed enough. I couldn’t feel the main character’s loss or hurt. We were told about it, at a surface level, but it didn’t resonate. Perhaps that was due to the way the story unfolded and the fact we’re kept at a bit of a distance in the narrative. Deeper POV would have helped.

That said, I’d hesitate to add more words to this 368-page story. Unfortunately, the middle bogged down with a lot of secret-keeping from the reader. It was hard to follow and lost my interest.

There is a hint of romance in the summary, which is fitting since the love story doesn’t develop very far within the first 50 percent of the novel.

I was surprised to read in the summary (which I did not review before reading the book) that the MC is young. He doesn’t strike me as a young man, but rather someone in his 40s or older. Unsure why that is. Maybe deeper POV would have helped?

Readers looking for a deeper understanding of Hollywood productions may enjoy this novel. That was one of the elements that most drew me, and one that kept me reading for a while. I also enjoyed revisiting characters from his earlier novels as they made appearances here.

Disclaimer: I received an ebook copy in exchange for my honest opinions.