CLP Blog Tour: Viewer Discretion Advised

Welcome to a stop on the CLP Blog Tour for Viewer Discretion Advised by Cindy Roesel! I found this novel to be an entertaining read.

Here's the synopsis:

LIVE FROM MIAMI! The sensationalism shown on television can only be topped by the drama that happens behind the camera! After being fired from her job in Los Angeles, Charlene "Charley" Thomas moves to sizzling Miami and begins working as news director at a local television station. While getting used to her new gig, Charley wakes up to the fact that her station manager, Jonathan Lefton, is the boss from hell who will do anything for a story no matter who gets hurt in the process. When nude pictures of noon anchor, Miranda Andrews, are discovered in the men's room of a Key West bar, all hell breaks loose. They end up on Lefton's desk and he promotes her over the main anchor, sparking off a firestorm. Miranda's quickly thrown into the mix and assigned special reports. Charley finds herself overseeing an investigation that could shine light on the guilt of a dirty cop. Real life begins to mimic the drama of broadcast news when station personalities face life and death all for rating and Emmys! VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED is a modern day "Sex and the City" meets "Broadcast News."

I've read other novels that take place in the newsroom so I was interested to see how Charley's story played out. I found the behind the scenes look pretty interesting. I liked seeing how the anchors treated each other and what that competition could be like. It was also amusing to see how the reporters (the "real" journalists) treated the anchors (the "talent"). I liked reading about the dynamic between all of the staff and seeing how breaking news would play out. I knew that Roesel knew what she was talking about as she's an Emmy award winning journalist so that definitely helped the realism factor in the newsroom.

I liked Charley but I have to say that I wasn't as invested in her as I would have liked. That being said, there's a stressful situation at the end and I was definitely twisted into knots as I was reading because I was worried about what would happen to her. I think I was just missing a little something with Charley...or perhaps her personal story was being overshadowed by the crazy drama happening elsewhere in the newsroom. I found that there was maybe too much going on and links between stories weren't as strong as I would have liked. Also, some of the minor characters were not as developed as they could have been and the relationship between them and Charley were hard to really understand. I was particularly thrown off with Charley and Oz's relationship.

I do have to say that Charley does show awesome character when she gets fired. She doesn't spend any time feeling sorry for herself and immediately starts working her contacts to find another job. Happily, it does work out for her. I loved that she was a strong female and stayed in control of her situations. That was really great to read.

Overall, I was interested in the Charley's story but I think I wanted just a little bit more from Viewer Discretion Advised. I'll definitely check out what else Cindy Roesel writes in the future.