Goddess Of Vengence by Jackie Collins: A Review

Jackie Collins -  Goddess Of Vengence

When Was It Released?: 13th September 2011
Where Did I Get It From?: Ann- Marie Neives was kind enough to send a copy for review
Who Published It?:    St Martins Press
Number Of Pages:  528 pages

Goddess of Vengeance is the seventh book in the Lucky Santangelo series. Now before I carry on I want to say two things; the first that even though this novel is part of a series you do not need to have read the other novels in order to enjoy this one. And second, the list of novels in the series is listed at the bottom of this review in the order of newest to oldest. Now I have those two pieces of information out of the way, I was really excited when I heard that Jackie Collins would be writing another novel in the Lucky Santangelo series. Drop Dead Beautiful, is one of my favourite Jackie Collins novels and so I was waiting on bated breath to discover exactly what happens next and to delve even further into the life of Lucky and her family. Jackie Collins is the reigning queen of chick lit and has been for many years with her signature look into the glamorous, rich and famous lives of the Hollywood elite. Jackie Collins has written twenty seven novels and sold over 400 million copies of her novels!

Lucky is a succesfull business woman running her high profile hotel and casino, The Keys in Las Vegas. The rest of her family are also in high points in their lives, with husband Lennie directing movies, her daughter Max about to turn eighteen and her son Bobby owning a number of hot nightclubs. It seems as though everything in her life couldn’t be better. That is until Armand Jordan arrives on the scene, determined to take it all away from her. A prince in his native Middle Eastern country, Armand is now one of the most successful real estate titans in America. He has no respect for women, treating them as play things, and everyone else with a lack of respect. Armand sets his sighs on buying The Keys and when Lucky point black refuses to sell Armand is stunned. That any women would say no to him is incomprehensible. Armand decides that The Keys will be his, no matter how he has to make this happen. The word is that “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” and what happens in Goddess of Vengeance will blow your mind!

When I heard that Jackie Collins latest novel would be part of the Lucky Santangelo series, I have to admit I was excited. As many readers will agree, Lucky is one of my favourite Jackie Collins characters. With her strength, independence and the power she exudes she is an iconic heroine for all women. I have always loved the character of Lucky, and her character in Goddess of Vengeance is no exception. Lucky is empowering to all women around the world with her strong character. There is a quote in Goddess of Vengeance which I believe sums up my love for her character and exactly why she is so relatable, “I’m a woman who took chances every inch of the way. I had to fight for my independence. Believe me, it wasn’t easy.” I hated the character of Armand, he is absolutely vile and does some really horrible acts within the novels, which may shock some readers. Of course the reader is supposed to hate Armand, and Jackie Collins always creates such believable characters for the reader to hate. I also really enjoy the way, that even though this novel is part of a series Jackie Collins manages to mention any important details from previous novels which you need to know about. Do not worry, therefore, if you have not read any or all of the Lucky series as you will understand the storyline without feeling lost. Of course I would recommend you read them all, as the entire series is enjoyable. The storyline is exciting, with twists and turns on every page, which make the novel easy to read while leaving you not wanting to put the book down. Jackie Collins raunchy and glamorous look into the LA and Las Vegas highlife is so exciting and I just adore the way Jackie gives her readers this glimpse into a life we would never normally see. I also adore the US cover of Goddess of Vengence, I think that with it being glossy it exudes the lifestyle of the characters within.

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed that Lucky seemed to be in the background, rather than the forefront of Goddess of Vengeance. Lucky’s daughter Max was featured much more in this novel than in any of the previous novels in the series. I found that I did not like the character of Max anywhere near as much as I love Lucky. Max is immature and seems to make decisions that make her appear fickle. I understand that she is young, however I do not think that Jackie Collin’s readers will warm to her as much as they do to Lucky. I have also heard that Jackie is planning to put Lucky in a backseat for the next novel in the series and focus more on Max. I hope that if this is the case she manages to make Max a little more likeable and more of a powerful character. I also found a few elements of the storyline a little too similar to Jackie Collin’s previous novel Drop Dead Beautiful and would perhaps have liked to see something a little more original.

Overall, I have to say that Jackie Collins has created another novel that will leave you wondering exactly how much of her novel is based on reality. Jackie has succeeded yet again in what she does best, which is creating truly escapist novels. Goddess Of Vengeance is a novel I could not put down and is filled with family drama, passion, revenge and strong women. I cannot wait to read what else Jackie Collins has in store in the future, whether it is another Lucky novel or not. In fact just so I don’t have to wait quite so long, I may have to go back and read some of her previous novels just to fill the void.

Review: Watching Willow Watts by Talli Roland

Talli Roland   - Watching Willow Watts  

When Was It Released?: 14th September 2011 (e book) and 30th November 2011 (paperback)
 Where Did I Get It From?: Talli Roland was kind enough to send me a copy for review
Who Published It?: Prospera
Number Of Pages:  352 pages


“No one could make you fulfilled and happy except yourself”, is the premise and message behind Talli Roland’s latest novel Watching Willow Watts. In today’s society so many people are desperate to become famous in anyway they can, especially with the introduction of You Tube. Fame, is not all that it is hyped up to be and it is great to see a novel that shows some of the pitfalls and what really happens once the fame takes hold. As soon as I read the synopsis of this novel I knew that I would be hooked and once I received this novel I was excited to get started.

Willow Watts, is a normal girl living in a predictably dull routine. She spends her days working in her dads antique shop and her nights staying in watching TV. Willow lives in a boring village filled with old aged pensioners with the title of Britain’s Ugliest Village. Willow’s life is suddenly turned upside down when a You Tube video of Willow impersonating Marilyn Monroe becomes an overnight sensation after the viewers spot Marilyn’s ghostly image in the video. Willows life and the small town she lives in are thrown into chaos with fans flocking from all over the world to see ‘the new Marilyn. Willow embraces her new identity, gaining weight to achieve Marilyn’s curves and changing her entire look. When Willow’s former love Alex returns to the village she must decide if she wants to focus on fame or revert back to her old self in order to find happiness.

Talli Roland has come up with a individual, unique storyline, which I have not seen done before. I really enjoyed the way she took this quirky idea of someone becoming a You tube sensation and what happens afterwards. I felt that with this storyline Talli was also able to create characters that were relatable and fell into pace with the story. I loved the characters of Dickie, Willow’s father and Bett’s, the Marilyn Monroe fan from America. I especially enjoyed when these two characters were interacting together. I found them extremely likeable and also very funny at times. I hated the character of Jay, he is absolutely vile, doing everything for his own gain and not caring in any way about anyone else. You are expected to hate Jay from the beginning, right through and you will be hoping along the way that someone manages to put him in his place. Willow is also an interesting character who you will feel for throughout the novel. Willow is also very family oriented, which I loved.

My only issue with the novel was that I felt at times as though Willow was a little too naïve. All of us make mistakes in life and make decisions without having all the facts, however I felt as though Willow went into a lot of situations with her eyes closed. I would have liked to see Willow as a little bit of a stronger character. For example Willow falls out with her best friend over Jay and decides to believe what Jay has to say over her best friend, Paula. Willow and Jay have only known each other for a few days, therefore I don’t believe it is realistic for a woman to believe a guy she has just met over her best friend.

Watching Willow Watts is a funny, heart-warming, unique story, that will have leave you unable to put the novel down. I finished Watching Willow Watts is one weekend and did not want it to end. I will now be running to the store to purchase The Hating Game, Talli Roland’s previous novel, in order to read more of her delectable writing. I would recommend this novel to anyone looking for a fun unique take on chick lit.

Dancing Her Dreams Away: A Review

Alretha Thomas - Dancing Her Dreams Away

When Was It Released?: 30th March 2011
Where Did I Get It From?: I won this from Chick Lit Club.
Who Published It?: Diverse Arts Collective

http://www.dancingherdreamsaway.com/

I finally received Dancing Her Dreams Away by Alretha Thomas after I won it from one of my favourite website's Chick Lit Club. Alretha Thomas is an emerging author residing in California who’s previous novel Daughter Denied was a great success. While I have never read any of Alretha Thomas’s previous work I thought this book sounded intriguing. While not being you’re typical chick lit book, it had remnants of being an interesting and diverse novel with remnants of a chick lit book. When Dancing Her Dreams Away arrived I was excited to get started and let me tell you it did not disappoint.

Sheila King is an aspiring actress who wants to 'be someone' but with the auditions surmounting to nothing and eviction in the not too near future she needs things to start looking up. Sheila thinks that she may have found her big break when movie producer Greg Livingston offers her the lead role in his new movie. Only one problem she has to go topless, and Sheila just is not comfortable with that. Sheila soon becomes enthralled into Greg's world and the movie, however it may just be that neither are is all that they initially seem to be.

Alretha Thomas does an excellent job of weaving a plot that is filled with excitement and mystery. From start to finish you will want to know exactly why Greg’s character seems so shady and you will wonder exactly what happened in Sheila’s past to make her want to “be someone” just so badly as well as many other questions along the way. Even though the character of Sheila King may annoy you at times with her naivety and the decisions throughout the novel she makes, Ms Thomas narration and style will have you rooting for Sheila throughout.

Ms Thoma’s narrations throws lots of twists and turns into the plot, keeping you on your toes. There are times where you will believe you have the ending figured out, then new information will be thrown in and you will be scrambling to try and figure it out all over again . I loved the way Ms Thomas keeps you on your toes throughout the entire novel, meaning you will never get bored.

The descriptions of the acting business and castings, definatly go a long way to enhancing the novel, showing that Hollywood may not be as glam as many people peceive it to be. The steamy romance also ensures that the plot is heated up.

Dancing Her Dreams Away is fast pased, leaving you with a put that you are unable to put down from start to finish.

You may think that this is not a book for you after reading the blurb and viewing the cover. Trust me, however the saying 'don't judge a book' by it's cover is really true with this one.

Have you read this novel? Let me know what you thought.