Book Review - Revenge by Nigel May - Blog Tour

Amazon UK

Title: Revenge

Author: Nigel May

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 10th February 2017

Rating: 4.5 Stars

If you keep dangerous secrets you’ll pay the ultimate price…

In the South of France, playground of the rich and famous, world renowned chef Dexter Franklin is organising a night to remember. As he opens the doors to his exclusive restaurant for the first time, he’s handpicked a list of guests, as hot and dazzling as the St Tropez sun itself:

Mew Stanton: Fashionable, beautiful and a notorious TV chef, Dexter’s ex-girlfriend has all the ingredients for success. As her books fly off the shelves, a secret from her past is about to surface with explosive consequences. 

Holly Lydon: Ex girlband star who has fallen on hard times. Forced to make ends meet she’s having to sleep her way to the top. Now she’s making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Rosita Velázquez: Brazilian actress extraordinaire and girlfriend of Dexter’s brother, Leland. When she’s in town everybody needs to know about it, but this is one show-stopping entrance she’ll live to regret.

Three women have a past with Dexter and a grudge to bear against him. As fireworks ignite in the jet set capital of Europe, there’s murder on the menu. Who will be served their just desserts?

The sun is setting in the South of France. Pour yourself a glass of champagne and sit back for a read of revenge, regrets and shocking revelations that will have you hooked to the very last page.

I'm always incredibly excited when I see there is a new release from the king of bonkbusters - Nigel May, and I am delighted to say that he has once again conjured up a story of intrigue, murder and mayhem, not forgetting plenty of bonking! 

As I have come to expect from books of this sort, there is a fantastic variety of locations that the book is set in, all over the globe, but with the majority of the unfolding story taking place in St. Tropez, France. This is a town that has always said glitz and glamour to me, and Revenge really did it justice, in showing off this playground for the rich and famous. 

Dexter Franklin has invited a group of very exclusive guests to his new restaurant launch, who he is very keen to wine and dine. They are a rather mixed bag of people who you are introduced to chapter by chapter at the start of the book, as you see how they react to their invitations. 

What kept me hooked was trying to work out just why these people had been invited, especially as their previous interactions with Dexter, or each other start to become revealed. 

The guests are Mew Stanton, who is a former girlfriend of Dexter, Holly Lydon a former band mate of Mew's, Rosita Velazquez the relatively unknown Brazilian actress, Leland, Dexter's brother who he doesn't have the best of relationships with and DC a food critic who slated Dexter at a previous restaurant launch. 

Well that is as much information as I'm willing to reveal about the characters, as it is far more fun to read the book and discover just how each of them has had overlaps or known each other in the past, and the flashback scenes fill you in on all sorts of past information, that is exciting and allows further puzzle pieces to slot into place. 

Amongst the cast of characters, some that I liked a lot more than others, there is plenty of partner swapping, salacious details, rivalries, and a couple of the more secondary characters, such as Olivia, Mew and Dexter's publisher, although in the background a lot, still had quite a big personality too. 

One of the things I loved seeing was that a few characters from Nigel May's previous books popped up, which is a something that fans of his will notice. Always nice to see a familiar name, as it shows he is always writing about the same fictional world. 

Revenge is a fabulous look into the showbiz world of the rich and famous, that had me intrigued and kept me guessing the entire time. I could tell the whole book was building up to something, and as it approached I was more and more excited as to what I would learn, and all I'll say is you won't be disappointed by the last quarter of the book when everything kicks off big time. Before that it is a story where the focus on the various characters changes regularly and kept things fresh, while you try and work out who you have sympathy with, and which characters you really dislike. 

With plenty of devious plot twists and surprises to be revealed, along with plenty of hot and steamy sex, and a whole world of locations, plus characters that are interlocked in ways you may not be able to imagine, Revenge is a fabulous bonkbuster, and one I enjoyed immensely. 

Thank you so much to Bookouture and Netgalley for this copy of the book which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 


About Nigel May

Nigel May is a true all-rounder in the media world, working as a TV presenter, author, journalist and craft personality. He has written two glam-fiction books, Trinity and Addicted, as well as featuring in Sunlounger – a chart-topping anthology of short stories.
www.nigelmay.net
www.facebook.com/nigelmaycraft

www.twitter.com/Nigel_May

Guest Post - Around the World with Nigel May - Blog Tour

To celebrate the launch of his latest blockbusting novel, Lovers And Liars, which of course takes us all off to some fabulously glamour-packed locations, we asked Nigel May about some of his favourite sexy destination hot spots from around the globe.

"A lot of the action in Lovers And Liars is set in Barbados and it was a place I knew I had to write about after being there on holiday last year. It was so tropically hot and just dripping in intrigue, excitement and colour. I knew it would be the ideal destination for the murderous goings on at the six-star Velvet Hotel featured in the novel. We stayed at a place called Brighton Beach which was amazing as turtles nested outside our front door and we could see where the baby ones had been born, which was a truly magical experience. That was why I created Heather, the animal-loving carefree sister in Lovers And Liars as I wanted to reflect the beauty of the nature in Barbados. But I had to include some very rich and decadent places too like The Cliff restaurant which is where Nikki has her showdown with Julian in the book. The food there was incredible and eating there was one of the best nights of my life. I am sure there were secret liaisons going on at every table! Celebrities go there all the time. 

Another of my favourite destinations is Agra in India, which was featured a lot in Scandalous Lies, my novel from Summer 2015. It's where the Taj Mahal is situated and a place that just simply takes your breath away with its beauty. The monument itself is smothered in tales of love and heart-wrenching tragedy and just touched me in a way that no other place I've ever visited has. I loved the romance and the heartache of it all - two very important ingredients in all of my novels. I had to send Nova, Jacob, Charlie, Georgia and Victoria there in Scandalous Lies to sample its delights. 

Muscat was another place I adored, in the exotic country of Oman. I stayed at this incredible hotel called The Chedi which had an infinity pool which looked out across the sun-soaked horizon and was surrounded by swanky couples topping up their tans. I used it as a location in my first novel, Trinity, as it seemed to have an air of intense sexiness about it. Lots of couples staring deeply into each others' eyes as they sipped on their cocktails. It was the perfect girly getaway for Evie and Nush to talk about their woes with men.

One of the other places that features heavily in my new book Lovers And Liars is Crete. I read about this celebrity-favoured sleepy fishing village called Elounda and how Lady Gaga and Leonardo DiCaprio both loved it there so I thought that I had to see it for myself. It was fabulous and the perfect romantic destination for Heather and her husband, Max. They also went to Knossos, the ancient city nearby steeped in mythology and tales of the famous minotaur. It was another place I had to experience and write about. I love a dramatic historical legend. They are always so over the top. Just like my characters.

 My next book is set in lots of equally sexy, luxurious places too. My passport is always to hand. I hope you enjoy! 

 Love Nigel xx" 

To read more about the destinations in Nigel's novels head to www.nigelmay.net and sign up to his mailing list. 

Just reading this has taken me back to each of your previous novels. I do love a book with an exotic destination, and yours are some of the best, with the luxurious feel to the places too. Thank you so much Nigel for taking the time to join me on Rachel's Random Reads.

About Nigel May

Nigel May is a TV presenter and journalist. As a writer he has written for many of the UK’s most successful magazines and newspapers, specialising in showbiz and celebrity, as well as writing on subjects ranging from relationships through to travel. His first novels Trinity, Addicted, Scandalous Lies and Deadly Obsession were instant bestsellers.

www.nigelmay.net

@Nigel_May 




My review is also on the blog today, and please do follow along with the rest of the blog tour too. 

Book Review - Lovers and Liars by Nigel May - Blog Tour

Amazon UK

Title: Lovers and Liars

Author: Nigel May

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 16th June 2016 

Rating: 4 Stars

Welcome to the Velvet Hotel Barbados where money and sex go hand in hand with murder .... 

When Millionaire playboy Sheridan Rivers is found dead at his luxurious hotel on the paradise island of Barbados, there are several suspects in the frame… 

Sutton: Sheridan’s long-suffering wife was permanently pushed aside for his younger lovers. Was it time for her to make a stand? 

Kassidy: Sheridan’s assistant longs to be wealthy in her own right. Employed for her sexual and organisational skills, could she have had her eyes on a bigger prize? 

Nikki: Sheridan’s oldest daughter has done something really bad that her dad has discovered. What price will she pay to keep his silence? 

Heather: The apple of her father, Sheridan’s eye. But she blames her father for a terrible tragedy that turned her world upside down. Is the time ripe for revenge? 

Four women, each with a cross to bear – all waiting for the perfect moment to get even... 

This summer, pour yourself a glass of bubbly and escape with the elite to the golden beaches of Barbados for a sexy, scandalous romp that you won’t be able to put down. 

My king of the bonkbuster is back with Lovers and Liars, and its whole host of jetsetting locations and scandalous scenes. The sex is hotter and kinkier than ever before, so if you are slightly squeamish about lots of raunch, then you may struggle with this book. 

I was hooked the second I read the prologue and wanted to know just who it was that kills Sheridan Rivers. As the book progresses you are given the last 6 months of his life, as well as all of the potential suspects. I found though after the initial intrigue, it took me a while to really get to grips with book, as there are a lot of characters introduced all at once, in small sections, and it takes time to get a handle on who is who, and how they may all relate to the story. 

Even while I was working my way through the first perhaps half of the book, I was still thinking that the writing is definitely up to Nigel May's normal standard, and that the whole book felt reminiscent in style to that of Victoria Fox and Tasmina Perry. 

The heat in this book is sizzling, and that could be taken to mean the weather in the Caribbean or the sexual nature of the book. There is a large amount of bed hopping, and women sleeping with men not for love but for alternative reasons, as well as all manner of things happening in the "privacy" of the suites at the Velvet hotels. 

Sheridan Rivers, is the founder of the Velvet Hotel chain, and has set up properties all over the world, with the main locales in this book being Barbados, St. Lucia, New York, Crete and Tokyo. I loved the scenes with Heather and Max in Crete, as they were getting a feel for the island, before Sheridan flew over. 

I couldn't help but feel sorry for Sutton at times, as she really isn't a happy woman, as her plastic surgery obsession indicates. 

This is a story of intrigue, murder, blackmail, corruption, family dynamics and a whole lot more besides. All the threads are intricately woven, and make for really compulsive reading, especially once the pace picks up. 

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Bookouture for this review copy. This was my honest opinion.  

Book Review - Deadly Obsession by Nigel May

Amazon UK

Title: Deadly Obsession

Author: Nigel May

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 19th February 2016

Rating: 4.5 Stars

What would you do if you saw your husband killed right in front of you…identified his body…had him cremated…then six months later received a letter written by him two days ago?

Amy Barrowman grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. So when she falls in love with millionaire Riley Hart and he asks her to marry him she can’t believe her luck. She has found true love and her happy ever after. 

Riley Hart is a Millionaire Man about Town. Men want to be him and women want to bed him. But to achieve Riley’s status, you have to tread on a lot of toes and make a lot of enemies. 

When Riley is gunned down at the nightclub they own, Amy is determined to avenge his death. She receives a mysterious letter detailing a list of suspects including Riley’s sworn enemy, actor Grant Wilson. But with an obsessive passion brewing between her and Grant and a dangerous assassin trailing her every move it would seem Amy has opened a deadly and tempting Pandora’s Box. In settling the score for her husband has Amy put herself into terrible danger? 

The king of the bonkbuster is back with this new enthralling book. If you like your books full of sex, deceit, suspense, surprises and hidden revelations than Deadly Obsession is definitely the book for you. 

Deadly Obsession hooked me from the first few pages. Amy had seen her husband killed, she cremated him, and six months later she receives a letter from him, dated just two days previous. Obviously she is shocked and has many questions, especially as the letter asks Amy to gain answers and to make sense of that dreadful night. 

What follows is a high paced book as Amy discovers that nothing about her life, and her marriage was as it seems, and that Riley was involved in all sorts of dishonourable things. It is up to Amy to start questioning everything that she has ever held dear to her, to finally get some answers. 

I'm not going into details about the majority of the story, as I wouldn't want to spoil any of the shocks, nor can I perhaps explain things without perhaps giving a clue to the final outcome. What I can say is I was as shocked as Amy was at each turn, and there is a huge cast, of characters, mainly not so nice, to try to get to know and to unravel the secrets of. 

I would say is don't trust your gut feeling about anyone and enjoy the journey, and trying to guess the ultimate outcome. I didn't have a clue and the last quarter of the book was unputdownable. 

Throughout the story as Amy is trying to find out the truth, we get flashbacks to her and Riley's marriage, and her friendship with Laura. We also get to know some of the other key characters pretty well, and a whole variety of backstory is explained, as well as few fantastic sub plots going on. 

Deadly Obsession is a fantastic story, that will have you gasping in disbelief at what Riley is really like. I loved seeing how Amy grows as a person during the novel, from someone who is relatively gullible, to someone who will stand up for herself, complete with added backbone. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

Happy Publication Day to Nigel May. Deadly Obsession is out today.

Book Review - Scandalous Lies by Nigel May

Amazon UK

Title: Scandalous Lies

Author: Nigel May

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Bookoutre

Publication Date: 23rd July 2015

Rating: Five Stars

Lovers and liars, divas and sinners, welcome to a world of scandal, where one woman will pay the ultimate price.

SUSPENSE: Georgia’s best friend, ballroom dancing sensation Mitzi, has vanished with boyfriend Foster while on holiday in California. Can Georgia get to the truth of their disappearance before it’s too late?

SECRETS: Reality TV star Nova could give the Kardashians a run for their money. But while she allows millions of viewers into her fabulous home, she’s unaware what her husband, celebrity mogul Jacob, is up to behind closed doors …

SEX: Tanya is filthy rich, married to a man who adores her but she is restless. And her sexual appetite is about to get her into a whole lot of trouble.

SCANDAL: Victoria, once the trophy-wife, has lost her mojo. Determined to get her life and marriage back on track, she’s desperate to inject some excitement in her life – but at what cost?

From the glitz of Hollywood to the glamour of Milan and the exotic luxury of India, Scandalous Lies is a deliciously unputdownable read.

If the gorgeous cover of Scandalous Lies doesn't make it clear, then the content of the book definitely does, this book is perfect as a poolside read. Nigel May is king of the blockbuster, he has written an addictive, sexy story that builds into a fabulous crescendo that left me gasping for breath at all the revelations that were suddenly being revealed. 

This book really does contain all the "s"'s! Suspense, Secrets, Sex, Scandal, Superb writing, Sensational reveals but no sand! 

A big blockbuster book filled with a combinations of very rich characters, highly sexed characters, a whole mix of stories that will interlink in obvious and non obvious ways, to me is the perfect read for a hot summers day, especially if by a pool, so you can take a dip when the action gets a bit too hot for you. And I could have done with that pool while reading Scandalous Lies. 

There are chapters that focus on characters that initially you are wondering the point of, or who they are (or in my case, I was thinking these guys aren't featured on the blurb, so why?, but of course, everything does make sense and every chapter and different person to focus around is definitely featured for a specific reason, and things do become revealed. 

At the heart of this book there is a mystery to be solved. Georgia is worried about the disappearance of her best friend Mitzi and her boyfriend Foster, while they were on holiday in California.  Georgia attempts to investigate, since the police and media have started to lose interest, but Georgia is convinced her friend is somehow still alive. 

There is a healthy helping of sex in this book, and there are also a few more serious topics touched upon including addiction. 

I loved the mix of locations featured in Scandalous Lies, India, Los Angeles, London, Milan and Gran Canaria. There is something about people who can jet set off at short notice, with no worries about money, that really hooks me on a book, as well as making me feel slightly envious. 

If you like Blockbuster/Bonkbuster books, then Scandalous Lies is a fantastic inclusion to the sub genre, and is a must read book this summer.  I loved every second of this book, and I am looking forward to my summer holiday, to read Trinity, my remaining Nigel May book that I need to read!

Thank you so much to Bookoutre and Netgalley for this review copy. This was my honest opinion.

Scandalous Lies is out on Thursday in ebook and paperback.