Book Review - Bad Twins by Rebecca Chance - #HolidayReading Book 9

Book 9 of 28 read on my holiday to Cyprus in June 2018.

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Title:  Bad Twins

Author: Rebecca Chance

Format reviewed: 

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Pan

Publication Date: 26th July 2018

Rating: 5 Stars

Never trust the face in the mirror . . .

It’s no surprise to anyone that Jeffrey Sachs, billionaire CEO of his own hotel chain, has a drop-dead gorgeous Estonian mistress. But stepping down to spend his retirement years with her? No one saw that coming – least of all his wife!

So now the prize of becoming Sachs CEO is up for grabs – and Jeffrey’s four children have until the day of his wedding to compete for the job.

The front runner is Conway, the older son and golden boy. But Charlotte, a glamorous social media star with an Instagram-perfect family, is hugely ambitious, fully prepared to scheme and backstab to get to the top. Then there’s the dark horse: Bella, her mild-mannered, hard-working twin sister. Or could Bart, the youngest child, a sexy, incorrigible playboy, somehow catapult himself into Daddy’s good books?

In a game where the ultimate prize is power beyond your wildest dreams, you should never underestimate your competitors, even if they are family . . . and, it turns out, twins can be the most dangerous rivals of all . . .

Bad Twins by bestselling author Rebecca Chance explores vicious sibling rivalry in this gripping thriller.

I may have said this before and I am sure I will say it again, Rebecca Chance is the queen on the blockbuster, of the perfect poolside read and some incredibly impressive sex scenes too. 

Mix in some intrigue, a mass of sibling rivalry and not just the twins, a new trophy wife, and a competition to find out which of Charlotte, Bella, Conway and Bart will become the next CEO of Sachs and you have a glorious mix for an intriguing and unputdownable storyline. 

With the siblings all determined to win their dads approval and become the new CEO, expect to see back stabbing, and all manner of rivalries. 

I much preferred Bart and Bella to the other two and even towards the end found myself really warming towards Adrianna.

Even those characters I didn't like I still found myself intrigued by and curious to see their stories, and see just how everything would interconnect and unravel. 

From some smokin' hot scenes, some rather interesting fantasies, and some naughty behaviour at times I'm not sure if it was the Cypriot sun, or the heat in this book that was making need to take a dip in the pool.

I loved every second of this book, from the initial descriptions of Jeffrey Sachs which really set the tone for the book, to the pace and clever writing, Bad Twins is certainly one to remember. 

Don't forget to take this on holiday with you or keep your eyes out an airport, and it will certainly keep you thoroughly entertained. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Pan for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily. 

Book Review - Killer Affair by Rebecca Chance

Amazon UK

Title: Killer Affair

Author: Rebecca chance

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Pan 

Publication Date: 27th July 2017

Rating: 5 Stars

A shocking betrayal deserves a wicked revenge . . .

Stunning, charismatic Lexy O’Brien is the reigning queen of British reality TV. Her life in front of the camera is planned and manipulated as successfully as any military assault.

But success breeds jealousy. When you’re on top, the only way is down and there’s always someone standing by to give you a shove . . .

Dowdy Caroline Evans, a part-time blogger and writer of erotic fiction, is brought in to chronicle Lexy’s life. Being taken under Lexy’s wing is a dream come true for Caroline. But sampling the star’s lifestyle is like tasting the most addictive of drugs, and it’s not long before she is craving what she can’t possibly have – or can she?

And as Caroline and Lexy’s lives and loves become increasingly entwined, it’s only a matter of time before the hidden rivalry becomes a powder keg waiting to explode . . 

I really don't know what to think, that was a huge story of envy, jealousy, sex, great one liners, with an incredibly twisty finale that left me very impressed.  

A yet it started with me thinking that Caroline was easily one of the most relatable to characters I have read in a while to the extent I thought she could have been me! We both have the same facial skin condition,  both are bloggers, have had the same thoughts about sex and she lives one stop away from where I used to work, so I even recognised the pain of the tube/train journey she  had! 

Not only that as it becomes apparent that Caroline was going to become a ghostwriter for a famous reality tv star, there is a lot of talk about ghost writers in general, how much they make, the public's perception or lack of, with regards to ghostwriters and celebrity biographies. I recall seeing discussions earlier this year on those exact topics, after a specific article was published, which to my eyes added an extra layer to the book that I could relate to. 

However characters like people can change, and  as the story progressed I am glad to say that I am actually nothing like Caroline! In fact as the book progressed I couldn't work out if I had more empathy with Lexy or Caroline.  Lexy is one kick-ass woman, she has masterminded her reality tv career and knows exactly what she wants, and also appears to have the perfect life. 

On a moral level neither woman is up to much really given one is determined to wreck a marriage and the other is determined to do anything for publicity and assumes her devoted husband will forgive her!  On the other hand I loved Caroline's determination to change herself, to become more confident and follow her dreams at whatever expense. 

While Caroline was ghosting Lexy's book we would occasionally see snippets written in Lexy's voice by Caroline which were really amusing. We also saw some rather erotic historical romance writing by Caroline too. Not to mention how much I enjoyed Caroline's sexual awakening and some of the incredibly hot scenes that followed. 

I'm a huge fan of Rebecca Chance, and her quick wit, and open mindedness with regards anything sexual are clear once again in this book. Not all the scenes will appeal to everyone but they are incredibly well written and I thoroughly enjoyed every last word! 

Killer Affair to me is a perfect example of a holiday read, I would have loved to have read this pure escapism while lying by a pool, sipping cocktails and absorbing the sun, as if you can 't read, relax and thoroughly the many naughty books while on holiday surrounded by strangers, then when can you!! 

Thank you to Pan and Netgalley for this copy of the book which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily

Book Review - Killer Diamonds by Rebecca Chance - #20BooksofSummer

Amazon UK

Title:  Killer Diamonds

Author: Rebecca Chance

Format reviewed: Paperback

Source: EDPR

Publisher: Pan

Publication Date: 28th July 2016

Rating: 5 Stars

After decades in the spotlight as an Oscar-winning film star and famous beauty, Vivienne Winter is one of the most recognizable women on the planet. When she decides to auction her multimillion dollar jewellery collection for charity, there's no shortage of people eager to buy a piece of her incredible history.

Young, ambitious Christine Smith is a jewellery expert working for a centuries-old auction house. But in a world of aristocratic snobs, her working-class origins are holding her back. She's desperate to secure the sale of Vivienne Winter's gem collection: it's set to be the biggest auction since Elizabeth Taylor's. However, meeting the Hollywood star is just the first hurdle Christine has to jump.

Vivienne's handsome, spoilt and sexy playboy grandson Angel is the heir to her fortune. The anger and resentment he feels towards his grandmother for selling what he'd counted on as one day being his inheritance sets in motion a series of events with deadly consequences. Angel is totally unscrupulous, and no one will emerge from his plotting unscathed. For it seems that family secrets cut sharper than diamonds . . .

I am delighted to announce that the queen of the bonkbuster is back. This is easily Rebecca Chance back to her best, and a real pleasure to have been able to read this book. I was hooked from the prologue and especially once the story started to get revved up. 

The pace picked up from chapter to chapter, although it did level off during the middle section, while all the finer and key plot points were set up for the adrenalin pumping conclusion. 

The story centres around acclaimed actress Vivienne Winter who is heading into her twilight years and has decided to auction off her extensive jewellery collection for charity. However her grandson Angel isn't too happy about it and is going to plot to stop her. 

Then there is Christine who is a hard working expect for the auction house hoping to secure the rights to the collection, and goes out of her way to meet Vivienne. She is probably the nicest most innocent character in the whole book, and there are times I really felt for what she was going through, and the way the Winter family were treating her. 

There is a chapter quite early in the book where I spent most of it trying to work out whether I needed to be very disturbed by what was doing on, turned on or just plain confused, as we are introduced for the first time to a couple of key players in this tale, and learn just what sort of childhood one of them really had. Even for someone who generally isn't easily shocked at the sexual exploits in these sorts of books, this did make me raise an eyebrow in shock! 

Hearing about Vivienne's career through her gems was very interesting and she has had a colourful life herself, however her career is the single most important thing in her life. We learn about how she "looked" after her child and grand child and it was fascinating to see her solutions to problems.

There is a great deal of sex in the book, some of it more explicit than the rest, but all very enjoyable and well written. Generally the level of detail all over the story is brilliant and I found the whole book to be a gripping pleasure to read. 

Thank you to Sophie at EDPR for this review copy. This was my honest opinion. 

Book Review - Mile High by Rebecca Chance

Amazon UK

Title: Mile High

Author: Rebecca Chance

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Negtalley 

Publisher: Pan 

Publication Date: 13th August 2015 

Rating: 4.5 Stars

First class is about to get dangerous . . . Pure Air's new LuxeLiner is flying from London to LA - its inaugural journey - with a first-class cabin packed with A List celebrities. As the feuding crew compete to impress their famous passengers, the handsome pilot tries to win the attention of a pretty young stewardess.

But one VIP singer is battling something seriously sinister: watching her every step is a very determined stalker, someone who will go to any lengths to get the star to satisfy their desires. At thirty thousand feet there is nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide . . .

I'm a huge Rebecca Chance fan, and look forward to her releases each year, and have read all of her books so far. I was aware in advance that she has moved publishers, which is why I'm guessing not only the cover looks completely unlike her previous books, but also why at times the book felt quite different from her others. Regardless though, I still loved this book and thought it was fantastic. 

As someone who has worked for a big player in the tourism industry, I was laughing my head off as early as 
chapter one, as Vanessa described a situation that sounded incredibly familiar, and I could believe was so true its uncanny.  I was also laughing at most of the pre-flight press conference scenes, and the introductions of those who were going to be key players to this story. 

The entire present time of the book is set over the course of a day, before, mainly during and after the flight of a brand new Luxe Liner for Pure Air's inaugural flight from London to Los Angeles. It is an airline with only business class and Luxe class, and having seen the descriptions of what Luxe class entails, I am pretty much determined that next time I fly long haul, it won't be in economy, as the extra money you pay must be worth it...

...unless perhaps you are a passenger in luxe class on this particular flight, where in the space of 10 hours, there was more drama and antics than most people would experience in a lifetime. There is the pilot, who is a known womanizer, has a wife at home, a girlfriend who is the head of cabin crew on this flight, and yet still actively flirts with various female passengers and the new air stewardess. 

There are the VIPs on board, including the most famous of them all, superstar Catalina, who is making the flight with her PA, Before long it becomes apparent that her stalker is also on board, and that Catalina has nowhere to hide. 

Interspersed with the scenes on the plane, we have flash back chapters, where you get Catalina's back story and also Jane, the Oscar nominated actresses's story, and how differently both of them contrast.  I really felt sorry for Catalina for most of the book, as her past few months have not been easy. 

There are many hints as to who the stalker could be, but when you get the reveal, thinking back I did not see it coming at all. 

I found the Mile High started off very well, had a great pacing to it, but then it flagged around the middle for a bit, before finishing off in page turning writing. I was loving this book, and its wonderful cast of characters. 

Many thanks to Pan and Netgalley for this review copy. This is my honest opinion. 

Happy Publication Day Rebecca Chance. Mile High is out today in ebook and paperback.