Book Review: Hollywood Sinners by Victoria Fox

Marriage to Hollywood heartthrob Cole Steel secured Lana a glittering place on the red carpet. But running from a wicked past, she has trapped herself in a gilded cage- the price of freedom...her soul!
Kate's career is fading as quickly as her looks...what could be worse than discovering her husband's latest mistress is Hollywood's hottest starlet? Her only option- the most shocking revenge?
Chloe's innocent beauty has captured a million hearts, but no-one's warned her of the dangerous, dark temptation of rock star Nate- will lust destroy her?
Las Vegas King Robert St Louis and Sin City's richest heiress's fairytale wedding is tabloid gold...But scandal circles like a vulture- dirty secrets are about to be exposed!
From the deepest desires come the deadliest deeds... and these four couples are about to pay for their sins...

The back of Hollywood Sinners explains that Victoria Fox is putting the bonk back into bonkbusters! She certainly is, the only way I can describe this book is as a full on romp and I loved every page of it!
I have read a couple of Jackie Collins books in the past and I think that Victoria Fox hits exactly the same level with her first book.
Hollywood Sinners has everything; power, sex, greed, lust, love, incest, glamour, wealth, fame- I could go on and on. The book is 589 pages long but I just didn't want to put it down and flew through it. The pace is terrific as we move from one character to the next.
As you would expect from a bonkbuster, some of the characters are larger than life but they all fit together perfectly. I think that Victoria Fox shows that fame is a business with a very high price to pay. The character of Lana Fox knows this. To the outside world she has everything, the movie star husband, the L.A. mansion, immense wealth and a successful career. But what would happen if people knew what went on behind closed doors? What if people knew that the door between her and Cole's separate bedrooms had remained firmly shut?
There is a lot of sex in this book but it is very tongue-in-cheek. I know that some people have a low opinion of this type of book but I have to hold my hands up and say that I think they are brilliant. Hollywood Sinners is pure escapism and I think that there are times when you need that from a book. I think that this book would make a great holiday read and don't be put off by the size as I guarantee that you will fly through the pages.

Many thanks to Mira for sending me a copy of the book, it is published on April 15th.

Book Review: These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

Imprisoned for a heinous crime when she was just a teenager, Allison Glenn is now free. Desperate for a second chance, Allison discovers that the world has moved on without her.
Shunned by those who once loved her, Allison is determined to male contact with her sister. But Brynn is trapped in her own world of regret and torment.
Their legacy of secrets is focused on one little boy. And if the truth is revealed, the consequences will be unimaginable for the adoptive mother who loves him, the girl who tried to protect him and the two sisters who hold the key to all that is hidden.

This is Heather Gudenkauf's second book, her first, The Weight of Silence was the TV Book Clubs pick and was very well received.
These Things Hidden is an extremely difficult book to review, I really enjoyed it but I don't want to spoil it for anyone by giving the plot away. The plot is pretty intricate and draws you in from the very first page. I read this book in one sitting as it flows so easily from chapter to chapter.
Allison is at the centre of the story and she has just been released from prison when we meet her in the first chapter. I can't really decide if I like Allison or not, her whole life has been transformed by one bad decision and that decision then transformed the lives of several others and not all in a positive way. The relationship she has with her sister Brynn is complex and this becomes more and more apparent as the book progresses. Allison realises that to get on with her future, she must address the issues from her past.
This book, as some others have said, has some similarities to Jodi Picoult's books, I think these comparisons are due the way in which the characters and their relationships with each other are really focused on.
I think that Heather Gudenkauf is a great story teller, I definitely want to read her first book and she is an author that I will look out for in the future.

Book Review: The Restorer by Amanda Stevens

Never acknowledge the dead.

Never stray from hallowed ground.

Never get too close to the tainted.

Never, ever tempt fate.

My father's rules.

I've never broken them until now.

My name is Amelia Gray. I'm a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. In order to protect myself from the parasitic nature of the dead, I've always held fast to the rules passed down from my father. But now a haunted police detective has entered my world and everything is changing, including the rules that have always kept me safe. It started with the discovery of a young woman's brutalized body in an old Charleston graveyard I've been hired to restore. The clues to the killer- and to his other victims- lie in the headstone symbolism that only I can interpret. Devlin needs my help, but his ghosts shadow his every move, feeding off his warmth, sustaining their presence with his energy. To warm him would be to invite them into my life. I've vowed to keep my distance, but the pull of his magnetism grows ever stronger even as the symbols lead me closer to the killer and to the gossamer veil that separates this world from the next.

Wow! I am very excited about this book, even more so because it is the first in a series. The Graveyard Queen series by Amanda Stevens follows Amelia Gray who is a graveyard restorer. More importantly, Amelia can see ghosts, as can her father who has given her a list of rules to follow so that she is not in any danger from these spirits who are stuck between two worlds.
Amelia has been following these rules but when the body of a young woman is discovered in the cemetery she is working on, Amelia's dedication to her father's advice is severely tested. Detective John Devlin is the main culprit, he is leading the investigation and enlists Amelia as a consultant due to her expertise. The problem is that John Devlin is haunted, he has the spirits of a woman and young child with him. Amelia knows that she should keep away from anybody that is haunted but she just can't help herself where Devlin is concerned. As more bodies are found, Amelia becomes more and more involved and the ghosts seem to be getting closer to her everyday. She begins to realise that by ignoring the rules she may have opened a door that she will be unable to close.
I believe that this book is aimed at young adult readers but I think it is similar to Twilight in that it will easily cross over and appeal to the adult market.
Amanda Steven's writing is great, she certainly knows how to send chills up the reader's spine. The Restorer has a little bit of everything, you have a murder mystery, the paranormal element and then of course the romance between Amelia and Devlin. The incredible tension between those two was my favourite part of the book. The author keeps on building it up and I was willing for something to happen but I was torn as I knew that Amelia knows that she should steer clear of the haunted detective.
I really am so excited about this series and cannot wait to read the next one that is out in November. Amanda Stevens tied up all of the loose ends for this particular mystery but she also left many questions unanswered. I know that I will read the other books in the series in order to get some answers and I'm sure another great story.