From Library Journal
Collins's latest tale of fame, fortune, and sex among the beautiful people (see Hollywood Kids, Audio Reviews, LJ 12/94) will likely appeal only to diehard fans, especially since she reads the work herself. The star of her 17th novel is Hollywood's hottest leading lady, Lara Ivory, an impossibly perfect woman who has everything except true love. While shooting her latest film, however, Lara falls hard for a mysterious young actor, Joey Lorenzo. Traumatic childhood secrets, jealous ex-lovers, the tabloids, and even a stalker threaten but ultimately fail to destroy Lara and Joey's budding relationship. Poorly developed characters and a feeble plot are not likely to spark interest and some listeners could find the explicit sex scenes and numerous profanities distasteful. Collins's performance is satisfactory, but Leigh McCloskey's narration of excerpts from the diary of Lara's ex-husband interrupts the flow of the story. Not recommended.?Beth Farrell, Portage Cty. Dist. Lib., Garrettsville, OHCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
Collins (Vendetta, 1997, etc.) once again weaves her trademark web of Hollywood romance and intrigue, in a 17th novel that's sure to capture her rabid fans. Luscious movie star and genuine nice-girl Lara Ivory is the pivotal character here, but she has a stellar supporting cast. Lara's ex-husband, respected director Richard Barry, has remarried costume designer and aspiring producer Nikki--who has become Lara's new best friend. Add to the (temporarily) happy threesome the mysterious, brooding would-be actor Joey Lorenzo, Nikki's emotionally damaged and headed-for-trouble daughter, 15-year-old Summer, and crazed stalker Alison Sewall, who's been harboring a longtime obsession with Lara and is now out of the pen and thirsty for revenge. When Lara accepts a difficult role in Nikki's first movie--a low-budget, independent film about a teacher who's gang- raped and then seeks revenge on her attackers--all hell breaks loose. Richard can't stand either his wife's prospective success or her bond with his ex, for whom he still carries a torch. His subsequent infidelities (which is why Lara also left him) push Nikki into the arms of drug-addict and brilliant actor Aiden Sean, who just happens to be playing the lead rapist in her film. The love that's burning between Lara and Joey, however (neither is willing to reveal anything from the past, to fans, the media, or each other), is the main event here, taking precedence over Summer's disappearance, which--as the climactic near-finale-- manages to somehow tie loose threads together in a tenuous but feasible knot. The gimmick of including snippets of Richard's secret script (really a diary of his secret early years as a criminal and runaway) is more distracting than not. With all the requisite ingredients--sex, drugs, Hollywood, even incest--but somehow the results this time are clearly lackluster (dare we suggest too formulaic?). -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Review
Publishers Weekly Dishy dirt abounds...spicy secrets surprise at the end.
Book Description
Jackie Collins' most outrageous, erotically charged New York Times bestseller is a sexy, shaterring roller-coaster thrill ride!
From chic New York and the exclusive Hamptons to the hungry heart of L.A., this high-suspense tale pulses with deadly obsessions and relentless desires in the seemingly perfect world of a gorgeous film actress. She could have any man -- but the one she can't resist is a mysterious lover with a shadowed past. As their jolting affair skyrockets with electric passion, shocking secrets break through their hidden traps -- in a brilliantly twisting story that sparks with the explosive Jackie Collins touch.
About the Author
Jackie Collins is the author of seventeen New York Times bestselling novels. From Hollywood Kids to Rock Star and Lady Boss, Jackie Collins has chronicled rich and famous with "devastating accuracy" (Los Angeles Times). Ms. Collins lives in Los Angeles and is currently working on a new novel.
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