Sunday 6 February 2011

Forbidden Pleasures by Jo Rees


This book tells the stories of two very different women over a period of five years. Their lives to the point they first meet couldn’t be much different! Savannah is the heiress who has everything except that which she wants and needs most. Lois: the ex-cop who’s always worked hard for everything she ever had only to have it taken from her. This story follows the characters as they learn and grow from the choices they made before the book was set and from those they are forced into making as we travel with them. We share the highs and lows that life throws at them both as they struggle against their own personal demons. 




Set mostly in Las Vegas but with visits to other mostly glittering locations around the world this is the story of how they first meet and of their lives as they flow in a similar direction until the end, which is actually where the book introduces us to them. Forbidden Pleasures starts at an awards ceremony where both women are vying for the same coveted prize and contemplating the mysterious (to this point) circumstances which lead to them both being there. We then travel back five years to the night they first met and to the dramatic events which shape this tale. Both women face and fight one of their darkest fears on this night, how each approaches this and how they survive the aftermath of their actions makes for a totally engrossing read.
When I first received Forbidden Pleasures, I had an idea of the type of read it would turn out to be from the cover art and comments. I have to admit to being very pleasantly surprised by it! I was expecting the usual easy to read summer story of lust and glitz, what I actually found was an incredibly well written, absorbing read which captured my attention and even threw in a few shocking moments that were not immediately obvious that they were about to happen. The characters are so well written that while we might not immediately sympathise with them, we can understand them and how they have evolved into who they are as the story starts to unfold.
This is a perfect book to take on holiday with you, but just remember to set an alarm to re-apply your sun cream as this is a real delight to read, it will grip you and not let go until you reach the end! There are a couple of ‘WOW’ moments hidden in here, where things happen that were totally unexpected but after you’ve read you can see the pointers that lead up to it, all I could do after I read them was to put the book down and stare into space re-thinking what I’d just read an imagining what my own reactions in those situations might have been before continuing on and finding out how those involved reacted themselves.

All in all I have to say this is one of the best books I have read this year. The roller-coaster ride that’s set in motion and which we ride alongside the characters is brought to a wonderful conclusion that doesn’t disappoint. It really is a must read book for this summer and I shall certainly be reading it again before too long!

Originally posted on my other blog on May 13, 2010 moved here on Feb 6th 2011

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