Review: Sweet, Seductive with a Lot Of Potential
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 02 23, 2014
*What Nicole Thought*This is a sweet, seductive, racy novel, with a lot of potential, about one Melissa whose high-profile fashionista and cupcake-loving lifestyle spirals out of control beginning with just one piece of news. We find out early on that Melissa is pregnant, and far from planned: “[My uterus] didn’t ask if I had any plans for the next five months.” Stressed out about this news, Melissa meets with her gal-pal extraordinaire, the beautiful aging actress Angie to talk about their dating and career woes. As a strong female character- a la Sex and the City’s Samantha- Angie is often the voice of reason for Melissa, but we soon find out she has her own struggles with men, substance abuse, and facing her own demons. While Melissa has a sarcastic, cynical voice, Angie offers comedic relief and dry humor. Some of my favorite Angie moments are: “Not feeling like drinking is like not wanting to have an orgasm. And who doesn’t want to have an orgasm?” and “One day you will realize that sex is like air; it’s not important unless you’re not getting any.” There are so many twists and turns early on that at the risk of spoilers, I won't say much more, but I can say that readers will surely be drawn in to a world of lies, scandal, thievery, deception, and even murder.Initially I was so engaged in this thrilling piece that at every turn of the plot I literally gasped and punched the unfortunate person sitting next to me. However, in the second half these twists became so ridiculous and unbelievable it jarringly ripped me out of the fantasy and left me skeptical and unsatisfied. Unfortunately author, A.V. Scott is adept when it comes to creating surprising twists, but not so skillful at explaining them. Often she would leave me feeling like her bold plot lines were unearned, as she abused her pen like a magic wand eraser. When scattered plot lines became too hard to explain she would write them off in one sentence rather than tie them up in a nice neat Chanel bow. The story ends on a poorly chosen cliffhanger, which left me wanting to jump and end it all, however readers should keep in mind this is Book One of a series and it does have potential. I give this book a rating of the perfect number of high heels to wear on a night out… two. Out of five. Two stars for it’s quirky characters, humor, and lovely descriptions of glorious drinks, shoes, outfits, and of course, cupcakes. We can all enjoy indulge in a little bit of that, am I right?