Review: fast funny sexy continuation
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 14, 2013
Unscrupulous The Manhattanites 2. Avery Aster.ARC supplied by Netgalley.I'd read and enjoyed Undressed, so  looked forward to The Manhattanites. It features many of the people we've met already in Undressed, the lovely Lex and her mum Birdie, (as a UK reader she  reminds me of Prunella, the batty mother played by Julie Walters in the send up sitcom Acorn antiques) Blake the gay best friend, he great and very sharp, then there Taddy - the main character in this book. Taddy is a typical fashionista business owner, runs a very successful PR firm, always dresses in the latest designs, never wears anything twice, and has given up on men for new years resolution, after meeting who she thought was a fabulous man only to be interrupted at the door by his crazy fiancée...The characters here are all larger than life, everything is very exaggerated (unless Manhattan really is like this ??) and it makes for a fast paced ,fun read. It reminds me a bit of The Devil wears Prada on speed ,and with much more humour.  Its not really a book you read for the plot - though there is romance as the main thread - but one you enjoy for the sheer energy and humour. I love the way the main characters are so effervescent, over the top and full of name dropping, they drink and take drugs but don't see it as a problem, til once again a clinic stay is needed. It's a very telling novel of just how people act to survive and stay at the top. Things get lost along the way - among them "real" values, family, and relationships. Taddy thinks love has escaped her, and says she is going to focus on her business and friends, and given up on finding that someone special. However the new year hookup wasn't as it seemed, and Warner wasn't engaged. Sadly though he didn't get Taddy's number or even her real name as she was using her normal Red pseudonym. He tries hard to track her, he felt they had something special and wants to develop it further....but he can't find her. Can they find each other? Well, thanks to Taddy's kindness to her Mormon assistant Kiki,  Kiki's kindness to a pornstar friend, said pornstars' actions (live feed porn finishing with a special delivery to the audience outside the balcony window!!) they find each other at a French jail...but luckily on the right side of the bars.Its a tearing ride through a fast paced novel, full of drama and scandal, fashion and name dropping, where not knowing the current "in" designer or celebrity is a major tragedy ( I'm not a design or celeb follower so I'd never get past the doorway :) but it does show the shallowness of the life.) It's a light, fluffy novel plot wise, it's the names and actions that drive the story, and the humour and sex that provide the attraction. Taddy does get her happy ending thankfully, but at cost of having to face up to her past, and hope Warner can cope with it.If this book was a dessert it'd be something like Passion Fruit Fool, topped with whatever is the latest expensive and most sought after berry, and flavoured with some Louis 13th brandy (A 750 ml bottle of Louis XIII may be priced as high as US$34,000, that would suit Taddy!!). Its erotic and passionate, whipped up to a light frothy texture, strong flavour running through, and topped with a sensational decoration.Its priced at 4.63 for 262 pages so not cheap, but if you love chick lit with some added humour and very erotic spice then this is for you. It made me laugh, loved the over the top characters, but as a non celebrity fan its a one read only for me. For  those who like magazines such as Hello, OK etc (UK mags featuring celebrity gossip) will probably enjoy reading this over and over. Its got a lot of content that might be missed on first reading, and picked up on second.Stars: four.