Book Review: Forbidden Pleasures

Forbidden Pleasures
Jo Rees

Published: August 2010 by Corgi
Format: Paperback
ISBN-10: 0552156248
ISBN-13: 978-0552156240

Summary:
From Las Vegas to Dubai, from Shanghai to London, the fatal pull of the gambling world stretches...Savannah, pleasure-loving It Girl, wants to prove herself to her powerful, ruthless father Michael Hudson - until a terrible tragedy forces her to re-think her life. Lois, an ex-cop from the wrong side of the tracks, is now running the gambling business of Michael's greatest rival, Roberto Enzo - and torn between the glamour and wealth of the casinos and the needs of her vulnerable young daughter. Both women have to confront their pasts, discover new loves, and find out the really important things in life before the greed and corruption of their worlds consume them forever?
[Goodreads]

Review:
I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this book at first and must admit that I struggled to get into it. I found the pace a little slow at the beginning, but things really got moving after the first third of the story.

I was rooting for ex-cop Lois from the start but hated the rich spoilt Savvy. It wasn't until a pivotal incident two thirds of the way through the book that I began to warm to Savvy and by then I was hooked.

The story starts in the present and then flashes back five years to the first time Savvy and Lois met. As I got further and further into the book I couldn't work out how Ms Rees was going to get the characters from where they were to where you know they are at the start of the story.

I thought the characters were well rounded, especially Savvy. Ms Rees has a writing style that is easy to read and keeps you turning the pages. The plot is complex and interesting with plenty of twists and turns to keep you reading on.

This book is a perfect holiday read. The men are gorgeous, the settings are glamorous and the women are beautiful.

Rating:
I loved this book and give it 4 out of 5.

A big thank you to Transworld for sending me this book to review as part of the Transworld Summer Reading Challenge.