Review: Goddess of Vengeance

Summary: Jackie Collins’ fierce and wildly beautiful heroine Lucky Santangelo is back with a vengeance—in a novel full of power, passion, revenge, and the raging family dynamics of the Santangelo clan—and, as always, Lucky comes out on top.

Lucky runs a high profile casino and hotel complex, The Keys in Vegas.

Lennie, her movie star husband, is still writing and directing successful independent movies, while Max, her stubborn and gorgeous teenage daughter is about to celebrate her 18th birthday, and her son, Bobby, owns a string of hot clubs. Lucky has everything. Family. Love. Life.

And everything is exactly what billionaire businessman Armand Jordan is determined to take from her one way or the other.

Born a Prince in the small but affluent Middle Eastern country of Akramshar, Armand comes to America with his American mother at an early age, and rises to become a real estate business titan. Armand regards women as nothing more than breeding mares or sexual playthings, so when his people inform him that the one property he covets more than anything, The Keys, is not for sale, he is shocked. That a mere woman would dare to turn down his offer to buy The Keys is unthinkable, and Armand vows to force Lucky’s hand whatever it takes. And so the battle for power begins . . .

Meanwhile Bobby is dealing with shady Russian investors, while his girlfriend—smart and independent Denver Jones—is becoming a Deputy D.A. in the L.A. drug unit.

And Max, Bobby’s seventeen year old sister, is busy embarking on a forbidden affair with a sexy young movie star. An affair they have to keep on the down-low lest Lucky finds out.

The word is that “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” and what happens in Goddess of Vengeance will blow your mind! -- St. Martin's Press

I know it's not exactly literary fiction, but every once in awhile I like to read something that just allows me to escape from my ordinary life as a mom and wife. Call it a guilty pleasure, but sometimes I find that I like to read novels by Jackie Collins. Her latest book (which is her 27th -- isn't that amazing?) is called GODDESS OF VENGEANCE and it truly is everything you'd expect from a Jackie Collins' book... and more.

GODDESS OF VENGEANCE picks up right where POOR LITTLE BITCH GIRL left off. (Having said that, though, it definitely works as a stand alone because Ms. Collins does a great job of explaining the characters' pasts.) While the main characters do change a little bit from novel to novel, readers will recognize most of the characters from POOR LITTLE BITCH GIRL. And I, for one, was glad to see that Bobby and Denver, and especially Lucky, were back!

For those of you who are fans of the Lucky Santangelo novels, I think you'll be pleased with GODDESS OF VENGEANCE. In fact, Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review and it's already been a best-seller in the UK and Australia. I admit that it did take me awhile to really get into this novel; and I even put aside for a few weeks. However, once I got about 150 pages into the story, I pretty much read the rest in one sitting. And that's really saying something since the novel is quite long -- over 500 pages. Like most of Ms. Collins' novels, it is a quick and easy read with lots of Hollywood gossip (and in this case, an insider's look into Las Vegas!)

GODDESS OF VENGEANCE, of course, features Lucky, but it also brings the next generation to the forefront. Bobby takes on a bigger role with his relationship with Denver and his ownership of a string of hot nightclubs. In addition, Lucky's daughter Max (who actually turns 18 in this book) really starts to shine. She is definitely all grown-up and starting to take on a little bit of her mother's personality and drive. One of my first thoughts after finishing GODDESS OF VENGEANCE was that there is no doubt that there should (and probably will) be another Lucky novel. In fact, I am a curious to see where Bobby and Max's storylines go, but I'm also interested in anything related to Lucky!

GODDESS OF VENGEANCE was filled with all of the "goodies" that every Jackie Collins book contains. It was full of sex and scandals and revenge and passion. And it also had some mob-like activities and lots of suspense. I do have to warn you, though, that this book is kind of dirty -- or at least dirty to this 40-something mom. (I can't believe I read these books in high school, but that's another story!) During the first few chapters, I was shocked with some of the blatant sexual references; and I had to wonder if some of them weren't in there just to get a reaction from the reader. But then again, GODDESS OF VENGEANCE is a Jackie Collins' book and that kind of goes with the territory!

So, bottom line... I do recommend GODDESS OF VENGEANCE for fans of Jackie Collins'. I realize these books aren't for everyone, but sometimes it's just nice to sit back and be entertained!

Thanks to Get Red PR for providing a copy of this novel.