"I’m serious." Nina set the cup on the dressing table, among Eve’s lotions and creams. The scent of the room was pure female, not floral or fussy, but mysterious and erotic. "You know—well, I’ve already told you how I feel. And now … Anthony Kincade’s reaction the other night really worried me.""Tony’s not worth a moment’s worry." She patted Nina’s hand before picking up her tea. "He’s slime," she said mildly, drawing in the subtle scent and taste of jasmine. "And it’s more than past time someone told what perversions he’s tucked in that monstrous body of his.""But there are other people.""Oh, yes, there are." She laughed, thinking of several with pleasure. "My life’s been a crazy quilt of events and personalities. All those clever half truths, genuine lies, threading through a fascinating cover, intersecting, linking. The interesting thing is, when you pull one thread, the whole pattern changes. Even the good you do has consequences, Nina. I’m more than ready to face them.""Not everyone is as ready as you."Eve sipped her tea, watching Nina over the rim of the cup. When she spoke again, her voice was kinder. "The truth isn’t nearly as destructive when it hits the light as a lie that’s hidden in the dark." She squeezed Nina’s hand. "You shouldn’t worry.""Some things are better left alone," Nina insisted.Eve sighed and set the tea aside. "Trust me. I have reasons for doing what I’m doing." This book may be considered a romance, simply based on the fact that it was written by Nora Roberts, but to me it read more like chick-lit or women's fiction. Unfortunately, that's not such a good thing in this case.The story revolves around Eve Benedict, a famous older actress comparable to Marilyn Monroe, who wants to publish her secrets and confessions in a biography-type book. As it happens, not all of Eve's secrets are hers alone, there are many powerful people who would be revealed in public were Eve to go through with her publishing plan. Enter Julia Summers, a non-fiction writer/biographer, who is specifically chosen by Eve to write Eve's life story. Julia is the heroine of the romance part of the book, but she is a bland and boring character for the most part. It's like the author wanted all of the lights on Eve, what with her fascinating story of Hollywood rise to fame, which resulted in Julia getting the short end of the stick development-wise. Julia's romance with Eve's step-son Paul Winthrop, hunky mystery writer, was not captivating enough to make this a truly memorable read. Instead, if I remember anything from this story, I'll probably remember the scene where Eve Benedict, who is in her sixties (I think!), manages to charm the pants off of a heartthrob actor who is young enough to be her son. No shade here, I say get it while you can, Eve!The suspense part of the story was OK, I guess, though I was wishing for a different outcome, but oh well. It did make sense in a way, but the ending could have been better. The twists in the story are not shocking, but that doesn't take away from the enjoyment, or what there is to be had of it, anyway.All in all, this is a typical story of a star's rise to fame, and the glittery world of "Six Degrees of Eve Benedict". Not all that glitters is gold, etc. The romance is on the bland side, and some details are a bit dated. This would be a good beach read for those women who like the popular fiction, yet scoff at romance.
Holy 80′s!…Ok, so the book was originally published in 1991 but really, we’re splitting hairs. Eve and Julia walk around in coral colored silk jackets and elegant leisure pajamas. And the trainer Fritz…OMG this quote had me cracking up!“Standing beside Eve as she lay on a weight bench doing leg curls was Mr. Muscle…He had to be nearly seven feet – a Nordic god whose bronze body bulged out of an incredibly brief unitard.”Seriously?!…Unitard?!…Sexy?!…Only in the 80′s (-ish) could this be possible. Don’t worry Mr. Muscle ends up being gay (could explain the unitard) but he is still continuously viewed throughout the book as some sexy, unitard wearing, eye candy. Love It! Aside from the dated cultural references this book still pleases the romance fan. Julia and Paul’s relationship doesn’t get a whole lot of development or play. What is more interesting is Eve’s long history of men.Roberts traces Eve’s romantic history from her very first husband/lover to the multiple affairs still in Eve’s life at the age of 67. This woman has it going on. What’s so refreshing is that Eve’s character is able to look back on her history and honestly relate the specifics of each relationship. She admits when she’s made a mistake, and also proves true emotion where most tabloids have written her off. It made me wonder about the celebrities we all follow, and the judgements we place at their feet. There’s definitely a lot we don’t know and a lot we take for granted. To see a fictional account of a celebrity life made me interested in real celebrity relationships. What really went down with Bennifer? Brad and Jen? Brad and Angelina? heck, I’d even like to see an honest breakdown of the Speidi ordeal.Maybe I should pick up a celebrity bio…anyone have a good suggestion?Anyway, back to the book…Alongside Eve’s romances are a slew of industry secrets and lies. Seriously, I had no idea who was threatening Julia and Eve because so many people were accused of hideous ordeals in Eve’s stories. S&M sex with the underage, torrid secret affairs, aborted love children…murder. This woman was mowing people down with her tale. Just about anyone had more than enough reason to want to stop the story. How all the secrets wind together is really fun to see. And the big shocker of the book is one you’ll probably see coming about halfway through (Paul tipped me off) but it’s not a secret you’ll see coming from the start of the book…definitely a really good twist.In the end what I enjoyed most about this Roberts title was that it was different. The big love story of this tale happens in Eve’s past…not Julia’s present. It was fun to go back in time to the golden days of Hollywood and see all that old school romance. This book is full of champagne, love affairs, and secrets. It’s a fun romp through the 80′s with a murder mystery to boot. A good choice if you’re in the mood for some retro-trashy-romance.http://thelibrarianreads.wordpress.com
What do You think about Genuine Lies (1991)?
this was another good read. I actually finished a few days ago, but hadn't had time to give my review. this kept you guessing right til the end. while reading, I compared Eve to Betty Davis from the way she was described. while reading, and wondering why she wanted to do this book, knowing how much it would hurt others, I figured there had to be a reason. half way through, I thought-wouldn't it be something if Julia was Eve's daughter, even though she never had children. During the story, threats were made, at one point, I thought just maybe it may have been Paul, even though he had come to love Julia. then I thought, maybe she was doing it herself for whatever reason. When Eve was found murdered by Julia when she returned home, she was considered a suspect among others because of what she had said to Eve when Eve confessed to her that she was indeed her child that she had had and gave up for adoption. I knew I was right! The lawyer that came to help Julia was the father of her son, who had wanted nothing to do with him. He made it clear to her that he still wanted nothing to do with him and wouldn't even call him by name when he had met him. Right til the end, there were still threats, bribes,blackmail. I thought maybe it was the nephew that killed Eve, but then he turned up dead. I did not see it coming when the killer was revealed. I didn't think it was the closest person to Eve, whom she had helped after an attempted suicide. She had changed her name so no one would know who she was. She was finally caught when she threatened Julia and was surprised when Julia fought back. Good strong story line that keeps and holds you.
—Darlene
I have always enjoyed reading Nora Roberts. She is definitely has a very strong voice as a writer and it is always great to read her books. Julia Summers travels across the country with her son to write a biography of a movie goddess, Eve. Eve decided she wanted her story told and all the lies from her past to be revealed, and handpicks Julia out of the crowd of writers. Their relationship begins all business, but slowly over time they begin to develop a more personal relationship as well. Through Eve, Julia meets a charming and handsome man, Paul, who has been apart of Eve's life since he was ten and Eve has basically been the only mother he has really known. Julia tries to hide her feelings for Paul but over time it's hard to deny they way they feel about each other. The only problem is that somebody doesn't want this biography to come out. To be more exact, many people don't want this biography to come out. And when Eve is murdered, the question becomes who had the most to lose from Eve's tell-all story?Honestly, this book was a little slow for me at first. It took me awhile to really get into it, but I knew that I wasn't going to be disappointed by this book if I kept reading and pushing through what I thought were the slow parts. The book took on a life of its own and pulled me into the world. Nora Roberts definitely has a way of making her readers feel like they are really there and they are really these characters. The characters are flawed, which make them so easy to relate to. I always find it's a pleasure to read a Nora Roberts book. And despite my slow start, this one is no different.
—Becca Evans
Eve Benedict, queen of Hollywood, has decided at the end of a fruitful career to have her memoirs written. She hires Julia Summers to do the job, with the bonus intention of hooking Julia up with Eve's stepson, Paul. Unfortunately, Eve knows many secrets about some very powerful and dangerous individuals, one of whom will kill to keep them from coming to light. The first chapter reveals that someone does kill Eve, and that Julia is being charged with the murder. Nora Roberts has been a queen of romantic novels for several decades now, and though this is some of her earlier work, it proves she deserves the title. The plot is suspenseful, the chemistry between Julia and Paul crackles, and Eve's recollections of earlier times are richly imagined. My only complaint is that the lives of the characters seem too conveniently interwoven to be true, but it is necessary to the plot. I was quite surprised as to who the murderer turned out to be, and very much sucked in to the lives of these characters.
—Emily
