Book Review: Bad Sisters by Rebecca Chance

Three ambitious, rivalrous sisters. And a deadly secret, which one of them is determined to keep buried at any cost ...Deeley is the fake wife of a Hollywood TV hunk, who is secretly gay. But Deeley's five-year contract is up, and his cut-throat publicist wants Deeley out. So, dejected and penniless, Deeley wends her way home to London, hoping to re-establish links with her two estranged elder sisters ...Devon is married to the nation's-favourite-rugby-hunk Matt, and has her own highly successful TV career, as the sexy hostess of her own cookery show. But behind her buxom facade, Devon is lonely and frustrated, and when a live celebrity cook-off shows her up as a fraud, she leaves sweet Matt and runs off to Tuscany, to learn a few lessons - not just in cookery - from an Italian master. Lastly, there's Maxie: a politician's wife, Maxie is fiercely ambitious. She's furious when Deeley, hard on her luck, sells the sisters' childhood story to a tabloid newspaper, revealing their impoverished roots and unsavoury parentage. The story undermines Maxie's carefully cultivated image, and the fallout threatens to be devastating. But Maxie is only too aware that there is much more Deeley could yet reveal. What murderous secret lies in the sisters' past? And just how far will Maxie go to keep it buried? 

I've actually read all of Rebecca Chance's previous novels, and jumped at the chance of reading her third release, Bad Sisters. I love the cover now, it looked like a real blockbuster of a read and the synopsis confirmed that to me. I wasn't overly keen on it at first, but its definitely grown on me, especially since I've read the book. Yes, her books seem to follow a certain formula of a cast of characters doing something wrong/hiding some of secret, it being revealed and then dealing with the fallout, but I really enjoy them and they are great escapist fiction. If you haven't yet picked up a Rebecca Chance book, allow this one to tempt you because it is a great read!


The cast of three main characters is easy to follow, and allows the reader to be really involved in the story. The book begins with a prologue back when the girls were very young, and their secret is immediately revealed. I liked this because as a reader, we know what each of the women has to loose if this secret gets out, and its held over their heads throughout the book. It does flashback to their childhoods a few more times during the book which I felt was plenty to keep you reminded of things, but not enough to deviate from the main story itself. It's set mainly in London, although part of the book is set in Tuscany, and Chance writes both locations very well, and I found it easy to visual the places the women found themselves in.

The characters are really well written and fun to read about. Despite the fact they are sisters, they are extremely different and it makes for very good reading! First is the elder sister Maxie, now married to an MP and she's determined to get him into a higher office, no matter what it takes for him to get there. I really disliked her, found her to be completely selfish and one thing she did for publicity actually sickened me, but of course this is exactly what is required from her as a character! Secondly is Devon, a TV chef who is married to a gorgeous rugby player but her career is flagging. I quite liked her, found her easy to warm to and a lot of women will be able to relate to her desperation to lose weight and be the gorgeous wife she thinks her hubby wants. Finally is the youngest sister Deeley, a spoilt brat who doesn't know how to behave. Again, she isn't very likeable but the troubles she finds herself in keep the book going and work well with the other two characters as well.

I enjoyed the scandals throughout the book, and think they unfolded really well. Some of the things the women do, especially Maxie, are quite shocking but it does make you wonder how much of this really goes on behind political doors! Chance isn't afraid to shock her readers in the book, a certain scene involving Maxie and the head of the political party is certainly something I have never come across in the chick lit genre before but it sat well in the book and didn't feel out of place. Chance's writing style is easy to read, with the third person narrative working perfectly for the multiple stories. I found it really easy to pick up and put down, it didn't take me long at all to get back into the story once I got reading again! I'd definitely recommend this book if you're looking for a sexy beach read this summer, or you just want to escape into another world for a while - Chance certainly delivers on all counts!


Rating: 4/5