31 May 2014

Book Review: Bad Brides by Rebecca Chance

"Good brides promise to obey. Bad brides wouldn't dream of it…

Milly Gamble is an up-and-coming actress, and the perfect English flower child. At 23, she's always been cast as the innocent heroine. But looks can deceive. Calculating and fiercely ambitious, Milly is determined to be the most famous star in England. And how better to achieve her goal than by dating Tarquin Ormond, lead singer of the biggest folk band of the moment? Tarquin is madly in love with Milly; Milly is only in love with herself. 

Brianna Jade is an all-American pageant girl. The daughter of Tamra Maloney, a stunning billionairess, Brianna is a sweet, pretty girl who is more than happy to go along with her mother's ambitious plans for her. Now Tamra's brought her to the UK and hooked her up with an Earl. He has a crumbling stately home and needs a rich wife to help restore it to its former glory. Tamra is as ambitious and determined as Brianna is sweet and innocent - is this more a case of mother-in-law-zilla than bridezilla?

Both Milly and Brianna's upcoming weddings will be huge, lavish events that garner national press. But with the cover of the biggest magazine in the country to be won, things are about to get very dirty… "

Rating: 4/5

You can buy Bad Brides as a paperback or an eBook now.

Rebecca Chance is such a fabulous author - she's definitely not afraid of giving her readers a saucy, sexy read that leaves you a bit shocked by the time you've reached the end! I've read all of Rebecca's books so far and so when I was lucky enough to receive a review copy of her latest book Bad Brides, I was over the moon! I was fully expecting one of Rebecca's saucy reads but this book took it to another level for me - it was her naughtiest book yet, and believe me, if you've read her other books, that's definitely saying something! Here's why I think Bad Brides is a must-read this summer!

The book focuses on 2 wedding - Brianna Jade, an American pageant girl is marrying into British aristocracy. Then there's Milly, a young British actress who is marrying the hottest British musician of the moment. Both women want the wedding of their dreams, but how far will they go to get it? Brianna Jade's mother Tamra is determined that her daughter's wedding to Edmund, a British Earl will grace the cover of magazine 'Style Bride', and is willing to throw however much money it requires at the situation to get her there. Milly, too, is determined to win that same cover, but is willing to trample on anyone necessary to win that cover, even when her fiancé Tarquin isn't overly keen either, just wanting to keep Milly happy. Which bride will win out in the war of the cover brides?!

As I mentioned, you know what you're getting into when you pick up one of Rebecca's books. However, I felt this book was in another league when it came to the sex scenes! There was nothing in this book that wasn't covered, and the scenes with Tamra in particular were amazingly eye-opening, I couldn't quite believe what I was reading at times! If you're of a nervous disposition, this might be a bit of a shock for you but these scenes are a must in Rebecca's books, they certainly make an already brilliant story that bit more entertaining, it's something no other author I know can get away with in their books, and do so well too!

The characters in this book were really great to read about, as they always are in Rebecca's books. I know she did a book about Royals previously in 'Killer Queens', but this book is a different look at life living with a British Earl, one whose house is falling apart a bit, certainly not what people would expect. His fiancée Brianna Jade, or BJ(?!?!) as she's affectionately nicknamed doesn't mind about the lack of money - after all, her mother's money is more than enough to keep the pair for several lifetimes. I loved Brianna Jade, she had a good heart, although she was definitely more than a bit led by her outgoing mother. She seemed to make everyone happy, regardless of what she seemed to want, and was certainly a more shy and retiring character than the awful Milly.

Milly, I could not stand at all. She seemed to want to get married for all the wrong reasons - getting on a magazine cover seemed more important to her than marrying for true love. She treated her fiancé and her best friend in particular like rubbish, and I just didn't like her for it. She's a typical social climber, and was definitely the character to hate in the book. So, the war between the brides, or rather Milly and Brianna Jade's mother hots up, with each of the women willing to stoop to dirty tactics to win the favour of Jodie, editor of Style Bride (we met her and her editor Victoria Glossop in Killer Heels) for that all important magazine cover. The bitching is brilliant, together with the naughty bits thrown in as well, it makes for a fantastic read that you really won't want to put down!

As well as the naughty bits and the characters, another thing I love about Rebecca's books are the brilliant descriptions. Everything from the fashion that Milly wears, and her jewellery in particular, to Edmund and Brianna Jade's stately home are so beautifully described, you can easily imagine them come to life in your head as you're reading. Add this to larger than life characters, and an eye-popping story and you've got a serious recipe for success. As ever, Rebecca Chance hits the mark with this book and I loved every page of it! If you've loved Rebecca's previous books, you will really love this one too, and if you haven't yet Rebecca's work... where have you been?!? Start with Bad Brides and you can't go far wrong! Fabulous!

Review copy received from Simon & Schuster UK in exchange for an honest review.

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