Hotshot author William Corwyn is being stalked by someone only known as The Rabbit, but who is clearly female. Sam/Simone Vetiver is also a successful author but she’s suffering from a serious case of writer’s block. As she comes into William’s orbit, he offers to help her out and they begin a sizzling affair which Sam hopes will turn out to be something more serious.
 
From the outset, it is clear that William is arrogant and unpleasant, even a touch creepy.  He’s sexist, manipulative and exploitative, so it’s puzzling why so many smart, educated women seem to fall under his spell. But those who do all have a common weakness – they are desperately lonely, often lacking in self-esteem but have dreams of being recognised as published authors, so when William takes an unexpected intense interest in them, they are flattered and fail to realise he has ulterior motives that sets them on a fatal path.
 
The three points of view are all well-written, the pace never falters and the conclusion is satisfying, if not unexpected.  But, for any reader who has now read far too many novels in which gullible young women are the victims of older, unscrupulous men, this tends towards cliché, and the salacious descriptions of incessant bedroom acrobatics are just yawn-inducing rather than titillating.
 
Three stars.
 
Many thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC.
 
(Publication links to come.)
 
PS  As a further comment on dated scenarios, when are authors/screenwriters going to stop with the suggestion that people’s passwords to their computers are their birthdays or other significant dates that can be cracked quickly in high pressure situations?

We now have such complicated passwords with upwards of 15 symbols, letters, numbers, as well as finger or facial recognition, not to mention a complete lock-out after three failed attempts, there is no way you can break into a personal laptop with minutes to spare!

Darry Fraser has written several enjoyable and engaging Australian historical novels set around the Murray River region and Victorian Goldfields. In this case, our protagonists begin their adventures in Albany, Western Australia, in 1881 at the same time as the ship HMS Bacchante is in port. On board are Prince Albert Victor and Prince George, midshipmen grandsons of Queen Victoria.
 
The opening is charged with rapid action as Molly Bentley is knocked over in the street. As she lies dazed on the ground, a small boy dashes over to her and pushes a note into her hand. She is rescued by two women and taken to the house of a Mr Leo McRae. The note hints at danger to Molly and maybe also her companion, Mrs Caldicott, who narrowly escapes an attempt on her life. It is apparent someone is on their trail and they must get out of town.
 
Any novel in which characters have more than one name or identity can be problematic and, equally, when there are several convoluted plot threads in which some characters are privy to secret knowedge while others are left in the dark. In this one, we are drip-fed random facts and names in such an erratic fashion that a re-reading of earlier chapters is needed to try and gain a better understanding of what might be going on, who is really who, and how they may be connected to one another.
 
This can be best illustrated in the following plot summary:-
 
Molly Bentley is really Lady Mary Brinkley, a headstrong English aristocrat. She and her chaperone, Mrs Caldicott, are incognito and in Albany for reasons which aren’t fully explained and don’t start to make sense until more than half-way through the novel.
 
The widowed Mrs Caldicott is Molly’s aunt, but is also Lady Colette (Hunter/Groves), who may be on the run from debt collectors, or revengeful in-laws, or someone else, and whose long-term lover, Alistair Dunsford, just happens to be in Albany at the same time as his cousin, Leo McRae.
 
Then there are other mystery individuals, including nurse/midwife, Mrs Sloane, who is curiously handy with a gun and is connected somehow to Alistair and Leo.  Perhaps all of them are under secret orders to watch out for the Princes in addition to the two Ladies. Or perhaps it’s a cover for something else altogether. Alistair knows more than Leo but refuses to enlighten him.
 
Is it possible that any assassination or kidnapping plot against the two Princes is somehow linked to Lord Thomas Cato and his political support for Ireland? (Lord Thomas is both brother-in-law of Mrs C and father of Molly.)
 
Further, although Molly and Leo have eyes for one another, it seems Leo has made a noble gesture to save pregnant Helena Malcolm from disgrace by agreeing to marry her even though the child is not his. It’s possible she may still be in a relationship with the real father of her child.
 
And so on …
 
The real reason why someone is on the trail of Mrs C and Molly finally comes to light and it involves blackmail over a ridiculous "switcheroo" contrivance that reflects a bygone era of Victorian potboiler romance novels. The plot lost all credibility for me at this stage and it was a struggle to get to the end.
 
Negotiating these numerous threads was not helped by the erratic formatting of this particular e-book ARC (Advance Reading Copy) that has more than the usual pre-publication issues with grammar and the text layout. Plus the editing is poor, with over-written and repetitious narrative that needs serious attention. Whether I will try and read this again in hard copy after it properly polished and published, is a moot point.

COMMENT

Technically, I shouldn’t even be doing a review as this ARC clearly states at the beginning:-
 
“UNCORRECTED READING COPY Not for sale, review or quotation. If you would like to review this book, please contact the publisher for a finished copy.”
 
So, why then, did Harper Collins even allow this to be sent out by NetGalley for review in the first place?



 

 
Amber is a con-artist, a crook, a woman from the wrong sides of the track with reasons to hide her past and true identity. She has big ambitions to get herself into the exclusive and privileged community of Bishops Harbor, Connecticut. To this end, she enrols in a gym and deliberately sets out to cultivate Daphne, the beautiful trophy wife of billionaire, Jackson Parrish. She has discovered Daphne had lost a sister to cystic fibrosis, so pretends she also had a sister with the disease. Once hooked, Daphne comes to rely on Amber and her friendship.
 
As time goes by and Amber almost becomes part of this golden couple’s seemingly perfect family, she starts to make a play for Jackson, slowly altering her image to be more attractive. Eventually, she even becomes his personal assistant and there’s no guessing what happens. Meanwhile, Daphne appears none the wiser, still relying on Amber as confidante.
 
The second half of the story is told from Daphne’s perspective and we discover the true state of affairs behind the glitter and glamour and how Amber gets to be the last Mrs Parrish.
 
I seriously debated putting any energy into writing a review for this book, but decided it does have a strangely compelling quality. Needless to say, Amber and Jackson are abominable characters and deserve everything they get. One of Daphne’s two daughters, the ghastly spoilt Bella, is an extra irritation. But this is mainly a story about control and psychological abuse. The ending was fine and should have been left at that and there is no way I’m going to invest any more time with these horrible people in the sequel.

For its pace and inventiveness, however, I’ll give it three stars.
 
 (Editorial comment: why is it that this is second novel that I’ve read recently in which people are unprepared when whisked away as a surprise, flying off on private jets across international borders without anyone remembering they need passports or visas?)
 

 
amazon.com
 
amazon.co.uk
 
Dymocks

The core of this novel lies in a single sentence that appeared in a 1961 edition of Ladies Home Journal referring to Jackie Kennedy’s wedding dress: “The bride’s gown and that of her friends were designed by a colored woman dressmaker, not the haute couture.”
 
Ann Lowe learns dressmaking from her mother and grandmother, a former slave, and it becomes her life’s passion. Undeterred by seemingly unsurmountable problems, prejudices, physical challenges and personal tragedy, she never loses focus in her ambition to become a top American designer. Immature and inexperienced, her dreams are nearly dashed when at the tender age of twelve she has her head turned by an older man and marries him against the wishes of her mother. By fifteen she is a mother of a son, but has begun to realize that her husband is abusive and an alcoholic.
 
Luck turns her way when a wealthy socialite in Tampa spots her talent and gives her a chance to prove what she is capable of by paying for her to attend design school. Escaping her husband, eventually she will find success further afield in New York where she is listed in the Social Register and designs and sews dresses for high society. The week before Jackie Bouvier’s marriage to Senator John Kennedy, a burst water pipe in the salon ruins all the dresses. The race is on to replace them all in time. How Ann manages this will be an extraordinary feat in itself.
 
Through it all, Ann remains defined by her skin color rather than her skills (as in the damning Ladies Home Journal sentence). Not until she is elderly does she finally get her true recognition.
 
This is an absorbing and moving story on so many levels. Ann was unfortunate to have been born in the “Jim Crow” era when black people were not allowed to even look white people in the eye lest they get themselves into trouble. It is particularly harrowing to read of her experiences in the design school as the first black student, forced to sit outside of the classroom and squint through a gap in order to follow instruction. Just one of many demeaning and offensive treatments she had to endure. A lesser woman would have folded, just packed her bags and returned home. But Ann didn’t give up. She took her grandmother’s advice in finding good white people to help her along the way. Her talented expertise spoke for itself and in time she designed clothes for many famous individuals such as Marjorie Post (the original owner of Mar-a-Lago), actress Olivia de Havilland, as well as Jackie Kennedy and her family, plus many others.
 
The author’s notes reveal that there are many gaps in Ann’s true story and thus much had to be invented for a novel, but the strong essence of this admirable woman shines through. A memorable and rewarding read.
 
Five stars
 
 
amazon.com
 
amazon.co.uk
 
Dymocks Australia
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