Review by Booklist Review
Collins' (Confessions of a Wild Child, 2014) latest stay-up-all-night-then-take-a-shower novel about the drop-dead gorgeous Santangelos (some of whom do drop dead) begins with a Middle Eastern king who wrongly believes sexy hotel owner Lucky Santangelo killed his favorite son. Like the eight previous installments about this glamorous-but-cursed family, this one features multiple plot twists, bad guys, and murders. It's not literary; it is R-rated, sometimes laughably so, with references to blow jobs and mind-blowing performances in the sack. The family's eye for an eye motto remains never fuck with a Santangelo. (Collins helpfully reminds readers of past retributions.) And, of course, Lucky's kids did not grow up to be plumbers and secretaries, or priests and nuns. Bobby, a six-feet-three stunner, co-owns a popular nightclub, and Max is a fashion model. Unlike the Santangelos, the villains are neither likable nor genetically blessed. In the end, one character lives with vengeance in his heart, and another knows her romance with a movie star is all going to work out. In other words, Collins leaves the door wide open for more raunchy-but-fun sequels. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: With more than 500 million books sold in more than 40 countries, Collins is always a big draw, hence the 150,000 first print run and megapublicity campaign for her latest sizzling Santangelo saga.--Springen, Karen Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Lucky Santangelo, the plucky, devilish heroine of Collins's mega-selling series, returns to defend her Las Vegas hotel and casino empire, the Keys, against Middle Eastern royalty and a menacing Columbian drug lord. Lucky was last seen valiantly protecting the Keys from a takeover by billionaire Armand Jordan, who was then assassinated. She has now become the target of a revenge plot hatched by Jordan's father, Emir, the misogynistic king of fictitious Akramshar. After a two-page prologue catches readers up, the action plays out with rapid-fire chapters and seamless plotting, every sexy move made extravagantly melodramatic. King Emir's first hit is a personal one that devastates Lucky. As she runs interference, frothy subplots bubble to the surface involving her nightclub magnate son, Bobby, whose girlfriend, is a high-powered L.A. district attorney working on apprehending "sleazebags who sell drugs to children and murder people when they get in their way." After a mesmerizing call girl slips Bobby a roofie at his new club opening, he's framed for her murder. Then Lucky's teen daughter, Max, is accosted by a pushy photographer while on an increasingly dangerous Italian modeling assignment. Thinking the events are all too coincidental, Lucky fears she is at the mercy of one or more vengeful villains and departs her lush Palm Springs abode for some L.A.-based sleuthing with her best gal pal, Venus. Her husband, Lenny, invigorates her with love and "Tantric sex." The Santangelo clan is in usual fine form with this fresh yet classically over-the-top page-turner, spearheaded by an indefatigable, libidinous heroine. Collins devotees will devour this flashy, racy indulgence. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The latest in the adventures of Collins' lady mobster with a heart of platinum, Lucky Santangelo. When we last left Lucky (Goddess of Vengeance, 2011, etc.) she was extricating her children from scrapes and fighting off a hostile takeover attempt by the Middle Eastern kingdom of Akramshar on her Las Vegas showplace, The Keys. Nothing much has changed except that gorgeous, canny, and sexy Lucky continues to age in reverse. A prologue reveals that since Armand, the favorite son of Akramshar's King Emir, was assassinated at The Keys, Emir has vowed revenge on the entire Santangelo clan. The first salvo arrives as Lucky is preparing for another Vegas reunion with her former mob boss father, Gino. The ever feisty nonagenarian is gunned down, execution style, while on his daily power walk in Palm Springs, and Lucky finds an anonymous embossed card reading "Vengeance" in his desk. Lucky's son, Bobby, opening his new nightclub in Chicago, is slipped a roofie by a call girlfor whose murder he is subsequently framed. Lucky immediately suspects a link between Gino's killing and Bobby's predicament, but her private detective informs her the attack on Bobby was probably intended to ensnare Bobby's girlfriend, Denver, a Los Angeles district attorney who's attempting to bring down Alejandro, son of Pablo Diego, another of Collins' hate-worthy drug-czar villains. As for Lucky's daughter, 18-year old Max, a breakthrough Italian modeling gig has turned into "something of a nightmare," an atypical (for Collins) understatement. For some reason, Lucky doesn't wonder who else might have had it in for the Santangelos. As readers wait breathlessly for Lucky to catch on, a stable of has-beens and hopefuls, including Willow, a tabloid-tarnished former starlet trying to fellate her way to a career restart, and Rafael, the illegitimate son Pablo underestimates at his peril, adds spice to Collins' usual stew of Hollywood depravity. Collins' dim view of human nature never fails to entertain. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
