TEST
Always go with your first instinct. I learned this when I competed in University Interscholastic League Spelling in high school, and it has served me well. Usually, I love Nora Roberts’ work, and Genuine Lies did have two good female characters – but my first impression of the book was that it just did not appeal to me and upon reflection, it still doesn’t do much for me.
Julia Summers is asked to write Eve Benedict’s biography. Eve is a huge movie star who, until this point, has refused to authorize any books about her life. She has changed her mind and chosen Julia to take on the project. Julia and her son Brandon move to Eve’s home in Hollywood, and Julia begins her work. While there she meets Eve’s stepson Paul Winthrop. Eve hopes these two will hit it off and throws them together.
This book is difficult to get into because of the jumps it takes at the start. It opens with the heroine on trial for murder. Then it goes back to the beginning of Julia’s relationship with Eve and progresses from there. Aside from that, there are some other problems that make this book less than what I’ve come to expect from Nora Roberts, starting with the romance itself.
The romantic chemistry between Paul and Julia never “zinged” me. Their relationship felt more like a growing friendship than a passionate love affair. And, because Eve was such a strong character, and more interesting perhaps than Julia, she threatened to overwhelm Julia, who was, afterall, the heroine. Although, come to think of it, nearly the same amount of space was devoted to Eve as to Julia. However, to give her her due, Julia is a pretty good character. Except for the times she defers to Paul, she is very strong-willed and tough and is a wonderful mother. Her son comes before anything, and I liked that.
Roberts initially uses flashbacks for the conversations between Julia and Eve for the biography, then stops using them. I was glad the flashbacks were short and didn’t continue, but had to wonder why the author used them at all. Still, the talks between Julia and Eve were interesting, and, I have to admit that there was a twist in their relationship I never saw coming.
Also bothersome was the tendency of the characters to use the word “Christ” so often – it seemed either Paul or Eve uttered this word nearly once per page throughout the book Between that and Eve’s constant smoking, my annoyance level remained fairly high. Why take an interesting character and make her so annoying?
The suspense thread that runs through this novel is that someone doesn’t want Eve to publish her book. This person is afraid Eve will reveal their secret. We meet all sorts of players throughout who have a secret they want to protect, but the mystery is not too hard to solve. You will probably be able to guess who the “villain” is easily.
I think this story will appeal to people who like tales set in Hollywood, but I just couldn’t make myself care about what happened to these characters. It was as though I were watching a television show because there was nothing else on. Diehard Nora Roberts fans will enjoy it, but because this book is a reissue (and seems to have been widely available before this reissue) they will likely have already devoured it. For those who haven’t read this author in the past, there are many better ones to try than Genuine Lies.
Grade: C+
Book Type: Romantic Suspense
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 16/06/99
Publication Date: 1999
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.