Jo Rees

This was so much better than I thought it was going to. the cover art sugests it's going to be trashy and it is certainly better than that.
Tells of 3 very different women who all have their loves ruined by one particularly nasty Russian businessman. In the case of Emma, I could see part of the ruination comming from a long way off - but not the whole extent of it. Frankie struck me as being the least rounded of the three, seeming very young and rather wide-eyed in her innocence. Her fate show more was probably the least believable of the three. And then Peaches was some creation - and I had no inking what was going to happen to her until it was upon me. Then there's the question of how do these three disparate women ever meet each other. They do and then revenge is had.
It's all very glamorous, with the yachts and the parties and yet it wasn't just a shallow "bonk buster" so popular during the 80s. These women have substance and they come through in the end. I listened to the last few chaperts in the car in a traffic jam, bouncing up & down in my seat in excitement. It was really so much better than expected and I'm glad I listened to it. show less

The first book I've read for Transworld's Summer Of Reading this was everything I expected. Whilst on the surface it is a tale of the darker side of the glitzy world of casinos, this book is far more about the lives of the two lead characters than about parties, gambling and decadent living.

I felt that the contrast of Savvy who goes from having it all to have nothing, with Lois who is fighting to get her life back worked well. Both characters were a little more rounded than characters I've show more read in similar books though the format did feel pretty familiar. If the twist towards the end was intended to be unexpected then it didn't work for me, I'd worked it out and was glad that the characters finally had.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read, it would be perfect fare for the beach or poolside. show less

The first book I've read for Transworld's Summer Of Reading this was everything I expected. Whilst on the surface it is a tale of the darker side of the glitzy world of casinos, this book is far more about the lives of the two lead characters than about parties, gambling and decadent living.

I felt that the contrast of Savvy who goes from having it all to have nothing, with Lois who is fighting to get her life back worked well. Both characters were a little more rounded than characters I've show more read in similar books though the format did feel pretty familiar. If the twist towards the end was intended to be unexpected then it didn't work for me, I'd worked it out and was glad that the characters finally had.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read, it would be perfect fare for the beach or poolside. show less

I bought this book last summer in the sale and didn't expect much of it. Curiousity got the better of me and I was pleasantly surprised. Platinum is a fast, well structured, unpredictable and thrilling story. I had to get through the sense of doom you get in the first part of the book, because you have to witness the main characters's lives fall apart before they can take revenge, but it was worth it. Rees hasn't made this into a "She-Devil" tale (although I liked that story too!), but has show more added a lot more layers.
I could have done without the happy ending in the mines - that made it a bit much. show less