Ambition

Reed always manages to find herself in the middle of murder, mahem and elaborate party planning. This book is no exception. In this story, Reed struggles to find her voice as the head of Billings Hall, despite the presence of a mysterious other who continues to accuse her of her involvement in Cheyenne's death, through leaving reminders for her to find. Who is behind all of this? Don't get your hopes up that you will figure it out... as with previous novels in this series... all is not what it seems and the secrets and drama are not resolved at the end of the story! A fun, quick continuation of the series. I'm just glad I got this one at the library- I rip through these too fast to pay for them!!!!

The series keeps getting more compelling. I don't know how Brian keeps finding new ways of upping the ante on these books and making them more suspenseful without it feeling contrived, but she has been very successful so far.

Reed Brennan knew being elected president of exclusive Billings Hall would change her life. What she didn't count on was being dumped by her boyfriend, Josh Hollis, or being held responsible for a fire that destroyed Easton Academy's oldest building. While her devastation of losing Josh is written all over her face, she manages to stay strong in the face of every challenge that she meets.

And now the administration wants to shut Billings down. Forever.

As president, it's up to Reed to save Billings Hall. What better show more way to win over the head­master than to host a glam fund-raising event in New York City? Everyone needs a date, and the newly single Reed is the most eligible girl on campus. All of Easton's hottest boys are angling to take her out, and for once, Reed's biggest problem is which one to choose. The addition of Reed going out on various dates added a little lighthearted humor to the otherwise oftentimes dreary, haunting storyline; while the illustrious gala that takes place works to make the reader want to don her finest and head out for a night on the town.

I thought that the conflict between Noelle and Reed was a long time coming; but can't help but feel that Sabine may have some tricks up her sleeve, as she seems to be spurring conflict between the two.

Reed has never felt so popular or powerful -- until the police start asking questions about Cheyenne Martin's death. Excited party buzz quickly turns to whispered rumors and dark moods, and one thing becomes clear: There is someone who wants to see Billings, and Reed, go down. And they will do anything to make it happen.

Book Details:

Title Ambition (Private, Book 7)
Author Kate Brian
Reviewed By Purplycookie show less

Reviewed by Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen for TeensReadToo.com

Surprises and secrets continue to bloom at Easton Academy, but the Girls in Billings Hall should be used to the unexpected.

After the death of Cheyenne Martin, the Billings' Girls are continuing to recuperate and move on with their lives. Their first mission was to elect their newest president and it's no surprise that Reed is the chosen one. From the death of Thomas to discovering what some of the girls at Billings are really like, Reed is just the choice, since she does know how to handle what gets thrown at her. Of course, whenever you are at the top, there is someone to bring you down.

You don't have to wait too long for trouble to surround Billings Hall. The death show more of Cheyenne has not been solved and the police want to get all the answers they can. The interrogation happens when the girls are planning a special event that will help them get on the headmaster's good side. Even though she is Josh-less, Reed isn't finding it too hard to find a date. Choosing one can be a little difficult, since she needs someone who can grab Josh's attention and his emotions.

Her feelings for Josh have not yet evaporated, especially since he is one of the reasons why she came back to Easton. And her little incident with Dash is still under wraps, but as we all know, nothing stays a secret forever.

It's up to Reed to figure everything out and make things better. But if all of her secrets are revealed, and the ones she can turn to are betrayed, once she finds the answer to all of the problems, it may well be that no one will be there to help her get through it. Let's just hope Reed can fight these next obstacles before she gets knocked off her high horse.

As always, Kate Brian does a fantastic job continuing the series with even more suspense and fresh story lines. Reed continues to be a strong character and the Billings' Girls continue to be scandalous. With an ending that will make your jaw drop, fans of the previous novels will be satisfied with this next installment, and still yearn for more. show less

Ambition is the seventh book in the Private series. Reed finds herself up against the head-master and the Easton alumnae after a fire destroys one of the buildings on campus. A fire that occurred while Reed and other students were sneaking off campus to attend the Legacy, an annual, exclusive event.

Reed comes up with the idea of a fund raiser in NYC and asks several of her Billings sisters to assist her with the planning. One of which is Noelle. As Reed coordinates meetings and appointments, it appears as though Noelle is trying to sabotage her.

Meanwhile, everyone on campus is shocked to learn that Cheyenne’s suicide may have been a homicide instead. Another murder investigation on campus.

Just as things are starting to look up for show more Reed, the secret she’s been hiding since the Legacy, is revealed. One night, one mistake can change Reed’s life at Easton forever.

Like the previous novels in this series, Ambition is a quick read. While reading, I couldn’t help but feel this novel is more of a “filler” to prepare the reader for Revelation, where Cheyenne’s murderer is revealed. There are a lot of clues in this book and hints about what’s to come. I’m looking forward to reading the next book soon. show less

One of Easton’s oldest buildings has burnt down and it’s all on the shoulders of the Billings’ girls. Now, to make sure they get to keep their house, they have to host a benefit and raised $5 Million for the school, in just a couple of weeks.

All the while, Noelle is stepping on Reed’s toes as president, strange things keep happening to Reed after Cheyenne’s death and Reed’s nemeis, Ivy, is now dating Reed’s ex, Josh. Oh, and Reed is still keeping a little secret at to why she and Josh broke up, but it may not be secret for much longer.

After this book, I am taking a little break from the Private series. I do this to myself every time I read a series. I read them all really close together and I get a little burnt out. I show more should’ve taken a breather after the last one since I didn’t like it as much as the others, but now I’m sure.

With all of the drama of the other books, this one was very tame. Yeah there’s a little cattyness but not much happened. At least nothing that wasn’t expected. We all kind of new that Ivy was going to bring drama, now we just know why. We also knew that what happened at the Legacy wouldn’t stay at the Legacy and Noelle was bound to find out.

I am giving Ambition 2 stars. show less

Not one of the best books in the series but still pretty good. The ending was a let down and didn't really make me want to read the next one as many of the others did. The book over all was okay but after a while you get sick of Reed being paranoid and self pitying.

Reed Brennan is elected president of the exclusive Billings Hall. She never thought he would get dumped by her boyfriend, or be held responsible from a fire that burnt down the oldest building in Easton. The administrative board wants to shut down billings forever. Reed has to save the Billings Hall. She decides to host a glam fund-raising event in New York City. Everyone needs a date. But Reed is single and the most eligible girl on campus. All of the hottest guys on campus are taking her out. But Reed can only choose one of them. She has never felt so popular. Then an unexpected turn comes when the police start asking her questions about Cheyenne Martins death. Secrets emerge and one thing becomes clear. Someone wants Billings and show more Reed to go down. It was a good book. But the bad things is there was alot of unexpected turns. You need to like mysteries to read this book. show less