Goddess of Vengeance ~ Jackie Collins

You know, sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if I was famous actress. (And I should be.....)
Would I still be the same person? (Ha, I'd like so say yes...just a richer, more expensively dressed version of who I am now......)
Would I have vices and fall into that Hollywood Party Trap? (If my youth is any indication, than that's a no brainer...)
What kind of house (mansion) would I live in? What car would I drive? (I already drive my dream car every summer!...Mustang Convertible...HOLLA!)
Would I get into cat fights and rivalries with fellow celebrities? (I'm looking at YOU Taylor Swift...)
How would my Hollywood husband Channing Tatum feel about me kissing other men on screen? (WHAT!? A girl can dream.....)

Yeah.
Sometimes my mind wanders...that's how it works. I like to daydream, imagine and play the What-If game...
 It's part of my charm....  but the reality is: I have what I have and I wouldn't change it for a million bucks. 
(Though wouldn't it be nice to have this life PLUS a million bucks.... ;) Shhhh, none of that grass is greener crap...let me dream)

The reason I am babbling about the Hollywood life is because I just picked up and read a book by one of the reigning queens of juicy celeb/society inspired novels......The One...The Only...Best Selling Author Jackie Collins!
*cue applause*

At first when I picked up the novel 'Goddess of Vengeance', I was under the impression that I had never read one of her novels before. Truth be told, after reading it I'm still confused because somewhere, somehow, I am actually aware of the character 'Lucky Santangelo' and familiar with some of the story......days after reading this novel, the feeling of deja vu is nagging at me.....(Perhaps I should lay off the blonde dye jobs?)

Book Description via Amazon.com: 
Lucky runs a high profile casino and hotel complex, The Keys in Vegas.
Lennie, her movie star husband, is still writing and directing successful independent movies, while Max, her stubborn and gorgeous teenage daughter is about to celebrate her 18th birthday, and her son, Bobby, owns a string of hot clubs. Lucky has everything. Family. Love. Life.
And everything is exactly what billionaire businessman Armand Jordan is determined to take from her one way or the other.
Born a Prince in the small but affluent Middle Eastern country of Akramshar, Armand comes to America with his American mother at an early age, and rises to become a real estate business titan. Armand regards women as nothing more than breeding mares or sexual playthings, so when his people inform him that the one property he covets more than anything, The Keys, is not for sale, he is shocked. That a mere woman would dare to turn down his offer to buy The Keys is unthinkable, and Armand vows to force Lucky’s hand whatever it takes. And so the battle for power begins . . .
Meanwhile Bobby is dealing with shady Russian investors, while his girlfriend—smart and independent Denver Jones—is becoming a Deputy D.A. in the L.A. drug unit.
And Max, Bobby’s seventeen year old sister, is busy embarking on a forbidden affair with a sexy young movie star. An affair they have to keep on the down-low lest Lucky finds out.
The word is that “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” and what happens in Goddess of Vengeance will blow your mind! 

My Take:

Let me introduce you to the three characters that really stood out to me~

Lucky Santangelo
I don't even know how to begin to describe this character. To say that she is 'strong' is an understatement. This chick has Balls. Big ones. (Metaphorical ones)
She has such an amazingly dramatic background, how Lucky is still standing on top of the world and not curled up rocking back and forth in a corner popping Valium is beyond me. She is beautiful, intelligent and will kick your ass into the next century if you mess with her. She's a wife, mother, daughter of a 'well known' mob-like Father. She's career driven, wildly successful and always in survival mode. It doesn't seem there is anyone or anything she is afraid of....I can't wait to read the other novels and learn more about her and her past that is mentioned in this novel.

Max is Lucky's 17 year old daughter on the cusp of her 18th birthday. She is a chip off the ol' block and trying to fly away, but doesn't know how to avoid having her wings clipped by her mom. Lucky isn't quite convinced Max is ready for the world yet and worries about her heading to New York. This girl has big shoes to fill living in the shadows of both her parents, but she is determined....To add to the drama, Max ends up falling head over heels in love with someone a bit older who has a a history with Mama Bears best friend.......This may not go over so well with the parental units.
Max is smart, fiesty and sweet. She was one of my favorite characters.

Armand Jordan...or should I say 'Prince-Who-Needs-Kicked in The Nads- Hard-By Someone Wearing Steel Toed Boots...'
This character is without a doubt one of the most sadistic and disgusting I have read about in a long time. To call him old fashioned and misogynistic would be an insult to both old fashioned AND misogynists minded men everywhere. His temper and ego knows no bounds....(somebody has a God complex....)....to the point he thinks he can actually buy anyone or anything he desires. Fueled by alcohol, crack and rage... When he finally meets Lucky, claws come out....and it is beautiful! #TeamLucky
That was probably my favorite part of the book.

Goddess of Vengeance, while this isn't the first book installment, in my opinion it doesn't seem to me that you necessarily have to read the whole series in order to appreciate what is going on in this novel. (Perhaps those who are more familiar with her series can clarify this for me?)
We get plenty of back story, not to mention several blossoming story lines, so if you wanted to get a taste of her books and writing style, reading it as a 'stand alone' book doesn't seem like a big deal to me. Of course, I'm sure that does somewhat spoil some of the other novels should you (like me) want to track backwards and now read them all in order...Perhaps I will change my mind about that when I do get around to reading all her books, but for now I stick with that opinion. (The rest of her series has now been added to my massively large TBR pile, so if anyone wants to send me a million bucks to afford all these novels, that'd be swell.....)

I was quite enthralled with the novel. I loved the multiple character and plot lines.....each of them as entertaining as the next. Reading the 'behind the scenes' L.A. attitude and salacious behavior of the Rich and Famous set is almost as good as reading an article on TMZ..... I won't lie....At times I wondered if characters purposely had the 'qualities' of certain celebs.....or if some of the shenanigans were 'loosely based on gossip'.... (What? I'm curious.......)
It's a long read. Took me most of a day. (My superpower is speed-reading)
I would classify it as a book to read when you do not know what you are in the mood for!


 There is so much I could tell you about this book, the series etc... but this blog will turn into a novel itself, so if you want anymore information on Goddess of Vengeance, click here on the link for the author's website where there is tons of info! There is even a free chapter you can download!
I have been on her website trying to figure out where to start and what to read next and a few books have caught my attention...(Keep in mind these are not necessarily in a series, or in order...but just as they have caught my eye)
The Bitch
Confessions of a Wild Child 
Poor Little Bitch Girl
Drop Dead Beautiful
Hollywood Divorcee

And that is just to name a small few.....I'd better wrap this blog up, quit writing and get to reading.....

SOOOOOOOOO to sum it up.....

I most certainly recommend this book if you are looking for something classy, trashy and a little bit sassy!

Happy Reading!