A revolutionary new perfume triggers romance, greed and financial intrigue in Margolis’ debut novel.
When aging film star Mona Burbank meets fast-talking entrepreneur Sam “Swifty” MacDonald at a glitzy party, a new business partnership is born. Mona owns the formula for Pulse, a revolutionary perfume with a secret time-released essence, and Swifty boasts the high-powered financial connections to bring the fragrance to the world. Among the cadre of Chicago-based investors is Mark LaSalle, who inexplicably invests in the deal despite having been “burned” by Swifty in the past. There’s also Eldon Howard, another financial heavy-hitter who eagerly invests in Pulse while hiding darker motives. Lured by Swifty’s irresistible sales pitch and incredible profit projections, investors plow full speed ahead with producing and promoting the perfume, despite having never met Mona in person or sampled Pulse firsthand. Anchored by vague business jargon, these are just a few of the implausible plot points hampering this potentially engaging novel. From New York to Paris to Vienna, the novel’s settings reflect the glamour and excess of the big money 1980s. Befitting the ’80s, the champagne continues to flow even as the perfume business spirals downward. Swifty’s outrageous spending puts the company in peril and shady Eldon Howard sues for control. Meanwhile, Mark LaSalle behaves like anything but an investment “legend,” as he struggles to make sense of Swifty’s endless financial “printouts.” In short, Wall Street would eat these guys for lunch. The most intriguing character, by far, is Mona, who hopes that Pulse will revitalize her film career and reconnect her with the fragrance’s creator, Pierre, a talented chemist with whom she had an affair a decade earlier. One wishes that Margolis had focused less on these bumbling financiers and more on the magnetic Mona, whose insights cut to the heart of the novel: “Fantasy at the fragrance counter, fantasy at the movies. We’re in the same business after all.” Despite plenty of twists and turns, this would-be financial thriller doesn’t add up.
Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2000
ISBN: 978-0595132867
Page Count: 264
Publisher: iUniverse
Review Posted Online: May 14, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Hoover is one of the freshest voices in new-adult fiction, and her latest resonates with true emotion, unforgettable...
Sydney and Ridge make beautiful music together in a love triangle written by Hoover (Losing Hope, 2013, etc.), with a link to a digital soundtrack by American Idol contestant Griffin Peterson.
Hoover is a master at writing scenes from dual perspectives. While music student Sydney is watching her neighbor Ridge play guitar on his balcony across the courtyard, Ridge is watching Sydney’s boyfriend, Hunter, secretly make out with her best friend on her balcony. The two begin a songwriting partnership that grows into something more once Sydney dumps Hunter and decides to crash with Ridge and his two roommates while she gets back on her feet. She finds out after the fact that Ridge already has a long-distance girlfriend, Maggie—and that he's deaf. Ridge’s deafness doesn’t impede their relationship or their music. In fact, it creates opportunities for sexy nonverbal communication and witty text messages: Ridge tenderly washes off a message he wrote on Sydney’s hand in ink, and when Sydney adds a few too many e’s to the word “squee” in her text, Ridge replies, “If those letters really make up a sound, I am so, so glad I can’t hear it.” While they fight their mutual attraction, their hope that “maybe someday” they can be together playfully comes out in their music. Peterson’s eight original songs flesh out Sydney’s lyrics with a good mix of moody musical styles: “Living a Lie” has the drama of a Coldplay piano ballad, while the chorus of “Maybe Someday” marches to the rhythm of the Lumineers. But Ridge’s lingering feelings for Maggie cause heartache for all three of them. Independent Maggie never complains about Ridge’s friendship with Sydney, and it's hard to even want Ridge to leave Maggie when she reveals her devastating secret. But Ridge can’t hide his feelings for Sydney long—and they face their dilemma with refreshing emotional honesty.
Hoover is one of the freshest voices in new-adult fiction, and her latest resonates with true emotion, unforgettable characters and just the right amount of sexual tension.Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4767-5316-4
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: May 6, 2014
Roberts’ newest is part thriller, part romance, part survivors’ psychological study with a touch of New Age magic—and a...
The victims of a mass shooting—including two young heroes from the tragedy—are moving forward in their lives, affected in different ways, when they're stunned to discover a serial killer is targeting survivors.
Simone Knox and Reed Quartermaine were both survivors of a mass shooting at a mall in Portland, Maine. Afterward, Simone, grateful to be alive, vows to be a better daughter and at first tries to conform to her parents’ conservative expectations. However, she soon realizes she’ll never be happy appeasing them and finally chooses to follow her artistic dreams in order to lead a more authentic life. Reed, inspired by Essie McVee, the first police officer on the scene, becomes a detective, eventually becoming Essie's partner and close friend. Years later, survivors of the massacre begin to die, and Reed is convinced the deaths are connected—but not even Essie takes him seriously until the killer targets him. Reed is wounded but survives, and suddenly everyone believes him. The cunning psychopath escapes into the ether, armed with money, lots of false identification, and a seething desire for revenge. Taking time to heal, Reed visits Tranquility Island, Maine, his childhood vacation spot, and falls in love with the place. He also meets a charismatic older woman who helps him land the house of his dreams and the position of police chief. Falling in love with her granddaughter, Simone—whom he had been aware of since the tragedy but had never met—seems like fate. Reed settles into his new job and hooks up with the FBI regarding the case, convinced their face-off has frustrated the vengeful killer. As heroic survivors, Reed and Simone are prime targets, and now that they’ve found each other, the stakes are higher than ever. Facing the hunter means fighting for their lives, love, and happiness while silencing the violent echoes of the worst day of their lives. Fascinating characters—Simone's grandmother is a standout—and a sprawling plot that covers a lot of ground yet keeps the reader engaged offer a surprisingly compelling and poignant redemption story that begins with a tragic mass shooting.
Roberts’ newest is part thriller, part romance, part survivors’ psychological study with a touch of New Age magic—and a lively, captivating read.Pub Date: May 29, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-16159-8
Page Count: 448
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: March 4, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
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