The memorable men and women of P.G. County are back in Connie Briscoe's wickedly funny and deliciously daring novel of romance and betrayal, dangerous choices and seductive second chances. P.G. County was Connie Briscoe's first excursion into the world of the overprivileged and undersatisfied inhabitants of an elite suburb of Washington, D.C. Readers will be delighted to learn that their mischievous machinations and meddlesome ways reach new heights- and sink to new depths- in Can't Get Enough, the much-anticipated follow-up to P.G. County. Barbara Bentley, the grand dame of P.G. County, is tentatively embarking on a fresh approach to life, abandoning the alcohol that served to soften the edges of her marriage to her bimbo-loving millionaire husband, Bradford. She's been sober for nearly a year, her part-time work as a real estate agent has boosted her self-confidence, and the unexpected attentions of a handsome young colleague have done wonders for her ego. For Jolene, Bradford's ambitious, conniving ex-mistress, the status she covets remains tantalizingly out of reach. Her decent, hard-working husband, Patrick, has left her for Pearl, a woman proud of her success as a beauty shop owner and eager to create a loving home for Patrick and his two mixed-up teenage daughters. Royalty comes to Silver Lake in the form of Veronique. She's rich, fabulous and everyone's new friend, or is she? As the characters slip in and out of their Pratesi sheets and stride into mayhem and misdeeds in their Jimmy Choo shoes, Can't Get Enough will hold readers spellbound. A delectable and scrumptious page-turner, it ushers in spring with the fabulous force of a Gucci-clad lion.
CONNIE BRISCOE has been a full-time published author for more than ten years. Born with a hearing impairment, Connie never allowed that to stop her from pursuing her dreams…writing. Since she left the world of editing to become a writer, Connie has hit the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists.
This one was a lot better than the first one. More character development. It had a slight twist in it too that I enjoyed. Money can’t buy your happiness.
This is the follow up to PG County. As with PG County, this was a reread for me. I read Can't Get Enough when it was initially released and remember liking it. I remembered more about this book than I had PG County, but nonetheless I was glad to revisit the continued messiness in Silverlake. It also makes me realized how much I missed the writings of Connie Briscoe. I will be diving into her latest release real soon.
The people in Silverlake are messy and conniving and that continues in part 2 of this series. The story of the interracial dating was phased out in this sequel and it feels like a more cohesive book. At times you will root for characters and in the next instance mad. With the exception of Jolene and Bradford.....I feel like I rooted for them all at some point.
I enjoyed this escape from my typical reading. I wish there was a 3rd PG County book waiting....yes even after all these years!!!
Barbara finally comes into her own and I am here for it, until the end. I was so proud of Barbara for most of the book until the very end when I just deflated because Bradford is a mess. I'm not sure how Barbara forgot about the nonsense Sabrina pulled in the last book but the fact that her husband is still willing to sit down and have lunch with that woman...just says so much about who he is so I'm not buying this reconciliation. The writing is also lacking, the author constantly recaps situations from the last book (I suppose I can understand doing that in the first few chapters told from the perspectives of each woman but the explanations went beyond that) which grew tiresome and Jolene has changed from a person to a caricature. The book is focused on making her the villain and her relationship with her daughter, her family and with money (her winning the lottery seemed to be an afterthought and I expected that to be a way bigger part of the book) all suffer. Furthermore Veronique is literally brought in to stir the pot, as a character she does not stand on her own (where was her husband is my biggest question) and I grew bored with the author using her as a device to push the other characters to change. Minor quibble: Pearl's son COMES OUT OF NOWHERE. She only talks about him and then all of sudden he just conveniently pops up, it was so odd.
In addition to newly one dimensional characters, the author completely forgets about Lee. She comes out of nowhere with this story line that Lee doesn't like Pearl and it just makes no sense. She's cool with the father who is a complete stranger to her but not to the woman whose been nothing but nice since she entered Patrick's life? Get out of here. If that is a realistic scenario the author did a poor job of delving into Lee's feelings in order to help the reader understand. I would also like to know if the author got paid by St. John for product placement because that's the only brand she seems to talk about (with a passing mention of Ferragamo and a few others). The story is funny and the characters engage in cringe-worthy antics (mainly Jolene but also Barbara as evidenced by my previous paragraphs) which while poorly written still makes for an escapist type read. Also I like the cover. But I found this sequel to be disappointing compared to the first book although I appreciate her focus on Black wealth.
PS I have read PG County I just seem to have lost my copy and I'm furious (last seen in Washington DC)
this was an intriguing read, but not enough to have more than 3 stars for me. I feel as though it was centered more around rich people and their shenanigans, rather than having too much character depth or story arc. the most exciting part was when Jolene hired Brian to vandalize pearl's shop, but then again there was absolutely nothing redeeming about Jolene's character. I didn't really like any of the characters except for maybe Pearl, but even she didn't have much story going for her.
I think when you have too many characters and several plotlines that are unrelated, it can be difficult to find the point. I wish that we could have had less characters. maybe just focused on Jolene and Patrick and Pearl and leave Barbara and the Baroness out of it.
More drama with the inhabitants of Prince George County. In this sequel, Barbara makes a shocking move and Jolene makes a regrettable decision. Juicy read!
Jolene is ridiculous in this book, and the Jolene hate is worse than ever. Still, the growth of Barbara is gratifying, the womens' friendships with the Countess are lovely (up until the reveal at the end), and Pearl's interactions with her new family are so authentically awkward that her eventual successes are even more satisfying.
Pearl does become a bit of a Mary Sue in this book, but her breakthrough with her daughters is what will keep me coming back to reread it time and again. The main negative in this book is Bradford. He acts exactly the same as he did in the first book, but because he told Barbara that he's faithful now, the reader is supposed to believe him. BUT - the reader doesn't know they're supposed believe him until the end, so everything he says is just interpreted through the lens of Barbara. If the goal was to set Barbara up as an unreliable narrator and make the reader rethink all of their previous conceptions, that goal really is achieved. But I wish it wasn't at the cost of taking a badass woman and making her the villain.
Feminist rubric:
Positives 1. Barbara's growth towards independence and self love: So the book may not end the way I would like it to, but Barbara's journey is so sweet and honest and powerful that I would still mark this as a positive. SPOILER: I love that she doesn't end up with Noah. I don't love that she ends up with Bradford again after learning what he did to the Countess (GAH), but I can appreciate that she is there because she wants to be rather than needs to be. 2. Chapters 30 and 33! 3. Characters are racially and/or culturally diverse without being stereotypes and without that being their main characteristic.
Neutral 1. Fewer strong parent-child relationships: Pearl and her daughters are great. I'm frustrated that Jolene becomes a terrible mother in this book, or at least, an absent one, since that was her love for her daughter was her most humanizing characteristic. 2. Pearl and Patrick's relationship: Pearl and Patrick are pretty great together, but I just hate the scene where she decides to "fight for her man." 3. Language about men deprives them of autonomy, e.g. "keeping them," or "stealing them." Pearl does lay down some sense in chapters 30 and 33, but then the seduction scene with Jolene and Patrick really does make men seem like they completely lack autonomy.
Negatives 1. Virulent misogyny and slut shaming towards Jolene ALL THE TIME. From what I knew of Jolene, I just don't see her going through with the terrible thing she did in this book. I would have much preferred that she change her mind halfway through and work to come to an understanding with her new extended family. In the first book, Briscoe sets Jolene's humanity up so well by telling us about her pregnancy and showing her with her family. There is so much material there! I'm sad that it's wasted just so everybody else can band together over a common enemy. 2. Appearance generally tied to male approval or disapproval: I believe Patrick says something like "I like a little extra sugar on my brownie," when referring to Pearl's weight. No. Pearl is allowed to be whatever weight she wants to be. She doesn't need your permission by learning what level of weight you prefer. GROSS. 3. It seems unrealistic that Lee wouldn't need counseling after what she's been through. I would have preferred a more sensitive exploration of her transition to her new life.
Can't Get Enough, Connie Briscoe's follow up to PG County, returns us to the prestigious Silver Lake community and continues where its predecessor ended. It instantly reconnects with Maryland's Prince George County's most memorable cast of characters who, for the most part, are still rich and still restless - a perfect combination for trouble and drama. Barbara, the wife of philandering millionaire Bradford Bentley, has sobered up and now takes her frustrations out in the gym instead of drowning her sorrows in Belvedere vodka. The results are fantastic - she is feeling good and looking even better. When her real-estate colleague, Noah, 15 years her junior openly flirts with her, he awakens feelings and thoughts that even the most faithful of attention-starved housewives cannot ignore. She wrestles with her feelings for both her husband, Bradford, whose womanizing ways led him to ignore and embarrass her for years by openly conducting affairs with younger women, and Noah, a handsome, attentive and sensual being, who is playing for keeps.
A newcomer to Silver Lake, a one "Baroness Veronique," befriends Barbara and plays devil's advocate to the blossoming romance between Barbara and Noah. However, it is revealed much later that this royal newcomer has ulterior motives with an interesting twist near the end of the story. The Baroness is the envy of the neighborhood after building a replica of a French chateau directly across the street from the conniving Jolene, the latest former mistress of Bradford. Jolene is a scantily clad pariah, shunned by most of Silver Lake for her involvement with Bradford. However, public scorn only fuels her desire to win back Patrick, her well-respected and admired ex-husband. She stoops low and uses their daughter Juliette in a ploy to seduce him. Patrick, however, is smitten with good-natured Pearl, the sweetheart of the neighborhood and friend to everyone. When Patrick rejects Jolene, she, in an act of desperation, retaliates against Pearl in such a mean spirited and hurtful manner that startles all of Silver Lake.
There is no peace, even for the "nice guy" as lovable Patrick struggles to raise Lee, his troubled teenaged daughter from a previous relationship. Lee's half-sister, Juliette, adds gasoline to the fire when she starts to exhibit traces of Jolene (evoking a "Mini Me" persona of her man-chasing mother) when she sets her eyes on her Lee's boyfriend.
Reminiscent to a daytime soap opera, the setting is posh. Everyone is beautiful, possesses an American Express Black card, drives luxury cars and wears designer attire. It seems like owning Armani suits, furs, Jimmy Choo shoes and Mikimoto pearls are an unwritten prerequisite for Silver Lake residents. Briscoe masters the storytelling aspects well by devoting alternating chapters to each main character which allows them to develop nicely while building suspense in an entertaining melodramatic offering. She adds solid doses of scandalous behavior, lying, cheating, double-crossing, and scheming to keep the pages turning until the end.
I read 'PG County' years ago and loved it. I only just recently found out there was a sequel and tried to get my hands on a copy as fast as I could. Once I did I BLAZED right through it. It picks up right where 'PG' left off.
The wealthy community of Silver Lake, MD and all it's outrageously snobbish residents are a treat to read about. There's the Bentley's, whose marriage seems the picture of perfection, but is FAR from it. Jolene, whose even more despicable and evil in this book than in the previous (which is hard to believe). Patrick and Pearl, trying to build a relationship but with Patrick's conniving ex-wife Jolene lurking about, who knows if it will be possible. And the newest resident of Silver Lake, Baroness Veronique Valentine, is seemingly a beautiful, gracious woman out to befriend the leading ladies of the neighborhood, but has mischief of her own to stir up.
I definitely recommend reading 'PG County' before reading this, but only because it too is a great book and you'll be better acquainted with the characters. It's not necessary though, this book holds up just fine on its own. I would LOVE for Ms. Briscoe to continue writing about this deliciously scandalous group of people, and look forward to picking up another of her books!
I loved this book. Affairs definitely lead to intrigue, potential revenge and heartbreak. My favorite character was Barbara. She was married to the very rich, successful and cheating Bradford. They had successful daughters and wealth but he couldn't stop cheating. Dinner with an ex mistress while his wife and daughters were at B. Smith's in union Station pushed her into the arms of another man. A newly arrived Baroness with a surprising past helped moved the plot along. Jolene was just pathetic. I loved the ending and the author's writing style.
I started this on Aug 23rd. This book was not as good at Ms. Connie Briscoe's P.G. County . Yet, it is definitely filled with drama in the black elite community with its wannabes, jealous folks and haters. The ending will put a smile on your face knowing that Jolene had karma ten fold returned to her.
I read this book in about 2 days. I was looking forward to continuing with the characters I became fond of in PC County. However, I was disappointed. This book was choppy and the character's stories left me unsatisfied. The ending was just okay. Not one of the author's best.
This book is the sequel to P.G. County. If you are from the DC area or ever lived there, the locations will pop off of the page as you read. I was a little disappointed in the ending but I usually am with most books so it was no surprise. Overall, it was a good book.
I always knew that because you have a good bank account, great vacations and this beautiful home in these great overwhelming money communities doesn't mean that you really have it all. Good book I really enjoyed the read.
Thanks for my library membership - ebooks for borrowing is great.