Killer Diamonds

by Rebecca Chance

After decades in the spotlight as an Oscar-winning film star and famous beauty, Vivienne Winter is one of the most recognizable women on the planet. When she decides to auction her multimillion dollar jewellery collection for charity, there's no shortage of people eager to buy a piece of her incredible history. Young, ambitious Christine Smith is a jewellery expert working for a centuries-old auction house. But in a world of aristocratic snobs, her working-class origins are holding her back. She's desperate to secure the sale of Vivienne Winter's gem it's set to be the biggest auction since Elizabeth Taylor's. However, meeting the Hollywood star is just the first hurdle Christine has to jump. Vivienne's handsome, spoilt and sexy playboy grandson Angel is the heir to her fortune. The anger and resentment he feels towards his grandmother for selling what he'd counted on as one day being his inheritance sets in motion a series of events with deadly consequences. Angel is totally unscrupulous, and no one will emerge from his plotting unscathed. For it seems that family secrets cut sharper than diamonds . . .

Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit

512 pages, Paperback

Published July 28, 2016

About the author

Rebecca Chance was born in Hampstead to international art dealer parents, and grew up in the exclusive millionaire’s row surroundings of London’s St John’s Wood. Tiring of her cushioned, privileged existence, she ran away to Tuscany to live a wild bohemian life on a wine-making estate, where she lived in a 14th century villa in a Chianti vineyard, partying with artists, learning Italian, and picking grapes. But big city life was calling her, and after staying in Rome and Porto Ercole, she moved to Manhattan, lured by the glamorous single-girl existence and nonstop nightlife. She spent a decade living the Sex and The City dream in SoHo, equally at home in an uptown penthouse on Fifth Avenue overlooking the Metropolitan Museum, or downtown dancing on the bar of the Coyote Ugly for kicks. Eventually, a handsome American husband in tow, she moved back to London to settle down (as much as she can) and finally fictionalize some of her most exciting and glamorous experiences into her bestselling blockbuster novels.
Rebecca’s interests include trapeze, pole-dancing, watching "America’s Next Top Model", and cocktail-drinking.

Reviews

[Prabhjot Kaur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Rebecca Chance book is always a delight and this was no exception. A read full of glamour, money, racy sex, betrayal, scheming, a murder, some stupidity and vain characters. I did not like one single character (usual for Rebecca Chance books) in the book and I enjoyed it anyway. I have said this before and I will say it again, I don't know how the author does it but all her characters are so outrageous and I enjoy every bit of it.

Vivienne is so beautiful yet she just wants attention, affairs and her diamonds. Angel is also so beautiful and all he wants is money and revenge from his grandmother. Christine is so bland that her life is also bland and she was just so stupid. Nicole was devious and wanted to make money by any means. Tor was viking-looking handsome guy who was a perfect gentleman whom I found very boring. Out of all the characters, I admit that I enjoyed Christine's chapters the least. Some old characters from Killer Queens made an appearance and I was all too happy to read about them. Prince Toby has finally decided to settle down and very briefly we get to know of Prince Hugo and his wife Chloe's life that they have two daughters now. I loved it and devoured it.

4 stars

[Mackenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Song for summary: Rich Girl by Gwen Stefani

This was a highly entertaining book! The characters are beautiful, vain, and wealthy; while the plot is a luxurious blend of betrayal, jewelry, and risqué romance. I am a huge fan of Rebecca Chance and this glamorous novel did not disappoint!

[Samantha Bond23 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a bit apprehensive reading this book because I really hadn't clicked with the previous book, Mile High. However, I felt much more at home with this book. Whilst it wasn't Rebecca's finest, for me, it felt like she had returned to her best destination and was full of her usual offerings of glamour, bitchiness, murder and of course a little bit of hanky panky thrown in for good measure. Thank you.

This book also meant I have now finally caught up with all of Rebecca's previous books so am ready and waiting for the next one.

[Mikayla Gray · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, I was kind of disappointed by this book. I normally love Rebecca Chance's novels and I've been on a bit of rereading binge, so I could wait to get my hands on her latest one. But Killer Diamonds was both underwhelming and kind of creepy.

First up, the sex scenes. You don't pick up one of Rebecca's books without expecting things to get hot and heavy, and I was not disappointed. But where you usually get an intriguing story punctuated by characters getting down and dirty, Killer Diamonds read like the excessively graphic scenes were written first, then strung together to form the paper-thin plot. Barely anything happens. It doesn't help that the protagonist Christine is an absolute moron from her introduction right up until the end of the book. This shining beacon of human idiocy falls for every line spun to her, agrees to marry a man she barely even likes because he's a really good lay and pines for the Viking-esque good guy, despite the fact she's willingly entering into a relationship with another man instead because . . . reasons. I'm sure at the end when she decides to turn the tables we're supposed to be thinking "you go girl", but she's just too stupid to be able to outsmart anyone.

Second, there's a lot of questionable lack of consent stuff here which moves into rape territory on more than one occasion. Seriously, this stuff could be triggering for some. But the weird thing is these scenes are written exactly the same way as the consensual stuff. There's a bit of token arguing afterwards, but there's literally no difference in the tone whether characters are engaging in consensual sex or essentially being raped. And it makes for a very uncomfortable read.

All in, not the best book by Rebecca Chance. I think I'll stick to rereading her back catalogue until the next one comes out.

[Emma Crowley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Killer Diamonds is the ninth novel from Rebecca Chance but the first I have read from this author. I had just finished the latest novel from Victoria Fox so I was still in the mood for a book many term the bonkbuster so when Killer Diamonds popped through my letterbox I was keen to give this a go as I had heard a lot about the author. The blurb sounded like just the sort of read that would provide you with a gripping story taking you away to a world full of glitz, glamour, wealth, power and not forgetting those killer diamonds which couldn’t be further removed from the world we live in.

The book opens with an explosive prologue which leaves the reader wondering just how has this pivotal scene come about and what will be the outcome? To answer those questions we are taken back in time to Rome 1966 when glamorous film starlet Vivienne Winter is filming in the city and embarking on a passionate affair with Randon Cliffe. Vivienne is no stranger to scandal and has already had a daughter out of wedlock, one who is raised by a continuous succession of nannies. Vivienne craves all forms of attention she is the biggest star in the world and hopes to keep it that way for some time to come. Gossip follows her around but no matter the bad press she always emerges with some form of triumphant publicity. Vivienne has fallen head over heels with Randon and the passion is vividly described from the outset. Theirs is a love which will see two marriages and two divorces and even until the bitter end Randon will always have a place in Vivienne’s heart. He is the man who gifts her the majority of the jewels which form the basis for the plot of this book and scattered throughout the chapters are little anecdotes or stories as to where she was when she received each piece and what film she is working on etc which proved interesting enough to read about. We then read briefly of Seville in 1970 and then Paris in 1990 where an event occurs which will shape the character of Angel, her grandson, forever. If at this stage he wasn’t beginning to become affected by the life his mother Pearl inflicts on him this occurrence will surely make him damaged in the worst way possible.

Then the majority of the story focuses on the more present day when Vivienne is in her 70’s and wanting to auction off her jewellery collection for charity. I say charity more so that she doesn’t want her unscrupulous grandson to get her hands on such a fabulous collection only to blow the money on his hedonistic lifestyle and all its entrappings. Vivienne was a character who maintained her cool at all times you could never crack her tough exterior, she kept everything to herself but boy could she play a game and exert control over others when needed. She realises Angel is the way he is due to his childhood and believes money, but not always having it on tap, will be able to help him. You knew she cared for him but at the same time didn’t want to bail him out at every opportunity unless absolutely necessary.

Onto the scene steps Christine Smith a gemologist working at an auction house. She is good at her job but wants to move up in her chosen profession and earn more money. She knows if she can obtain the rights to auction Vivienne’s jewellery it will be a major coup and her promotion is guaranteed. She will be set for life. It did seem very far fetched in the way Christine went about doing this. Yes she was to be admired for taking her own initiative but would it really have happened in real life? Can someone lower in society get such access to someone way beyond their reach and status? Although she did get to meet the delectable Tor who seemed to be the only person in the book who had anything genuine about him in the slightest.

There are endless words one could use to describe our main male protagonist Angel, he was a character I hadn’t one ounce of sympathy for him. OK so his reasons and the way he behaves all revert back to his child and yes I could imagine that this could affect the way we act and portray ourselves once we reach adulthood but still he was just utterly vile and depraved. Angel was pure evil and seriously messed up and yes it all stems from Vivienne and Pearl but you would have hoped having witnessed and partaken in certain things as a child that you wouldn’t carry these through into your own future life. That maybe you would want to better yourself but on the other hand if one is so damaged maybe he was irreparable. Angel was filled to the brim with bitterness, greed, anger, hurt and always out for his own personal gain. He had gotten himself into a situation where he saw no other option only to use and abuse people as needed in order to get his long term goal – money. His family connection to his grandmother didn’t come into it one bit, he saw her as a source of money and all the better that she was auctioning off her jewels that only served his purpose even more.

Wealth and addiction are what fuels Angel, compassion and love doesn’t even feature in his vocabulary. I have to admit the way he treated Christine was deplorable yet she was a fool for thinking that Angel could show any sort of affection or what he terms affection. The scenes where they were together were cruel and at times hard to read and she needed to grow a backbone. But then one thinks was she as bad as the rest as furthering her career through obtaining the rights to sell Vivienne’s jewels seemed to be her ultimate goal. Was Angel just a means of stepping further up the career ladder? In fact I didn’t really like any of the characters but that’s the way the book was written and I don’t think this was a story where we were meant to identify with people even Christine until more or less the last minute proved to be a walkover and lacked any strength to say no when no was most certainly needed. I suppose those that we underestimate the most turn out to be the ones who surprise us the most when least expected but most needed.

Killer Diamonds was filled with everything you would expect from this genre and there are quite a few very explicit sex scenes and although they are well written they do come out of nowhere within a chapter and quite frankly some of them left me open mouthed with shock. A friend on Twitter referred to a chapter fairly early on as been shocking and disturbing and I wondered would I feel the same when I cam across said chapter. Well I did and I also felt the same at several stages throughout reading the book. It begs the question was there all just too much here? Did it go too far? Beyond certain boundaries? But I took it all with a pinch of salt and eventually understood they were all necessary to portray the hedonistic world the characters inhabited and also to expose just what a depraved character Angel was and how he came to be such a despicable person. When people read a book of this nature they expect the sex scenes mixed with a storyline that has you grasping for answers and you do find it in this book but at times I felt the overall storyline at certain points took a back seat while the sexual exploits of the main characters were shown in all their detail. I did enjoy the book but felt the plot suffered or lacked a little bit and a little more of the mystery element was needed. When a chapter ended there was a heading in the next chapter as to what time and place we would be reading about next. Sometimes it seemed to me like we skipped parts and the reader was left to fill in pieces of information.This only happened several times but at the same time it annoyed me as this meant the flow of the story was lost at certain points.

The book was slow to get going, there was a lot of setting up to do and numerous characters to introduce, each worse than the other in terms of their personalities and what they got up to but eventually everything kept building and building to a very dramatic conclusion. At one stage I was laughing in disbelief - a man and a window is all I will say. There were a few twists and turns but I felt there could have been a lot more thrown in but despite that this was a good read. Having now read my first Rebecca Chance book I ask myself the question would I read one again? The answer is yes and one of the reasons being a friend mentioned this is Rebecca Chance back to her best and I would love to know if this is the case. I can’t say whether this is true or not as I have nothing else to compare it too so I want to go back to her back catalogue and see what other directions she has previously taken stories of this nature. Yes some aspects of the plot were weaker than others but it still made for an enjoyable read that leave you with a raised eyebrow at the antics that unfold. This is a raunchy, racy read but every now and again you do need to sit back and chill with a book like this, it's good to mix up genres and I'm glad I gave this book a chance. I'll definitely be back for more from Rebecca Chance.

[Idoru · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first Rebecca Chance book I read was fun, funny, sexy. It had spark and a heroine who, despite being selfish, spoilt and thoughtless, managed to be sympathetic. This book has none of those things. Plot and characterisation seem to have been sacrificed in place of shoehorning in anecdotes from friends, characters based with a total lack of subtlety on real-life celebs and advertising copy in return for freebies.

What's worse is the level of sexual violence throughout. Particularly repugnant is one character recounting with glee his pleasure at causing his girlfriend unwanted pain during sex, as well as the many descriptions of rape and abuse of schoolchildren. In another scene the same character violently assaults his girlfriend, for which she forgives him after he tells her a sob story, because apparently that's what we women do; poor, weak easily manipulated things that we are.

In fact the author comes across as particularly hating women. The female characters are all either exploited or exploiting. They are variously selfish, thoughtless, cruel, prostitutes, stupid, manipulated; they really have very few redeeming features.

The denouement is, frankly, ridiculous. Very disappointing. I think I'll be avoiding reading any more of Ms Chance's books.

[Ann Line · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have read all of Rebecca Chances books and am always keen to get her new releases into my Amazon basket asap.

This book didn't compare to her previous ones, I will most certainly be making it my last as should she!.

I found it too seedy, the sex scenes were gross and the plot too patchy.

Shame, time to find a new author.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this entertaining enough. Got it for half price at the airport and read the whole thing on the plane. Might not have read it under other circumstances but I enjoyed it for what it was.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I removed a star for using the word ironically instead of coincidentally twice. Also some of the sex scenes were a bit rapey. It was an okay read but not one of her best.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn’t really into this book – I felt the story line was weak and the characters didn’t gel with each other or with me as a reader. Having opened up with a murder the book then goes back in time with the central character Vivienne living out her somewhat hedonistic life and neglecting her daughter Pearl who goes on to have her own son Angel and is forced by Vivienne to hand him over to her care in exchange for Vivienne hushing up a rather nasty murder. Angel is damaged and grows up to be outwardly the perfect playboy who eventually ends up working closely with a gems curator Christine Smith who has been asked to catalogue Vivienne’s vast jewellery collection. It sounds like a good plot line and it is but it seemed for me to loose its way and I struggled to finish this one. Yes it had all the trade mark raunchy scenes so that should keep fans happy but I felt it lacked the killer punch so can only give this 3 stars.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.

[Dorn Carran · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much gratuitous sex, too little story

I had high hopes for this book as I have enjoyed much of this author's writing in the past. However, this book was just boring. Sex scenes were often thrown in too often and they had no relation to the story whatsoever. They were completely needless and I found myself wondering when the story would continue, only for it to do so briefly before yet another sex scene.

I don't mind steamy romances, however this wasn't advertised as such, and you just felt that these scenes were gratuitous and were just a cheap way to pad out a story that wasn't thrilling or mysterious.

This book was a big let down and I am glad I only got it on offer rather than paying the full price for it!

[natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my first read from Rebecca Chance, and it was... meh.
Yes, meh. I could go on and say a lot about it, but I prefer not to because I read this somewhere around a year ago, and while the memory is still there, I'd rather me writing a review directly after I've read it, or at most, two weeks after I finished said book.

I guess you could say I liked how it ended. I guess? But I really, really, didn't like the h when she was around Angel. Nope. Not my cup of tea. 2 stars - Didn't really enjoy it.

just another one of my attempts to organize my read-before-joining-goodreads shelf

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm, have very mixed feelings about this book. I found the some of the sex scenes very uncomfortable indeed, more like rape than eroticism and I actually felt dirty reading the strangulation chapter.

The actual story was pretty unbelievable but left the reader wondering how it would end but I won't give that away.

[Sue Lilley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m afraid I didn’t get this. Whose story was it meant to be? The tone was odd – one minute it was trying to be a crime-caper, the next it was bordering on the nasty. The sex scenes were superfluous and not that relevant to the plot. Clearly other reviewers liked it so maybe it was just me.

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent read by Chance

I love reading Rebecca Chance her books are very girly but fantastic if you don’t like raunchy and romantic then it’s not for you. Although all raunchy bits are in context and not over the top.

[Linda O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

[Fiona Groves · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh, my first book by this author and, I think, my last. Unlikeable characters and a thin plot.

[Julie Makin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually really enjoyed this, a typical romance/tragedy with a heroine and a bad guy! Enjoyed the read but very far fetched!

[Kim Normoyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm. Very racy. Not well written tbh

[Fabulous Book Fiend · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: I was really looking forward to reading Rebecca Chance's latest offering after having loved her previous 3 novels. This has just confirmed for me that I really must read the rest of her back catalogues-I own them all after all! I wasn't let down by this novel. These books are quite indifferent from the novels I normally read and so they're almost like an extra bit of escapism for me. As usual this novel offers drama to the highest degree, oppukNt luxury to drool over and of course some fabulous sex scenes. If you're not a fan of a bit of raunch in a novel then you should steer clear of these books because Rebecca chance knows how to get you hot under the collar and I love it!

The characters in this book are a mixtures of wealthy celebrities and aristocrats with Catherine, just like you and me, trying to find her way amongst them all and not get dragged under by their fabulous yet risky lifestyle! I liked Catherine although she seemed a little weak in the beginning for my liking, but never fears she gained strength and conviction as the story progressed. Angel was an interesting character, I loved reading about his escapades. The grandson of a glamorous Hollywood icon, raised by nannies and spoiled rotten, he has some fabulous scenes of luxury and gets up to some serious fun in the bedroom too. And then we have Vivienne. The book really revolves around her and her diamonds. I loved reading about her rise to fame and I love the way she handled every situation like a true lady and a true professional!

Of course some of the storyline is somewhat contrived but it is to be expected with this kind of a novel. I picked this book up because I wanted 500 sensational pages of adventure, opulence and sex and that's exactly what I got. Some of the twists and turns in the story I could see coming but others snuck up on me and surprised me and I really enjoyed the fact that u as keep guessing right up until the very last page. So desperate was I to read the closing pages of this novel, that I carried this around literally everywhere with me on Saturday morning. Reading it in the car, at breakfast and even as I went along. If this is your first Rebecca Chance novel, this will give you a real taste for her writing and the kind of this your can come to expect when you pick up the rest of her books, and if you're already a die-hard fan then you won't be disappointed with this latest beautiful book. A very entertaining read and definitely pure escapism!

[Rachel Gilbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am delighted to announce that the queen of the bonkbuster is back. This is easily Rebecca Chance back to her best, and a real pleasure to have been able to read this book. I was hooked from the prologue and especially once the story started to get revved up.

The pace picked up from chapter to chapter, although it did level off during the middle section, while all the finer and key plot points were set up for the adrenalin pumping conclusion.

The story centres around acclaimed actress Vivienne Winter who is heading into her twilight years and has decided to auction off her extensive jewellery collection for charity. However her grandson Angel isn't too happy about it and is going to plot to stop her.

Then there is Christine who is a hard working expect for the auction house hoping to secure the rights to the collection, and goes out of her way to meet Vivienne. She is probably the nicest most innocent character in the whole book, and there are times I really felt for what she was going through, and the way the Winter family were treating her.

There is a chapter quite early in the book where I spent most of it trying to work out whether I needed to be very disturbed by what was doing on, turned on or just plain confused, as we are introduced for the first time to a couple of key players in this tale, and learn just what sort of childhood one of them really had. Even for someone who generally isn't easily shocked at the sexual exploits in these sorts of books, this did make me raise an eyebrow in shock!

Hearing about Vivienne's career through her gems was very interesting and she has had a colourful life herself, however her career is the single most important thing in her life. We learn about how she "looked" after her child and grand child and it was fascinating to see her solutions to problems.

There is a great deal of sex in the book, some of it more explicit than the rest, but all very enjoyable and well written. Generally the level of detail all over the story is brilliant and I found the whole book to be a gripping pleasure to read.

Thank you to Sophie at EDPR for this review copy. This was my honest opinion.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Rebecca Chance. Her books cheer me. Her stories are racy, sexy, full of fun, bursting with the most colourful of characters and always have a great plot.

Killer Diamonds is the perfect title for this story. Set in the world of high-end goods, champagne, pills, high fashion and of course diamonds ... and the killer? Well, the prologue provides that!
Rebecca Chance begins her story with a cliff-hanger prologue that nags away at the reader's conscience all the way through the book. The prologue happens in the present day and then the story goes back to the 60s and follows the life and career of young actress Vivienne Winter.

Beautiful, talented and spoilt. Vivienne has the life that many people dream of. Adored and pampered, she's the darling of the time and men fall at her feet.

Vivienne makes huge mistakes in life, and the biggest are those connected to her daughter Pearl and her grandson Angel. And, so, we come to Angel. With a beauty that matches his name, with blond hair, violet eyes and a sleek body, he has the world at his feet. However, Angel's beauty is definitely only skin-deep. He's a damaged man, he's cruel and greedy and totally selfish, and the women in his life are the ones who suffer most.

Christine Smith, who is desperate to represent Vivienne when she sells her world-famous jewellery collection falls foul of both Vivienne and Angel. There's hardly a decent person amongst this cast!

Rebecca Chance is a wonderful storyteller. She's known for her racy sex scenes and Killer Diamonds certainly has these. The sex is explicit at times, but definitely in context and in fact, really exposes just how depraved and self-centred some of these characters are.

Killer Diamonds is an absolute sizzler. Great plot, amazing characters, lots of steam and passion. Exactly what we've come to expect from Rebecca Chance, and just what we love her for!

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[Nikki Bywater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diamonds owned by the Oscar winning actress Vivienne Winter are about to go under the hammer in a glamorous auction expected to make millions. Vivienne's multi-million-dollar jewellery collection is not just attracting buyers, wicked grandson Angel has his own agenda, assisted by the unscrupulous Nicole. Taking in innocent and ambitious jewellery expert Christine in their scheme to scandal.

Wow! Is all I can say about this book. Speechless I am. How can you sum up just how good this book is? It is fabulous. With sizzling and steamy sex scenes that are so well written and done in the most outrageous and entertaining way, that they will steam your reading glasses right up. Leaving you flushed on the train journey home. A sensational story with all the characters needed and personality and charisma to make you want to keep on reading and it is one thrill of a ride. Living up to the bonkbuster naughty name this book is pure dynamite.

[Nessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this author and so the minute she brings a new book out I make it my mission to read is ASAP.


This book is absolutely outstanding, the story draws u in real quick, wonderful characters & clever story plots and twists that u just don't see coming. It's a real page turner & I enjoyed every bit of it. :-)

[Shannon Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huge fan of Rebecca Chance and have read every one of her books. I can honestly say Killer Diamonds is the best by far. From the moment I started, I struggled to put this book down. Patiently awaiting her next book.

[Coral · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was crazy! It was in the library's eBook browser in the Romance category, but it's almost an anti-romance. And I figured out the twist. Why couldn't we have any sex scenes with the hot redhead?

[Fluff Smut & Murder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only time for a short review here...

So who was the main character? I'm thinking Angel since there was so much more about his background, thoughts, actions, everything. And the intimate scenes..... wowzers..

[Danielle Dent · Rating 4 out of 5]

If it's escapism and pure unadulterated outrageous good fun then this is the book for you. All of Rebecca's books are so far fetched but I absolutely love them!

[Victoria McKay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great holiday read. Full of scandal And sex.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

First book I have read by Rebecca Chance and I now can not wait to read another. One of the best books I've read. A much going on in the plot both thriller and romance!