Блестящата филмова звезда Ив Бенедикт е все така красива и мистериозна. Нейните любови и бурни бракове години наред са подхранвали печата.
Сега тя е решила да разкрие тайните си пред известната писателка Джулия Съмърс, смайваща красавица, готова да напише най-предизвикателната холивудска история…
Nora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Hideaway, Under Currents, Come Sundown, The Awakening, Legacy, and coming in November 2021 -- The Becoming -- the second book in The Dragon Heart Legacy. She is also the author of the futuristic suspense In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print.
Acting legend Eve Benedict has decided to write her memoir and contracts with biographer and single mother Julia Summers to develop the story. With a career spanning decades, four ex-husbands and countless lovers, Eve’s the keeper of a lot of secrets and a lot of people are nervous. But, at least one of them is more upset than the others as Julia is receiving some ominous notes that can be interpreted as threats.
I’m a fan of sagas and this is an unusual one where the past is revisited in Eve’s recollections to Julia for the book. She’s a fascinating character, one I liked immensely, who had a colorful career and wielded a lot of power. Julia was also an interesting woman and her developing relationship with Paul Winthrop, Eve’s former stepson and child of her heart, is the romantic angle of the story.
Though the story is a little dated (published in 1991), it holds up extremely well because of the strength of the plot and characterizations. I guessed the big reveal early on as well as the likely culprit behind the threats, even though there were some really strong alternative suspects. It didn’t alter my enjoyment in the least because of the heft of the other elements. While Julia and Paul’s romance wasn’t my most favorite, I liked both of them and theirs was a nice distraction to Eve’s tumultuous ones. I enjoyed the story and there’s a timeless quality to it despite its age.
Scandal, secrets, danger, and murder become tangled realities of biographer Julia Summers’ life when she takes the job of helping Eve Benedict, a Hollywood legend and its reigning Queen write her biography/memoir. Eve intends to use the book to shed her secrets and secrets of those who have been in her life through the years, secrets many want to remain in the shadows, undisturbed.
Eve’s stepson and the son of her heart - Paul Winthrop isn’t so sure the book is such a good idea, and he is suspicious of Julia, but he also finds himself entranced by the complex and beguiling woman she is. The romance is a strand in the overall tale, but not the primary one.
I enjoyed Julia’s 10-year-old son Brandon and his interactions with Paul. Brandon’s biological father may be an ace lawyer, but he is no dad.
I guessed very early on that one secret Eve was holding was that
Eve’s housekeeper was one character that annoyed me a fair bit, and Eve’s nephew Drake was a spoilt and ungrateful worm.
A little more depth would have been nice, the ending felt a little rushed. I’ll re-read this at some point in the coming years, but it’s not a Nora Roberts' book I will vividly remember.
In "Who's Afraid of Happy Endings?" there's a clip of Nora Roberts describing an encounter with a woman who, upon learning Roberts' identity, said "Oh, you write that smut." Nora's response? "No, I do not write smut. What the hell is wrong with you?"
My instant response was to think Lady, lighten up -- how can you write romance and still be that easily offended? My response now, after reading one of her novels, is...yeah, she's still too easily offended, but she really doesn't write smut. After reading Genuine Lies I'm not convinced she even writes romance, at least not in the sense that I attribute to the term. Sure, there is a love story in the novel, but it seemed peripheral to the description of the life of an arrogant, beautiful, ambitious, high-profile woman in a glitzy, high-profile world. In this way, it reminded me of books I've read by Judith Krantz. In my opinion, Genuine Lies is really more of a bildungroman than an actual romance, since it focuses more on the development of the woman than on the relationship itself. Maybe it could be considered a kind of feminist, empowered romance, in that it is truly all about the woman.
That being said, it was a good book. It was very well-written. The plot was tight and intricate. The characters were okay. Well, they might have been a little flat. In fact, the weird thing about Genuine Lies is that it is so good, and yet so flat. Something about it seems ready-made, mass produced, and this is a criticism of Roberts' books that I've heard before. I just finished it, and the major emotion I'm feeling is indifference.
Book Description: New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts weaves scandal, celebrity secrets, and murder into an explosive novel of Hollywood almost too wicked not to be true: the story of a legendary actress who knows too much—and the woman she’s chosen to reveal it all….
Eve Benedict is the kind of subject who could make any biographer’s career. Last of the movie goddesses, she has two Oscars, four ex-husbands, and a legion of lovers, both famous and infamous. Now she is ready to write a tell-all memoir that has even Hollywood’s richest and most powerful worried. Julia Summers never dreamed of being chosen to tell Eve’s story. But even if it means transplanting herself and her ten-year-old son from their quiet life in Connecticut to the withering limelight of Beverly Hills, it’s an opportunity too great to pass up. But Julia never imagined how far someone would go to keep Eve Benedict’s book from being published…until she discovers just how dark Eve’s secrets are. And the one man Julia hopes she can trust—Eve’s stepson, Paul Winthrop—may have the most to gain if his stepmother’s story is never told…and if Julia’s life ends before she can write a word of the truth.
I absolutely loved Genuine Lies. Nora Roberts is for me, the greatest contemporary romance writers ever. I have never been disappointed with any of her many books and believe me; I have read a huge amount. Her stories are exciting, interesting and varied, filled with unforgettable characters that stay with you forever and incredible fabulous alpha-males with soul and strong, beautiful and gutsy heroines, and of course there’s romance, love and great HEA’s.
I have read this book so many times – in fact I still have the copy I bought when it was first published in 1991 – yes 1st edition!!! Now you might call me NR possessed – after all, this book is a bit yellowed by time but still going ….with a nice little plastic cover to protect it!!!!!!....does that make me a NR lover???? Yes, it does and I am….a lifelong fan…I am!!! But, back to the story of a Eve Benedict, the famous queen and movie goddess of Hollywood who hires Julia Summers to write her biography and her adopted son, Paul Winthrop, who plays an incredibly important part in both these women’s lives.
There have been so many reviews written in the last 20 years on this book, so I am just going to write my feelings after my umpteenth read.
*Although written over 20 years ago with a few dated references such as the clothing descriptions, the story still remains as fresh and new today.
*I absolutely loved Eve. Her love for life, her kindness, her loyalty, her sexiness…here’s a woman in her late sixties who still has the power – not only because of her beauty but because of who she is inside – to seduce a gorgeous man half her age!!!! Knowing exactly who she was, able to admit her mistakes. Her love for a man she could never be together with really pulled my heartstrings. Despite the pain and sadness she had experienced in her life, she did not become a bitter person with regrets. I understood, in the end, why she felt it so important to write her memoirs. In a way I felt the sadness in this life she had, after having all that money, fame, power, men, suddenly so alone in a way.
*The romance between Julia & Paul Winthrop, two people you cannot help but like so much is sweet, tender and so sensual. Paul may be an alpha-male without the whole macho thing…he’s persuasive, sexy, gorgeous, romantic, funny and does not ever give up on Julia, who hides a lovable and sensual side under this controller, organized and self-reliant career woman. Her son, Brandon, is one of those young kids you can engage with…he’s cute not obnoxious and smart. I cared for these characters and became so involved in their lives as the story progresses.
*Loved all the suspense, the twists, the glamour, the glitz, secrets and scandals and some delicious tidbits of a Hollywood life.
*I was surprised to discover the “REAL” bad person in the end, which was really sad in a way and I wish Eve Benedict would get to spend time playing with Brandon.
This is such a fabulous book and I loved reading it again and losing myself in the world of LA LA land.
January 2020: Five stars for Julia and Paul and Brandon. One star for truly uneven writing. Averages out to three, which feels right for a book I skim when I reread (and by “skim,” of course I mean “skip to the Paul and Julia parts”). I have no idea why they’re so compelling, or how they’re so different than Emma and Michael, except to say that Nora Roberts can really, really write when she wants to.
February 2016: This was over wayyyyy too fast. It's plotted crazily, in that messy way that turns out to be simple, and the beginning Hollywood glamour thing goes away when the trial starts, so the book feels uneven. And then it just ends. But Paul and Julia are great, and so is Brandon.
Gosto sempre de voltar a Nora!! São leituras descomplicadas, que começamos a saber que vai acabar tudo bem, mas que me dão imenso gozo! Gostei muito deste livro, embora tenha previsto o desenlace bastante cedo, adorei ler o desenrolar da amizade entre Eve e Julia, a simplicidade de Julia e o facto de Eve ser tão excêntrica e especial! Recomendo sem reservas, uma leitura leve e descontraída!
This is an "I am woman hear me roar" style book. It is all about the women in the story being empowered my their truth. Of course, it takes a man or two to tromp all over for the plot to be interesting. I'm not a real fan. I can't call it romance, although there is a couple who eventually find each other and true love. It's more romantic-suspense. There is a murder in the Prologue and that hangs doom over the whole plot, but, it doesn't actually happen until well into the book. There end up being a lot of suspects. But guessing the baddie isn't that hard, but the motive was a surprise and the climax was fantastic.. I found it very difficult to care for any of the characters. They were all very flawed people.
This was the second time that I´ve read this book. And I was again hooked and very entertained. My rating stays the same and to dive into the glamor and shiny facade of Hollywood as gorgeous as ever. The style Nora Roberts had in her early work is fascinating and expresses the feeling the 80ies and 90ies had.
Eve is a real diva. Everything she does, she plans or even has to deal with, she needs to have the control. The people in her life have to live the way she wants them. With some, that works, with others, it doesn´t. In the end, when she has to learn the very hard way, that she can´t control everything, not even nature, she again, does everything to get that feeling back. And fails.
Soft, sensitive and with no word too much or too less has Nora Roberts written this great novel about the shiny world of Hollywood, family, love and what it means to be adopted.
Holy 80′s!…Ok, so the book was originally published in 1991 but really, we’re splitting hairs. Eve and Julia walk around in coral colored silk jackets and elegant leisure pajamas. And the trainer Fritz…OMG this quote had me cracking up!
“Standing beside Eve as she lay on a weight bench doing leg curls was Mr. Muscle…He had to be nearly seven feet – a Nordic god whose bronze body bulged out of an incredibly brief unitard.”
Seriously?!…Unitard?!…Sexy?!…
Only in the 80′s (-ish) could this be possible. Don’t worry Mr. Muscle ends up being gay (could explain the unitard) but he is still continuously viewed throughout the book as some sexy, unitard wearing, eye candy. Love It! Aside from the dated cultural references this book still pleases the romance fan. Julia and Paul’s relationship doesn’t get a whole lot of development or play. What is more interesting is Eve’s long history of men.
Roberts traces Eve’s romantic history from her very first husband/lover to the multiple affairs still in Eve’s life at the age of 67. This woman has it going on. What’s so refreshing is that Eve’s character is able to look back on her history and honestly relate the specifics of each relationship. She admits when she’s made a mistake, and also proves true emotion where most tabloids have written her off. It made me wonder about the celebrities we all follow, and the judgements we place at their feet. There’s definitely a lot we don’t know and a lot we take for granted. To see a fictional account of a celebrity life made me interested in real celebrity relationships. What really went down with Bennifer? Brad and Jen? Brad and Angelina? heck, I’d even like to see an honest breakdown of the Speidi ordeal.
Maybe I should pick up a celebrity bio…anyone have a good suggestion?
Anyway, back to the book…Alongside Eve’s romances are a slew of industry secrets and lies. Seriously, I had no idea who was threatening Julia and Eve because so many people were accused of hideous ordeals in Eve’s stories. S&M sex with the underage, torrid secret affairs, aborted love children…murder. This woman was mowing people down with her tale. Just about anyone had more than enough reason to want to stop the story. How all the secrets wind together is really fun to see. And the big shocker of the book is one you’ll probably see coming about halfway through (Paul tipped me off) but it’s not a secret you’ll see coming from the start of the book…definitely a really good twist.
In the end what I enjoyed most about this Roberts title was that it was different. The big love story of this tale happens in Eve’s past…not Julia’s present. It was fun to go back in time to the golden days of Hollywood and see all that old school romance. This book is full of champagne, love affairs, and secrets. It’s a fun romp through the 80′s with a murder mystery to boot. A good choice if you’re in the mood for some retro-trashy-romance.
This was a really slow read for me. The characters were interesting but the story just did not keep me as interested as I would have liked. If you like an old Hollywood feel with secrets and lies then you may enjoy this one.
Disclaimer: I receive a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
“I feel something for you, some dangerous thing, some volatile thing.”
This is my first Nora Roberts read. Definitely won't be my last. I love her writing style, how she tell her stories. The descriptive of each actions, her characters and the plotline. I have to do my research on her best works and people's recommendation.
I got hooked on the prologue. I know it was a murder mystery but at some time I was reading I forgot what genre I was reading because I was just too into the book. There were so many characters in the book, I thought it was going to take me time to catch up but I got into it alright. Every character literally has their own personality like real life people and I feel like there is somebody out there similar to the characters.
Eve is such a diva. I love it. I mean come on she is a famous film star. I love her humour, her arrogance and her stories being in the industry. It got me like shock but not really because hey celebrity life. I love her relationship with each main characters. And with each of them we get to see the side of her. At times no matter how big of a star she is, she is only just human.
I love the romance in this book. Is it just me. I fell in love with Paul like dangerously immediately. I was unsure if we could trust him in the beginning but I deeply fall in love with him. He is good with his words, well he is an author.
I love Julia. In a way, this was also her journeys and not ust Eve. The plot twist was wow. She has her own secrets and stories. Her son Brandon is so cute I can't.
However, I felt like the case solving happen too fast. Like it happen and I think it was solve in less than 50 pages. I wish there was more fight and thrilling side to it.
I definitely need to read her other works! FIND ME A PAUL SOMEBODY.
An engaging, complex story about Eve, a writer tasked with writing the biography of Julia Summers, a legendary actress with a colorful past full of secrets.
Eve moves in to Julia's mansion with her young son and slowly discovers the story behind the glamorous actress's life, her regrets, the love of her life and the people and events that shaped her. The more time they spend together, the more they come to respect and love each other, and the book becomes more than a job for both of them.
A lot of people are unhappy about the secrets that are about to be revealed, however, from an abusive ex, to an actress who is afraid that her image will be ruined, and Eve soon starts getting threats to abandon the book, but both women are determined to see it through no matter what.
Paul, the son of one of her ex husbands and son of her heart, is skeptical about the book and Eve at first, but soon becomes intrigued by her professionalism and her seeming indifference to him. It's not long before he starts pursuing her, and slowly gets past Eve's defenses, but their romance is not the focus of the story.
There are a number of people who could be behind the threats, and all of them become suspects when Julia turns up murdered, but the main suspect is Eve, who .
Engaging story, if a little long and dated, with colorful, flawed characters and an intriguing mystery.
Me ha gustado bastante aunque quizás no he llegado a conectar del todo con Julia y Paul. Eve si, Eve es MARAVILLOSA ❤ Ahora que ya han pasado las fiestas me vuelvo a poner las pilas con la lectura que tengo un poquitín más de tiempo para dedicarle.
Julia Summers é uma escritora de biografias, contratada por uma das maiores estrelas do cinema de Hollywood, Eve Benedict, para escrever a história da sua vida. Mas a vida de Eve é constituída não só por brilho e glamour, mas também por grandes segredos, segredos esses que revelados irão afetar e prejudicar muita gente. Um romance cheio de mistério e intriga, muitos segredos de famosos e alguém que não quer deixar que estes segredos venham a público. Muito bom!
"It's worth everything. I wouldn't waste a day, not an hour, not a moment. Take what you want, and damn caution. Or the biggest regret you'll have at the end of your life is wasted time."
When Julia Summers is asked by wildly famous and legendary Hollywood actress Eve Benedict to write her biography, she agrees but has no idea what she is getting herself into. Certainly not the amount of people in Eve's life that do not want the book written. Certainly not the growing friendship between herself and Eve. And definitely not the blossoming of romance that seems to be growing between herself and Eve's stepson, Paul. But as the secrets start to pour out, Julia begins to worry that some people might stop at nothing to prevent the books publication.
Whew! I have come to expect great things from Nora Roberts over the past few months but this book really blow my mind with its twists and surprises! I thought I had a pretty good grasp of the story and the characters when I was hit with a surprise that left me staggering with disbelief (but totally in a good way, of course). And almost as soon as I had recovered from that, another big event was unleashed and until the end of the book I found myself unable to put it down! And of course the romance was passionate and wonderful and sweet, which is one aspect of Nora Robert's books that I don't think I will ever get tired of.
I gave this book three stars because I felt like there wasn't very much development leading up to Eve's killer. Obviously someone wanted the secrets kept just that - secrets - enough to kill for them. However, there were a couple of things that made me angry, (okay, okay, I understand that this book was published nearly two decades ago, but really?!) first, how Paul seemed to be verging on the edge of killing Julia himself at some moments, and second, there is no way a woman nearly in her seventies would go on a movie set and start shagging a 20-year-old boy, and I don't care how good she looks! Something else that kind of bugged me is the fact that the female characters in Nora Roberts' books always seem to be wearing Chanel suits. White suits as normal everyday loungewear? Really??? (Going back to the two decades ago thing...)
All in all this is a good read if you're interested in reading about a 70-year-old actress' recounts of all the lovers in her life and two major plot twists that you may or may not pick up on throughout the book with the ever-so-subtle dropping of hints. I found it to be a bit laborious towards the end and just wanted it to be over already. We get it. Julia is devastated, frail, tragic, and listless. We get it!
Eve Benedict, a star for over fifty years who still has what it takes, has a lot of secrets and now she wants to share them with the world. She invites a biographer to write her story, and in the end has one secret too many. In many ways this book is a mystery as the reader tries to guess at Eve's secrets before she shares them with Julia and therefore, figure out the murderer. On the other hand, it is a book of one woman's trials and triumphs and the many Hollywood personalities she has worked with and known. You laugh with her, cry with her, enjoy her antics and deplore her waywardness, but mostly you recognize that she is a woman who has made a life for herself although she has had to give up the one she wants more. It is an emotional roller coaster ride with thrills and scares well worth reading.
Eve Benedict was a sensational woman and a legendary actress who lived life well. However, she knew a lot of secrets. When she hired Julia Summers to write her memoir, a lot of friends, family, and enemies were angry and hostile over what truths Eve would tell. Paul Winthrop, Eve’s stepson from one of her four marriages, is very protective over her. He also is attracted to Julia and becomes a father figure to Julia’s son, Brandon. As Julia and Eve worked on the book and Paul and Julia grew closer, someone was plotting how to stop the publication of the book.
Genuine Lies is a very twisty romantic suspense where you don’t know who is actually the villain until the end! The story is very interesting and the romance is good. The character development is also well done! It shows a little bit of its age with some of the characterizations and word choices. However, it is a well done, engaging suspense plot with a decent romance where you are going to want to read to the end!
Really enjoyed this classic Nora Roberts novel. I read it once before when it was published in the 90s! It holds up fairly well. I loved the old Hollywood story and angle in this one.
Completamente maravilhoso este livro de Nora Roberts, envolvi-me completamente na sua leitura, foi com este género de livros, romance, mistério ,intriga e crime que Nora Roberts conseguiu conquistar-me nos primeiros livros que li da autora, e este é retornar as origens. Eve Benedict , uma antiga estrela de cinema, resolve escrever a sua biografia, na sua longa carreira assistiu a muita , fez também muito e sabe demais de toda as estrelas e do mundo do cinema.Esta sua intenção de escrever tudo o que viveu e viu vai desencadear o medo na industria do cinema, o que poderá por em risco a sua vida também.Júlia Summers foi contrada para escrever a biografia da Eve, ao longo das entrevistas que faz vai descobrindo toda a vida de um mundo que não conhecia , de crime, de falsidade,e intriga.Toda a estória da vida de Eve irá afetar Júlia, muitas revelações são dramáticas e sem saber Júlia vê-se evolvida de uma forma real e assustadora e também a sua vida ira mudar e muito . Um romance de suspense e com um final surpreendente.
I thought I’d read all of Nora Roberts back catalogue of novels, but when I stumbled across this on Amazon Kindle for $3 I realized I hadn’t read this book.
Excited, I settled down to read it, and although I enjoyed the overall storyline, boy, it felt so dated. This feels like one of the authors 80s contemporary romances that has just been expanded on. The Hollywood elite and the secrets they keep, the scandals, lies and betrayal that just made this one huge soap opera. There is of course the obligatory insta-lust and a murder, that although it comes quite late in the story, really kicks things into high gear. Yet, there was one plot point that wasn’t resolved, and that with Victor. I won’t spoil it, but you’ll understand if you read this.
So, for a story published in 1991, the characters are still relatable, or hateable, depending on you point of view, but the world building is just so dated.
Hollywood actrice Eve Benedict, was jarenlang de grande dame van het witte doek. Tijdens haar carrière van bijna vijftig jaar heeft ze twee Oscars gewonnen. Ze is vier maal getrouwd geweest en heeft de nodige minnaars gehad. Nu is ze eindelijk bereid haar levensverhaal te vertellen. Julia Summers, een gerenommeerd journaliste wordt hiervoor gevraagd. Julia verhuist met zoontje Brandon naar Californië. Paul Winthrop is Eves stiefzoon en een gevierd schrijver. Julia’s komst zint hem niet en hij lijkt Eve en Julia koste wat kost te willen dwarsbomen. Mijn bespreking: https://alimolenaar.nl/stukjes/theate...
Senokai neskaičiau nieko iš šios autorės kūrybos. Po ilgos pertraukos pasirodė, kad pradžia daug žadanti, intriga nuo pirmų puslapių... kol neprisiminiau, kad dauguma Roberts knygų tokios. Toliau istorija tęsiama pildant nereikalingomis scenomis, trūksta loginių vietų (policija įėjo į namus be orderio?), o turčių ir išlepusių veikėjų gyvenimas niekada nebuvo tas apie kurį mėgstu skaityti. Tiesa, reikia pripažinti, kad tekstas sklandus, Evos charakteris gerai atidirbtas. Kūrinys geresnis nei kadaise skaityti autorės darbai. Bet visumoje tai knyga iš serijos - perskaičiau ir kitą dieną pamiršau.
Well, I did wake up till 5.17 AM to finish this book. I liked it.
I wanted to start writing biographies, one-fourth through the book. There were a dozen things I liked about the book, but the fact that I fell in love with Eve was the clincher. I was uninterested in the romance or the murder, but the biography shaping up in the book had all my intrigue. I hurt for the woman, I was amazed by her resilience and I hurt for the mother again.