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Scandalous
Max is a showbiz reporter whose life is a whirlwind of celebrity parties and gorgeous men; Lucy, a fashion writer, has always been the sensible one, taking care of her little sister and never seeking the limelight. But that all changes when she starts dating Hartley, Britain's most eligible bachelor. Though Hartley's ex-girlfriend is determined to get her man back and destroy Lucy in the process, she's horrified to see her private life splashed across the tabloids. Meanwhile Max, tired of non-stop partying, has finally met the perfect man, but Lucy is convinced that he is Mr Totally Wrong. Will Max be forced to choose between him and her sister? And can Lucy's relationship with Hartley survive the cruel intentions of his ex-girlfriend?
432 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 30, 2010
Meet Max and Lucy Summers – half-sisters and the best of friends. Max is a gorgeous showbiz reporter whose life is a whirlwind of celebrity parties, glamorous bars, juicy gossip and gorgeous men. Lucy, a beautiful, elegant fashion writer, has always been the sensible one, taking care of her little sister and never seeking the limelight. But that all changes when she falls for Hartley, Britain’s sexiest royal bachelor, and her lovelife is suddenly splashed across the front pages of the tabloids.
When Hartley’s ex-girlfriend starts scheming to get her man back, Lucy realizes that she’s up against more than just the paparazzi… Meanwhile Max, tired of the non-stop partying that her job entails, has finally met the perfect man but when she finds out who he really is, she realizes that they can’t be together. Can Max walk away from the love of her life? And will Lucy play the fame game in order to keep hers?
This is Martel Maxwell’s debut novel, and what a good one it is. Martel used to a journalist/showbiz reporter for The Sun, so I did wonder when I was reading this book how much of this is based on Martel’s real life experience with celebrities because some of the stuff that happens in the book is pretty outrageous and would be great if it was real! The cover of the book is pretty glam, with lovely bold pinks and purples that is sure to stand out on the shelf, and I think it’ll be a hit for people who like a real – not necessarily a bonk buster of a story – but something a little more gritty and celeb oriented that your usual chick lit.
The characters of Max and Lucy are really great, and very likeable. When you have a plot that focuses mainly of 2 women, they have to be likeable because obviously the main audience of this book is going to be women too, and if the characters aren’t right, the readers aren’t going to like them either. Luckily, I really did like Max. She’s a young showbiz columnist for a newspaper, and while she loves her job, she doesn’t like some of the stuff that goes with it. I enjoyed her journey throughout the book and think the way Maxwell has portrayed her is really good because she is such a likeable character, despite her slightly brash exterior when she’s in “job mode”.
Lucy, her sister, is nice but maybe a little too perfect for some. She never seemed to step a foot wrong throughout the whole book, and while that’s nice enough, I enjoyed Max a little more because she had her flaws and that made her seem a little more realistic. The blossoming relationship with Lucy and Hartley was well done throughout the book, and I loved the little chapters that appeared with Hartley’s evil ex, they added a little something extra to the book that I really enjoyed. It was the relationship between the pair that I found most fun to read though, and think that Maxwell has done a good job with her cast overall.
The setting for the book is London, but does flit around to other places at times too. I loved how Martel has drawn on her experiences as a journalist and this comes across in the book because of the confident way she writes about the job and Max as a character within her job. As I mentioned before, I’d love to know how many of these stories are based on things that have actually happened, and if any characters are based on real life celebs too! The showbiz parties that Max attends are great to imagine, yes some of it is quite strong with sexual references and drugs, but that is to be expected in a book like this, and didn’t feel out of place to me at all. Lots of designer labels were name dropped throughout the book which was quite relentless, but again seemed to be in-keeping with the rest of the book, even if I didn’t know half of them!
The writing is very easy to read, and again I think this is due to Martel’s journalism career.I found that the book moved along at a really good pace, chopping and changing between Max and Lucy at good points, and I felt it easy to keep up with both stories without a problem. For a debut novel, I think that this is really good and I think that Martel is going to have a successful career ahead of her. I loved the book, thought it was a really fun read that would be perfect to take on holiday with you, and I definitely recommend it!
When Hartley’s ex-girlfriend starts scheming to get her man back, Lucy realizes that she’s up against more than just the paparazzi… Meanwhile Max, tired of the non-stop partying that her job entails, has finally met the perfect man but when she finds out who he really is, she realizes that they can’t be together. Can Max walk away from the love of her life? And will Lucy play the fame game in order to keep hers?
This is Martel Maxwell’s debut novel, and what a good one it is. Martel used to a journalist/showbiz reporter for The Sun, so I did wonder when I was reading this book how much of this is based on Martel’s real life experience with celebrities because some of the stuff that happens in the book is pretty outrageous and would be great if it was real! The cover of the book is pretty glam, with lovely bold pinks and purples that is sure to stand out on the shelf, and I think it’ll be a hit for people who like a real – not necessarily a bonk buster of a story – but something a little more gritty and celeb oriented that your usual chick lit.
The characters of Max and Lucy are really great, and very likeable. When you have a plot that focuses mainly of 2 women, they have to be likeable because obviously the main audience of this book is going to be women too, and if the characters aren’t right, the readers aren’t going to like them either. Luckily, I really did like Max. She’s a young showbiz columnist for a newspaper, and while she loves her job, she doesn’t like some of the stuff that goes with it. I enjoyed her journey throughout the book and think the way Maxwell has portrayed her is really good because she is such a likeable character, despite her slightly brash exterior when she’s in “job mode”.
Lucy, her sister, is nice but maybe a little too perfect for some. She never seemed to step a foot wrong throughout the whole book, and while that’s nice enough, I enjoyed Max a little more because she had her flaws and that made her seem a little more realistic. The blossoming relationship with Lucy and Hartley was well done throughout the book, and I loved the little chapters that appeared with Hartley’s evil ex, they added a little something extra to the book that I really enjoyed. It was the relationship between the pair that I found most fun to read though, and think that Maxwell has done a good job with her cast overall.
The setting for the book is London, but does flit around to other places at times too. I loved how Martel has drawn on her experiences as a journalist and this comes across in the book because of the confident way she writes about the job and Max as a character within her job. As I mentioned before, I’d love to know how many of these stories are based on things that have actually happened, and if any characters are based on real life celebs too! The showbiz parties that Max attends are great to imagine, yes some of it is quite strong with sexual references and drugs, but that is to be expected in a book like this, and didn’t feel out of place to me at all. Lots of designer labels were name dropped throughout the book which was quite relentless, but again seemed to be in-keeping with the rest of the book, even if I didn’t know half of them!
The writing is very easy to read, and again I think this is due to Martel’s journalism career.I found that the book moved along at a really good pace, chopping and changing between Max and Lucy at good points, and I felt it easy to keep up with both stories without a problem. For a debut novel, I think that this is really good and I think that Martel is going to have a successful career ahead of her. I loved the book, thought it was a really fun read that would be perfect to take on holiday with you, and I definitely recommend it!
February 21, 2013
Read it on a plane, thought it was vapid and superficial. The first chapter (in fact most of it) seemed to be a detailed description of what brands the title character was wearing... And maybe that's how some people get a good read of new folk, but not me... The clothes do not make the man. Any how this book contains the most feeble put down in the history of chic lit. This book made me wish I had a penis... Just so I wouldn't be associated with it.
November 17, 2013
Loved this book. I have also had the complete privilege of meeting Martel herself.
I loved the way this book spoke me to me as a young media student, I enjoyed laughing, feeling and going through the motions with the other characters. I fell in love with Hartley, I want to party with Max and I want to have wine with Lucy. These are the kind of characters that you can relate to.
Think Made in Chelsea meets Glasgow's finest. It's an absolute brilliant story of two sisters and the scandals that go on in the media business. Max, a fiery party girl, is a kick ass reporter who will stop at nothing to get her story is a character I think that almost anyone can relate too as she is head strong and knows what she wants. Lucy is a gentle, naïve character who is classy yet has a strong back bone, another sister who knows what she wants.
Hartley is one of the characters that everyone want's in their story. A gentleman yet a lover, someone who has passion in his heart and compassion in his eyes. He is without a doubt one of the best written male characters.
Bridget, Kirk, Luke and Shagger Sherri are all characters you will grow to hate or love but this book certainly has a lot to offer I found it to be a real page turner. I also thought that the sex scenes were tasteful, the situations were realistic and the way the fabulous Martel has written it makes it seem all the more closer to home. It's believable.
Chick-Flic/romance book which I recommend to anyone who is looking for a good read.
I loved the way this book spoke me to me as a young media student, I enjoyed laughing, feeling and going through the motions with the other characters. I fell in love with Hartley, I want to party with Max and I want to have wine with Lucy. These are the kind of characters that you can relate to.
Think Made in Chelsea meets Glasgow's finest. It's an absolute brilliant story of two sisters and the scandals that go on in the media business. Max, a fiery party girl, is a kick ass reporter who will stop at nothing to get her story is a character I think that almost anyone can relate too as she is head strong and knows what she wants. Lucy is a gentle, naïve character who is classy yet has a strong back bone, another sister who knows what she wants.
Hartley is one of the characters that everyone want's in their story. A gentleman yet a lover, someone who has passion in his heart and compassion in his eyes. He is without a doubt one of the best written male characters.
Bridget, Kirk, Luke and Shagger Sherri are all characters you will grow to hate or love but this book certainly has a lot to offer I found it to be a real page turner. I also thought that the sex scenes were tasteful, the situations were realistic and the way the fabulous Martel has written it makes it seem all the more closer to home. It's believable.
Chick-Flic/romance book which I recommend to anyone who is looking for a good read.
September 5, 2015
Review - I did really like this book, but I felt that Maxwell didn't really look into the relationship side, but focused more on the break-up and the mooching around phase. I really do love novels which explore the celebrity life, and this doesn't disappoint in that aspect. I think that the book could have benefitted more from an exploration of Lucy and Hartley's relationship once they got back together, as well as looking at the difficulties of getting into the relationship. A possible second book, maybe? Saying that, I did really love the exploration of Max's life as she tackles the celebrity life and journalism.
Genre? - Chic Lit / Romance
Characters? - Lucy Summers / Max Summers / Hartley
Setting? - London (England)
Series? - N/A
Recommend? - Maybe
Rating - 14/20
Genre? - Chic Lit / Romance
Characters? - Lucy Summers / Max Summers / Hartley
Setting? - London (England)
Series? - N/A
Recommend? - Maybe
Rating - 14/20
April 22, 2013
A pretty good piece of chick lit as it had a lot of authentic touches which many other books in this genre sadly lack (won't name and shame them here). I'll look out for another book by Maxwell especially as a beach read.
May 17, 2015
The predictability of this book can be measured by typing the title 'Scandalous' into the good reads search engine and finding hundreds of 'this type' with the same name. It's an okay read if you want something light and easy that doesn't test your brain in the slightest.
August 30, 2015
gossip,clothes and boys - whats not to like? ;P
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews