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Crown Jewel
Ricky Lam had it all -- a thriving film career, the adoration of countless fans, incredible wealth, and a cocaine and alcohol problem that was about to destroy him. Luckily, he also had a business manager -- his straight-arrow older brother Philip -- who strong-armed him into an addiction clinic.
But not even the passage of fifteen years, Ricky's rehabilitation, and undreamed-of worldly success for both men can mend the rift that erupted between the brothers during those dark days. Now all that remains is a business relationship, although Ricky yearns for more.
When tragedy strikes, erasing Ricky's dreams of winning Philip's forgiveness, Ricky resets his priorities. He turns his back on Hollywood, invites his two illegitimate sons into his life, hoping to become a real father to them, and dedicates himself to his brother's dream -- the construction of a unique resort in South Carolina called the Crown Jewel. But when Ricky steps into his brother's shoes he encounters unsettling surprises and contradictions, as well as an amazing woman, his sister-in-law Roxy Lam, who leads him to the mystery at the center of his brother's life and into a love affair far richer and more challenging than any he has experienced before.
As Ricky attempts to discover the brother he loved but never truly knew, he must settle a grave injustice committed decades ago, even if it means risking his fame, his fortune, and his life.
But not even the passage of fifteen years, Ricky's rehabilitation, and undreamed-of worldly success for both men can mend the rift that erupted between the brothers during those dark days. Now all that remains is a business relationship, although Ricky yearns for more.
When tragedy strikes, erasing Ricky's dreams of winning Philip's forgiveness, Ricky resets his priorities. He turns his back on Hollywood, invites his two illegitimate sons into his life, hoping to become a real father to them, and dedicates himself to his brother's dream -- the construction of a unique resort in South Carolina called the Crown Jewel. But when Ricky steps into his brother's shoes he encounters unsettling surprises and contradictions, as well as an amazing woman, his sister-in-law Roxy Lam, who leads him to the mystery at the center of his brother's life and into a love affair far richer and more challenging than any he has experienced before.
As Ricky attempts to discover the brother he loved but never truly knew, he must settle a grave injustice committed decades ago, even if it means risking his fame, his fortune, and his life.
312 pages, Hardcover
First published December 30, 2003
94 people are currently reading
885 people want to read
About the author
Fern Michaels
427 books6,541 followersFern Michaels isn’t a person. I’m not sure she’s an entity either since an entity is something with separate existence. Fern Michaels® is what I DO. Me, Mary Ruth Kuczkir. Growing up in Hastings, Pennsylvania, I was called Ruth. I became Mary when I entered the business world where first names were the order of the day. To this day, family and friends call me Dink, a name my father gave me when I was born because according to him I was ‘a dinky little thing’ weighing in at four and a half pounds. However, I answer to Fern since people are more comfortable with a name they can pronounce.
As they say, the past is prologue. I grew up, got a job, got married, had five kids. When my youngest went off to Kindergarten, my husband told me to get off my ass and get a job. Those were his exact words. I didn’t know how to do anything except be a wife and mother. I was also a voracious reader having cut my teeth on The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames and the like. The library was a magical place for me. It still is to this day. Rather than face the outside world with no skills, I decided to write a book. For some reason that didn’t intimidate me. As my husband said at the time, stupid is as stupid does. Guess what, I don’t have that husband any more. Guess what else! I wrote 99 books, most of them New York Times Best Sellers.
Moving right along here . . . Several years ago I left Ballantine Books, parted company with my agent, sold my house in New Jersey that I had lived in all my married life and in 1993 moved to South Carolina. I figured if I was going to go through trauma let it be all at one time. It was a breeze. The kids were all on their own at that point. The dump was a 300 year old plantation house that is listed in the National Registry that I remodeled. Today it is beyond belief as are the gardens and the equally old Angel Oaks that drip Spanish moss. Unfortunately, I could not get my ghost to relocate. This ghost has been documented by previous owners. Mary Margaret as we call her, is “a friendly”. She is also mischievous. It took me two weeks to figure out that she didn’t like my coffee cups. They would slide off the table or counter or else they’d break in the dishwasher. I bought red checkered ones. All are intact as of this writing. She moves pillows from one room to the other and she stops all the clocks in the house at 9:10 in the a.m. at least once a week. When the Azaleas are in bloom, and only then, I find blooms on my night stand. I have this glorious front porch and during the warm months I see my swing moving early in the morning when the air is still and again late in the day. She doesn’t spook the dogs. I always know when she’s around because the five of them line up and look like they’re at a tennis match. As of this writing we’re co-habiting nicely.
Most writers love what they do and I’m no exception. I love it when I get a germ of an idea and get it down on paper. I love breathing life into my characters. I love writing about women who persevere and prevail because that’s what I had to do to get to this point in time. It’s another way of saying it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what matters is where you’re going and how you get there. The day I finally prevailed was the day I was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame. For me it was an awesome day and there are no words to describe it.
I’ve been telling stories and scribbling for 37 years. I hope I can continue for another 37 years. It wasn’t easy during some of those years. As I said, I had to persevere. My old Polish grandmother said something to me when I was little that I never forgot. She said when God is good to you, you have to give back. For a while I didn’t know how to do that. When I finally figured it out I set up The Fern Michaels® Foundation.
READ FERN MICHAELS' FULL BIOGRAPHY HERE: http://www.fernmichaels.com/biography/
As they say, the past is prologue. I grew up, got a job, got married, had five kids. When my youngest went off to Kindergarten, my husband told me to get off my ass and get a job. Those were his exact words. I didn’t know how to do anything except be a wife and mother. I was also a voracious reader having cut my teeth on The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Cherry Ames and the like. The library was a magical place for me. It still is to this day. Rather than face the outside world with no skills, I decided to write a book. For some reason that didn’t intimidate me. As my husband said at the time, stupid is as stupid does. Guess what, I don’t have that husband any more. Guess what else! I wrote 99 books, most of them New York Times Best Sellers.
Moving right along here . . . Several years ago I left Ballantine Books, parted company with my agent, sold my house in New Jersey that I had lived in all my married life and in 1993 moved to South Carolina. I figured if I was going to go through trauma let it be all at one time. It was a breeze. The kids were all on their own at that point. The dump was a 300 year old plantation house that is listed in the National Registry that I remodeled. Today it is beyond belief as are the gardens and the equally old Angel Oaks that drip Spanish moss. Unfortunately, I could not get my ghost to relocate. This ghost has been documented by previous owners. Mary Margaret as we call her, is “a friendly”. She is also mischievous. It took me two weeks to figure out that she didn’t like my coffee cups. They would slide off the table or counter or else they’d break in the dishwasher. I bought red checkered ones. All are intact as of this writing. She moves pillows from one room to the other and she stops all the clocks in the house at 9:10 in the a.m. at least once a week. When the Azaleas are in bloom, and only then, I find blooms on my night stand. I have this glorious front porch and during the warm months I see my swing moving early in the morning when the air is still and again late in the day. She doesn’t spook the dogs. I always know when she’s around because the five of them line up and look like they’re at a tennis match. As of this writing we’re co-habiting nicely.
Most writers love what they do and I’m no exception. I love it when I get a germ of an idea and get it down on paper. I love breathing life into my characters. I love writing about women who persevere and prevail because that’s what I had to do to get to this point in time. It’s another way of saying it doesn’t matter where you’ve been, what matters is where you’re going and how you get there. The day I finally prevailed was the day I was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame. For me it was an awesome day and there are no words to describe it.
I’ve been telling stories and scribbling for 37 years. I hope I can continue for another 37 years. It wasn’t easy during some of those years. As I said, I had to persevere. My old Polish grandmother said something to me when I was little that I never forgot. She said when God is good to you, you have to give back. For a while I didn’t know how to do that. When I finally figured it out I set up The Fern Michaels® Foundation.
READ FERN MICHAELS' FULL BIOGRAPHY HERE: http://www.fernmichaels.com/biography/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
March 31, 2011
Crown Jewel was my first Fern Michaels book and it will also be my last. The story was very intriguing, but the writing style killed it. The dialogue sounded like nothing I've heard before, but not in a good way. Steamy sex scenes couldn't save this book as there weren't any. The ending was rushed and saccharine sweet. Michaels is so popular, so I was expecting a passable piece of literature. I was disappointed.
February 6, 2012
I have a knack for encountering romance that features rich people getting what they want and getting better and better at life. They fall in love and everything is perfect in their little universe. The story sounds too good to be true, even too good for rich people. Rockstars, millionaires, resorts, love affair??? Too good to be true, almost bordering a high degree of unrealistic circumstances and shallow conditions.
This is a book that makes me sick and abhor all rich people on Earth. They can get anything with the snap of their fingers. Anyway. The locations were good and described. There was character development, but I usually thought the lot of them as cocky and talking just how money had breed them to.
There wasn't anything remarkable in this story, other than the luxuries the protagonists were accustomed to every day. The love affair between Ricky and Roxy was outrageous. Seriously, brother and sister-in-law? After Ricky's brother and Roxy's husband died? Even I would find that a bit fishy and unfair.
Ricky is trying to fulfill Phillip's dream of building a resort because of a guilty conscience and thinks that this way, he might get to know his brother better, to make up for the time they lost. That is a guilty conscience to me. And whatever is Roxy thinking when she starts this love affair with her brother-in-law. Well, so much for a romantic story.
The fortunate circumstances of this story are too good and too fast to be true. Every endeavor the characters set their mind on was accomplished smoothly. Nothing on the way. All the characters had a happy ending (which is desirable in any story), but then again, they got their way almost throughout the entire story.
I'm just saying that things could've been better.
This is a book that makes me sick and abhor all rich people on Earth. They can get anything with the snap of their fingers. Anyway. The locations were good and described. There was character development, but I usually thought the lot of them as cocky and talking just how money had breed them to.
There wasn't anything remarkable in this story, other than the luxuries the protagonists were accustomed to every day. The love affair between Ricky and Roxy was outrageous. Seriously, brother and sister-in-law? After Ricky's brother and Roxy's husband died? Even I would find that a bit fishy and unfair.
Ricky is trying to fulfill Phillip's dream of building a resort because of a guilty conscience and thinks that this way, he might get to know his brother better, to make up for the time they lost. That is a guilty conscience to me. And whatever is Roxy thinking when she starts this love affair with her brother-in-law. Well, so much for a romantic story.
The fortunate circumstances of this story are too good and too fast to be true. Every endeavor the characters set their mind on was accomplished smoothly. Nothing on the way. All the characters had a happy ending (which is desirable in any story), but then again, they got their way almost throughout the entire story.
I'm just saying that things could've been better.
August 1, 2011
This was simply one of those romance novels where everything is too good to be true. It was hard to even think of it in any way, shape or form of being realistic. I think that is why I don't like to read romance novels that much......because they can be so extremely unrealistic and annoying. The characters were okay and the locations were nice.......it was just such a stretch to find anything to believe in. It all came too easy for the characters and WAY too fast.
December 28, 2014
One of the better Fern Michaels novels that I've read in a while. Really enjoyed the twists, turns and mysteries presented and solved in this story of two brothers. 8 out of 10 for me.
May 21, 2022
I liked this book. It's was one of those that u get into the characters right away. Also has a little mystery twist to it.
December 19, 2019
What does Ricky, a super successful actor, know about his older brother Philip, his manager? As it turns out....NOTHING! After the tragic death of Philip, Ricky, along with the reluctant help of Roxy (Philip's ex), finds out a number of shocking things about Philip. Turns out Philip had a lot of secrets
There was a lot of run on sentences, it got really annoying and could really use some serious editing. I found some of the dialogue to be ridiculous and completely unbelievable. Like really, Ricky's 2 sons are totally on board with helping him run his luxury resort with minimal fuss and issues after Ricky just seemed to waltz right into their lives like 18 years later. Everything seems to fall perfectly in place for Ricky, and of course naturally you have to toss in some wronged ex that happens to slowly fall in love with him, eager and intelligent sons, and finding what Philip had been searching for for a long time.
Everything was sugar coated and super sweet. Honestly, I would give this book a pass. Nothing really worthwhile to read or remember.
There was a lot of run on sentences, it got really annoying and could really use some serious editing. I found some of the dialogue to be ridiculous and completely unbelievable. Like really, Ricky's 2 sons are totally on board with helping him run his luxury resort with minimal fuss and issues after Ricky just seemed to waltz right into their lives like 18 years later. Everything seems to fall perfectly in place for Ricky, and of course naturally you have to toss in some wronged ex that happens to slowly fall in love with him, eager and intelligent sons, and finding what Philip had been searching for for a long time.
Everything was sugar coated and super sweet. Honestly, I would give this book a pass. Nothing really worthwhile to read or remember.
February 11, 2019
The dialog was really bad. I read it because I was super bored.
January 3, 2021
Interesting enough that I kept reading in almost one sitting. I kept thinking it was going to turn dark but it never did.
Good beach reading material.
Good beach reading material.
July 28, 2022
This is my first time reading a book by this author. Fern Michaels exceeded my expectations. Each of the key characters in the novel had very distinct character profiles; and their individual personalities contributed in a big way to the story. The intrigue for me was played out in the novel by the fact, the entire story centered around the death of a key character who actually died in the first chapter. I always look for "the lesson" in any book I read, whether fiction or non-fiction. The lesson from Crown Jewel was having seeing how others gained a greater appreciation for the character who passed than they had when he was living. My second lesson was being careful to reacting to someone's emotions and behaviors without really knowing the individual. That was what was depicted in this great novel. A well written plot, an excellent selection of the venues chosen to give the reader a front row seat in feeling as though you were there with them during the experience. I also enjoyed the wide array of characters - from the very humble servant type to the brash, in your face personalities. Well done, Ms. Michaels. Now my challenge is to decide whether to get started on another Grisham novel, or my second Fern Michaels publication. Hmmmm
February 2, 2016
Starts off really slow, but the plot gains strength and is well worth reading. Enjoyed every minute.
Read
January 5, 2017Phillip Lam was older than Ricky by two years. He insisted that his brother, Ricky, enroll in a rehab program and get himself sobered up or he was through being his agent in Hollywood. He had invested movie star, Ricky's, money wisely and purchased property and built resorts. Ricky went into rehab and it was 15 years before he had another drink.
He and his best friend and stuntman, Ted Lyman, decided to tie one on since their shoot the next morning had been cancelled. Ricky was going to go to one of the resorts in Antigua after the shoot had finished for the movie he was starring in. Ted called the next morning and told him that the shoot had been reinstated and they were late. He stopped by to pick up Ricky. When they arrived on the lot, they found out that there had been an accident with the car that they had just repaired in order to complete the shoot and his brother, Phillip, was dead. Ricky swore never to have another drink.
Phillip's lawyer insisted Ricky attend the reading of the will. Ricky didn't know why since after the rehab stint 15 years previous, he and his brother hadn't re-established their once close relationship. Ricky was surprised that everything was left to him. He thought his brother would leave everything to his wife and stepdaughter. It turned out that he didn't like his wife and found out that she had altered his life insurance policies making her the beneficiary. Phillip never told her that he knew. She found out after his death from his attorney. Phillip also left a considerable sum to Ricky's two sons who where born to different mothers just 3 months apart back when he was drinking and on drugs in his younger days. They were both results of one-night stands. He had not seen the boys in almost 20 years. Tyler had been a screw up much like Ricky had been in his younger days. Max could have been the poster boy for good behavior. They were 23 now and college graduates.
Ricky decided to quit acting and concentrate on the businesses that Phillip had bought with his money. One of those was called The Crown Jewel and it was off the Carolina coast. He summoned the boys and offered them jobs working for him. They both decided to give it a try, temporarily. Six months later they were still working for him.
He flew to Antigua and the service there was awful. He went through the offices there and found out that Roxy, Phillip's ex-wife, was who ran the resorts. Ricky called and offered her the job back for significantly more money that Phillip had paid her. Ricky found out that although Phillip and Roxy were married, he had never had sex with her. It didn't seem that she was treated well or even fairly. Ricky was determined to find out what his brother was really like. He asked Roxy where Phillip kept all his records and personal belongings. She told him that they were locked up in a room at their house. Ricky asked Roxy out on a date and they ended up spending the night together. In the morning, Ricky overheard her telling someone that he was headed home to go through Phillip's office. Ricky was worried. He wasn't certain by now that he knew his brother at all. Roxy told him that Phillip had been jealous of Ricky and didn't really like him all that much. He heard the same story from Phillip's attorney. Ricky was getting more and more curious about Phillp.
His boys both accepted positions with the resorts in Antigua. They enjoyed their jobs and began to accept Ricky as their father as they got to know him and grew closer. Roxy and him grew closer too and they finally agreed to get married once the Crown Jewel resort was finished.
Ricky went back to Phillip and Roxy's house. His boys decided to put a stop to the story being written about Ricky. They called Dicky Tee who was supposed to be writing the story up and asked him to meet him at a club in downtown LA. He didn't know about the boys and they decided they were going to make themselves known in order to spoil the expose' on their father. There was a fight and they were taken to jail along with another reporter, Grace Lick, and her brother who worked at the bar. Rick bailed them all out and found out that Grace and her brother were working to support their younger sister. Ricky told her that they could all live in the guest house and take care of his house if they wanted to and they accepted.
Rick found out by looking into Phillip's files that he was adopted. He then found out that he had a wife and three daughters. Rick went and found his wife and daughters. He was surprised to find out that he had only had sex with his wife three times and the result was the three girls. He had wanted a son and gave up after the third girl and didn't see his wife or the girls again. He asked Gracie for help and found out that he had been trying to find his real parents. He also found out that he had kept his parents house and still lived there. That was Phillip's place. Phillip had cleaned out Ricky's bedroom down to removing even the carpet. He had fixed up his own room to be exactly has Ricky's had been. He had removed all pictures of Ricky in the house and kept all of Ricky's school papers and records. He had lived in the house as if he were Ricky but Ricky himself didn't exist. It was strange and obvious that he was living as if he himself were living Ricky's life and Ricky didn't exist. Ricky found a key to a safe deposit box while he was there. The box had a persons name in it and Ricky thought it might be the name of Phillips father. Turned out it was...
With Gracie's help, he found out that an email had been sent and a reply was received by someone's son who had worked at the adoption agency. Ricky went to see him and found the name and social security number of Phillip's birth mother. They went to see her and asked her about Phillip. She denied it but they knew the truth. She was married to a very wealthy financier. She was worried about what he would think but he was 25 years older than her. She received a phone call later that day from his car driver that he was taking him to the hospital. He died late that night.
Lorraine called Ricky the next day and told him she needed to talk to him. She told him after the funeral that she had come to LA to be an actress. She was 14 and worked as a waitress when she met Phillip's father. He and three of his friends were trying to sleep with 10 virgins each and it was a game to them. He had gotten her pregnant and then told her if she tried to claim him as the father that he would have his friends say that they had each slept with her for $2 each. She went to a counselor who told her to put the baby up for adoption but she couldn't do it. She tried to keep the baby but both she and the baby got sick. She called the baby's father when to get help for the baby she called Caleb. He showed up and took the baby with him and told her he would take care of it. She followed him and saw him put the baby in a dumpster and close the lid. Lorriane took the baby out and put him up for adoption.
The baby's father turned out to be the Vice President of the United States. It was rumored that he would soon be running for President. Lorraine called a left a message for him that he never returned. Ricky called him a left a message also. He didn't return any of them. He took Lorraine to meet Phillip's wife and daughters. They got along famously. She was overjoyed to have a family now with her husband gone. Ricky was worried about them so he flew them all to his resort in Antigua. Gracie found the three friends of the VP and let them know that she had found out about the 10 virgin pact that they had made in college. They all decided to leave the country for extended vacations. The VP finally got the message when he called his friends and couldn't get hold of them. Gracie also flew to Antigua. Max had fallen for her by then.
The VP had called Ricky and he told him that they would have to speak about the matter in person. He had already had a script written to make a movie about his brother. He was going to star in the movie. The VP had to fly to Antigua to talk to Ricky because Ricky arranged it that way. He didn't want any accidents to happen. He told the VP that he had to resign his position and that no amount of money would stop it from happening. The VP was cocky and thought he could buy his way out of this predicament.
One of the security guards tried to shoot Gracie and Ricky got in the way and was shot. They took him to the hospital. They boys had decided by this time to call him Dad. Tyler had asked a girl named Donna to marry him. Ricky's stuntman was also getting married as well as Ricky himself. He survived the gunshot and got married at the opening of The Crown Jewel. Max and Gracie became engaged.
A few years later, Ricky got an Oscar for Best Actor for the movie about his brother. Both of his children had children of their own. The VP had resigned his political position.
He and his best friend and stuntman, Ted Lyman, decided to tie one on since their shoot the next morning had been cancelled. Ricky was going to go to one of the resorts in Antigua after the shoot had finished for the movie he was starring in. Ted called the next morning and told him that the shoot had been reinstated and they were late. He stopped by to pick up Ricky. When they arrived on the lot, they found out that there had been an accident with the car that they had just repaired in order to complete the shoot and his brother, Phillip, was dead. Ricky swore never to have another drink.
Phillip's lawyer insisted Ricky attend the reading of the will. Ricky didn't know why since after the rehab stint 15 years previous, he and his brother hadn't re-established their once close relationship. Ricky was surprised that everything was left to him. He thought his brother would leave everything to his wife and stepdaughter. It turned out that he didn't like his wife and found out that she had altered his life insurance policies making her the beneficiary. Phillip never told her that he knew. She found out after his death from his attorney. Phillip also left a considerable sum to Ricky's two sons who where born to different mothers just 3 months apart back when he was drinking and on drugs in his younger days. They were both results of one-night stands. He had not seen the boys in almost 20 years. Tyler had been a screw up much like Ricky had been in his younger days. Max could have been the poster boy for good behavior. They were 23 now and college graduates.
Ricky decided to quit acting and concentrate on the businesses that Phillip had bought with his money. One of those was called The Crown Jewel and it was off the Carolina coast. He summoned the boys and offered them jobs working for him. They both decided to give it a try, temporarily. Six months later they were still working for him.
He flew to Antigua and the service there was awful. He went through the offices there and found out that Roxy, Phillip's ex-wife, was who ran the resorts. Ricky called and offered her the job back for significantly more money that Phillip had paid her. Ricky found out that although Phillip and Roxy were married, he had never had sex with her. It didn't seem that she was treated well or even fairly. Ricky was determined to find out what his brother was really like. He asked Roxy where Phillip kept all his records and personal belongings. She told him that they were locked up in a room at their house. Ricky asked Roxy out on a date and they ended up spending the night together. In the morning, Ricky overheard her telling someone that he was headed home to go through Phillip's office. Ricky was worried. He wasn't certain by now that he knew his brother at all. Roxy told him that Phillip had been jealous of Ricky and didn't really like him all that much. He heard the same story from Phillip's attorney. Ricky was getting more and more curious about Phillp.
His boys both accepted positions with the resorts in Antigua. They enjoyed their jobs and began to accept Ricky as their father as they got to know him and grew closer. Roxy and him grew closer too and they finally agreed to get married once the Crown Jewel resort was finished.
Ricky went back to Phillip and Roxy's house. His boys decided to put a stop to the story being written about Ricky. They called Dicky Tee who was supposed to be writing the story up and asked him to meet him at a club in downtown LA. He didn't know about the boys and they decided they were going to make themselves known in order to spoil the expose' on their father. There was a fight and they were taken to jail along with another reporter, Grace Lick, and her brother who worked at the bar. Rick bailed them all out and found out that Grace and her brother were working to support their younger sister. Ricky told her that they could all live in the guest house and take care of his house if they wanted to and they accepted.
Rick found out by looking into Phillip's files that he was adopted. He then found out that he had a wife and three daughters. Rick went and found his wife and daughters. He was surprised to find out that he had only had sex with his wife three times and the result was the three girls. He had wanted a son and gave up after the third girl and didn't see his wife or the girls again. He asked Gracie for help and found out that he had been trying to find his real parents. He also found out that he had kept his parents house and still lived there. That was Phillip's place. Phillip had cleaned out Ricky's bedroom down to removing even the carpet. He had fixed up his own room to be exactly has Ricky's had been. He had removed all pictures of Ricky in the house and kept all of Ricky's school papers and records. He had lived in the house as if he were Ricky but Ricky himself didn't exist. It was strange and obvious that he was living as if he himself were living Ricky's life and Ricky didn't exist. Ricky found a key to a safe deposit box while he was there. The box had a persons name in it and Ricky thought it might be the name of Phillips father. Turned out it was...
With Gracie's help, he found out that an email had been sent and a reply was received by someone's son who had worked at the adoption agency. Ricky went to see him and found the name and social security number of Phillip's birth mother. They went to see her and asked her about Phillip. She denied it but they knew the truth. She was married to a very wealthy financier. She was worried about what he would think but he was 25 years older than her. She received a phone call later that day from his car driver that he was taking him to the hospital. He died late that night.
Lorraine called Ricky the next day and told him she needed to talk to him. She told him after the funeral that she had come to LA to be an actress. She was 14 and worked as a waitress when she met Phillip's father. He and three of his friends were trying to sleep with 10 virgins each and it was a game to them. He had gotten her pregnant and then told her if she tried to claim him as the father that he would have his friends say that they had each slept with her for $2 each. She went to a counselor who told her to put the baby up for adoption but she couldn't do it. She tried to keep the baby but both she and the baby got sick. She called the baby's father when to get help for the baby she called Caleb. He showed up and took the baby with him and told her he would take care of it. She followed him and saw him put the baby in a dumpster and close the lid. Lorriane took the baby out and put him up for adoption.
The baby's father turned out to be the Vice President of the United States. It was rumored that he would soon be running for President. Lorraine called a left a message for him that he never returned. Ricky called him a left a message also. He didn't return any of them. He took Lorraine to meet Phillip's wife and daughters. They got along famously. She was overjoyed to have a family now with her husband gone. Ricky was worried about them so he flew them all to his resort in Antigua. Gracie found the three friends of the VP and let them know that she had found out about the 10 virgin pact that they had made in college. They all decided to leave the country for extended vacations. The VP finally got the message when he called his friends and couldn't get hold of them. Gracie also flew to Antigua. Max had fallen for her by then.
The VP had called Ricky and he told him that they would have to speak about the matter in person. He had already had a script written to make a movie about his brother. He was going to star in the movie. The VP had to fly to Antigua to talk to Ricky because Ricky arranged it that way. He didn't want any accidents to happen. He told the VP that he had to resign his position and that no amount of money would stop it from happening. The VP was cocky and thought he could buy his way out of this predicament.
One of the security guards tried to shoot Gracie and Ricky got in the way and was shot. They took him to the hospital. They boys had decided by this time to call him Dad. Tyler had asked a girl named Donna to marry him. Ricky's stuntman was also getting married as well as Ricky himself. He survived the gunshot and got married at the opening of The Crown Jewel. Max and Gracie became engaged.
A few years later, Ricky got an Oscar for Best Actor for the movie about his brother. Both of his children had children of their own. The VP had resigned his political position.
December 29, 2025
It's objectively okay, but it was just really bland to me. I continued reading this because I'm home for break and am bored. Apparently she was a renowned writer, but if this book is at all indicative of the quality of her other books, then I'm a bit confused. The .5 stars is because I asked my partner to pick it out for me, so it's a little sentimental. Also, I enjoyed Gracie Lick's character -- I wish the book just focused on her.
I got this book as a blind date book, so I went in only knowing what the tag said, describing this book as a passionate and mysterious romance. However, there is very little attention given to any romance despite there being three rushed relationships in the book. It makes me think that this shouldn't even count as a romance, ngl.
Being so long and so plot-heavy, you would think that there would be a hearth of complex, meaningful subplots about grief and fatherhood. However, the conflict, reveals and solutions are too good to be true -- to the point that it's difficult to suspend my belief. When boiled down, nearly every conflict is neatly solved with Ricky or some other rich person throwing money into a pot and then a long paragraph about how rich yet down to earth they are. So many things happen in this book: However, even though I just finished the book, nothing is emotionally standing out to me -- I just feel like I read a bland blur.
It was really frustrating, and the whole book, with nearly every character being so affluent, came off as the author's fantasy about wealth and what it could get someone.
I know I shouldn't judge the book based on modern standards, but another thing that annoyed me about the book was that all of the women characters felt like a manifestation of the author's internalized misogyny or at least her sexist view of women. Fern Michaels can't go a single female-led chapter without writing about how that female character's body qualifies her value; for example, there is a lot of "if only she were skinnier/ if only she weren't so chubby/ if only her breasts weren't so huge" commentary imposed by the omniscient narrator upon female characters that we don't see with male characters.
I got this book as a blind date book, so I went in only knowing what the tag said, describing this book as a passionate and mysterious romance. However, there is very little attention given to any romance despite there being three rushed relationships in the book. It makes me think that this shouldn't even count as a romance, ngl.
Being so long and so plot-heavy, you would think that there would be a hearth of complex, meaningful subplots about grief and fatherhood. However, the conflict, reveals and solutions are too good to be true -- to the point that it's difficult to suspend my belief. When boiled down, nearly every conflict is neatly solved with Ricky or some other rich person throwing money into a pot and then a long paragraph about how rich yet down to earth they are. So many things happen in this book: However, even though I just finished the book, nothing is emotionally standing out to me -- I just feel like I read a bland blur.
It was really frustrating, and the whole book, with nearly every character being so affluent, came off as the author's fantasy about wealth and what it could get someone.
I know I shouldn't judge the book based on modern standards, but another thing that annoyed me about the book was that all of the women characters felt like a manifestation of the author's internalized misogyny or at least her sexist view of women. Fern Michaels can't go a single female-led chapter without writing about how that female character's body qualifies her value; for example, there is a lot of "if only she were skinnier/ if only she weren't so chubby/ if only her breasts weren't so huge" commentary imposed by the omniscient narrator upon female characters that we don't see with male characters.
December 29, 2024
This book was so incomplete and unbearable. Basically everybody is horrible in this book but they all fall in love in a month. The brother is a bigamist, but his 1st wife and Roxy didn't care. Phil was a horrible father but nobody .Characters were underdeveloped. Things weren't ever cleared up. Like, who was Roxy talking to after the 1st time she and Ricky had sex? Why did Phil's 1st wife not care that Phil wasn't a good father? Why did Phil design the kitchen to look like his mom's kitchen? And I'm sorry but I understand if your adopted wanting to find out where you came from. But isn't that a slap in the face to the parents that raised you? To go and have your birth name and birth certificate changed to your biological family that had nothing to do with you? Sorry, but this book bothered me. I
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2023
Crown Jewel, by Fern Michaels is an emotionally charged novel about two very different brothers.
Adored by millions, Ricky Lam also has a dark side. When tragedy strikes he quickly finds that he truly doesn't know his older brother, Philip, the one who has smoothed Ricky's path and seamlessly handled the complex business side of Ricky's multi-million-dollar career. Years later when Ricky attempts to complete Philip's dream, a unique resort called The Crown Jewel, he encounters unexpected surprises and feels compelled to right a tragic injustice, even if it means risking his life.
Enjoy this fast-paced love story/mystery which exposes that very dark side of power, and gives us a glimpse of how the ultra wealthy live. Gwendolyn Broadmore, author, Life Came to a Standstill
Adored by millions, Ricky Lam also has a dark side. When tragedy strikes he quickly finds that he truly doesn't know his older brother, Philip, the one who has smoothed Ricky's path and seamlessly handled the complex business side of Ricky's multi-million-dollar career. Years later when Ricky attempts to complete Philip's dream, a unique resort called The Crown Jewel, he encounters unexpected surprises and feels compelled to right a tragic injustice, even if it means risking his life.
Enjoy this fast-paced love story/mystery which exposes that very dark side of power, and gives us a glimpse of how the ultra wealthy live. Gwendolyn Broadmore, author, Life Came to a Standstill
January 28, 2018
Why was this book so bad? Not up to my Fern Michaels standards that I made whilst reading her Christmas novels. But I had to finish it to see what happened so that’s redeeming, right? I wasn’t going to let this book win! Just like this review, the plot of this novel was arbitrary and predictable most of the time with a sprinkling of “WTF”s the rest...don’t bother. Pick up one of her easy Christmas books instead if you’re in the mood for Michaels.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2022
After the tragic death of Phillip Lam on a movie set, his younger brother Ricky discovers he knew very little about his older brother. After the reading of Philly’s will, Ricky realizes his strict over bearing manager brother had a secret or two. Ricky decides to leave Hollywood at the top of his acting career and is determined to uncover the details of his brother life. Along the way Ricky will discover things Philly didn’t even know and way more than Ricky had imagined,
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2019
The story wasn’t bad, but the writing was atrocious. Flat, one-dimensional characters, overused figures of speech... it made me cringe pretty often. Again though, the story itself was decent and I was compelled to finish it. It was a weird feeling overall, like the annoying but charming neighbor kid.
September 17, 2022
The book started out pretty good. The reading of the will was interesting. Then the characters all did a 180 and changed completely. Roxy was a spoiled whiner and suddenly she was a good person. The dialog was also rushed and didn’t always make sense. When something bad happened, it was resolved on the very next page, like it never happened. I didn’t love this book.
November 16, 2023
Nice story. Not very realistic, but a fun read.Lorraine Farquar was probably the most unrealistic character, but again, she was fun and interesting. While Ricky dug into his brother Philly's past, I really had no idea where it was going. It was different. Not very realistic, but enjoyable. Kind of like reading a comic book, you have to suspend reality for a while.
March 1, 2025
Not what I expected at all. There were characters mentioned a little & then never again, there were multiple “dramas” that just didn’t really lead anywhere, and there were endless questions that went unanswered. I finished the book feeling confused and forgetting half of what I even read. Giving 2 stars because I think there was potential to make the storyline stronger
January 11, 2018
Read on cruise ship. From the free book shelf. Interesting enough story. A decent light read with lots of plot twists. Liked the two brothers and two younger brothers story line. The Gracie Lick character added someone to cheer for. an ok book.
January 18, 2019
This is my first book by this author, had low expectations, however; that changed as I got a little deeper into the story. I found this to be a great read with many twists and turns to solve the many mysteries within.
May 5, 2020
Ricky Lam is an A list actor and his brother is his business manager. After his brother's death Ricky finds out their was a lot about his brother he did not know. Ricky sets out to solve the mysteries surrounding his brother. This book has many twists and turns and is a very pleasant read.
September 4, 2020
This was my first Fern Michaels book, it is well written and full of suspense. However the ending leaves a lot to be desired. It leaves too many loose strings as if there will a sequel to tie everything up. I gave it three stars because of the ending.
December 6, 2022
A real page turner!
Fern Michaels did it again in this fast-paced novel. I laughed, I cried, I got indignant, and felt the despair in the characters. I also loved that my hometown in PA was used in the book. That was a surprise. Look forward to her next novel!
Fern Michaels did it again in this fast-paced novel. I laughed, I cried, I got indignant, and felt the despair in the characters. I also loved that my hometown in PA was used in the book. That was a surprise. Look forward to her next novel!
February 27, 2025
I absolutely loved this book! Michael’s was superb in character development and plot twists and turns. My favorite characters were Roxy, Ricky and Macie. This was a fast paced book that kept you reading and not wanting to put it down. Excellent story!
September 23, 2017
This was a surprisingly fun book to read! I loved all the twists and turns in the story and how all of the fun characters came together and worked things out.
January 22, 2018
I gave this four stars because there were so many twist and turns. The ending I was seeing changed several times during the story. The characters were rich but real. Kept me reading till the end
February 12, 2019
Fun, sweet romance with a few twists.
Surprises and a nice ending.
Surprises and a nice ending.
March 22, 2019
I really liked it been a huge fan of hers ever since a good friend introduced
me to her books
Great older book for her fans
me to her books
Great older book for her fans
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