Thrill

by Jackie Collins

Jackie Collins' most outrageous, erotically charged New York Times bestseller is a sexy, shaterring roller-coaster thrill ride!
From chic New York and the exclusive Hamptons to the hungry heart of L.A., this high-suspense tale pulses with deadly obsessions and relentless desires in the seemingly perfect world of a gorgeous film actress. She could have any man -- but the one she can't resist is a mysterious lover with a shadowed past. As their jolting affair skyrockets with electric passion, shocking secrets break through their hidden traps -- in a brilliantly twisting story that sparks with the explosive Jackie Collins touch.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit, Womens Fiction, Thriller, Novels, Contemporary

548 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

There have been many imitators, but only Jackie Collins can tell you what really goes on in the fastest lane of all. From Beverly Hills bedrooms to a raunchy prowl along the streets of Hollywood; from glittering rock parties and concerts to stretch limos and the mansions of power brokers-Jackie Collins chronicles the real truth from the inside looking out.

Jackie Collins has been called a "raunchy moralist" by the late director Louis Malle and "Hollywood's own Marcel Proust" by Vanity Fair magazine. With over 500 million copies of her books sold in more than forty countries, and with some 30 New York Times bestsellers to her credit, Jackie Collins is one of the world's top-selling novelists. She is known for giving her readers an unrivalled insider's knowledge of Hollywood and the glamorous lives and loves of the rich, famous, and infamous. "I write about real people in disguise," she says. "If anything, my characters are toned down-the truth is much more bizarre."

Jackie Collins died of breast cancer Saturday, September 19, 2015. Jackie Collins, who had kept her illness secret, said recently that she believed in an afterlife, that she had no regrets and that she had emulated Frank Sinatra in that “I did it my way.”

Visit Jackie's website: www.jackiecollins.com
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/JackieJCollins
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/jackiecollins and Pinterest:
www.pinterest.com/jackiejcollins

Reviews

[Aditi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow, it was one hell of a "THRILL" ride from L.A.'s fast lanes, studios and beach houses to it's darkest alleys, behind-the-bedroom-door dramas. This book gives you an insight of all the hot and happening, juicy tidbits and gossips of the tinsel town. From first page of the book, I totally got hooked, yeah Thrill will get you hooked from it's first page.

This novel is about Lara Ivory, a 'very' beautiful, A-class Holly actress falling for an 'incredibly' hot, junior actor, Joey Lorenzo, and hence all hell broke loose in Lara's life because of this. This novel is also about another character, Summer, Nikki's(Lara's Bff) wild child from her first husband Sheldon. Summer, who lives with her father in Chicago, comes to L.A. to spend her vacation with her mom. Summer is a victim of her father's sexual abuse. Hence after finding freedom in L.A., Summer gets on roll, from wild parties, drugs, alcohols to even escorting high-class actors in their hotels. And in case of Lara, she almost got murdered because of her stalker's hatred and her ex- husband, Richard Barry's obsession with her.

This novel is an eye-opener, it let's you see-through the lives of every actors and directors, even not-to-forget, there's a lot of usage of examples of real-life actors and their dramas. Each and every character has something to hide in their past, everybody's past was like very distasteful, not worth remembering.

This is the first JC novel that I read, and I'm already a fan. I never wanted this book to finish, it was so amazing,thrilling and very, very hot, an unputdownable of course. Reading this novel will make you want more,and I'm already yearning for more JC books. Her writing is so very flawless and detailed. The shocking twists and turns are definitely going to keep you on your edges. Yeah it's not an intellectual kind, but yeah surely a light-read page turner filled with suspense in it's every pages. A must-read for everyone.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of characters developed. Some good, some evil. Fairly decent outcome, but could have been stronger. 7 of 10 stars

[Carolyn M L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another faultless 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ offering from the wonderful Jackie Collins. Many of her books are now re-reads for me; thankfully I have the chance to buddy read them with a fellow JC fan :-)

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun in some ways and excruciating in others 😂
I liked the story, and immersing myself into the world of the rich, famous and beautiful was entertaining and easy-reading.
But the characterisation was painful; the characters seemed to be either violently angry with each other or making wild abandonned love...whaaatttt??
And the manipulation dressed up as 'taking care' of someone...omg! And treating people like crap, wow.
There's a high cheese factor but that's not really a surprise - this is Jackie Collins! I used to read her books as a teen and this one was still a good read but prepare for lots of eye-rolling and a major cringe-factor.

[Jeri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrill! was the very first Jackie Collins novel I ever read. I reread it every year just because I enjoy the stories so much. I wish there was a follow up novel about Summer. She was my fav character.

[Sian Lile-Pastore · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book depressed me

[Brooklyn Tayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

My full review can be found on my blog: https://brooklynandherbooks.wordpress...

This is a third read for me, but I enjoyed it every bit as much as the first two reads. A buddy read with fellow JC aficionado, Voracious Reader, it makes for fabulous reading!

[Bodosika Bodosika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay!

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read a JC book for a really long time, so this was a taste of the past for me. It was an enjoyable read, although I thought it lacked the depth into it's characters. JC uses lots of different characters in her book. Lara is the famous movie star who everyone wants to be, Richard is the crazed ex husband who is obsessed with Lara, Nikki is her best friend who seems to live in Lara's shadow, and upcoming movie star Joey becomes the new sexy love of her life, Alison the stalker who wants to be Lara's best friend, but then plots to kill her when she thinks Lara is just like all the other movie stars. And then the other characters JC introduces add to a script full of drama, suspense, and typical Hollywood lifestyles.

JC delves into the past with several characters and she keeps you guessing as to who she is writing about with some of the flash backs. The final chapters of the book were exciting as she brought alot of the characters together in a dramatic ending, but I would have liked a little more detail into Lara and Joey's relationship!

Enjoyed this......not fantastic, a change to what I really like reading at the moment.......but bring on the next hot romance book please!!

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

If possible I would give this book 3.5 stars.

I've been reading Jackie Collins' novels for years. However I just got around to reading this one. It's been a while since I've read one that's been out for more than a few years. This book was published in '98 yet reads like it was written in the 80s (for the most part).

This book about love, lust and suspense within the movie industry was a lot of fun. However the sex scenes and some of the dialogue were atrocious. A sex scene in which the woman isn't stimulated at all and then proclaims that she's cumming seems super fake to me. And well "chick babe" is a super odd "compliment" for even one, let alone more than one character to use in a book.

[Chris Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars - Thrilling! Excuse the pun.

My first ever Jackie Collins novel and what a treat. This novel had it all - drama, scandal, murder, cheating, and so much more!

I find this novel to be truly addictive and I kept on wanting more. Collins' writes amazing three-dimensional characters, making them feel as if you know them first-hand.

This may be the first Collins' novel I have read, but it certainly won't be the last!

[Ella (The Story Collector) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrill! tells a story of love, obsession, passion and desire among the Hollywood elite. Beautiful actress Lara could have any man she wants, but what she gets is a passionate affair with a mysterious actor with a shady past. As if navigating this newfound love isn’t enough, Lara also has to cope with her own traumatic past and fend off the unwanted affections of her ex-husband. All the while, a hateful stalker sits in prison planning her revenge.

Jackie Collins is the queen of romantic thrillers. Thrill! is dark, engaging, entertaining and excellently written. In true Jackie Collins style, the plot is raunchy and packed with sex, but it isn’t overly graphic or explicit and is entirely relevant to the story, which makes it completely bearable (enjoyable, even).

But there is so much more to this book than sex and romance. The plot is dramatic and surprisingly complex. There are so many different threads, with each character having their own individual storyline, and yet it is very easy to follow. The characters are well developed with unique personalities and distinctive voices.

Thrill! is exciting and addictive, with shocking twists and an almighty climax. Fans of romance/drama/thrillers, look no further.

[Aղցela W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was pretty good I have had it on my shelf for a couple of years I got it at a garage sale for a dollar and it was worth it. Lara Ivory is a dazzling movie star with the whole world at her feet she has an ex husband Richard and his new wife Nikki and all of them appear to be good friends. Lara meet the young and hot Joey Lorenzo who has a dark past. Their relationship is put to the test multiple times as the couple faces obstacles brought on by Joey's past. This book was hot the sex scenes were erotic. I really liked all of the character's in this book. This book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling like the rest of Ms. Collins book. I wish that I would have read this book before now Ms. Collins you will be missed.

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved, loved, loved this story! There are many characters interacting, with some interesting relationships amongst them. During the course of the story, there are flashbacks for two of the characters to their younger days -- but are the flashbacks for the characters you think, or??? Well thought out plot with an ending that makes it worth the read! 10 out of 10.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book kept me interested, but I found myself geting annoyed with 2 of the characters. They both seemed possessive and lacked charm. If you like Jackie Collins you'll like this book...but it's not one of her best ones.

[Tamera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly a thrill! This book has it all- life in the fast lane, mystery, murder, seduction, romance, betrayal. It reads a lot like a soap opera, not in a bad way. Definitely a very guilty pleasure to read.

[Dominique · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only started reading Collins because it’s like trashier Susann and she’s my fave but now I can’t stop even though they’re all the same ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Cathrine Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usual Jackie Collins escapism quick read,most of her books have the same story line but they do draw you in and it's a fun non effort read

[TigerLily · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid 3.8 stars! Delightful read for those who have a guilty pleasure for trashy fiction! Ideal holiday read. Good character development and engaging plot.

[Catherine J · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alright so this will be a long-winded review, but I am bored.

“Thrill!” is my first and only Jackie Collins book as well as my first “spicy” book. I picked it up when I was quite young (probably too young) as I was looking through my mother’s book collection. Ever since, it has become an occasional re-read for me over the years, due to it being an easy read and somewhat of a page turner. If I had given this book a review after reading it the first time, it probably would have been 5-stars - but I was very naive, and really it was the fact that I had never read anything raunchy before that intrigued me so much.

Well, it continued to remain a sort of comfort read for me well into my teen years. Something I could easily pick up and get through within a day. I don’t think I ever really bothered to properly analyse the plot, the characters, and the writing. I viewed it in the same way I view reality TV shows - trashy entertainment full of problematic people, but entertaining nonetheless.

Now, at age 25, it’s been many years since I last read it. I grew incredibly bored house sitting for my mother and decided to dust off the old book and give it one final re-read, and I have to say, boy has my perspective changed. It still remains a fast and easy read, I never considered it a literary masterpiece by any means (JC herself admitted that she is not a literary writer). Given that this book was published in 1998, I’m well aware that some of my opinions will consist of criticisms that are based in a more modern worldview of what’s deemed acceptable - particularly when it comes to the language used.

Spoilers from this point forward:

Let’s start with the main character, Lara Ivory. “Perfect”, in every sense. She’s beautiful, kind, caring, soft. She has an incredibly tragic back story - her father kills her mother and brother, then himself. Then she becomes a maid for her horrible aunt, and a sex slave for her first husband before finally reaching stardom… and despite all of this trauma, she somehow manages to emerge relatively unscathed aside from minor insecurities and trust issues? Bullsh!t. For a character with such an interesting backstory, Lara herself has all the depth of a puddle. She orgasms any time Joey even *looks* in her direction (over exaggeration), but really, he touches her n!pple and she comes? He yells at her to get on her knees and she screams with pleasure? Was this REALLY written by a woman, because the s3x scenes feel very male gaze to me…

Now Joey is slightly more interesting, but I resent the fact that every male character in this book is reduced to some kind of misogynist asshole in one way or another. If this is truly JC writing what she knows, then I almost feel sorry for her. What’s worse is the way that some of the misogynistic behaviour is written in an almost positive light or just isn’t addressed at all, particularly in Joey’s case. Yes, his character is more interesting than Lara, but ultimately he is incredibly manipulative, sexist, and full of himself. He might genuinely care about Lara in his own twisted way, but he often exhibits controlling behaviours that are never really addressed, and I feel like JC gave him a weird redemption arc. The way he treats other women and talks about them in his internal monologue is very disturbing - but of course, after meeting a beautiful A-List movie star (who he manipulates into a relationship), he’s now somehow redeemed himself by showing a *modicum* of respect for her. What a changed man! \j

Summer & Nikki are probably the most interesting characters, and after reading a little about JC, it makes me think that both of them are characters she relates to on a more personal level, which might be the reason they have more depth to them. Although, I really despised that Summer would casually be referred to as jailbait by both Richard and Joey, in a way that was not presented as something problematic to call a 15 year old child. I also hated the way she was sexualised outside of the POV of sick perverted characters. Nikki seems to be the only woman in the story with any kind of backbone, and even that’s saying something. For an author who’s claim to fame is writing strong women, it almost reads that JC measures a woman’s strength by how well she can put up with a man’s crap, rather than her vulnerabilities and weaknesses and how she navigates / overcomes them.

I don’t even want to talk about Richard, all I can say is he is nothing but a big time con-artist, manipulator, abuser, pedophile, oh and let’s not forget.. murderer, with absolutely no redeeming qualities. Not really sure what Lara or Nikki ever saw in him, but then again, they were both preyed on. Which brings me to my next point, the many age-gap relationships. I know JC herself was with men 20-30 years her senior, so I guess it shouldn’t surprise me to see them in her writing… but other than Sheldon, who outright m*lested his 15 year old daughter, I’m really grossed out by how this book normalises 30+ year old men pursuing teenage girls.

Moving onto the writing itself, the dialogue is SO corny. I never fully realised until now. Realistically, people do not talk like this… I don’t know where “chick-babe” came from, but I never want to see those two words strung together again.
JC also uses a lot of dated and offensive terminology (transvestite being one), which, I guess isn’t surprising from a woman who was 60 at the time she wrote this. There are definitely some transphobic undertones in her work, whether intentional or not. I also picked up on a lot of fatphobia, particularly from our “beloved” main girl Lara, who would constantly reprimand her assistant Cassie for her food choices and kept pushing her to go on a diet… yeah, Lara’s a real class act and a kind soul - not shallow at all /j. Not to mention that Cassie’s “happy ending” is her miraculously losing all her weight after the car accident and finding love in Lara’s publicist.. oh and how could I forget the crazed stalker who tries to murder Lara, being constantly described as “fat” and “disgusting”.

So, with that, this will be the last time I read this book; and I probably won’t be reading any of her other books. It was interesting being able to properly analyse it once and for all and recognise things I missed when I was younger, but now, with so many great female authors out there fulfilling our smutty needs, I can safely say I have outgrown JC.

[D · Rating 2 out of 5]

Second book and I feel I have had enough of Jackie Collins and her will-sleep-with-everything-that-moves characters specially men (in this one only men) too much dirt for me to handle. To be honest, it's crap. Crap as in capital C R A P. If you want to read something completely non-sensical then welcome to Jackie land and this one is the best among all. I am not saying that I'm not gonna read Collins again *wink* we all need to read something like this once in a while. Once is a key word here. Well! It wasn't really as bad as I described *picks another Collins book* :P :P

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Total trash but it hooked me and I enjoyed reading about the characters.
Found the ending a bit abrupt and don't think some of the characters deserved their happy endings...
Good fun. Perfect for a holiday read.

[Julia]

I like Jackie Collins' earlier books, the ones from the early to mid seventies when women were wearing Halston gold lame and snorting coke. This one isn't as good.

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Every other Hollywood movie. Read it when you want to relax your mind.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read

I totally enjoyed really this had a lot of excitement which made me not want to stop reading highly recommend reading this book loved it

[Brittney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smutt book but lots of sex and interesting story line!

[Lucky S · Rating 5 out of 5]

“She’d met enough megalomaniac actors in her time—all different and the same.
The movie star with the polished pecs and the wry humor. He was addicted to steroids and only slept with models.
.....The charismatic king of comedy with the enormous dick who was currently screwing his children’s nanny.
And the “serious” New York actor who could only get it up for transvestites.
Ah yes, movie stars, a charming, well-adjusted bunch.”

JC seems to have had a personal experience (Vendetta? Maybe..) on hot-shot celebrities, that’s probably why her books feels so real. Lived in L.A. herself, I’m going to take a wild guess and assume some of these characters were probably based off of a person she once knew. The shade..

“Thrill!” is about this gorgeous film actress named Lara Ivory, an independent woman who could have any man she wanted, but the one she can’t resist is a mysterious film actor with a shady past. Bunch of sh*t apparently goes along with being a famous person, for once she has a crazy stalker, his cheating ex-husband is trying to get back with her, she’s also best friends with her ex-husband’s current wife. Which is totally crazy, but for the Hollywood inhabitants.. I assume it isn’t totally impossible. It isn’t just the plot that lured me in, the complexity of the characters, the world-building, the one liner that got me completely on the floor—is what makes this book’s totally worth the read.

Her books has this Hollywood-like vibe that makes me want to be a movie star and move to L.A. with nothing but hope on my hands. Surely it won’t work out as magical as she’d worded it. To sum it up, if you’re looking for that L.A. experience like shopping with your stepmom, driving around with a roofless car, attending movie premieres, being friends with daughters/sons of renowned studio guys/actors/models—and those kinda things. Her books would be perfect for you. I recommend “Lady Boss”.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I thought this was a good read, I did have problems with some of the characters and their mindsets. I don’t know if it’s because this was written in the’90s and that was a thing back then, but I thought some of Joey Lorenzo’s comments to Lara while they were together were a HUGE red flag which would have made me run hard and run fast to get away from someone who would be so controlling or who would think that he could control me so much. And while Lara didn’t seem upset by the way this guy talked to her at these times, I suspect that after the newness of the romance wears off, she may change her tune. Anyway, I liked Lara’s character. Joey? Not so much.

The other characters in the book were pretty much written in a way in which one could either empathize with them (Nikki, Summer— after we learn her backstory of her father molesting her, and even the recovering drug addict actor, Aidan , who ends up being a fairly decent guy underneath his rough exterior, when he helps Nikki try to find her runaway daughter.), or hate them (Richard,the conniving ex-husband of Lara, also Nikki’s husband, who cheated on Lara and then cheats on Nikki and tries to sabotage Lara’s relationship with Joey.)

There are several sub-stories going on in this book and JC does a great job of rotating through them and connecting them together and giving the reader an exciting ending and tying up all of the stories’ loose ends.

[Saffron Mavros · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kiss me! Kill me! Thrill me!

One heck of a book. Reading it gives you an inside "hush-hush" sneak peak of what goes around in Hollywood! The love, the triangles, the drugs, the threats, murders and dangerous secrets best left buried. I mean of course apart from the entertainment, glitz and glamour.

The main story line is interesting with the love affairs and breakups, and heart ache, all entwined with cut throat competition to survive in the industry, brats of superstars born with a silver spoon in their mouths, and the creepy perverts who know how to take advantage. Basically, the good, bad, exalting all laced in with the story.

But what makes it really interesting? After every few chapters, there are short chapters, interspersed with the rest of them. Now these tell a very dark tale of a shadowed past of one of the main characters in the book! As you read on, with every chapter you feel a sense of familiarity with the different characters, mainly the male characters.

As you turn the pages, in the last chapter it is revealed to be the "female" protagonist, apparently the oh-so-sweet girl! And that is the best part of the book.!