Original Sin

by Tasmina Perry

Get inside the glamour with Tasmina Perry…Stunning Brooke Asgill is about to marry into one of the richest and most powerful families in the Unites States, and matriarch Meredith Asgill is determined that her daughter will walk down the aisle at whatever cost.But the Asgill’s are not all they seem and their past is riddled with secrets, lies and tragedy. Enter Tess Garret, a renowned publicist hired to keep the Asgill family ghosts well and truly locked away, at least until the big day is over.From Manhattan's exclusive upper east side to the tropical beaches of Hawaii. From the couture ateliers of Paris to the colonial mansions of the Florida Keys, Original Sin is a sexy provocative tale of lies, secrets and the lengths some people will go to keep them…

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Adult, Contemporary Romance

662 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

"Tasmina Perry left a career in law for the more glamorous world of women’s magazine journalism.

She has written on celebrity and style for many national magazines including Marie−Claire‚ Glamour and Heat and was most recently Deputy Editor of InStyle magazine. She has also found time to launch her own travel and fashion magazine Jaunt. All of her four novels have been Sunday Times best-sellers and her books have been published in seventeen countries.

She lives in Surrey with her husband and son." (Source: http://www.tasminaperry.com/the-autho...)

She also writes under the pseudonym J.L. Butler and with her husband John Perry under the pseudonym Mia James.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore these kind of books, Tasmina Perry really draws you into the characters' lives with a really engaging plot.

Five stars.

[Sam Still Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes you just need a fun book. A book that will take you on a journey that doesn’t require too much on your behalf, yet is fun and entertaining. Recently stricken by a cold, I picked up this book to read (its weight was about my limit at the time). It’s what some may term a ‘bonkbuster’ – yes, there’s sex, but not as much as the Fifty Shades series and not requiring cable ties. There’s also glamour, fashion, beauty, intrigue and a lot of emotions (plotting, planning and parading). There’s a big cast too – it took me a little while to work out who was who and more importantly, who their allegiances were to! Once I had that sorted (a Penny Vincenzi style list of characters would have been helpful), I was ready to enjoy the ride.

Original Sin focuses on the Asgill family, who run a cosmetics empire that is fading. Their hopes of a boost in American society rest on Brooke Asgill marrying America’s answer to the Kennedy family. However, the rest of the Asgill family as not as clean as the head of the family would like, so mother Meredith hires a PR manager to ‘handle’ any items that come up before the wedding. Tess, an ex-tabloid journalist, certainly has her hands full! One Asgill has been snapped enjoying substances, another is blackmailed after an incident in a bathroom and another just seems to have plain bad luck. Can Tess ensure the wedding occurs and the Asgills fall into line?

I really enjoyed this novel. It was perfect to pop into and out of when I was feeling a bit dodgy, as well as eating in big chunks when I was awake but confined to the couch. There’s drama aplenty to keep you turning the pages. My main concern was that the characters initially needed a little more to distinguish themselves from each other, but I got that straight as I read further (and possibly as my head cleared). For those of you experiencing summer at the moment, this would be an ideal holiday read to while away the hours on the beach or aeroplane. Alternately, it’s a great book to snuggle under a rug with while you’re next to a fire! Original Sin is great escapist fantasy – plenty of money, sex, glamour and fashion. While the ending was unexpected for me, it fit in with the book’s themes very well.

Tasmina Perry’s books are not a cliché of this genre and well worth checking out if you’re after a lighter read.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com (My book blog)

[Lorraine Berry · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is a massive cast of characters in this book and consequently at 30% nothing had happened, bar mum Executive employing a journalist as press liaison for her daughter’s wedding- the rest is literally introductions and background on all the characters. Being that this is not part of a series, it seems particularly excessive. After finishing the book and reflecting, I can honestly say there is a significant lack of plot to the whole thing - plus it dragged on excessively in many places. In actual fact, the first 30% of character background on the missive cast was equally pointless, since most of the characters didn't matter to the story - they were literally just throwaway additions, not really contributing the the story at all. Not a book I would recommend. This is the first book I have read by this Author and I'm not sure I will be reading any more.

[Robyn Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This text really helped me to define my genres. I was unsure about many of the elements that each genre contained. Before I went to search for books in the library, I used this book as a resource to note certain literary elements. I also loved how each chapter shared titles and authors that were popular in that genre. This helped me a lot when it came to researching my author for the author study and selecting books to read. This is a great resource because it helps to explain research based on children's books and their authors.

[Desislava · Rating 4 out of 5]

Драма, изневери, клюки, амбиция в лъскавия, примамлив свят по високите етажи на манхатънските корпорации.
Яростна напредвара в бизнес върховете на козметичната индустрия,
скандали, авантюри, страст, любов и власт.
Светът на славата и богатството, на елитните партита, на светските новини и скрити тайни.
***
Тес е абициозна брюнетка с красиви зелени очи, секси журналистка, устремила се към върха.
Брук е сладката русокоса принцеса на Горен Ийстсайд, следена от папараците на всяка крачка за " добро утро" .
***
Дейвид е най-желаният ерген на Америка с обещаващо бъдеще в политиката, устремил погледа си право към Белия дом.
Лиз - хитра, дръзка, работохоличка с остър ум и идеи, в чийто свят никога няма място за любов.
Шон обича кратките връзки и забранените партита. Красавец и типичен плейбой.
***
Меридит-обиграната гранд дама на висшето общество, за която имиджът на семейството е на първо място.
***
Червенокосата Пола е светска съпруга и майка на близначки.
Отегчена от безкрайните партита, коктейли и вечерите с приятелки, срещите на родителкия колектив, тя мечтае на едро.
***
Семеен бизнес за милиони.
Две от най- богатите фамилии на Манхатън са на път да свържат съдбите си чрез най-подходящият, идеалният брачен съюз.
Но ще се случи ли това?
***
Разнолики образи и характери.
Семейна сага, от онези любимите-пъстри сюжети, заплетени истории, тайни събития от миналото, много герои.
Това е една от онези книги, за които няма години, които са винаги добра идея.
След "Кралете на Бърбъна" не бях попадала на нещо толкова обещаващо в този жанр.
Горещо ви я препоръчвам!
Едно заглавие достатъчно популярно и интригуващо за да бъде пропуснато.
Ще ви хареса, обещвам!
Крайната развързка за някои от героите не беше това, което очаквах.
Признавам, че това малко ме зарочарова.
Затова й давам 4⭐

[Sophie Karn · Rating 3 out of 5]

For someone who's quite a big fan of Tasmina Perry, and for the fact that the world is currently in lock down over Covid - 19, I thought this book would be a good way to pass the time.

What I did enjoy about this book, was the fact that I could just pick it up and read it without loosing where I was in the story. I think it helped that each chapter was based on a different character and what was happening in their lives. It also made you understand the way in which they behave throughout the book such as Liz being so business focused yet she craves intimacy and affection which she never recieved, and Brooke who felt like she was loosing her independence because she was David's fiance.

I quite liked Tess's character in how she could handle the different situations and how she adapted to everything that was happening. It was also refreshing to see a character in a book feel that doing the right thing, despite the huge risk was worth it.

My only gripe with this book is that I felt it dragged in places and there were at times where I just wanted the book to end. Not in a "DNF" type of way, just a sort off: "Are we near the end yet *checks how far along we are*, urgh is that is" type of way.

I will continue to read other Tasmina Perry books but this was one was an okay sort of read for me, yet still a light pick up and enjoy whenever.

[Lu Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book even though technically there weren't any surprises in it. You could easily see where each part of the story was leading and how things would turn out, but that didn't prevent it from being a good, easy read. The book is quite long (over 650 pages), but this enables the full story to unfold without being rushed and enabled the characters to fully develop. Some of the characters are easy to relate to where others are just plain nasty or annoying, but it's touches like this that stop it becomming dull - you can't like everyone! I would be interested in reading other books by this author.

[Cindy Kasper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tasmina Perry's is one of my favorite authors. As usual with her writing, it takes awhile for the book to take off. They start as a slow simmer and it's not until halfway through the book they're at full boil! Very interesting characters, and
wonderful storyline. I must admit that I was a bit stumped until close to the end. But one thing that was surprising in this book...there were a lot of grammar faux pas. 😏

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I were on the beach this would be the best read. Alas, I wasn't and it was still the best read. The book was entertaining and had mysteries added. The way I thought things were going to go and not going to go, were twisted and not always as expected.
There were a lot of surprises and hopes lost and situations won.

[Traci · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read

I gave this the highest rating because Tasmina Perry writes with an exciting flare for the characters and locations. You open her books and there is a moment when you are there with them♥️ Vivid people who you come to know and care about.....beautifully written!!!!

[Ananya Deshpande · Rating 5 out of 5]

a glimpse into the lives of filthy rich new york families? check
steamy romance? check
kick ass female characters? check
A DECADE LONG MURDER MYSTERY? CHECK AND FUCKING CHECK

seriously... how is this book not more popular?!!!!!

[Jolie Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want escapism, Tasmina Perry remains one of my favorite authors for that. Characters with depth, web of lies, glamour, secrets, and a little bit of sin - this was exactly what I expected and hoped it would be.

[Alison Hydes · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable family saga;

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice light reading with elements of suspense.

[Ramsha Hassan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could not finish this book I found this book very boring

[Chikondi Mphonde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fluffy just what you need to take your mind off things

[essentialicea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this author. I’ve read three of her books already this year. Big, fat stories that remind me of Jackie Collins but with not so one-dimensional characters and storylines.

[Hanka]

"Prvotní hřích"

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a decent read. Each chapter is written about a different person so it keeps you interested.

[Kim Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven’t read this type of “bonkbuster” for many a year. I enjoyed this more than expected - there was a decent story there. Some dialogue seemed stilted, but yes, enjoyable enough.

[Ashian Nusra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've literally read 39 chapters and I'm obsessed😩❤💯

[Katrina Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and easy read

[Best Crime Books & More · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her fourth book we delve into the present and past of the Asgill family. They own an International cosmetics company and Meredith Asgill the mother is determined to keep her children's profiles as squeaky clean as possible. She meets Tess and Jemma who are publicists based in London who are ready to run a sensational story on the Asgill's. Instead of running the story Meredith offers Tess the opportunity of a lifetime which is how Tess ends up working alongside this wealthy and powerful family. Life changes dramatically as Tess becomes embroiled into the Asgill's lives.

Brooke Asgill is due to marry David Billington, an equally powerful and rich man. Liz Asgill is the elder sister who is fighting her corner for control of the family company. She believes that she has what it takes to make the brand successful once again with her at the helm. Her brother William is also fighting for control but mostly on behalf of his power crazy, social climbing wife. Lastly there is Sean Asgill who is the Playboy of the family. He never takes anything seriously and is mostly featured on the front of magazines with various women draped on his arm. When they all meet Tess everybody's lives change dramatically. Who will take over the company, will Brooke marry David, and will any of their past secrets be kept at bay by Tess, or come out and potentially destroy the family's reputation?

This story is full of twists and turns and I thoroughly enjoyed every chapter. Having read previous Tasmina Perry books I awaited this one with baited breath wondering and hoping that it would be as good as the last one, if not better. I had no need to worry. Tasmina Perry has produced what I think is her best novel so far. The story is compelling and full of drama, glamour, secret's and lies. What more could we ask for? I await her next book with very high expectations!

[Vanessa Wester · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe I started reading this book in April & I have only just finished it!

The reason is that this is a long book (662 pages) and it read like the Dynasty/ Dallas TV series. Like with a TV series, I could read a chapter here and there and not lose the essence of the story. I knew I would eventually read the book, but the first half did not compel me to read quickly. The second half was another story...

I have to admit this is the second book I have read by this author and I find her description, characters and attention to detail to be flawless. I really enjoyed reading the book, but went on to read others in the past few months because I did not want to invest hours on a book - sometimes I like to just read a story quickly.

However, having finally finished it I can tell you this book has it all! The fame, glamour, conspiracy, family ties, seduction, sex, politics, murder, single parenting, abuse, college friendships, jealousy, and ultimately the quest for true love and the sacrifices needed to make a relationship work. PHEW... Yep, it is intense!

The thing is, the first half of the book sets the scene... The second half sets the pace, and boy did it rocket! I read the second half in a few days, unable to put it down and just when I thought I had it sussed, I didn't!

I would highly recommend this book if you want a hearty meal, not a take-out. The reason for the 4 was that for me the first half was a bit too slow... But, I loved it in the end.

Hope this helps :)

[Alice Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book I've read by Tasmina Perry, and it was a big stonking bonkbuster. I thought the length was going to put me off a little, but it was quite a page turner so it didn't in the end! Brooke Asgill is about to marry into an incredibly wealthy family; the Asgills run a cosmetics company that is going down the pan a bit, so Brooke's marriage is necessary to sort their business and lives out. Brooke's mother Meredith is determined that nothing will get in the way of the wedding, but the family have some dark secrets, so she hires PA Tess to keep them from being uncovered to the public.

This is a big chunk of a book, but it's easy reading and you can get into it. It's not your typical girly chick-lit, even though it looks like it from the cover. Lots of twists and turns that leave you wanting to read on. Perfect to take away on a holiday.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning Brooke Asgill is about to marry into one of the richest and most powerful families in the Unites States, and matriarch Meredith Asgill is determined that her daughter will walk down the aisle at whatever cost.But the Asgill-s are not all they seem and their past is riddled with secrets, lies and tragedy. Enter Tess Garret, a renowned publicist hired to keep the Asgill family ghosts well and truly locked away, at least until the big day is over.From Manhattan's exclusive upper east side to the tropical beaches of Hawaii. From the couture ateliers of Paris to the colonial mansions of the Florida Keys, Original Sin is a sexy provocative tale of lies, secrets and the lengths some people will go to keep them!

[Shannen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stunning Brooke Asgill is about to marry into one of the richest and most powerful families in the Unites States, and matriarch Meredith Asgill is determined that her daughter will walk down the aisle at whatever cost.But the Asgill-s are not all they seem and their past is riddled with secrets, lies and tragedy. Enter Tess Garret, a renowned publicist hired to keep the Asgill family ghosts well and truly locked away, at least until the big day is over.From Manhattan's exclusive upper east side to the tropical beaches of Hawaii. From the couture ateliers of Paris to the colonial mansions of the Florida Keys, Original Sin is a sexy provocative tale of lies, secrets and the lengths some people will go to keep them!

[Sallyann Van leeuwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to an audio version of this book travelling to and fro. It was a good holiday 'read', lots of drama and issues for the character Tess, the publicist to qwell as part of her job. However, some storylines began with some great potential, then petered away to nothing, and by the time we got to the finale, I wasn't surprised or really interested. What was with the storyline of the kid and his dad in neighbourhood - no value-add there. The character Paula began with promise, then fizzled....one thing I did like about the book is that it didn't always portray people in a one dimensional format, which kept my interest.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tasmina Perry's books have become a holiday tradition for me, I've now read them all whilst laying in the sun by the pool with a glass of something cool by my side.

Perfect holiday reading - full of glamour, sex, sin and nonsense really - but oh such fun!

A cast of characters that range from the perfectly beautiful to the perfectly evil - some sex scenes to make your eyes water, a reasonable plot - easy to follow and enjoyable.

Not my favourite of hers by any means but still a great beach read.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Sometimes when you read these chick lit by the pool books you can tell how its gonna end. I'm notorious for skipping pages and reading bits out of context and even having done that I still didn't pick the end!

The characters are extremely likable and I can't help but want to see Tess and Sean with their own book or another book soley on Brooke

Some parts were a little rushed while others didn't really need to be there at all, (what was the point of Paula really?) But on the whole I can't wait to read more from this author. I think I might be hooked!