Envy by Sandra Brown
I love Sandra Brown’s writing and I’ve read quite a few of her books.
She’s my “go to” author when I’m in the mood for a story with a good Thriller/Suspence/Romance mix.
“Envy” is the latest in my collection.
Plot:
An intriguing manuscript ends up in the hands of Maris Matherly-Reed, a well known and respected New York book editor.
Excited by the potencial of the manuscript, she embarks on a mission to meet the mysterious writer that submitted it.
A crime committed decades ago, a friendship turned sour and a tale of deceit and retribution…
Maris doesn’t know it yet but she’s a pawn at the hands of two men and soon the life she knows will be forever changed. 
Personal Thoughts:
Good writing, engaging plot with a very well executed “book within a book” narration…all awesome until
Maris discovers her despicable husband cheating on her.
The supposedly strong, intelligent heroine I got to know through the book at that point disappears and she acts like a complete dumbass.
I am going to write the specifics under the spoiler tag for those that do not enjoy knowing more details than necessary 🙂
After she witnesses with her own eyes how despicable her husband is (something we know right from the start), what does she do?
Does she call a lawyer to divorce his ass and make sure he’s thrown out of the family business with no power over it?
NOPE, none of that.
She needs 7 days to think things through.
A whole week of going on living as nothing happened because she needs thinking.
Thinking about what, you might say?
Ask for a restraining order against dear psyco husband?
Divorce?
Making sure he isn’t scheming against her interests and the family business?
Again, NOPE NOPE NOPE and NOPE.
She needs time to process that her husband’s betrayal leaves her guilt free for her attraction towards Parker.
After she realizes it, she leaves the city to see where that attraction might lead her.
Yes, you read correctly.
OMG…
I got so mad I couldn’t read more of it for the day because SERIOUSLY!!!
What happened to the heroine’s intelligence?
POOF…gone!
And gone were the 4 stars I was going to give this book.
Didn’t help that the antagonist in the story ended up being too “caricaturish” and the ending a bit too OTT.
Damn it.
I was loving it!
I mean…
❤ Sandra Brown’s writing was engaging all the way through.
❤ The general plot was awesome and I loved the “book within a book” narration.
❤ The hero was the right combination of troubled, mysterious and intriguing.
Overall it was a ⭐ 3 stars ⭐ book for me.
~ My Ratings ~
Writing: 4 /5 – I listened to the Audiobook
Plot: 3.5 /5
Hero: 2.5 /5
Heroine: 2 /5
Secondary Characters: a 4 /5 goes to the heroine’s father and a 8 /10 goes to the “lover”. The antagonist in this story quickly becomes a ridiculous caricature so 1.5 /5
MC’s chemistry: 4 /5 Explicit sexual scenes very well written, loved their first scene under the rain.
Triggers: Heroine’s husband cheats and, after she discovers it, she feels free to explore her chemistry with the hero while she’s still married.
Recommended to: The book is a Thriller with a touch of romance but I would recommend it mostly to Sandra Brown’s fans.
In my opinion this is not her best work to date so I wouldn’t recommend it to “first timers”.
~ Quotes: ~
“It takes far less courage to cling to the past than it does to face the future”.”
“[Parker] ”We know why I kissed you last night, Maris.”
“To frighten me off.”
He frowned. “That doesn’t even merit an argument. I kissed you because you braved Terry’s and showed up everybody in the place, including me. I kissed you because just looking at you made me ache. I kissed you because I’m a rotten son of a bitch and your mouth looked so goddamn kissable. Simply put, I kissed you because I wanted to. It’s something I admit and you damn well know. But there is one question that’s driving me fucking crazy.”
His eyes focused harder on hers and, by doing so, penetrated. “Why did you kiss me back?”
“The F word turns me on, she whispered.
The F word?
Food
He threw back his head and laughed. It rumbled up out of his chest and felt so good it startled him. For the first time in years,his laughter was spontaneous. It wasn`t tinged with bitterness and cynicism.”
To date my favorite book by this author is “Honor Bound”, you can find my review here
❤❤ Are you looking for a specific mix of ingredients for your next read?
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