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Gold Coast Wives by Bernadette Walsh.
Title: Gold Coast Wives
Author: Bernadette Walsh
Published: Nov 2011
Genre: Chick Lit/Romance
Synopsis: Three skinny socialites should be a pushover after the rough and tumble world of Wall Street. Right?
Kate Ryan may be au fait with making high-powered legal decisions but she's about to submit to the rules of reality TV, where nothing is what it seems. Who'd have thought a few days with the cameras rolling for a low-rent cable show would be so challenging, or that the claws of a former homecoming queen, a washed-up soap star and a whiny cat-lover would be so sharp?
Review: I have to say that I've never actually read chick-lit
before so I wasn't really sure what to expect from this novel. I was
pleasantly surprised to find a light-hearted and fairly humorous tale of Kate
Ryan, a woman whose husband has left her to go gallivanting all over the globe
and is left alone to look after a young daughter. Faced with rising debts and
bills Kate agrees to take part in a new small-scale reality TV show called Gold
Coast Wives; however, she quickly realises that perhaps she's bitten off a bit
more than she can chew.
Gold Coast Wives
is written from the first person perspective of Kate, the protagonist of the
novel, which allows you to really connect with her character. Kate has real
life problems and being forced into the company of three perfect socialites
does not make anything easier. I'm pretty sure that every girl/woman out there
will be able to relate to some aspect of Kate’s life. Kate is a newly single
mother, unemployed and desperate to make ends meet, but perhaps the most
important thing about Kate is her obsession with doughnuts, and let’s be honest
ladies, we can all relate to that
one. Not only that, but Kate gets a blast from the past when one of her fellow ‘Wives’
turns out to be her high school nemesis, which I can only imagine would be like
reliving a nightmare.
This story is quite compact as there are only a few characters and
the setting doesn’t change all that much; however, this just makes for a more
intimate and detailed story. Although Kate is the protagonist and the story is
written from her POV, it is also easy to relate to many of the other
characters. Those that at first looked like they led perfect lives, may
actually be scratched under the surface.
This is quite a
short novel, but there's a lot of action nonetheless. The story gets off to a
slow start, but the pace soon picks up and it's a rollercoaster from
there. This story has aspects of romance, family and friend drama. You
really go on a journey with Kate as she wades through a difficult period in her
life trying to figure out who she really needs and wants in her life, and who
is just using her to get what they want. Kate is a real 3-D character and you
see her character develop and progress throughout the novel.
It was quite interesting to read about reality TV, and it’s not something
I’ve ever come across before. It portrayed the reality TV industry pretty much
exactly how I’d imagined it to be, but the drama was far more exciting. The
popularity of shows like Jersey Shore and Made In Chelsea is rising every
single day and the question about whether these shows truly are ‘reality’ is
still prevalent so it was interesting to see what the daily life of a reality
TV show star would actually be like.
At a time when the
recession is really cutting into everyone's pockets and money is short, this
novel could not be more appropriate. Coupled with the fact that reality TV (or
should I say 'reality' TV) is rapidly rising as a top form of entertainment,
this is an incredibly current novel that I'm sure most women will be able to
relate to. This is a fab book for any woman looking for a quick and
entertaining read. Kate's story will no doubt steal your sympathies and
you’ll be turning page after page trying to find out how her story ends.
Author Bio: I have always been a bookworm and had always meant to write a novel “someday.” You know, when I won the lottery and could live in beach house and look out onto the water and feel inspired. Four years ago I decided to stop waiting for my winning lottery ticket and sat down and started writing in between work and family obligations. I piled the words on top of each other until they formed sentences, paragraphs, chapters and eventually a book. The House on Prospect is my second novel. My first, a contemporary romance, Gold Coast Wives, was published in November 2011. The first book of my paranormal trilogy, Devil’s Mountain -- Book One of the Devlin Legacy, is due to be published in June 2012. While I’ve hopped around genres, all of my books to date have a common theme: strong women handling what life throws at them the best way they can.
Twitter: @BWalshWriter
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*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*