Thursday, February 6, 2014

REVIEW: HER PERFECT REVENGE ~ ANNA MARA

Revenge is sweet… or is it?
Christina Matteo had a humiliating prank pulled on her in high school by rich, party boy Bill Havenwood. It changed her whole life and she never forgot it - or him! Older, wiser and tougher, she meets him again years later and decides to get even. She wants revenge and comes up with a perfect plan. But things don't go her way when she stupidly crashes her car into his expensive sportscar while tailing him one day.

Not recognizing her, Bill blackmails the cash-poor Christina into helping him stay in his billionaire father's good graces by pretending to be his fiancée for one month. Christina decides to go along with his ruse. After all, who knows what dirt she can find out about the jerk from the inside?

But as Christina scams Bill and Bill scams his father, his father scams the both of them.  William Havenwood Sr. knows all about their phony engagement and begins to push the couple to marry for real in order to get them to crack under pressure.  And then Christina's little revenge plan begins to spiral out of control when she finds herself actually falling in love with her avowed enemy, Bill. It's enough to make a girl sick to her stomach! But can she really continue to go through with her plans to make him pay when she's so attracted to the creep? Christina is just stubborn enough to find out!


Her Perfect Revenge by Anna Mara is a really fun read.  I love the interaction between Christina and Bill, and also William.  The characters are interesting, charming and flawed.  The storyline is compelling and keeps you guessing.  The only thing that really annoyed me was the nicknames Bill and Christina give each other.  I just can’t deal with people calling each other “honey bunny” and the like.  It was bad enough when they were using such cringe-worthy nicknames to convince others they were in love, and even worse when they were using it for real.  The dialogue throughout the book is brilliantly done, except during the period Bill and Christina are in a relationship for real, which is such a shame.  The brief period the reader gets to see them in a relationship is, disappointingly, the worst part of the book.  The cat and mouse phase is much more interesting and satisfying – their chemistry and interaction during this time is magic.

I started reading Her Perfect Revenge right after finishing Mara's other novel, Why Romeo Hates Juliet.  I liked Mara’s writing style and unconventional plot structure.  However, upon finishing Her Perfect Revenge, I find myself a little disappointed that the basic premise was copied: Hero and heroine play each other, both are initially too stubborn to admit their true feelings for each other and a love-hate relationship unfolds.  About 80% into the book they finally admit their feelings for each other and experience a few days of romantic bliss.  Then the heroine messes everything up and the relationship comes to a screeching halt.  The hero and heroine both fall into a state of depression but refuse to communicate with each other.  Over a year passes before they meet again, the truth about the reasons behind their failed relationship comes out and they reconcile.  The first time I read this plot construction I thought it was fresh and refreshing; however, I will think twice before reading another of Mara’s books, as it seems she’s just sticking to this one basic construction.  I sincerely hope she finds a way to give her next book an unpredictable plot structure.

Overall I enjoyed this book as much as I did Why Romeo Hates Juliet, I just wish it didn't follow the same basic plot structure - that was a bit of a let down, and therefore unlike the other, this book did not feel original.  I have to admit, I would have liked this book better had I read it before Romeo & Juliet, as I found this story and these characters more likeable and compelling. If I had read this book first and the plot surprised me, it would have gotten a four star rating for sure.


Product Information:
Title: Her Perfect Revenge
Author: Anna Mara
Pages: 436
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services Inc
Year: 2008
ASIN: B003YOSCA4

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