Deadly Embrace

According to study, reading can reduce stress by up to 68 percent. Trust me this is not cliche at all because lately, instead of dancing away my stress, I'd rather read it off. Anyway, yesterday was one of those days and again, I decided to flip through the pages of Jackie Collins' "Deadly Embrace."

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If Jackie Collins intended this novel a salacious prose, then I'm sure she left no stone unturned in ensuring it came out that way. This novel surely leaves you reaching for something or someone, if you get my drift. This novel tells memorable stories of dangerous affection and suspense filled passions. Passions that leave you either tightly holding on to the book, or dropping it because it has left you coming up for air.

However, the author would have done a better work of letting her heroine shine and not overshadow her shine with an influx of static characters. Characters that might have added little or no contribution to the plot development. But I might add that these characters might have been a welcome distraction from the thickening suspense that flowed through the pages of this book.

The book is the pure drama it was intended to be. And it certainly gave me a whole new insight of how I perceived Las Vegas. I would be correct if I said the novel was about Madison Castelli, because of course, that's who the author intended the plot to revolve around, but just the way Michael Castelli dominates the room with his ravishing looks in the novel, he also somewhat dominated the plot. Although his story was made as a subplot, it kind of seemed it was the reverse.

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Deadly embrace tells a story of Madison Castellii, the heroine who is my favorite character by the way because I love women who've got 'balls'. Of course being the daughter of Michael Castelli, it's not unexpected. Madison's father has been accused of murdering the two women he has been with. One whom he had an intense devoted love for and the other who barely existed as a wife and more as a roommate.

It appears Michael Castelli walks around with trouble, but what do you expect of a ‘bad-boy’ and a mobster who wanted to be powerful and capture the attention of everyone in the room. While his good looks helped, it certainly did not suffice. Like I said I feel the whole plot revolves around him rather than Madison, we certainly saw more of his escapades than that of Madison.

That is however, not to say that Madison was not a worthy character. Which woman has the ‘balls’ to singlehandedly help herself and others out of a hostage situation? Only my favorite heroine can. Her smartness, outspoken nature and courage may have contributed to what we consider her escape from a near death experience. She honestly made me scream throughout. The way she was able to put two and two together and devise a solution immediately, now that is what a heroine does. What do you however, expect from Michael Castelli's daughter, an apple doesn't fall far from the tree now, does it?

Now who is Michael Castelli?

Michael Castelli a young boy, who certainly thought there was more to the world than sitting in classes, dropped out of school and began working for Gito Giovanni, one of those mob bosses you certainly cannot defy and say no to. And while Michael appeared smart, he made some dumb moves. I mean, who transports drugs without knowing?

He trafficked drugs to Vegas where despite having a reputation around women, falls in love with innocent virgin Dani. Theirs, is nonetheless, short whirlwind romance that certainly knocks both of them off their feet especially Dani. Her innocence was definitely sweet to me. But fate, and jail prevents anything further from happening as dumb Michael soon gets into trouble he didn't bargain for.

The fruit of their little tryst, Vincent, certainly adds flavor to the broth this novel was cooking. I would say Dani was Michael's first true love, but with his reputation, it's better not to assume.

He soon gets out of jail and gets involved with Beth, who I would say lived life and didn't let life live her, if there's anything like that. She was a free spirit who boldly charmed her way into Michael's pants and procreated a child for him. She's one of those people who come into your life and everything instantly feels exciting because of the aura and energy. Which is why, when she died as a result of Michael's foolishness, I was pissed. It would however be toxic, if I said I was happy when he was blamed for her death.

The product of Michael and Beth's love Madison, who is a beautiful, talented and street-smart writer, who returns from the sequel "Lethal seduction" and who is the heroine of the novel is pissed at her father who keeps many secrets from her including having a half-brother.

She returns to try and make sense of the complicatedness that surrounds her life, that is before she is caught in a terrible hostage situation.
Then there's Stella, Michael's first legitimate wife who more or less was a mother figure to Madison but ran off with a struggling artist, and was once again killed because of Michael.

This particular bad boy was certainly a sun that burned everyone around him. Everyone, of course, except Dani who managed to protect herself with 'sunscreen' literally.

There was also an element I certainly over enjoyed in this book- the sex and drugs. Those two in combination left me breathless. While drugs are certainly dangerous and not advisable to use, Jackie Collins did absolutely what she knows how to do best, because after all, what's Las Vegas and mobsters without drugs?

Deadly embrace is that novel that awakens something in you. It stirs something you did not know you had. I would say it appeals to your baser instincts but that'll be too crude.

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