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A review by mochagirl
Can't Get Enough by Connie Briscoe
2.0
Can't Get Enough, Connie Briscoe's follow up to PG County, returns us to the prestigious Silver Lake community and continues where its predecessor ended. It instantly reconnects with Maryland's Prince George County's most memorable cast of characters who, for the most part, are still rich and still restless - a perfect combination for trouble and drama. Barbara, the wife of philandering millionaire Bradford Bentley, has sobered up and now takes her frustrations out in the gym instead of drowning her sorrows in Belvedere vodka. The results are fantastic - she is feeling good and looking even better. When her real-estate colleague, Noah, 15 years her junior openly flirts with her, he awakens feelings and thoughts that even the most faithful of attention-starved housewives cannot ignore. She wrestles with her feelings for both her husband, Bradford, whose womanizing ways led him to ignore and embarrass her for years by openly conducting affairs with younger women, and Noah, a handsome, attentive and sensual being, who is playing for keeps.
A newcomer to Silver Lake, a one "Baroness Veronique," befriends Barbara and plays devil's advocate to the blossoming romance between Barbara and Noah. However, it is revealed much later that this royal newcomer has ulterior motives with an interesting twist near the end of the story. The Baroness is the envy of the neighborhood after building a replica of a French chateau directly across the street from the conniving Jolene, the latest former mistress of Bradford. Jolene is a scantily clad pariah, shunned by most of Silver Lake for her involvement with Bradford. However, public scorn only fuels her desire to win back Patrick, her well-respected and admired ex-husband. She stoops low and uses their daughter Juliette in a ploy to seduce him. Patrick, however, is smitten with good-natured Pearl, the sweetheart of the neighborhood and friend to everyone. When Patrick rejects Jolene, she, in an act of desperation, retaliates against Pearl in such a mean spirited and hurtful manner that startles all of Silver Lake.
There is no peace, even for the "nice guy" as lovable Patrick struggles to raise Lee, his troubled teenaged daughter from a previous relationship. Lee's half-sister, Juliette, adds gasoline to the fire when she starts to exhibit traces of Jolene (evoking a "Mini Me" persona of her man-chasing mother) when she sets her eyes on her Lee's boyfriend.
Reminiscent to a daytime soap opera, the setting is posh. Everyone is beautiful, possesses an American Express Black card, drives luxury cars and wears designer attire. It seems like owning Armani suits, furs, Jimmy Choo shoes and Mikimoto pearls are an unwritten prerequisite for Silver Lake residents. Briscoe masters the storytelling aspects well by devoting alternating chapters to each main character which allows them to develop nicely while building suspense in an entertaining melodramatic offering. She adds solid doses of scandalous behavior, lying, cheating, double-crossing, and scheming to keep the pages turning until the end.
A newcomer to Silver Lake, a one "Baroness Veronique," befriends Barbara and plays devil's advocate to the blossoming romance between Barbara and Noah. However, it is revealed much later that this royal newcomer has ulterior motives with an interesting twist near the end of the story. The Baroness is the envy of the neighborhood after building a replica of a French chateau directly across the street from the conniving Jolene, the latest former mistress of Bradford. Jolene is a scantily clad pariah, shunned by most of Silver Lake for her involvement with Bradford. However, public scorn only fuels her desire to win back Patrick, her well-respected and admired ex-husband. She stoops low and uses their daughter Juliette in a ploy to seduce him. Patrick, however, is smitten with good-natured Pearl, the sweetheart of the neighborhood and friend to everyone. When Patrick rejects Jolene, she, in an act of desperation, retaliates against Pearl in such a mean spirited and hurtful manner that startles all of Silver Lake.
There is no peace, even for the "nice guy" as lovable Patrick struggles to raise Lee, his troubled teenaged daughter from a previous relationship. Lee's half-sister, Juliette, adds gasoline to the fire when she starts to exhibit traces of Jolene (evoking a "Mini Me" persona of her man-chasing mother) when she sets her eyes on her Lee's boyfriend.
Reminiscent to a daytime soap opera, the setting is posh. Everyone is beautiful, possesses an American Express Black card, drives luxury cars and wears designer attire. It seems like owning Armani suits, furs, Jimmy Choo shoes and Mikimoto pearls are an unwritten prerequisite for Silver Lake residents. Briscoe masters the storytelling aspects well by devoting alternating chapters to each main character which allows them to develop nicely while building suspense in an entertaining melodramatic offering. She adds solid doses of scandalous behavior, lying, cheating, double-crossing, and scheming to keep the pages turning until the end.