21 February, 2015

#BookReview :: Flawless (Hostile Beauty #1) by Jan Moran

"There's always an ugly side to beauty." - Jan Moran

Verena Valent is at the helm of her family's legendary Swiss skincare company, which caters to a glamorous clientele in the heart of Beverly Hills. After her parents are killed in an automobile accident, she becomes the sole provider for her younger twin sisters and her grandmother. Instead of attending college with her friends as planned, she rises to the challenge to guide and expand her family's business. She is in the midst of a critical international expansion into Asia when her carefully organized life begins to unravel.
Verena is shaken to discover that her fiance, Derrick, who is a venture capitalist, might be behind a scheme to take over her growing company. While she struggles to save the business that means everything to her, she meets Lance, an executive chef at the Beverly Hills Hotel. She encounters this intriguing man again while on a business trip to Paris, and soon gains a new perspective on relationships.
When the unthinkable occurs and Verena's world collapses, her friends rally around her, among them Scarlett Sandoval, a top intellectual property attorney; Dahlia DuBois, a perfumer from an esteemed line of French perfumers; and Fianna Fitzgerald, a fashion designer with her own trendy boutique.
Ultimately, Verena learns that truth, family, friendship, and love are the unshakable pillars of life. But will she get a second chance in business, or in love?


Verena Valent is a strong modern woman who takes her responsibilities seriously. When her parents die in an accident, she is left to take care of not only her grandmother and younger sisters, but also the family business of skincare products. She gives up her own dreams to step up to the responsibilities left to her. But then the recession hits the market, and she finds out that her fiancé may not be in her life for her love but for her business. Slowly everything starts to crumble around her… She has only her family and friends for support. Will she be able to salvage the business and find a chance at true love?

Welcome to the world of fashion, style, entrepreneurship, love, betrayal, friendship and family. This is not just a simple romance novel but a full on drama that has a bit of every imaginable flavour. From Beverly Hills to Streets of Paris, this novel takes you on a journey of cut throat business to finding love at unexpected places.  I loved the way the author has described every setting, every situation with so much details and care that the story practically comes to live infront of the reader’s eyes. The language used is simple and comfortable and the narration has a smooth flow to it.

I loved the character of Verena. She is strong, dependable, practical and fun. I also absolutely adored Verena’s grandmother. She is a lady with some character. Even Verena’s friends added a lot to the story. It was nice to read a novel where the ladies got the attention and got to play the top roles. In the patriarchal world that we live in, and with the crimes against women going up every day, it was really motivating to read about these women who live their lives on their terms and can take on any man at so many levels. And well, there is Lance, the chef. Who wouldn’t love a hottie who can cook? Then theirs is this pragmatic and caring side to him that adds to his charms. He is anybody’s ideal man.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and look forward to the stories of the other women in the gang.


Review Copy received via NetGalley

2 comments:

  1. This book is family oriented. I hope I can also read it.

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  2. The book seems to have a lot of twists & turns, will be interesting to read. Thanks for the review..

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