The Chick: Chloe Harding, mother of two she is in desperate need of a holiday. Her partner has been stressed for the past few months over a possible redundancy and so they need to get away from it all and relax.
The Dude: Hugh Stratton, high profile job with two children and apparently perfect wife although she seems to be paying the redecoration of their house more attention than him. He feels he is only there to provide the money.
The Plot in 10 (ish):
Chloe: im stressed out and need to relax
weird old friend: iv got a luxury villa you can have for a week for free
Chloe: awesome! Come on kids and partner were going to Spain!
Weird old friend (to Hugh): hey iv got a luxury villa you can have for a week for free
Hugh: ok, ill take the kids and wife and a nanny of course
Everyone: hey what are you doing here!
Philip: well it looks like were both staying here then, hey you both know weird old friend, do you two know each other?
Chole and Hugh: Nope *whistling* *Hugh and Chloe with lusty eyes*
Philip: I work for a bank which has just been taken over, I may loose my job if the suits decide. What do you do?
Hugh: Im the suit that will decide your future
weird old friend: muwahhhhhh
The End
The Book:
Chloe and Philip have been through a lot of stress in the past few months because Philip might loose his job from a takeover, its all they have been able to talk about and so Chole wants to desperately get away and try to relax for a while. Gerard an old college friend has offered them his luxury villa for a week in spain for free... how could they not refuse!
Hugh met up with his old school friend Gerard and he has offered him his luxury villa for a week in spain, so Hugh takes up the offer, why not? It might be a good chance for him and his wife to reconnect as they will have a nanny to take care of the children.
But when they both turn up at the same place there must be some sort of mix-up! Unfortunately it is high season and they wont be able to find a room else where and Chloe really needs this holiday! So both families decide to stay, its a big enough house!
Chole and Hugh are shocked to see each other again. 15 years ago Chloe and Hugh dated for three months, but when she introduced him to her son, Sam, he ran away never to be seen again and she still hasn't forgiven him for it. Now she has been in a happy relationship for 13 years, but her old feelings for Hugh are stirring up and she can't seem to ignore them and neither can Hugh.
I finished this book thinking …. beige.
It just felt a bit flat, dull, bland... beige.
The characters didn’t seem to have much depth to them and were a bit stereotyped.
Two people meet up again after and long period of time, both having family problems and turn to each other because of what might have been haunts them.
Hugh still feels guilty from when he ran away from her and Sam and Chloe still feels hurt from being abandoned from what seemed to her a perfect relationship at the time. Talk about holding a flame!
I personally didn’t like Hugh and much preferred Philip as a character and got annoyed with Hugh's constant starring at Chloe and how that made her feel.
The main plot which had tied the two families together was that their friend had leant them both the villa because he like to create awkward tension between people. Am I the only one who thinks that is just a little bit strange? He basically thinks its really funny that a man who is about to loose his job is sharing a villa with the man who decides. Hahahaha, anyone else in stitches?
The humour in the story was meant to be from the nanny although I didn’t find her that amusing and didn’t think much of the romance between her and Sam. At first she seemed like she was mocking him and then after she found out about Chloe and Hugh she decided she liked him. Out of sympathy? And I was shocked by the nonchalant response from his parents and her employees when she told them they were going off to the field to have sex. He is only 16 and I think she was about 20. I'm sure my parents would have had something to say or at least react to it.
I think it was written ok and the story was ok but that is the point is was all just ok. Nothing spectacular just... beige. I have read some of the Shopaholic series and fully enjoyed them and laughed at the ridiculous. But these are no near as good and I don’t think I will go out of my way to read anymore of her other earlier works.
I am also not impressed by the fact that she has re-released these under her better known name basically to make money. It is like when a singer re-releases a previous single, just because they are now more famous and I am annoyed that I bought it the first time round or when a dvd is re-released with a new snazzy cover. Just leave well alone! Although I imagine this was more a push from the publishers than her.
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