Dangerous Kiss by Jackie Collins

My book is called “Dangerous Kiss” by my favorite writer Jackie Collins. This special book consists of four different “books”, but actually they are just continuing our story after 2, 3 or 6 months. Jackie Collins is one of my favorite writers I’ve read already 4 of her books and I just can’t stop reading when I start one of her books! In this book there is so much going on you will get confused when I explain, but it’s worth it! Every page I turn something new happens. So, Lucky Santagello is the main protagonist and the whole book revolves around her and her family. Mary Lou-wife of Lucky’s stepbrother Steven-gets killed and Lucky’s husband gets shot on the arm in a random car-jacking accident. The girl, who shot those two lovely people, is the daughter of the housekeeper of a rich, black and famous comedian. But the girl, Mila wasn’t alone during the car-jacking, with her was Price’s son (the famous comedian) Teddy, who is now accused by the girl that he had killed Mary Lou. Lucky’s goddaughter, Bridgette an extraordinary beauty and a world famous model who would later inherit a tremendous amount of money had been drugged and raped by Carlo, an Italian bastard that ruined her life. He knocked her up and when she went to take revenge, he got her addicted to drugs and married her, keeping her away from everyone that loved her. When she asked him to give her help to stop the heroin since it was harming her baby, he sent her in a very isolated house alone promising that he would bring doctors to help her. That never happened and poor Bridgette lost her baby and went through withdrawal alone, burying her unborn child. Meanwhile now that they caught Mila and they are going in court for the case of the car-jacking, a former lover of Lucky’s husband appears. Lennie (her husband) had been kidnapped many years ago and during all of that time everyone thought he was dead, one night Lucky got really drunk and slept with her best friend, Alex who is until now madly in love with her. They both agreed to keep it a secret since it didn’t matter, but it seems like Lennie had a secret too. He wasn’t dead, he got saved by an Italian young woman whom he slept with and without his knowing left her pregnant. She came back after 5 years to find him with their son that had hearing problems. Lucky’s perfect marriage is now ruined, will she take him back? Bridgette’s best friend, Lina a model too, has now a very romantic relationship with Steven and he can finally laugh again after the tragedy of his wife.

In my book the character that I can mostly connect with is the protagonist, Lucky. She is such a strong, powerful woman, who never puts it down. She does whatever she wants and there is no stopping her. She never asks permission to do anything and she will do whatever she feels like doing and not complain about the consequences. I am exactly like that, when I make a decision even a simple one like ordering something new in a restaurant, I like to decide alone, without other people influencing me. And when I don’t like my decision I just say to myself, you shouldn’t complain and just live with it! Also she is very stubborn and I am stubborn, I hate lies and when people pretend. When she found out about Lennie’s affair with the woman, she felt betrayed and wanted immediately a divorce from him, because he had lied to her that nothing happened with that woman. If I was in her shoes I would do the same, but then later I might have given him a second chance, because I believe that people deserve second chances. And I think this is what she will do, but we will see!
I have no problem understanding the book, since it’s so catchy! But I have a great difficulty connecting with the new Bridgette, because before she was so innocent and hated drugs, never dated guys and just lived a quiet life, passionate about her career. And now she in on drugs, married to a man that takes completely advantage of her, beats her up and makes her think she is a total nothing. Also I have trouble connecting with the whole car-jacking incident and how Steven must feel about his wife’s death. Fortunately no one really close to me has ever died, so I don’t know how that pain feels like, thank you God!
Well all of my characters and their experiences are too extreme for my age and my life until now. The only thing I experienced that a character experienced too, was when Bridgette was all innocent and perfect. Well she hated drugs and I hate them too, and she wouldn’t even take an aspirin, and I used to never take aspirins, but 3 months ago I had to take because I had a terrible stomach ache. And that was the only time I did! I can say also that the way Lucky feels about her father Gino, is the same way I feel about my father! I love him and I always look up to him, asking for his advise and he is always there to support me and teach me something new. That’s exactly how Gino is!
She doesn’t use so many literary features, she uses sometimes metaphors and similes, allusion many times, foreshadowing and colloquial language. But you don’t really notice them, since the book is so realistic and you just get engaged in all of that imagery. She has some very strong skills in describing things, it’s not too much that you get bored of it; she described everything as much as needed for you to be able to visualize everything in your head. Also she sometimes says everything raw, just the way it is, without trying to make it look nice and perfect. She uses colloquial language when black people talk, or when Lina the supermodel talks, and it makes it more interesting getting you more involved with the character.
The plot of my book is kind of realistic. In some cases it’s very realistic, for example, Bridgette getting raped and then hooked up, or when Lina changes from being a wild party animal into a sweet angel when she first met Steven. But in some other cases it’s a bit extreme, like the character’s background, all the killing, the fact that always something new comes up. But that’s what makes it more interesting, the extreme, and the unbelievable.
If it’s possible I would love to be everyone’s best friend. They are all just so unique and interesting characters that I really wish I could have such friends. But of course if I could have Lucky Santagello the main character as my best friend then I will have access to everyone in the story! Lucky is a really extraordinary woman and I would love to have her as my best friend. She is smart, beautiful, outgoing and always fun. She takes good care of her friends and she worries about everyone. Also we would both have so much in common and maybe I could even produce a movie with her!!!
My book is very similar to another book by Collins, “Drop Dead Beautiful”. Lucky Santagello has like a series, but it’s not really a series, I mean you could read any book at any time and still understand what’s going on. First there is “Chances” where Lucky grows up, then “Lucky” which she gets married 3 times, “Lady Boss” which she begins Panther Studios and another one the “Vendetta: Lucky’s Revenge”, where she fights a lifelong enemy. I am planning to own and read all of her books but slowly slowly! “Drop Dead Beautiful” the book that reminds me very much of mine has also Lucky Santagello as the protagonist, but this time everything happens in her own family, her daughter gets kidnapped and everything! Also the way of writing is the same, we get to see everyone’s point of view in the story and that makes it even more exciting!
While I was reading today I could very clearly visualize everything, especially the part where Bridgette is suffering from the drugs while she buries her unborn child in the back of her garden. Also I could picture her alone in that huge haunted house all by herself, weak and frightened. I could picture Steven, Lucky’s brother, finally being happy again with Lina, while he still misses and thinks about his wife every morning he wakes up and before he goes to bed. I could also imagine how Lucky devastated and angry Lucky might be after the heart-breaking news about Lennie’s affair, she refuses to talk to him, doesn’t ever answer her phone and totally avoiding him.
I think in the next section I read Bridgette will get stronger and be able to escape from the house or maybe Lucky’s detective will find her and save her. I think Lucky will forgive Lennie and take the kid as if its her own, and everything will be fine. Alex might marry someone else since he can see he has no chance with Lucky. I think that Steven and Lina will diffidently get married. And I want to believe that Mila will be proven guilty by Lennie, since he was the main witness and Teddy will be free. Oh, and I just hope that Carlo will die, since he did so many mean things all his life, destroying other people.
If I could jump in the story right now I would go to the house where Bridgette is kept, bring her food and medicine, take her to a hospital, then to a rehab clinic, because the bastard Carlo left her alone to get over drugs, and that IMPOSSIBLE! She was addicted for so many years she couldn’t just cut them immediately; it had to be done by experts slowly, since the poor baby was addicted too. I would then take her to my house help her get stronger and healthier be there for her to listen to her and keep her good company, trying mentally to make her stronger too, and then I would report everything to the police so they can find and destroy Carlo. And then when I see that Bridgette is well again, I will help her built her career back up again, find her a new house and be her best friend forever!!! She is such a lovely character, and she went through so much all of her life, her mother was a drug addict that died early, and her father died too, so she was raised up by Lucky! But she deserves the best!