The Rich Man

Really not for me at all.


Panto villain Sinclair decides to get back at a man who swindled him out of some money by having an affair with his ex-girlfriend Elena, the world's most innocent, childlike and youngest exotic dancer; becoming obsessed with possesing her in the process. None of the characters in this book have a personality, they are just stereotypes - the naive girl, the gangster, the charming rogue, even Elena's strip club friend the tart with the heart. Sinclair has no motive for killing people and no fear of retribution or from the police, violence is just a casual thing with no meaning as we don't care about the characters he kills. She is used by all the male characters to get what they want and she's frequently described in terms of being small and young. The worst thing is that she is described as being turned on by the thought he's a gangster. I found this book really disappointing. I don't think it works as a thriller, it's more of a romance but it doesn't work as that either as the sex scenes are brief and full of bad language. I am not sure if the readers are supposed to pity Eleanor for getting into the situation or envy her for the lavish lifestyle (which like Anastasia Steele she shuns anyway). All I know is that she has no agency whatsoever. He just has to look at her and she caves.

I received a free advanced review copy from booksirens and leave this review voluntarily.