Bad Angels
Rebecca Chance

Step into Limehouse Wharf, the new, uber-luxury apartment building in Canary Wharf where celebrities who have had ‘work’ done can hole up until they have healed and which is about to see its most glamorous and scandalous Christmas yet.

Staying there over the festive period is Melody Down, an actress whose career is in tatters after too much plastic surgery and who has fled LA to get her body and her boyfriend back. But is a ‘well-meaning’ friend about to sabotage all of Melody’s Christmas wishes?

Meanwhile, Aniela Fatyga, the nurse in residence, finds herself falling for the unlikely Jon Jordan, an assassin for hire who is also convalescing there. Will her feelings be reciprocated or will their sizzling relationship remain purely physical? And who is he on the run from?

And then there’s oligarch Grigor Khalofsky, the owner of Kensington football team, whose legendary Christmas party is about to get a whole lot more exciting when murder, blackmail and scandalous revelations decide to pay a visit along with Santa.

I have taken another leap in genre with Bad Angels - I normally stay more romantic and a little less risqué, but I really enjoyed this book with its glorious mix of mystery, glamour and romance; just what I needed on a gloomy weekend.

The book begins just before Christmas with Melody Dale, dubbed the most beautiful woman in England, who is recovering from painful cosmetic surgery in the luxury of the fabulously glamorous Limehouse Wharf. She is hoping to resurrect the pre-Hollywood looks she once had before embarking on the sleazy film ‘Wonder Woman’ which broke her career, and her relationship with fellow aspiring actor, James.

Melody has her needs attended to by fastidious Polish nurse Aniela, who is secretly lusting uncontrollably after the dark and dangerous Jon Jordan, a man who grew up in the Southern Moonshine culture of Appalachia. Jon is harbouring dark secrets of his own behind a face he doesn’t recognise, after having facial reconstruction to escape the skeletons in his closet which are dangerously close to surfacing; he was a CIA trained assassin who faked his own death to escape the corps that would inevitably kill him if he attempted to resign.

Aniela is not a natural beauty like Melody, nor paid for her services like the only other women Jon has experienced in his past, but still the attraction between them is building like a vehement storm and it is not long before Aniela discovers the truth behind the man in the bandaged mask.

There is abundant Christmas cheer courtesy of eccentric billionaire oligarch and owner of Kensington Football Club Grigor Khalovsky, who has a fervid desire for all things festive – even when faced with his murderous ex-wife-to-be, Dasha, who relishes blackmailing and conniving at every opportunity she gets.

The story travels through the festive period on a sleigh ride of sparkle, intrigue and deception; with the blossoming seeds of new relationships and the acrid taste of old ones, culminating in a heightened gun chase set amongst the backdrop of one of the most glamorous (and sordid!) parties to ever see in the New Year, with the ending echoing the true meaning of Christmas and all the loose ends tying up perfectly.

I loved the observational writing style and tongue-in-cheek wit of the author, and her talent for weaving the tales of each character effortlessly to make you easily forge connections with them.

I would highly recommend this book for a plethora of festive entertainment and pure escapism which oozes glitz and sparkle!

Thanks to Sophie at ed public relations for sending me this book to review.

Rating: ★★★★★