The Lion’s Den – Book Review

Author: Katherine St. John

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Publication Date: June 30, 2020

Book Description: Sex, betrayal, and intrigue: A dream vacation on a luxurious yacht turns deadly in this pulse-pounding beach read “chock full of delicious characters who flaunt their sins . . . like the latest Birkin bag” (Adriana Trigiani).Belle likes to think herself immune to the dizzying effects of fabulous wealth. But when her best friend, Summer, invites her on a glamorous getaway to the Mediterranean aboard her billionaire boyfriend’s yacht, the only sensible answer is yes. Belle hopes the trip will be a much-needed break from her stalled acting career and uniquely humiliating waitressing job, but once she’s aboard the luxurious Lion’s Den, it soon becomes clear this jet-setting holiday is not as advertised.

Belle’s dream vacation quickly devolves into a nightmare as she and the handful of other girls Summer invited are treated more like prisoners than guests by their controlling host-and in one terrifying moment, Belle comes to see Summer for who she truly is: a vicious gold digger who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. 

Belle realizes she’s going to have to keep her wits about her — and her own big secret closely hidden — if she wants to make it off the yacht alive.

Rating: 5 Stars

Review: This book was quite the surprise. I did not want to put it down. This felt very much like Big Summer, as you will read in the setup.

Belle is an aspiring actress and she happens to be best friends with Summer. Summer is dating a much older billionaire and he is throwing her a birthday bash in France with her closest friends. Of course Belle is invited, but from the very beginning something does not feel right.

Summer’s boyfriend John is very controlling, they have to sign NDA’s, there is no Wi-Fi, and he even takes all their passports away, which makes Belle very uncomfortable.

Interspersed within this story are snip-its of days leading up to the trip. As the story progresses you realize that something major has happened between Summer and Belle, but you are just not sure what.

At first glance this story seems like an episode of Real Housewives but then it metamorphoses into quite a thriller. This debut author does a fantastic job of keeping you guessing, and you will be unraveling this one until the last chapter.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.