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Rival Passions

by Zoe Miller

4.13 of 5 stars 4.13 · rating details · 15 ratings · 5 reviews

Paperback, 416 pages

Published January 5th 2012 by Piatkus (first published April 1st 2011)

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May 26, 2011 Aileen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Serena Taylor is married to Paul, they have a daughter Harriet. Serena
is the Co-owner of the Tamarisk Manor Hotel with her brother Jack.
Serena works really hard and spends a lot of time at the Hotel, which
is not having a good effect on her marriage or baby making!! What is
she hiding from Paul?
Jack is mourning the loss of his wife Amy he is in France trying to
forget the Tamarisk, when Jack has a romantic encounter does he return
to the Hotel?
Serena is annoyed with Jack and trying to sort out...more

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Feb 01, 2012 Chloe rated it 5 of 5 stars

Brother and sister Jack and Serena Devlin are the owners of Tamarisk Manor, a chic, luxury hotel, ranked as the ultimate retreat for socialites and celebrities. But behind the indulgent façade, the privileged Devlin family is in turmoil ... Serena's commitment to the hotel is taking a toll on her once-perfect marriage. She finds it easier to run a multi-million euro business than to be the kind of wife that her husband expects, or the mother that her daughter deserves. Jack, struggling to come t...more Brother and sister Jack and Serena Devlin are the owners of Tamarisk Manor, a chic, luxury hotel, ranked as the ultimate retreat for socialites and celebrities. But behind the indulgent façade, the privileged Devlin family is in turmoil ... Serena's commitment to the hotel is taking a toll on her once-perfect marriage. She finds it easier to run a multi-million euro business than to be the kind of wife that her husband expects, or the mother that her daughter deserves. Jack, struggling to come to terms with the shocking death of his wife, takes refuge in La Mimosa, their sister hotel in France. Until a chance encounter forces him to re-evaluate his whole existence... Will Serena sacrifice her marriage for the sake of success? And will Jack give up his birthright for the sake of love?

Rating: 5/5

I have never yet read a Zoe Miller novel, but when I was sent this one to review by the publishers, my eye was really caught by the bright cover, and it sounded like the sort of book I would enjoy as well. Miller is an Irish author, and since I seem to really enjoy Irish penned fiction, it seemed a sure bet that I would like this one too. Luckily, I was right and Rival Passions was a fantastic book that I really didn't wany to put down in the evenings! It was an intriguing and fun story that had me guessing how things would end up for the characters up until the last page, and it's certainly made me want to pick up more of Zoe Miller's books!

The book is the story of twins Jack and Serena Devlin, who run a hotel called Tamarisk Manor. While Serena is dedicated to making the hotel a success at apparently any cost, Jack has recently been widowed and is struggling to put his life back together again. He's pretty much run out on the business and has left Serena to run it all alone, much to the annoyance of her husband Paul and their four year old daughter Harriet. But when it seems Jack might have other things on his mind, Serena is determined to make him step up to the plate and the legacy that their parents left them. Their mother is also suffering, watching her daughter struggle and her son not step up to his responsibilities but is powerless to act and help them out. This is really a family saga, involving lots of members of the Devlin family, and how they struggle to keep their relationships both personally and professionally, and this is for me what made it such a great read.

I did feel sorry for Serena, being left to run the business by herself and also struggling to cope with being Harriet's mum as well. As a reader, we could see what was going on with her yet her husband Paul seemed (understandably) a bit blinkered and just wanted her to be a wife and mother again. I did have a little dislike for Jack, he seemed very irresponsible and too quick to land his sister in trouble at work, and only cared about himself. Yes, he'd been in a tough situation but still that was no reason to abandon his responsibilites. I also liked the character of their mother, she was a feisty lady, who ran a hotel pretty much single handedly for years, and I enjoyed reading her develop as the story progressed. Overall, it was a great cast and Miller really brings them to life in her writing, creating these people and a fantastic setting too.

Miller writes the luxurious and beautiful resort of Tamarisk Manor perfectly, you can really imagine the setting in your mind as you read about the sumptuous rooms, the spa and beautiful grounds, and it really does sound amazing! Yes, we know there's a recession going on and that is mentioned in the book, with the hotel having to make cutbacks but there are a few mentions of luxury and splurging and why not? It's nice to read something a bit out of the ordinary and I loved it. The setting of Ireland is fantastic, and although it flits around a bit as well, it always comes back to Tamarisk and it always felt like coming home when the book returned here. The book contains a great cast of characters, a beautiful setting and a storyline that will keep you guessing. I loved that life wasn't all plain sailing for the Devlin family, yet they tried to help each other make it through the tough times like family should. I loved this book, and will certainly be looking out for more of Zoe Miller's books after reading this fantastic book!(less)

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Aug 05, 2012 Aedin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved this book the characters really got to you it was a great story

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Jun 16, 2012 Nathalie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, will definitely be wanting to read Zoe Miller's next book. The story drew me in, and I loved the characters. I found myself keep wanting to pick it up and read some more - which is why I read it so quickly!

Would definitely recommend.

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Feb 07, 2013 Lynn marie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction-womens

Throw-away chick lit at it's cheesy best!

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May 12, 2013 Deirdre rated it 4 of 5 stars

Apr 21, 2013 Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Apr 17, 2013 Amy Walsh rated it 5 of 5 stars

Mar 06, 2013 Laura Kelly marked it as to-read

Feb 07, 2013 Ania marked it as to-read

Jan 31, 2013 Erin marked it as to-read

Dec 25, 2012 Lisa marked it as kindle-chick-lit · review of another edition

Dec 20, 2012 Ren marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Oct 19, 2012 Aisling marked it as to-read

Oct 07, 2012 Olga Kelly rated it 2 of 5 stars

Sep 21, 2012 Sandra rated it 3 of 5 stars

Sep 03, 2012 Emma marked it as chick-lit-club-top-books

Aug 30, 2012 Tam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Aug 20, 2012 Marita rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jul 22, 2012 Hsiau Wei marked it as to-read

Jun 16, 2012 Jacqueline rated it 5 of 5 stars

May 22, 2012 Baniza added it

Shelves: own

Apr 29, 2012 Celeste Ní raois marked it as to-read

Aug 01, 2012 Cathy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mar 07, 2012 Sharon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012

Feb 03, 2012 Anaïs marked it as my-wishlist-eng

Jan 16, 2012 Aprilcross45 marked it as to-read

Jan 15, 2012 Vivienne Serendipity Reviews marked it as to-read

Jan 10, 2012 Julianna marked it as to-read

Dec 31, 2011 Kat marked it as to-read

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