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Envy

by Sandra Brown (Goodreads Author)

4.08 of 5 stars 4.08 · rating details · 6,095 ratings · 527 reviews

Living on a remote island under an assumed name, novelist Parker Evans guards his secrets well. Fascinated by this reclusive genius, publisher Maris Matherly-Reed decides to pursue him. But this new project threatens an old commitment, a commitment at the very center of her life. Envy has all the ingredients of a Sandra Brown beach read bestseller.

Paperback, 549 pages

Published August 29th 2002 by Piatkus Books (first published 1999)

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Dec 30, 2008 Tammy rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of intense mysteries

Recommended to Tammy by: Terhan

Shelves: 2008-reads, suspense

Who knew Sandra Brown could write sexy and scary so well together?

My neighbor did, I suppose. She has been pushing this book off on me for the past year and I finally gave in and read it over the holiday. So glad I did!

New York publisher, Maris "Matherly" Reed, receives an intriguing manuscript regarding two college kids and an unsolved murder from someone identified only as P.M.E. She feels compelled to meet the anonymous author, so she travels to a remote Georgia island and begins snooping ar...more

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Jan 15, 2013 Carrie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, own, contemporary, manipulative-friends-family, mystery, read-2012, suspense

Reviewed for Audiogals.net

Narrated by Viktor Slezak

Envy came to my attention over a year ago, but I kept putting it off because I feared it wouldn’t have enough relationship development. For decades I’d read straight mystery and suspense, and while I still love suspense, I now want books with a strong romantic element. Surely, I thought, Sandra Brown is too mainstream for my current tastes. How wrong I was, and how glad I am that I finally gave into the curiosity and bought the audiobook. If I'd...more Reviewed for Audiogals.net

Narrated by Viktor Slezak

Envy came to my attention over a year ago, but I kept putting it off because I feared it wouldn’t have enough relationship development. For decades I’d read straight mystery and suspense, and while I still love suspense, I now want books with a strong romantic element. Surely, I thought, Sandra Brown is too mainstream for my current tastes. How wrong I was, and how glad I am that I finally gave into the curiosity and bought the audiobook. If I'd read Envy in print I would have still give it an A. But, if you will excuse me for being effusive for a moment, Victor Slezak's narration is so perfect it makes me want to stop strangers on the street and force them to listen.
Envy is an amazingly well-crafted suspense story with a multilayer plot and perfect pacing. Sandra Brown immerses the listener in her story. Whether it's a big city, a college frat house, Key West, or an obscure Georgia island, the settings feel as important as any character in the book. This amazing ability to evoke a sense of place for her readers is one of the things I enjoy most about Brown’s writing. But the shining star in Envy is Brown’s incredibly well written suspense. The book consists of two story arcs that eventually intersect. One story arc starts when Maris, a publisher, receives the first chapter of a book in the mail. That manuscript peaks her interest, and sends Maris to an isolated island off the coast of Georgia in search of the reclusive author. Parker Evans is the author who submits the unsolicited manuscript to Maris’s publishing house. The second arc is the book Parker is writing, titled "Envy." The two story arcs are interwoven seamlessly, with Brown doling out the backstory contained in the manuscript in tantalizing installments.
In addition to the mystery in Parker's book, there is intrigue and betrayal going on in the present day story of Parker, Maris, Maris's husband (Noah), and her father. Brown alternates the present day story of Parker, Maris, Noah and the rest with chapters from Parker’s manuscript,” Envy.” I can’t emphasize enough how masterfully she builds the suspense story throughout this book. Both story arcs are full of enough detail to stand on their own, but when brought together, the result feels like much more than a sum of the parts.
While there are many important and well-developed characters in Envy, the relationship between Parker and Maris stands at the center of the book. Their uneasy, yet magnetic, partnership is the spark that sets off the present day chain of events, but it’s also what allows for healing in the end. Parker Evans is not a likeable man for much of the book, and it’s obvious he’s playing some deeper game than simply trying to get a book published. Maris tries to convince herself it’s only the book she’s interested in, but she’s soon questioning Parker’s motives as well as her own. Is she continuing to pursue the matter because of the manuscript or does the recalcitrant author have something to do with her continued visits to the island?
Victor Slezak voices all the characters well, but he has a special knack for the southern accents of Parker and his assistant, Mike. Slezak's voice for the often cantankerous Parker is deep, rough, and perfect. Slazek doesn't use a high voice for the female characters, but instead he softens his voice. All the voices are easy to differentiate and keeping track of who is speaking in a conversation is never a problem, even though there are many characters in this book. I honestly cannot think of any way to improve on the narration for this book.

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Jul 12, 2012 D.G. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, romantic-suspense, reviewed, great-narrator

**4.5 stars**

This is a terrific romantic suspense book with one of the most despicable villains I've ever had the misfortune to find in fiction. There were tons of good twists and at times I was truly afraid that the villain would get away with murder but just when you thought everybody was well and truly f*cked, something would happen that would put the villain in his place.

I won't go into detail about the plot or characters because for the first couple of chapters the reader doesn't know who'...more

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Oct 04, 2012 CrazyPenguinLady rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite-romantic-suspense

One of the best Sandra Brown books I have ever read.
-There were no parts where the heroine's friends go on and on about how jealous they are of her physical perfection. THANK YOU.
-The hero acted like an asshole several times -typical of Sandra Brown heroes- but it was acknowledged, instead of just forgiven without a thought.
-There was a lot more suspense than in a usual SB book. That was nice; the thriller aspect of it. I find I enjoy SB books with the element of suspense much more than the pure...more

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Jul 07, 2007 Sarah Sammis rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: released

Envy is the third novel by Sandra Brown I've read and she's rapidly earning her way onto my list of "go-to" authors. Her novels always manage to surprise once or twice and certainly entertain from cover to cover.

Envy is the title of the book within the book and it's the lure that brings Maris Matherly-Reed to a remote Georgian island to purchase the rights to a novel. What she doesn't realize is that she's been lured into an elaborate scheme of revenge long buried in the past.

There are excerpts...more

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Mar 23, 2010 BJ Rose rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemp-romance, library-books, spring-challenge

OK, this really deserves 3.5*, but I just couldn't give it 4* for two reasons:
1. Maris fell in love with Noah because she loved his book so much - I know that reason can go out the window when emotions walk in the door, but really?!!
2. Maris again - she came to Parker's bed while still claiming to love her husband, and then was upset with him for 'using' her and pushing her out the door (which he did).

Envy is a good read; a well-told story with some predictable plotlines but also some surprising...more

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Jun 06, 2011 Jamie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-suspense, romance

A great story by Sandra Brown. A near-perfect blend of romance, mystery and even suspense. The book has three focused characters. Maris, daughter of the CEO of a publishing company and editor. She is sent a prologue to a story that immediately captivates her. After some searching, she comes across the writer. The author is Parker, a bitter recluse. due to a horrid incident in his past, he was left in a wheelchair. The other main character is Noah, Maris' husband. Noah has a darker agenda to sell...more

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Apr 07, 2010 Kathrynn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, fiction-general, 2010, reviewed, theme-hero_hard_to_like

This was my first Sandra Brown book and I was expecting a thriller; something that held me glued to the pages as I anxiously read more. That was not the case with "Envy." In hindsight, I should have left it unfinished, but wanted to see how the stories were going to come together.

Grew frustrated that the tempo didn't pick up as the book progressed. If anything, it dragged in several places. I wanted gripping suspense. What I got was a lot of subterfuge, back stabbing, hints and plot building. S...more

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Apr 10, 2009 Louise rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: thriller-suspense

One of my most favourite Sandra Brown novels!!

From back cover:

"When New York publisher Maris Matherly Reed receives a tantalizing manuscript from someone identified only as P.M.E., its blockbuster potential-and perhaps something else-compels her to meet its author. On an eerie, ruined cotton plantation on a remote Georgia island she finds Parker Evans, a man concealing his identity and his past. Maris is drawn into his tale of two young friends and a deadly betrayal...and to Parker himself. But...more

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Apr 03, 2012 signorina Vei added it · review of another edition

Pembaca sependapat bahwa laki-laki seperti Parker layak dikejar hingga ke pulau terpencil dan antah berantah.
Masa lalu menjadikan Parker perwujudan dari misterius, dingin, dan sarkastis. Ia melindungi diri dengan sikap kerasnya, menolak simpati, hubungan, kedekatan dengan orang lain.

Maris, seorang wanita dengan kesuksesan. Ia memiliki ayah yang sangat menyayanginya, memiliki seorang suami, dan perusahaan besar. Semua keseimbangan dalam dunianya runtuh begitu ia bertemu muka dengan Parker Evans,...more

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May 15, 2013 Christine Keleny rated it 2 of 5 stars

I picked up this audio book because I really enjoyed the last Sandra Brown book I read (Rainwater). This one...

Genre: fiction

Blurb: (from Goodreads) Living on a remote island under an assumed name, novelist Parker Evans guards his secrets well. Fascinated by this reclusive genius, publisher Maris Matherly-Reed decides to pursue him. But this new project threatens an old commitment, a commitment at the very center of her life.
What I didn't like: Compared to Rainwater, this wasn't half the book t...more I picked up this audio book because I really enjoyed the last Sandra Brown book I read (Rainwater). This one...

Genre: fiction

Blurb: (from Goodreads) Living on a remote island under an assumed name, novelist Parker Evans guards his secrets well. Fascinated by this reclusive genius, publisher Maris Matherly-Reed decides to pursue him. But this new project threatens an old commitment, a commitment at the very center of her life.
What I didn't like: Compared to Rainwater, this wasn't half the book that was. The plot was a little thin - the main bad guy (Todd, Maris's husband) was a bit too stupid for my taste. He kept thinking his villainous plans would work, even after his wife caught him cheating, and he threatened her. It bothered me that Maris fell for the crude Parker character. It's a bit hard to understand how an educated, savvy business woman would do that, but I guess it could happen. I also thought Brown made him - the supposed good guy in the story - too crude. A bit crude, sure, but not as raunchy as she made him. The other thing that bothered me is the sex in the book, mostly because I wasn't expecting it. Neither the back audio blurb nor the blurb you read above give you any idea of this. And having read Brown's Rainwater before this, I wouldn't have expected it from this author. It seems more like a book about the act of sex with a revenge story as a back drop vs the other way around. Plus when Parker Evans is injured in the ocean as badly as he was injured, he would have bled out and died if the sharks didn't get to him first (if there are sharks around the Florida Keys). And on a personal note: as a writer, I don't like to read books about writing. I use reading as an escape, and reading about writing is not an escape for me.

What I liked: Not a whole lot, as you can see from above. It has good dialogue and flows well even with a thin plot at times, but I was expecting more of a story after reading Rainwater before this one. If you like to read sex scenes, Brown does a good job with those and there is plenty of them throughout the book, but I didn't pick this book up looking for that. Victor Slezak did the narration for this audio book and he did a fine job. I wonder how he kept his cool through all those sex scenes!

Rating: 2/5(less)

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Apr 15, 2012 Ursula Gorman rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: dark, multiple-story-lines, memories

I have read many Sandra Brown books; for the most part, I really enjoy her books. Unfortunetly, she is one of the rare author's that I either love her or hate her books. Usually if I love an author's work, I love it all, but Sandra is a rarity for me. There has been a couple of her books I wasn't even able to finish, Envy was 'almost' one of those books.
Luckily, it had enough redeeming qualities to save it from the discarded pile. The overall story line was very good and thought out. The twists...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Ruth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow! I was very impressed by this story. It was well crafted, suspenseful, and enjoyable.

Maris is a book editor in NYC who works for her father at Matherly press. Noah Reed, who wrote Maris' favorite book "Vanquished" came to work for her dad. It idn't take long for Maris to fall in love and marry Noah.

Days are busy and Maris is missing the time when she worked directly with an author in developing his book. Her attention is drawn to a partial manuscript that she has received. The book has all t...more

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Mar 06, 2012 Anna rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: horror

It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that with a plot like Envy's, there's a big emphasis on writerly things, and nearly all of the characters are involved in the industry at some point, either from the writing or the publishing aspect. Ironically, the criticism given to one of her writing characters pretty much sums up the book: lively dialogue, but the plot needs work. The plot needs a lot of work, because I don't have enough suspension of disbelief to buy the story past the first fifty pag...more It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that with a plot like Envy's, there's a big emphasis on writerly things, and nearly all of the characters are involved in the industry at some point, either from the writing or the publishing aspect. Ironically, the criticism given to one of her writing characters pretty much sums up the book: lively dialogue, but the plot needs work. The plot needs a lot of work, because I don't have enough suspension of disbelief to buy the story past the first fifty pages. A successful and extremely busy New York publisher is going to drop everything to hunt down an author who didn't bother to leave contact information? Not only that, but she's going to fund a trip to visit him when he rudely informs her over the phone he's not interested in pursuing publication? Let's not even get into how she agrees to pay him when he tells her the manuscript hasn't been written past the first chapter, because that chapter made my head hurt (ok, the headache might have had to do with the way I wound up pounding my head against the wall). How a book that understands the role of publishers so little ever got published, I will never understand.

Every character in this book is two-dimensional. The villain has no redeeming qualities, so everything he does, thinks, or says is malicious or evil in some way. Maris's father is meant to be shrewd, so he winds up being omnipotent and able to predict everyone's actions, although he doesn't often do anything with that knowledge. Maris herself is a big plot device. Her personality shifts as needed to carry on the plot, which often makes her dumber than dirt. Really dumb dirt, at that. "I have caught this person involved in my personal and professional life, who happens to be in a key position of my family company, in some nefarious activities and have reason to believe he is thoroughly villainous, but I am just going to sit on that information rather than actually doing something about it. I should probably tell my father, and the head of the company, what is going on but I won't because that would not only be logical, it would take a good 100 pages or so out of the book." What makes this even better is that everyone throughout the book refers to Maris as being very smart, which would normally make me grit my teeth except that I started reading it as though they were all patronizing her, which made me laugh.

Ok, the characterization and plot need work, but it's not all bad. The prose itself is very readable, and the dialogue is good (when it's not revealing the flat characters). It's the kind of writing where although nothing in the book makes sense, it's at least not painful to do the actual reading. The book is trying too hard (and failing) to be a mystery, and although the tone is about right, there's a lack of actual mystery, which you'd think would be one of the given elements, but apparently not.(less)

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Oct 10, 2011 Toni rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Envy is a great book, going behind the scenes at a publishing house and showing the intrigues to obtain writers and the subterfuges editors will go through to keep them. A good portion of it will be enlightening even for those of us who’ve already been published. In this tale, in one way or another, no one is whom he appears to be. The story is intriguing, entertaining, and suspenseful as Parker, willing to sacrifice himself and his love for Maris, sees his plan for revenge through to the end. T...more

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Feb 03, 2011 Lisa rated it 1 of 5 stars

Hhmmm... sebenarnya bagi yang suka buku ini kagak jelek2 amat sih.

Tp terus terang, ini dibeli hanya karena ada obralan aja di Gramedia, C4-Depok. (Bayangkan! Cuma 15rb aja! Hehehe... siapa yang tidak tergoda coba?). Selain itu, karena ada "tantangan" dari Goodreads untuk mencantumkan target membaca di tahun 2011 ini... jadi terpaksa deh asal beli. Hehehe...

Ok. Sekedar review. Plot biasa aja sih.

Ada cewek. Cakep. Seksi. Kaya. Pinter. (Hmmmm...sesuai judulnya.. deskripsi tokoh utama agak-agak bik...more

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Jan 06, 2011 kingshearte rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, fiction, fluff

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I don't normally bother to comment on my fluff reads, because, really, they are what they are. However, this one has inspired me to say some stuff.

OK, for starters, it's always a bit risky to write a book about people who produce books. It's like writing a play about actors. Done well, it can be excellent. But it's all too easy to fall into a very meta feeling that just doesn't seem natural when you read it.

Even riskier is if in this book about books, the plot device book is raved about by every...more I don't normally bother to comment on my fluff reads, because, really, they are what they are. However, this one has inspired me to say some stuff.

OK, for starters, it's always a bit risky to write a book about people who produce books. It's like writing a play about actors. Done well, it can be excellent. But it's all too easy to fall into a very meta feeling that just doesn't seem natural when you read it.

Even riskier is if in this book about books, the plot device book is raved about by every single person who reads it, and you choose to include excerpts of said book. Because when you've set it up that way, your plot device book had better be stellar. The problem is that they never are. Partially it's because the author has set your expectations very high, but more than that, I think it's this: if you're an author and you have a really great premise for a book, you're going to write that book, not use it as a plot device. Of course, in this case, the premise of the plot device book and the premise of the book itself are very closely related — in fact, they're basically the same, except where the plot device book focuses mainly on the background, with the endgame spelled out in a chapter, the main book focuses on the endgame. Nonetheless, just the fact that it's a fake book seems to inevitably lead to I don't know what kind of brain process or whatever in the author, but they're just never that good. Of course, neither is the main book, but nobody's writing a book telling me how great the main book is, so the expectations are not quite the same.

All that said, while I understand the reasons for the plot device book to be about what it was about, I nonetheless feel that one should really not write a book about people who write books about people who write books. Even if it makes sense in the context, it's still just one layer too much, and too damn annoying.

And one last note about her books in general: I read several of them when I was younger, and maybe it's just because I was younger that they seemed better, but they really did. I really really enjoyed her older suspense novels, but the last several I've read have all been disappointments. Her writing is stilted, the romantic duos all seem very forced and free of chemistry, and she telegraphs the plot twists from miles away. I'm tempted to reread one of the older ones to see if it's me or her.(less)

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Sep 25, 2010 Jane Stewart rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-suspense-thriller-romance

Well done mystery, a frighteningly evil bad guy, and some interesting romantic development.

STORY BRIEF:
Two stories are being told. The first story is about Maris, an editor and executive in her father’s publishing company Matherly Press. Noah was a famous author who came to work at Matherly Press. He and Maris married. Maris recently read an unsolicited manuscript in her slush pile. It was a prologue titled “Envy” submitted by P.M.E. with no phone and no address. She loved it and eventually find...more Well done mystery, a frighteningly evil bad guy, and some interesting romantic development.

STORY BRIEF:
Two stories are being told. The first story is about Maris, an editor and executive in her father’s publishing company Matherly Press. Noah was a famous author who came to work at Matherly Press. He and Maris married. Maris recently read an unsolicited manuscript in her slush pile. It was a prologue titled “Envy” submitted by P.M.E. with no phone and no address. She loved it and eventually finds the author (Parker Evans) living on an island off Georgia. She travels there to discuss the book. She ends up staying longer than she planned.

The second story is “Envy” (the novel Parker is writing). “Envy” starts with Todd, Roark and a girl renting a boat. They have been drinking. Something happens and the boat returns with only Todd on it. The story then goes back in time showing Todd and Roark before the boating accident. They had been college roommates and aspiring authors.

REVIEWER’S OPINION:
Very good. Solid writing. None of my pet peeves. It’s an in depth mystery with some nice romantic development. After I had been reading for over an hour, I was so worried about what would happen to the good guys that I had to read the ending before going back to finish the story. Then I was able to relax a little more and enjoy it. The bad guy was frighteningly evil and deceptive. Mystery lovers should love it. To get 5 stars from me I would have wanted a little more wow factor or emotional draw. This was more of an intellectual draw, but very, very good. The sex scenes were a little weak on passion/emotion, but should appeal to romance lovers. Mystery/thriller lovers might not want the sex scenes.

I noticed other reviewers saying there is not much mystery because one can guess a key plot point early on. I too guessed this, but other mysteries remained about what the main characters were going to do and how they were going to do it. So I feel the mystery label is appropriate.

DATA:
Story length: 549 pages. Swearing language: strong, including religious words. Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: 6. Total number of sex scene pages: 15. Setting: 1985 – 2002 Manhattan, NY, St. Anne Island, Georgia, Key West, Florida, and Tennessee. Copyright: 2001. Genre: mystery suspense thriller romance.

OTHER BOOKS:
I’ve read one other book by Sandra Brown. My 3.5 star review of “Where There’s Smoke” copyright 1993 was posted 5-26-08.(less)

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Jan 08, 2013 AL Maturan rated it 5 of 5 stars

**5 stars**

I absolutely adored the book. It perfectly illustrated how talented a writer Sandra Brown is. Her narratives were breathtaking and the attention to detail is riveting. I have never read a book that has such amazing narratives. Usually when a novel is composed of narratives instead of dialogues, it becomes boring and dragging. The effect on Envy was the total opposite. It gave the story a more sophisticated feel. Like it's not just your regular love story. I can't describe it. Sandra B...more **5 stars**

I absolutely adored the book. It perfectly illustrated how talented a writer Sandra Brown is. Her narratives were breathtaking and the attention to detail is riveting. I have never read a book that has such amazing narratives. Usually when a novel is composed of narratives instead of dialogues, it becomes boring and dragging. The effect on Envy was the total opposite. It gave the story a more sophisticated feel. Like it's not just your regular love story. I can't describe it. Sandra Brown's passion for being a writer and a reader came out of the pages.

I feel like I found a kinship with both Maris and Mike here in this book. I understand their utter love for books. Especially Maris, where books had become her childhood companions and even until she grew older. That's the way it is with me. The characters in my books are my friends, my enemies, my lovers. They bring life to my dreary existence. Sometimes I prefer to live in the books that I read, rather than in my real life. I can absolutely relate to Maris. And I also understand Professor Hadley's (Mike's) feelings. No matter how proficient you are in the English language, no matter how much you desire and love to read amazing works of art, if you don't have that God-given talent to write, you can't do it. You study to be an awesome writer. You can't go to school and acquire that talent. It's God-given. You improve your writing abilities, but you can't create amazing literary compositions.

However, as always with books that have amazing stories, how to end it is always a challenge, even for a talented author like Sandra Brown. And I found my self dissatisfied with the way she ended the book. I would have wanted a grander, more public exposure of Noah's evil. It was a little underwhelming. It wasn't enough to compensate for Parker's suffering. Maybe Brown was trying to finish the book within her limited amount of pages, but I believe it a huge sacrilege to sacrifice the quality of the story just so you could please your publisher. It is the very belief of Parker Evans, and I think Sandra Brown betrayed her character's principles.(less)

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Mar 04, 2012 Maldivianbookreviewer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ambitious-hero, author-hero, brooding-hero, charming-hero, commitment-phobic-hero, contemporary-romance, creepy-villian, dangerous-hero, dark-romantic-suspense, emotional-wrangler, endearing-hero, endearing-heroine, explosive-passion, favorite-alpha-heroes, favorite-heroes, favorite-heroines, good-girl-heroine, haunted-by-the-past-hero, hottest-sex-scenes-ever, loner-hero, manipulative-hero, classy-heroine, opposites-attract, outdoor-smexing, possessive-heroine, possessive-hero, protective-hero, reclusive-hero, ruthless-hero, scarred-hero, sizzling-sexual-tension, toe-curling-sex-scenes, tortured-hero, unforgettable-hero, well-off-hero, well-off-heroine, sandra-brown

This is the 2nd book that I have chosen to read because fellow book reviewer Brie seemed to recommend the book so highly. And I have got to believe the girl and take her recommendations to heart because for the world of me, I couldn’t seem to put down this book once I started to read. Envy makes for such a compelling read that I resented every single minute I had to be away from the story that unfolded, bringing home the fact that when it comes to thrillers of the romantic suspense variety, ther...more This is the 2nd book that I have chosen to read because fellow book reviewer Brie seemed to recommend the book so highly. And I have got to believe the girl and take her recommendations to heart because for the world of me, I couldn’t seem to put down this book once I started to read. Envy makes for such a compelling read that I resented every single minute I had to be away from the story that unfolded, bringing home the fact that when it comes to thrillers of the romantic suspense variety, there is none like Sandra Brown who can deliver on every aspect of the story.

Parker Mackensie Evans is a man who has been biding his time, plotting and planning the perfect revenge for his best friend turned foe Noah Reed. Parker has got the bait that would draw Noah’s wife, Maris Matherly-Reed in, and use her in his plot for revenge and vengeance that he has been waiting for for the past 14 years. A man with enough scars on the inside and the outside to last him a lifetime, Parker’s story is one of pain, heartbreak and eventually one full of lessons for anyone willing to read between the lines.

Maris Matherly-Reed is the ultimate heir to Matherly Press, one of the most renowned publishing houses in the country. Maris’s marriage to Noah Reed is going on 22 months and though Maris feels those twinges of unease about her husband and his inattention towards her oft late, she manages to brush it aside and go on with her daily life. Maris adores her father, and rightfully so when Daniel Matherly had brought her up single-handedly, given her all the love and affection in the world, taught her how to be true to herself and all that she believes in. Maris though is the senior vice-president of Matherly Press, she craves for those days when she had been an editor involved in the nitty-gritty process involved in shaping up a good book and delivering it to readers. So when she comes across a manuscript entitled “Envy” that draws her in with the characters and the story that it hints at, Maris trusts her gut instincts and seeks out the author who lives in the remote island of St. Anne.

Little does Maris know that when it comes to Parker, nothing is as it seems and that Maris is merely a means to an end that Parker wants so badly, even if it means that he has to forgo the only chance he would ever have at love and maybe finally peace from all those nightmares that continues to haunt him night and day. Parker’s manuscript with two characters Todd and Roarke that span the years of the 80′s is a story of two best friends whose competitiveness to outdo each other as the first one to land a publishing contract goes horribly wrong when one of the characters involved continue to harbor a darkness deep within his soul, intent in going through any means to achieve fame and fortune which he believes to be rightfully his. It is up to Maris to dig deeper in order to unravel the truth behind the story, to find out whether the story is indeed fiction or a true story which could have dire consequences on her life and those whom she holds near and dear to her if left unheeded.

Envy is one of those stories that I seem to have missed during the days in which I positively devoured every Sandra Brown book that I could get my hands on. And as I mentioned at the beginning of my review, Envy turned out to be a story that I couldn’t get enough of, Parker’s multifaceted character reason enough to dig deeper into the story. Parker is the brooding, cynical, manipulative hero and all rightfully so based on all that he has gone through in life. His careful plotting and planning doesn’t get him far when he encounters Maris in flesh, the woman who in the end turns his life and best laid plans all around. Suddenly things don’t seem to be as clear cut as Parker wants them to be, but the fire of vengeance that burns and taints his soul is one that refuses to be denied, and Parker pays the price of letting go of the one woman who could have brought that much needed light into his otherwise dark and bleak existence.

Maris was a character that I simply adored. She is such a true romantic at heart that it is hard not to fall for her even as the story begins. Maris is a woman who cares, perhaps a bit too much, but a woman who nevertheless defines fairer sex as they should be. She is strong, patient and loving and has that innate kindness inside of her that reaches out to those around her. Her reaction towards Parker is an alien one, one that confounds her and makes her question her vows to a man who seems to have bedazzled her with his charm and wit beneath which lies cruelty and a will to hurt that surpasses anything that Maris has ever encountered before in her life. The one thing Maris learns is that nothing is as it seems and to trust no one but her instincts that have guided her until now.

The twists and turns the plot takes are endless, ones that leaves you reeling from one twist to the next. Sandra Brown is definitely a master at what she does and Envy is a testament to her ability to deliver a good mystery/thriller with elements of romance in the mix, recommended for fans of Sandra Brown and fans of the genre.

Rating=4.75/5

Quotes included below the review!(less)

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Dec 26, 2011 Mademoiselle Westcolt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Hanya 3 huruf yang bisa manggambarkan buku ini "WOW". Buku ini membuat saya tidak bisa berbicara lagi. Benar-benar WOW.

Bagi Noah Reed dia bukan seorang 'Pria Bajingan', Dia adalh Seorang 'Pria Brengsek'. Menurut saya ada perbedaan antara 'Pria Bajingan' dan 'Pria Brengsek'. Pria Bajingan adalah pria yang sangat layak di nikahi (Itu terbukti dalam beberapa novel yang saya baca), sedangkan Pria Brengsek adalah pria yang seharusnya dibuang kelaut saja kalau perlu sekalian saja di tiadakan.

Sedangkan...more

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Jun 21, 2011 Frankie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Warning, a bit of a spoiler!

I've read this book four times over the past year and a half and will likely visit these embracing characters a few more times before I'm done.

I found every detail and every piece of dialogue completely necessary, the story didn't lose my interest once, and what a conclusion!

While you start to suspect what is going on as the plot thickens and the pages progress, when the story comes full circle and the characters are revealed for who they really are, it was a very "Ah...more

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Sep 13, 2010 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recently, I re-read Envy. I was "in-between" books and looking for something pacy and slightly vicarious. Envy beckoned and I was not disappointed. In fact, the second reading was more enjoyable, as the plot becomes less important and the characterisation more significant. I felt the character of Parker was very poignantly drawn - he has struggled to achieve a certain amount of acceptance of his current situation, created many years ago by the envious and ruthless nature of his best friend. As s...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Deana M rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book begins in the late 80's and spans over a 14 year period. The prologue of the book is actually part of a manuscript that was sent to Matherly Publishing in New York. When Maris Matherly-Reed reads this, she is instantly attracted to the story. The author's only identity are the initials P.M.E. located on St. Anne Island, GA. When she finds the identity of the man, she goes to him to talk about his possible book. When she gets there, she is not expecting to meet a man in a wheelchair with...more

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Oct 11, 2010 Lea's Audiobooks Hensley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Unabridged audiobook version - my review from AAR's Speaking of Audiobooks column:
Narrated by Victor Slezak
Envy is part of my Unofficial 2010 Listening Challenge. I haven’t been a fan of romantic suspense in the past and Envy changed that – completely. Sandra Brown has to be one of the more refined voices for sophisticated suspense combined with romance. I wasn’t bored for a moment as I listened to Victor Slezak’s superb narration – he simply entrances the listener. The characters voices are cle...more

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Jul 20, 2010 Jerry rated it 4 of 5 stars

Romance thriller features copious sex and suspense !!

We have to admit to never having read a Sandra Brown before, but a friend pressed this novel onto us along with a great recommendation. We weren't even sure of the genre at first: it seemed like a romance, with plenty of sex and stuff about love and relationships; but the complex plot soon led us to recognize it as a suspense thriller! The leading lady, Maris Matherly-Reed, runs with her father a respected book publishing firm that has been i...more

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May 16, 2010 AnneOK rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-reads

Reread in May, 2010. Still think it's one of Sandra Brown's best books ever. A deep and dark storyline with great character development and a plot that keeps on going. I'm so glad I decided to pick this book up again 10 years from the original read because my reading habits have changed so much and I've developed more of an eye for details and clues. Such a surprise and a delightful day of reading.

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Jan 10, 2013 Lisa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was amazingly written...I loved it... I was seldom surprised and figured things out easily but all in all was very impressed. This is by far the best Sandra Brown novel I have read yet!! I have only read 5 but I'm getting through them..lol:) I will say I found myself getting confused at first when there was jumping back and forth and found myself wanting to skip ahead to more chapters of "envy" but resisted!! But other than that I was very impressed with the characters and the way she...more

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Nov 19, 2011 Carolyn F. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Carolyn F. by: Darcy

Shelves: audiobook, romantic-suspense, library-book

Audiobook.

I was about to give up reading Sandra Brown after reading "Demon Rumm" which is in my top 10 worse books read. I should make that one of my bookshelves. This book, however, was fantastic. At first I thought that Victor Slezak would do a horrible job because his voice is so deep and I thought he'd screw up the women's like Phil Gigante did with some of Karen Marie Moning's Highlander books. But he didn't really do the Monty Python high pitched voice, just softened his own voice when spe...more

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Aug 11, 2012 Nikki Wilde rated it 2 of 5 stars

So I've read pretty much all of Brown's books and I've enjoyed most if not all of them. This one, however, wasn't a favorite. It's the only one of her books I've listened to on Audiobook and I'm not sure if this is the case or not but I didn't really feel the characters. I couldn't connect on any level.

You could almost predict where this one was going and even though the villain kept getting obstacles thrown in his way you're still not sure who's going to come up the winner. (Although, you have...more

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About Sandra Brown

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Sandra Brown is the author of sixty-one New York Times bestsellers, including LETHAL (2011), TOUGH CUSTOMER (2010), SMASH CUT (2009), SMOKE SCREEN (2008), PLAY DIRTY (2007), RICOCHET (2006), CHILL FACTOR (2005), WHITE HOT (2004), HELLO, DARKNESS (2003), THE CRUSH (2002), a...more

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Quotes from Envy

“It takes far less courage to cling to the past than it does to face the future".” — 112 people liked it

“[Parker] ”We know why I kissed you last night, Maris.”
“To frighten me off.”
He frowned. “That doesn’t even merit an argument. I kissed you because you braved Terry’s and showed up everybody in the place, including me. I kissed you because just looking at you made me ache. I kissed you because I’m a rotten son of a bitch and your mouth looked so goddamn kissable. Simply put, I kissed you because I wanted to. It’s something I admit and you damn well know. But there is one question that’s driving me fucking crazy.”
His eyes focused harder on hers and, by doing so, penetrated. “Why did you kiss me back?” — 7 people liked it

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