Gossip Hound [Mass Market Paperback]

For fans of reading material that has come to be known as "chick lit", here's Wendy Holden's latest novel, GOSSIP HOUND. It's a book that takes the reader into the world of London publishing and celebrity "A Lists" and the latest low-down gossip that is being spread across tabloids, bars, and celebrity bedrooms all over London and beyond.

Grace Armiger is a publicist who works for a small London publishing house called Hatto and Hatto. It sounds like a glamorous job, but it's far from it. Hatto and Hatto has gotten a reputation of never having books that make it to the bestseller lists, so their authors are never the ones that are treated like royalty at any bookseller festival. In other words, it's a company that is going nowhere, and Grace is struggling to keep afloat. To sum it up, the morale at work is only going in one direction: down.

Her latest protege, Henry Moon, has just written the book SUCKING STONES, all about his adventures with an aboriginal tribe, and she is quite anxious to get this book into the realms of the bestseller lists. Unfortunately, no one seems very interested in the book, and she can't seem to sell it at any of the book festivals. Even getting a book signing for Henry is like pulling teeth.

In the meantime, in another part of the London publishing world, Belinda Black, the queen of newspaper smut, is on a tirade and is bent on landing the number one celebrity, Red Campion, as her latest interview conquest. The lengths this woman will go to get her man is hilarious and I couldn't stop laughing at all her antics. Her adventures, believe it or not, and Grace's publishing career, collide during the course of this book, as they both become involved in the world of high-in-demand celebrities and fast paced living.

I don't want to give away too much, but I highly enjoyed GOSSIP HOUND. Although I found it difficult initially to get into the book, once I got used to Wendy Holden's writing style the rest of the book went fast. This book is not for the faint of heart, but for the lover of chick lit and name-dropping and fun trashy antics among the rich and famous. It's fast paced and often times highly unrealistic. It also has a little romance tucked away, for those of you who like that sort of thing. Read GOSSIP HOUND. You won't regret it!

Grace Armiger handles the PR services at Hatto & Hatto, a publishing house that's notoriously known for its WORSTselling authors. She questions her professional ethics after she spends the night with one of her clients. Her life couldn't be less glamorous and more complicated if she'd tried. However, her luck changes when an A-list entertainer enters her life. What she doesn't know is that Belinda Black, a ruthlessly ambitious tabloid journalist, is out to get the scoop that will catapult her career to epic proportions -- even if it means hurting others in the process. There are some fun twists throughout the novel.

Gossip Hound is filled with Holden's signature wit and prose. Also, since all of her books have a backdrop of socialites and fashionistas, Gossip Hound is no exception. Grace and Henry are my favorite characters. And I hated Belinda Black's ruthless ambition and deluded arrogance -- the perfect antagonist. I love women's fiction of this sort, and Gossip Hound is one of satirical and distinctive humor. I couldn't recommend it enough. Enjoy!