Tease [Hardcover]

On a languid summer day, this escapist world where costumes are glamorous and handmade and props cost the earth but are deemed worth it, is a right rollicking good read. If you're looking for great literature, look elsewhere. If you're looking for entertainment, roll up, roll up!

In the centenary year of the Ballets Russes, Immodesty Blaize is carrying on the great tradition of titivating the audience with colourful and exquisite detail. She also includes enough irony to allow the reader notional sangfroid (think Jilly Cooper with attitude), all without taking herself too seriously. My favourite point is *shock horror* having a heroine who has to regain weight to be back on top - what a relief.

Miss Blaize, keep at it - it was sheer undiluted pleasure and is highly recommended.

Tiger Starr has come from nothing and has risen to become burlesque's most famous showgirl. Her fans love her and her life seems to be a constant stream of working, glamour and celebrity parties. What Tiger has managed to do is hide an extremely dark secret from her past and nobody except her closes friend Blue knows the real truth. As her shows take off and she is offered the deal of a lifetime things seem to start coming crashing down around her. The problem is that Tiger has no idea who the person is or just how much her life is in danger.

I brought this book purely because it was part of a buy 3 for the price of 2 offers. Having never read or heard of Immodesty Blaize I thought I would give it a try. Now before I actually share my opinion I must confess I absolutely adore trashy novels. It's a secret of mine that I don't normally promote, but I like to take a break from all the Crime and Thriller books I read. When I read the quote by the Evening Standard on the front of the book which said "Roll over Jackie Collins" I couldn't help but look forward to reading it.

To be honest it took me no time at all to get into the book, the first few chapters just flew by as I managed to get an idea of who everybody was. You meet all the closes people to Tiger such as Rex who manages her PR, Lewis her Manager, Sienna her sister and Blue who is not only her stylist but her best friend.

The characters were written really well and they all fitted into Tiger's life a treat. The chapters flowed well throughout the story and around halfway through the author starts to introduce the second theme to the story. It wasn't immediately obvious why but by the end I thought it was the perfect way to write it.

Not only was it written well but it wasn't just a book written filled with only smut and celebrities, this book actually has a couple of very surprising twists in it too. The story develops and with it the characters get better too.

For those that have no idea what burlesque is all about, this book certainly highlights it extremely well. I would almost go as far as to say I would be interested to see what the real burlesque dancers actually perform like. The major plus for me was the fact that the author (being a burlesque dancer) really knows her stuff and this comes across in the story making it all the more authentic.

This book had all the ingredients for a 'bonkbuster', sexy men and women, a smattering of sex, show-business, and the element of a little bit of danger or violence. All in all I thought this was a fabulous book and would really recommend it. No it's not meant to have any great moral to the story, and no, it's not meant to leave a lasting impression. It really is what a `bonkbuster' is all about; a bit of mindless trashy reading. Hence the reason I loved it.

I'm giving this book 3 stars as although it didn't appeal in any way to me - in fact I found it very painful to read - I'm sure if you love a good trashy novel you'd enjoy this one as well and I'm assuming the burlesque theme is a novel twist on the genre. There are some truly amazing references and the glamour of Tiger Starr's world is inspiring.
If you're thinking of buying this book because you're a fan of Immodesty and burlesque I would reccomend you pass and buy her movie instead which is awesome. If you're thinking of buying this book beacuse you like easy reading glamorous trash then go for it!