Frequent readers will know I am a big Belinda Jones fan. Her books are reliably hilarious, escapist and frothy, and make perfect no-nonsense beach reads (or at this time of year, curled-up-in-front-of-the-fire reads). As far as I'm concerned, she's one of the queens of chick lit, and Divas Las Vegas (her first novel) definitely ticks all the boxes...
Jones' books always take place in glamourous locations and it will come as no surprise to know that in this one Jamie and her best mate Izzie leave dull Devon for the bright lights of Las Vegas. And their aim? To find menfolk in a city where the atmosphere is (according to the blurb) 70% oxygen and 30% confetti. They're both leaving their dodgy romantic pasts in Blighty and are on the hunt for a husband. And what a hunt it is!
In order to facilitate the plot, the girls are a little larger than life, and it doesn't take long before they've found potential mates, new friends and fabulous outfits. They're the type of women who'll strike up a conversation with a stranger, stalk a sexy man on the strip and accept the offer of a hotel suite from a hillionnaire they've only just met. It's all a little far-fetched, but this is Vegas, and anything can happen!
How much you love Divas really depends on how much you love Vegas. As well as being a great, feel-good read, the books also serves as a fabulous travel guide. I went to Vegas last year, and the information in this was far more useful than the Rough Guide! The author is a big Vegas fanatic herself, and it shows in every gushing description of the home of all things tacky-fabulous.
The plot is possibly not as strong as later offerings from Jones (The California Club, for example) but the book still plods on with great pace and serves up some fantastic one-liners, and is a great read if you like your chick lit fun and frivolous. Jamie is a sweet, funny and self-deprecating lead character who you'll adore, and frizzy-haired man-eater Izzy is just as wonderful. And then there's the men - if Belinda Jones does one thing well, it's in creating sickeningly perfect love interests. It's just a shame they don't exist in real life!
If you liked this, you might like to try The Paradise Room by Belinda Jones.
Did you know?
Belinda Jones' next novel is set in Costa Rica, and is due out in July 2006. You can pre-order the bound-to-be-fabulous Cafe Tropicana already!
