Private Scandal

Private Scandal

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Private Scandals by Nora Roberts.

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Preview — Private Scandals
by Nora Roberts

This deliciously scandalous novel tells us the secrets of the reigning queens of television talk shows, Deanna Reynolds and Angela Perkins. Their high-staked rivalry, fought with public smiles and private betrayals, is more than a ratings competition. It becomes an off-screen war when Deanna replaces Angela both on the air and behind the scenes with Angela's former lover af
This deliciously scandalous novel tells us the secrets of the reigning queens of television talk shows, Deanna Reynolds and Angela Perkins. Their high-staked rivalry, fought with public smiles and private betrayals, is more than a ratings competition. It becomes an off-screen war when Deanna replaces Angela both on the air and behind the scenes with Angela's former lover after Angela moves to the big time in New York. Angela's anger at her former protégé escalates from bitterness to vengeance. And an anonymous fan's admiration crosses the line into obsession. Only one woman will emerge with her life in this battle of ego and passion. ©2003 Nora Roberts; (P)2008 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
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Published
August 5th 2003
by Berkley Trade

(first published July 21st 1993)

0425190382
(ISBN13: 9780425190388 )

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There's a reason why Nora Roberts is a name in romance books. Private Scandals was an exquisite book. The first thing I noted was the the irregular series of incidents didn't make it like a romance book but rather as one about the dangers in the television world. It was very humane, provoking compassion for the heroine and real hate for her rival and former mentor. But it was also very down-to-earth. The danger, for example, television people take. Also that the pretty face we see on the telly i
There's a reason why Nora Roberts is a name in romance books. Private Scandals was an exquisite book. The first thing I noted was the the irregular series of incidents didn't make it like a romance book but rather as one about the dangers in the television world. It was very humane, provoking compassion for the heroine and real hate for her rival and former mentor. But it was also very down-to-earth. The danger, for example, television people take. Also that the pretty face we see on the telly is a whole more than that. Nora RObert's fan this one will steal your heart!
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favorites ,
contemporary-romance

Deanna Reynolds is slowly rising through the ranks at Chicago’s CBC news division and cultivating, by giving up her free time, her friendship with the reigning queen of talk shows, Angela Perkins. Then, a story about a plane in distress, despite being “stolen” by one of the passengers, fellow CBC reporter Finn Riley, brings her to the attention of the bosses, and Angela, trying to get rid of competition both on air and off it, offers her a job in New York. When Deanna refuses out of loyalty, she
Deanna Reynolds is slowly rising through the ranks at Chicago’s CBC news division and cultivating, by giving up her free time, her friendship with the reigning queen of talk shows, Angela Perkins. Then, a story about a plane in distress, despite being “stolen” by one of the passengers, fellow CBC reporter Finn Riley, brings her to the attention of the bosses, and Angela, trying to get rid of competition both on air and off it, offers her a job in New York. When Deanna refuses out of loyalty, she discovers the true face of TV’s darling Angela, an emotionally manipulative woman willing and able to do anything for vengeance. And as Finn slowly wears down Deanna’s defenses and worms his way into her heart, it only fuels the fire of Angela’s rage. As the two women battle it off in the ratings, and Angela plots Deanna’s ruin, there’s someone else on the sidelines, bidding their time to make their move. To save Deanna from her enemies, rid her of Finn’s presence, and finally claim her for their own. What a wonderful book this was. It had it all, great characters, romance (oh, romance), drama, suspense, two insane (each in their own way) villain, cat-fights, intrigue...I loved it from beginning to end, even though the pacing was iffy in spots. :) The story itself spanned approximately three years, three years in which a lot happened, on and off air, backstage, and in the world. I liked the fact that, despite it being fiction, featured fictive characters, sets, and shows, a bit of realism was infused by “surrounding” it (and the characters) in the real-world event of the Gulf War with Finn Riley reporting from Saudi Arabia during the operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. And it probably wasn’t intended, but I couldn’t help but draw a few parallels between that war and the fictional war between two queens of television Ms Roberts has created. I liked the steady pace, the slow buildup to every single climax of this story; the initial row between the diva and the future star, the romance, the final push of the crazy fan. The slow pace created a false sense of security (for the characters and for the reader), lulling everybody in thinking it was safe, before striking. The story of Deanna, the rising star, and Angela, the declining diva, and their rating battles, the intrigue behind the scenes, the back stabbing, was interesting and intriguing, the crazy fan angle was chilling, and more and more frightening as the story progressed, but what really captured by attention was the romance. Mostly because of Finn, the steady, charming, and rather stubborn guy determined to win Deanna’s heart no matter what and how long it took. It was a pleasure to read how he whittled down her defenses, and how she, despite herself and her reservations, let him charm her, allowed herself to fall in love. I didn’t particularly like her somewhere in the middle, as she almost ruined it all by trying to fit their relationship into one of her lists, and discovering she couldn’t (and he wouldn’t allow it). And yes, despite this being her story, I couldn’t help but feel Finn firmly (as he did with the story of the plane in distress) and effortlessly stole her story and the spotlight. This deceptively calm, laidback guy in the end turned out to be anything but, with an (over)protective streak a mile wide, and just the right amount of possessiveness to keep things interesting without descending into obsession. And, as it turned out, his character was just the perfect counterbalance for hers, with them being opposites despite their many similar traits. No wonder the romance worked so well. Well-written, well-paced (despite some iffy spots), nicely balanced, with amazing characters, and wonderfully woven plot. Loved it.
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Fairly standard 90s romance-thriller from NR, stalker theme. Our Heroine spends a lot of time saying "I can take care of myself. I won't have you (fill in the blank) to take care of me." And then she needs rescuing.
Fairly standard 90s romance-thriller from NR, stalker theme. Our Heroine spends a lot of time saying "I can take care of myself. I won't have you (fill in the blank) to take care of me." And then she needs rescuing.
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Oct 27, 2019

Jordan Roehrig

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really liked it

Fun read. Finn and Deanna are a great couple and although it was a romance novel, it wasn’t too much or overdone. Definitely story driven however my only problem was that the whole book is resolved within the last 5 pages. Wish there was a little more detail after the twist.

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This book was just perfection, couldn’t put it down. Another great and thrilling story from Nora Roberts.

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Reviewed for Speaking of Audiobooks on AAR 1/8/13. Narrated by Julie Finneran Deanna Reynolds is a TV journalist at a small Chicago station. She has a lot of ambition, including a step-by-step plan for her career—in writing. In the beginning, Deanna is eagerly working extra hours for the station’s brightest star, Angela Perkins, hoping to gain knowledge and experience from this older, successful mentor. Deanna is also dating a psychologist who sometimes acts as an expert for Angela’s popular talk
Reviewed for Speaking of Audiobooks on AAR 1/8/13. Narrated by Julie Finneran Deanna Reynolds is a TV journalist at a small Chicago station. She has a lot of ambition, including a step-by-step plan for her career—in writing. In the beginning, Deanna is eagerly working extra hours for the station’s brightest star, Angela Perkins, hoping to gain knowledge and experience from this older, successful mentor. Deanna is also dating a psychologist who sometimes acts as an expert for Angela’s popular talk show. But Deanna, with her Midwestern work ethic and values, is naive about Angela’s true character. Angela knows Deanna is potential competition and plans to keep her close. She’s also working to sabotage Deanna’s bright future by undermining both Deanna’s relationship with the psychologist and her job. When Deanna unknowingly crosses Angela, a series of events is begun that leads to revenge, betrayal, sabotage, blackmail and eventually murder. Finn Riley is Angela’s ex-lover and a dare-devil on-the-spot reporter for the station. The handsome, charismatic reporter is known for going anywhere for a story and braving anything to get it on air. He even succeeds in getting live coverage of the emergency crash landing of the airplane in which he’s traveling. His growing fascination with Deanna only fuels Angela’s anger and jealousy. In the beginning, Deanna keeps Finn at arm’s length for several reasons, but she eventually finds herself falling in love with him. Finn works to help Deanna defend herself from Angela’s subtle sabotage and to identify Deanna’s secret admirer, who has been leaving her anonymous love notes. Finn’s intentions are good, but he sometimes acts pushy and overbearing. Deanna, in turn, is occasionally stubborn just for the heck of it. Overall these are two very likeable people, but they can act in stereotypic “romance character” fashion at times. The novel’s original publication date of 1994 might contribute to that. Julie Finneran narrates Private Scandals. Her voice is pleasant and her style may appeal to many listeners. I find her mode of speaking, her reading cadence as it were, to be affected. I don’t always agree with Ms. Finneran’s choice of words to emphasize in a sentence, and at times her delivery seems inconsistent with the mood of the text. All this may reflect more on my personal preferences than on Ms. Finneran’s skill as a narrator. However, there are a few other things that bother me about the narration. While most of Ms. Finneran’s character voices are fine, there isn’t always a great deal of difference between the men and women. During dialogues between Finn and Deanna it can be difficult to tell who is speaking. One exception is Deanna’s friend, Fran, who is easy to distinguish because she is voiced with a truly terrible New York accent. Nora Roberts writes solid romantic suspense and for those who love the genre her audiobooks can offer many pleasant hours of listening. In this case, however, the sometimes convoluted plot is predictable, and one villain is way too easy to figure out. The romance is entertaining and watching Angela self-destruct is fascinating in a “train-wreck” sort of fashion. I recommend the book for die-hard Nora Roberts or RS fans, but don’t expect the narration to add much to your listening experience.
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May 22, 2018

Ria Reads Books

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Ah. I love this book. For some reason, no matter how many times I reread this book, I can always go again. Which is a rarity. The only other book that I can do that with is Pride and Prejudice. To me this book is cleansing, savory but makes you feel good. Sort of like this: Its fresh, clean, delicious and makes you feel good about yourself. Deanna is a reporter who has ambitions to become Oprah Winfrey. Her rival Angela and her are battling it out in the ratings, when suddenly Deanna finds Angela
Ah. I love this book. For some reason, no matter how many times I reread this book, I can always go again. Which is a rarity. The only other book that I can do that with is Pride and Prejudice. To me this book is cleansing, savory but makes you feel good. Sort of like this: Its fresh, clean, delicious and makes you feel good about yourself. Deanna is a reporter who has ambitions to become Oprah Winfrey. Her rival Angela and her are battling it out in the ratings, when suddenly Deanna finds Angela dead. This is a little thriller mixed in with whodunit. I really like Deanna. Nora Roberts heroines are kind of hit and miss for me. However, Deanna is right there alongside Eve (from in death). She's put together, ambitious, organized, not that concerned with romance (although there is plenty of that in this book) and she does her job well. And you know what? I like to read a woman like that. I feel like currently, all heroines need to be either kooky and sassy and somehow gets herself into mishap which she then tries to fix with the romantic interest (ie Stephanie Plum), or she's this damaged thing that hates everyone and is sassy every other page. What I like about Deanna is she is a career women. She places her career first. In this novel there wasn't a message where you can't have it all, or that putting your career first was a horrible decision that was destined to make her a miserable, lonely and destitute women. Finn was pretty standard for a Nora Roberts hero. He and Deanna does fit together well. He was good. sort of like this: Good, delicious and reliable. A staple. For me, the shining star was Deanna. This novel will continue to be a reread.
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Jun 16, 2020

Vi ~ Inkvotary

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Well researched, precise, and simple but effective, Nora Roberts has told the story of several characters, using the world of news and the economic situation in the United States as a background. In a gripping and at the same time emotionally entertaining way, the author combines the reality of hectic reporter´s everyday life and what is happening in the world with fantasy, into exiting and sometimes a very passionate story that she skillfully and appropriately staged. Subtle and scary at the sa
Well researched, precise, and simple but effective, Nora Roberts has told the story of several characters, using the world of news and the economic situation in the United States as a background. In a gripping and at the same time emotionally entertaining way, the author combines the reality of hectic reporter´s everyday life and what is happening in the world with fantasy, into exiting and sometimes a very passionate story that she skillfully and appropriately staged. Subtle and scary at the same time, Nora Roberts shows her characters to the reader, and is as diverse and emotional as it is unique. The characters are believable and convincing due to all the emotions shown, without appearing overloaded. Deanna lies in front of the reader like an open book. Angela shows a completely opposite world behind the façade of the perfect TV star and yet the beast always stays with it. Jeff is pure harmony but at the same time spookily calm. Flinn is always and everywhere the professional, who does his job, uses people and remains a dream of a man with rough edges. A novel full of suspense, varied reading pleasure, and a dash of passion combined with the fascinating insight into the everyday life of TV news anchors and reporters, in which the reader gets his money´s worth.
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Sep 03, 2009

Julie

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And now you all know of my secret love for romance novels. Quel scandale! I enjoyed this one, and it's nice and long; I think the main reason that it's not one of my favorites of Roberts's is that the hero is a little too bossy for me, and the heroine does the classic "How dare you try and get me a bodyguard when my life is being threatened! I won't have it!" Are these people just stupid, or do they secretly have a deathwish? I bet Freud would have a field day with silly romance novels - or mayb
And now you all know of my secret love for romance novels. Quel scandale! I enjoyed this one, and it's nice and long; I think the main reason that it's not one of my favorites of Roberts's is that the hero is a little too bossy for me, and the heroine does the classic "How dare you try and get me a bodyguard when my life is being threatened! I won't have it!" Are these people just stupid, or do they secretly have a deathwish? I bet Freud would have a field day with silly romance novels - or maybe he did, and I just don't know about it.
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