I was disappointed with this book and had been looking forward to reading it after reading the blurb on the back. It was light hearted trash with a disappointing ending. Sorry not for me.

Melanie Blake's "Guilty Women" delivers an exhilarating blend of glamour, intrigue, and suspense set against the backdrop of the cutthroat world of television. This gripping sequel to "Ruthless Women" dives deeper into the lives of the formidable women of the fictional TV station, Falcon Bay.

Blake expertly weaves a tale of ambition, power, and betrayal, capturing the high-stakes drama both on and off the screen. The novel’s strength lies in its richly drawn characters, each harboring secrets and desires that drive the relentless plot forward. The women in Blake's universe are unapologetically fierce, making bold moves to protect their careers and personal lives, even as they navigate treacherous waters filled with rivals and scandals.

The pacing is relentless, with twists and turns that keep readers on the edge of their seats. Blake's background in the entertainment industry shines through, offering an authentic glimpse into the glamorous yet ruthless nature of showbiz. Her prose is sharp and engaging, ensuring that the narrative remains compelling from start to finish.

"Guilty Women" is a scintillating read that balances the allure of luxury and success with the darker side of ambition and deceit. It's a perfect pick for fans of dramatic, character-driven stories who enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of powerful women navigating complex professional and personal landscapes.

Overall, Melanie Blake has crafted a novel that is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking, making "Guilty Women" a must-read for those seeking an engrossing escape into a world where the stakes are always high, and loyalty is a rare commodity.

If you’re a fan of soap operas, scandal, and drama, then this one is for you. This is book two (I’ve not read book one).

Blake takes us behind the scenes of the ruthless yet glamorous entertainment industry, following the lives of four women. There’s toxic revenge, murder, way too much sex for me (eek) - it’s a very lively and dramatic novel!

There’s plenty of twists but the drama was just a bit much for me. The characters were bold… nah they were bonkers mean. I struggled to invest in them. But I do feel that reading book one may have helped wrap my head around all the characters.

It’s a fairly decent read for those who enjoy a mix of twisty intrigue, glamour, and dramatic shenanigans and is popcorn escapism. If you’re a fan of celebrity scandals, look no further, but I’d recommend you start with book one first, for that added character understanding.

I hadn't realized this was a sequel when I started reading this but you don't necessarily needed to have read the previous one as the basis of that story is repeated several times throughout this one.
The story is set on a remote island that is the backdrop for a TV drama and tells of the relationship between the four main women involved with the show.
These women will do whatever it takes to keep the show top of the ratings list and each of them hold the secret of what truly happened to Madeleine and the shark (from the previous book). Will the truth come out or will they get away with murder.

Quite a slow burner and not a particularly strong story line and a bit too repetitive for my liking.

This feels very old school and Jackie Collins esque which is a huge compliment. I realised quite quickly there’s a prequel so I’ve bought that now. It didn’t really matter but I enjoyed the book enough to want to read more. Superb.

Typical Melanie Blake - campy and super fun!!
If you liked The Thunder Girls and of course Ruthless Women then you will enjoy this too :)

Absolutely loved this book!

The writing style was really good and I look forward to reading any other books from this author in the future :)

I spent 13 hours listening to Claire King put her life and soul into narrating this book, for it to end….like that!!!!!!! I know I know, it’s not Hollywood, but still! Aahh!!

As soon as I heard there was a sequel to Ruthless Women, one of my fav books last year, I was excited! I couldn’t wait to get back to the women on Falcon Bay, ok so I waited a year! I loved being back with them and experiencing the fallout from Book 1 and I was eager to see how life would pan out for them.

This is not what I was expecting!

It’s difficult to say too much without spoiling it, but what I will say is 1, I hope there is another book and 2, it definitely feels like the bad guys won the day. Although it’s actually ludicrous to say, because the bad guys are actually the good guys, it’s just we don’t like them!

The ending, you knew would be explosive and shocking, and it is completely that!!

I am actually going to miss Falcon Bay, and actually feel this book itself would make great TV!! It is scandalous, soap opera-y and raunchy and sometimes cringy, but it was still enjoyable. I think the fact I felt quite grumpy, as I finished the book, made me more annoyed about the end. (Blame the Maggie Migraine!) Luckily, there was no shark in the animal sense this time!

I finally found out what happened to Honey as I was so worried about her, but the storyline didn’t add much to the overall story, so unless we have something bigger to come, it seemed to be a bit of a filler….a bit like a TV series…… I just feel like I want more!

I would still most definitely read books by Melanie, I just feel a bit disheartened. But then it just reiterates life is not always flowers and sunshine and we don’t always get what we want, so in that respect, this book is just awesome for that!

I grew up with the books of Jackie and Joan Collins, so I enjoy a saucy read, especially if its written in an entertaining manner. This book was really entertaining, and I will easily read more by Ms Blake again. Highly recommended for someone that needs to read something a little different.

I loved the little back story of each character before you get into the book. it's sort of prepares you and gives you an great insight as to who is who.

This is a really interesting way of writing. The fact that it's a TV drama but also crosses over into really life. It's sometimes hard to keep up with, as to what is drama and what is real life (in the book anyway). I liked it, it made me concentrate on it which is not a bad thing because I switch off from life bits and it's really relaxing.

I have to say I'm not a prude in any way but reading chapter 21 was a bit much if I'm honest. I don't usually cringe at it but it was so graphic, I had to skip a couple of pages.

Skipping the above the rest of the book was good, I enjoyed the storyline and the sassyness of the women. The crossover between real life and the drama is brilliantly.

This was a great follow up to Ruthless Women and I think I enjoyed this one even more than the first. I was fully engaged from the outset and loved the plot of this one.

I read this one very quickly after Ruthless Women so I found it much easier keeping up with the names of the characters this time around, and I also was a lot more prepared for all the smut scenes. This book was a nice, easy read and the short chapters packed with drama kept me reading. I felt better connected to the characters in this book compared to Ruthless Women as I got to know them much better. Definitely more enjoyable read as I felt I knew a little more about what to expect, but also was kept on my toes with the drama and thriller aspect.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I am not sure what I was expecting from this book, I felt that the whole story was very much elongated more than it should have been, but the end was very rushed. It would have been good to spend more time on the end.

I am not sure if the book flowed for me either, at some stages, I thought it was mildly like a Jackie Collins novel but without the sordid grit.

I do have "Ruthless Women" to read by the same author, which I am still looking forward to reading, but Guilty Women just didn't do it for me - sorry.

I had not read the first book in this saga before starting this novel. I'm not sure it was necessary to be able to understand this story line, as the writer kept on reiterating her story and repeating previous happenings by drip feed. I found the book to be shallow, overly worked up about what designer outfit and shoes that the women were wearing, and who was having sex with whom. The plot wasn't even that deep, knowing full well that the ending was going to be unexpected for the actors involved.

I didn't realise that Guilty Women was a sequel and even though you don't technically need to read the first one, it would have helped me understand who was who a bit better (I kept getting the women mixed up) and what actually did happen with the shark and Madeleine.

Regardless, this book wasn't for me. I thought I would like some escapism but the reality was that it was too much like reading a soap opera script and I've outgrown it (loved Dynasty back in my teens). If you love a good trashy novel, then I'm sure this will appeal.

Loved this story…… the writing was fast and easy to read and such great fun. Murder, revenge, sex all the fun things in life and in this case the death of a famous soap,operat star on tv for all to see. Wonderful read.

Not for me, I'm afraid. I wasn't a fan of the narrator, and although the author catches you up on the first book, I did find this quite disorientating too. Might have been better if I'd read the first, but all sequels should stand on their own feet as well, and wasn't sure about this one...

A thrilling read but not one I expect I will go back to. Not because it is particularly bad in any way but just not anything new. A good read nonetheless. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this novel in exchange for a honest review.

A great book to curl up with either a glass of wine or cup of tea - or maybe both. I loved the intrigue of the soap opera behind the soap opera and what people will do for their friends., The ending makes me think there will be a further book and I will definitely be reading it.

Guilty Women Melanie Blake

5 stars

A Brilliant Read

I loved this book and only realised after finishing it that there is a prequel, Ruthless Women which I am going to read as soon as possible.

Despite coming to the characters in this book with no previous knowledge it did not hinder me at all in enjoying the characters and their story. It revolves around 4 women all involved in the long-running and highly successful soap programme called Falcon Bay. As the book begins they are all recovering from the terrible accident that happened on the live Christmas show when the wife of the owner of the television company gets eaten alive by a shark. But was it really an accident? We are soon told that in fact the main actress and star of the show, 71 year old Catherine Belle, could have reached out her hand and rescued Madeleine. She chose not to as Madeleine was an overbearing and horrible person.

Only the 4 women closest to the show, Sheena, Amanda, Helen and Farrah know what really happened and are desperate to stop an overwrought Helen from revealing all especially to Madeleine’s devoted husband Chad.

This story is full of self-seeking people who will do anything to further their own careers. Everyone is trying to climb the ladder and do not care who gets in their way. Some of the events that happen seem completely ludicrous but as the writer is actually an agent of many real life soap characters she would certainly know about what goes on in the industry even if maybe she has exaggerated a little.

It is difficult to say too much about this story without spoilers but I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a look behind what happens in show business. I am sure that a lot of the characters and their antics are very close to the truth. I also enjoyed the fact that the main characters are all strong ladies, the youngest of which is 48 who still enjoy looking more than good and enjoying healthy sex lives.

I did not guess the ending which always is a good thing for me in a book like this and the cliff-hanger ending will ensure that I read the next book in the series as soon as I can.




Karen Deborah
Reviewer for Net galley