Brief

When Jazz's mother passes away, she's forced to live with her rich father, Charles Callahan, who she's never met. Jazz is most worried about fitting in at her new ultra-rich prep school despite antagonism from her stepsister Peyton and Peyton's boyfriend, Kingston. However, Jazz starts to fall for Kingston, and soon realizes that there is much more to Charles Callahan and his evil empire than she'd initially thought.

What We Liked

This is a young adult novel that deals with the struggles of class and wealth stratification as well as trauma, loneliness, betrayal, and trust. As a film, this would be a dramatic romance with thrilling action scenes. As a television show, this would be like Gossip Girl, a weekly hit where viewers would tune in to watch Jazz uncover more of the mystery and get closer and closer to Kingston.

Key points: Romantic; Sexy; Lifestyle of the rich and famous; Mysterious; Larger conspiracy within the story

Synopsis

When Jazz's mother dies unexpectedly, she's forced to move in with her father, Charles Callahan, her stepmother, and her stepsister, Peyton. Jazz comes from a poorer family and is uncomfortable with the luxurious riches and emphasis on image expected in the Callahan household. However, she tells herself that she has to suck it up and make do if she's ever going to see her younger sister, Belle, again. At school, Peyton is mean to Jazz and everyone else follows suit--Peyton is part of a group considered the Queens of her school, while her boyfriend, Kingston, and his friends Reed and Bentley, are considered the Kings. Everyone at the ultra-rich school follows the will of their chosen royal class. Jazz's only friend is Ainsley, Kingston's twin sister, who stands up to Kingston and Peyton. Ainsley reveals to Jazz that Kingston and Peyton aren't really dating, they're just putting on shows so that Peyton can get the money entrusted to her in her father's will and Kingston can get into the good graces of Charles Callahan. Kingston visits Jazz one evening and they hook up, but he tells her that it meant nothing to him, even though all the while he finds himself drawn to Jazz.

Jazz goes to a party with Ainsley where, unbeknownst to her, the Kings had paid a boy to get Jazz inebriated and deliver her to them. The boy drugs Jazz's drink and she finds herself nearly unconscious in a room with Reed, Bentley, and Kingston. While on the verge of passing out, Jazz kisses one of the men and it evolves into mild foreplay with Bentley and Kingston. After she passes out, the Kings put their original plan into action and take photos of her in bed with them. They then lock her in the pool house to make sure she stays safe. The next day at school, the boys distribute the photos en masse so the entire school thinks that Jazz had a threesome. Jazz is upset by this and doesn't remember having sex with any of them, but the other girls at the school still bully her relentlessly. Jazz finds Kingston spying on Charles one night and learns that Charles is involved in some shadier business than she'd known about. Kingston refuses to tell her anything about it and says she has to trust him. She refuses, until he brings her to her younger sister's house. Jazz had been trying to get in touch with her younger sister, Belle, but had been unable to do so as Belle's father is a perverted drunk who enjoys belittling Jazz. Kingston is rich, however, and is able to bribe Belle's father to allow the sisters to have weekly playdates. Seeing Kingston with Belle causes Jazz to fall harder for the bad boy. At school, Kingston and Peyton have a public breakup, and all of the girls corner Jazz in a restroom and attempt to beat her up before the boys come to her rescue. Kingston publicly begins dating Jazz, and puts her under his protection so that the other kids at school will stop bullying her.

A school dance is scheduled for the same day as Jazz's 18th birthday. Jazz is reluctant to go, but Ainsley and Kingston convince her to go to the dance as well as a private party in a cabin by the lake afterwards. The dance goes well and Kingston bought Jazz a lovely dress. They go to the cabin afterwards and Bentley leads Jazz into the woods, telling her to close her eyes and prepare for her cake. However, soon she finds herself surrounded by masked men. Jazz warns them that her boyfriend is coming, but they say that he's the one who led her here. The masked men attempt to rape Jazz, but she fights back, and they accidentally stab her. As she's bleeding out, she thinks about how wrong she was to trust Kingston.

About The Author

Laura Lee is the USA Today bestselling author of steamy and sometimes ridiculously funny romance. Laura's spent most of her life with her nose in a book thinking of alternate endings or continuations to the story. Laura lives in the Pacific Northwest with her wonderful husband, two beautiful children, and three of the most poorly behaved cats in existence.