Brief

The story follows the spicy and often tumultuous relationship between Georgia and Sean, childhood sweethearts whose lives become complicated and fraught with scandal and temptation when Sean's band skyrockets to worldwide success.

What We Liked

Suffice to say, this work goes all in on the eroticism. There is a sense that the author goes further than others might, with not just the amount of sex, but also with the level of vivid detail. The Fifty Shades of Grey films might feel vanilla in comparison. All of it stems from the point of view of the main character in Georgia, someone who seems to see and experience the world with heightened emotion, sensitivity, and intrigue. This makes living in her shoes a rather potent and explosive experience.

Film: This could perhaps make for a solid adaptation to film in that there is no question to be had about this work's verve, spice, and impact. Jam packed with sex, drugs, and rock and roll, this work could very well constitute a vicarious experience of being in the orbit of a rockstar. The melodrama it generates it intriguing and high-stakes, too. All in all, there are more than enough popcorn moments to fill a 90-minute to 2-hour block of time. Seekers of the unbridled erotic, at least, will get exactly what they are looking for.

TV: This work could perhaps lend itself well to a TV adaptation in that it traverses several decades to time. It would be an interesting conceit to have an episode tackle Sean and Georgia's early teen years, an episode cover their later teen years, and so on. The longer, more patient format afforded by the small screen could be just what is needed to tell this epic story and to more carefully and closely track the rise of Sean's band to superstardom. Moreover, the inclusion of the mob element in the middle third of this text could provide some welcome drama and complexity for a span of several episodes if fleshed out. All in all, there is more than enough here to sustain a season of television.

Key points:
1. The span of the story-- An epic scale lasting decades gives time for the emotional components to mature.
2. The eroticism-- This work knows exactly what it is doing and what its priority is.
3. The mob angle-- The inclusion of mob-violence and intrigue is a kind of wild card element in this work and creates opportunity for expansion.
4. The point of view-- While erratic and challenging, Georgia sees the world in bright color and experiences it in the most heightened sensations. Therefore, the audience does, too.
5. The ending-- A truly out-of-left-field tragic ending that no one will see coming and that everyone will be impacted by.

Synopsis

The youngest of three siblings, Georgia has a rather ordinary upbringing alongside her best friend Jimmie. At 11 years old, Georgia becomes smitten by her teen brother Marley's bandmate, Sean McCarthy. Over the next few years, an obvious and innocent mutual attraction evolves into young love. As Sean spends more time developing his musicianship with the band, so does his relationship with Georgia flourish. Soon, they have an intense sexual chemistry, too, and Sean proposes to Georgia at just 16 years old. The band gains more and more traction, which sees that Sean travels and performs a lot, often being swarmed by lusty female fans. This jars Georgia significantly, causing her to lash out with insults and even violence at the women. Georgia also feuds with the sleazy lead singer of the band that Sean's band opens for. Not long after the engagement, a heinous rape allegation is leveraged at Sean and the band. This spurs a profound downward spiral on Georgia's account. She shuts Sean out entirely and begins a years-long stretch of heartbreak and solitude in her hometown.

Over the years, Georgia continues her studies and even opens a business. However, her social life is completely and totally dead. Slowly, Georgia opens up again, going out with her friends. She begins hooking up with men randomly and dumping them once they profess their romantic feelings for her. At a club one night, she meets the well-built, dark, and handsome Cam King. A courtship begins, but Georgia plays it cool, still hung up on Sean, who is now an international superstar. She is also wary of Cam being 30, a whole decade older. Soon, Georgia gives in and starts dating and hooking up with Cam, and naturally, an intense sexual relationship unfolds. Come to find out, Cam is a notorious gangster with an uneasy relationship with Georgia's family and father, who is also a gangster, we find out. Georgia learns that Sean is still entirely heartbroken about her, despite his fame and success, and she later witnesses Cam murder a rival, shooting him dead. She slowly starts to fall for Cam and to get over Sean. However, none other than Sean makes a reappearance in her life-- committed to winning her back after so many years. Come to find out, the rape allegation was false, and Georgia's mother had been withholding his countless letters and attempts to contact Georgia. Sean sweeps her off her feet, and they have a romantic weekend, while Georgia makes plans to end things with Cam. At a party, Cam returns to town early, and Georgia has the difficult conversation with him before running off with Sean. Georgia tries to keep up with Sean's high rolling lifestyle, and she becomes increasingly rageful over his many suitors. It leads her to even rip one woman's hair out at a club. Meanwhile, Cam's life has deflated entirely, heartbroken over Georgia. She has endless and passionate sex with Sean.

Years pass as Sean and the band's success takes off even more. Georgia is happy and content with Sean and her life, but she is nagged by the guilt and lingering feelings for Cam. One night, while Sean is away on tour, Georgia has a chance encounter with Cam at a club that he happens to own. After attacking and beating the woman who falsely accused Sean, Georgia and Cam have "hard, nasty, dirty" sex in his office. Not long after, Georgia finds out she is pregnant, most likely with Cam's baby. She tells Sean it's his, though, and he is elated, but she loses the baby not long after that. Later, Georgia advocates that they buy Cam's old house, but Sean is enraged when he finds out, chiding Georgia for her deceit and selfishness. Soon, she finds out that tabloids have caught wind of her assault and affair from the club, and the whole band's team prepares for the blowback. After appeasing the press with a photo shoot, Georgia and Sean get pregnant and prepare for the incoming child. It looks like they are going to get through the scandal just fine, but a freak car accident kills Sean and the baby Georgia is carrying. Georgia wakes in a haze and tries to kill herself several times. She is nearly successful once, but Sean appears to her and encourages her to keep living. Months pass of complete depression, but Georgia gradually takes steps to persevere...

About The Author

Lesley Jones was born and raised in Essex, England, but moved to Melbourne, Australia with her husband and three sons in 2006. She now lives on the beautiful Mornington Peninsula with her family and two dogs. Jones' writing career began in 2013 with the publication of her first book, Saviour. She quickly gained a reputation for writing angsty and emotional plot lines, often tackling difficult subjects, led by well developed and often flawed characters. Her third and fourth books, the first two in the Carnage Series, were international bestsellers. When not writing, Jones is an avid reader, admits to being a huge fan of trashy, reality T.V. Often stating the best part of her job is meeting her readers, Jones has been lucky enough to travel from her home in Australia, to attend book signings around the world.