Review - 'The Lion's Den' by Katherine St. John

The Lion's Den suffers from too much of a good thing. What starts as a fun romp quickly morphs into an over-the-top, gaudy, melodramatic extravaganza that burned me out.

Belle, a struggling actress, is thrilled when her former best friend Summer invites her to spend a week aboard her wealthy boyfriend's yacht in the sparkling waters of the Mediterranean. She obviously can't pass up such a chance. But after she boards, she starts to realize that something may be amiss.

On the surface, this seems like the perfect beach read: idyllic setting, glamor and decadence, and a little bit of a mystery woven in. But the more I read, the less I enjoyed, until it became almost painful to read any more of the insanity that was this story and these characters.

I'll just come out and say it: Belle annoyed me to no end. She lets her friends walk all over her while simultaneously sucking up to them. Each time they did crazy stuff to her (like drugging her or leaving her behind in a foreign country for being a few minutes late), she would apologize profusely and slavishly even though it wasn't her fault.

It doesn't help that she's also dim and a lush. She can't come up with words when she needs to, then blurts out random things when she shouldn't. She keeps complaining about how she doesn't feel well, then proceeds to drink copious amounts of alcohol, which makes her feel worse. Did I somehow stumble into a domestic thriller without realizing?

But the rest of the characters were no better. They were all superficial, backstabbing, and immensely unlikable. The drama between them was petty and salacious. It was like watching a reality show on steroids, where everyone acted as trashy as possible while also breaking every law they could. My eyes rolled so hard it's possible I bruised them.

And the mystery turned out to be predictable. It was written in an intentionally convoluted way to maximize the obfuscation and drama. Without that, it would have been simple and straightforward.

I was so excited when I started this book. But the more I read, the more stressed out I got. The craziness and the melodrama just kept ratcheting up, while our main character got dumber and drunker and more slavish. I'm just thankful I finally reached the merciful conclusion and can leave these awful characters and their dubious issues behind.

Readaroo Rating: 2 stars