Paradise Lost (Private) [Audiobook, CD, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Kate Brian (Author), Cassandra Campbell (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 25, 2009 | Series: Private

Paradise awaits.... Now that Cheyenne's murderer has been revealed and Reed knows the truth about who's been stalking her, she's ready to leave the heartache and turmoil of last semester behind. And what better way to recover than a five-star Caribbean vacation? Reed is reunited with former Billings Girls Kiran and Taylor, and she and her friends take over the exclusive island. They spend their days tanning on white-sand beaches and their nights partying on sixty-foot yachts. It's heaven on earth.But as they raise their champagne flutes to toast their friendship, Reed worries that it's all too good to be true. Because even in paradise, the Billings Girls are never far from trouble-and nothing's more dangerous than the calm before the storm.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kieran Scott writes under the pen name Kate Brian, whose best-known books are The Princess and the Pauper, Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys, The Virginity Club, Sweet 16, Fake Boyfriend, and the prolific Private series. Several books in the Private series have been on the New York Times children's bestseller list as well as the USA Today bestseller list. Cassandra Campbell has recorded nearly two hundred audio books and directed many more. She has been nominated for and won multiple Audie Awards, as well as the prestigious Odyssey Award. She has received numerous starred audio reviews in both Publishers Weekly and Library Journal as well as thirteen AudioFile Earphones Awards. Cassandra was also named a Best Voice by AudioFile for 2009 and 2010.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Reality

Not happening. This was not happening.

I walked down the hall of the ICU at Edward Billings Memorial Hospital, trying to look as if I belonged there. Holding my coat closed tightly over my now ridiculous-seeming gold minidress and trying to make the nurses and doctors believe I knew where I was going. But I didn't. I didn't know where I was going, or where I was, or how I'd gotten there. I had never navigated these sterile halls, never had to visit this cold, ominous place with its grim-faced orderlies and somber lighting. The one thing I knew was that this could not be happening.

In my mind's eye, all I could see was the blood. I had woken up on the floor of the solarium in Mitchell Hall, the back of my head throbbing with pain. Noelle had been hosting a preparty there for Kiran Hayes's birthday fête in Boston, and I had gone to confront Sabine DuLac about her relationship with Ariana Osgood. She had pulled a gun on me, I had blacked out, and when I'd come to, I had seen Josh's prone body, his face pressed into the hardwood floor. And blood. Blood everywhere. The scream that had escaped my throat had sounded otherworldly, like something out of a science fiction film. Like nothing that could have come from my own throat. That was when Sabine had realized the bullet had missed me. Even though the gun was gone, even though Trey Prescott and Gage Coolidge were holding her back, she had made one final lunge, intent on strangling me or clawing my hair out -- hurting me in whatever way possible. I had thrown myself backward in fear and had bumped into something hard. A second body. Dark hair had been splayed everywhere, arms bent at unnatural angles. Another scream, and after that, everything had become a blur.

The shouting as the police had hauled off Sabine. The Pemberly girl who, splattered with blood, had fainted dead away. The flashing lights of the ambulance. The EMTs shouting for us to stay back as they'd sorted out who was hit and who was unconscious and who might be...dead.

Now an orderly shoved a meal cart out of a room and right into my path. I was so startled that my hand flew to my heart. My knees felt like they could collapse at any second. I pressed my other palm against the wall to steady myself, my fingers landing just above a gold plate with a room number printed on it: 4005. Which meant that the next room was 4007. The room I was looking for. The room I dreaded.

Deep breath, Reed. You can do this. You have to do this.

I closed my eyes for a moment. This wasn't about me. Yes, Sabine had tried to kill me. Yes, the person who, all semester long, I had thought was my best friend had turned out to be a raving homicidal lunatic stalker. Yes, I had spent months living in the same room with a girl who had then tortured me and drugged me and sent out a lewd video of me to the entire Easton Academy community. That was all about me. And I could deal with all of that later.

But right now. This. This was not about me.

I took that deep breath and stepped tentatively into room 4007.

Josh's eyes instantly met mine, whisking the breath right out of me. I was aware of the machines -- the beeping of the heart monitor, the strange twitching lines on the screen, the dripping IV. But for a moment, just one moment, all I could see were those eyes. The relief, the anguish, the longing, the fear. Everything I felt was right there in his eyes. He knew. He understood. But then he broke eye contact, and I dropped back to reality.

Reality, where Ivy Slade lay on a hospital bed, unconscious and pale, her eyelids appearing purple under the fluorescent lights. Tubes and wires and sensors were stuck to her temples and wrists, and her black hair was shoved back from her face in a haphazard, unparted way that she would have loathed if she could have seen it. The white hospital sheets were tightly tucked in all around her, giving her the look of a half-wrapped mummy. Only her arms were free, and Josh was holding her hand. Her delicate, seemingly lifeless hand. My throat went completely dry.

Why hadn't she stayed outside like the police had told her to do? Why had she run back into the solarium? In all the panic, I hadn't even realized that she had come up behind me. She didn't have to be there. Didn't have to come with me to confront Sabine. I had even told her not to come along, but she obviously was worried about me in my one-track state of mind. That track being the express train to confrontation with a homicidal maniac.

It was my fault that she was here. All my fault.

"Is she going to be okay?" I whispered.

Please say yes. Please, please say yes. I wasn't sure I could handle another death. Another funeral. Another good-bye. I wasn't sure if any of us could handle it.

"They think so," Josh replied. He looked hopefully over at her. "The bullet went through her upper shoulder and just missed her lung. If it had been half an inch lower...She lost a lot of blood, though, which is why she's unconscious right now. But yeah, they expect her to make a full recovery."

My eyes misted over as a crushing weight was lifted from my shoulders. She was going to be okay. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Ivy and I had just started to become friends. If it weren't for her, I may have never figured out that it was Sabine who was after me. That Sabine was the person who had killed Cheyenne Martin and had tried to make me believe it was my fault.

If it weren't for Ivy, I might have gone to Kiran's party with Sabine and ended up shot dead in an alley in Boston somewhere. Who knew what the details of the girl's plan had been? It seemed that, as long as it had ended with me dead, Sabine would have deemed it a success.

Josh placed Ivy's hand on the bed next to her hip and slowly got up to usher me out the door. As we left the room, I turned to him, prepared to be a good friend -- a supportive friend and nothing more. To ask the right questions. The questions that Noelle Lange and Rose Sakowitz and all the other people down in the waiting room wanted me to ask. But before I could even open my mouth, I was in his arms.

"I thought she was going to kill you," he said breathlessly.

Surprised tears jumped to my eyes. I savored the familiar strength of his arms, the crisp scent of his shampoo. I clung to him, gripping the smooth fabric of his oxford shirt like it was a life vest and I was about to go under.

"I can't believe what you did," I said as a tear spilled down my cheek. "Lunging for the gun like that..." I forced myself to pull back so I could look into his eyes. "When you hit the floor, I thought you were dead."

Josh placed his hands on either side of my face and looked at me as if he was trying to reassure himself that I was actually there. "I didn't even think. You were frozen, and there was a gun pointing at you, and I...I didn't even think. It was either throw you down or go for the gun, and I guess I was closer to the gun, so...I just did it."

"You saved my life," I said, a sob choking my throat.

He moved his hands to cup my shoulders and touched his forehead to mine, blowing out a sigh. "You're okay. You're okay," he said. "Thank God you're okay."

Just like that, my heart filled with bubbles of joy. Josh still loved me. He loved me so much that he couldn't stop touching me. He loved me so much he had put himself in harm's way to save me. Josh loved me. I felt so high, I could have floated right out the hospital window.

But then, reality. Like a lasso around my ankle, reality once again slammed me back down to the ground. Because Josh's attempt to save my life had resulted in Ivy's current state. He had knocked the gun just as it had gone off. Knocked it so that the bullet had passed me by...and had hit Ivy right in the chest.

In trying to save me, his ex-girlfriend, Josh had put his current girlfriend in the hospital.

We both looked over at Ivy's room. I knew that Josh was thinking exactly what I was thinking, that Ivy didn't deserve this. He let his hands slip from my shoulders, and he stepped away. Suddenly, I was freezing. For the first time, I noticed the bloodstains on the front of his shirt. On his hands. Under his fingernails. Ivy's blood. It was everywhere.

"What happened to Sabine?" he asked flatly, as we started walking back to the waiting room.

"They arrested her," I told him. "Pretty much everyone heard her confess, so..."

"I can't believe this. I can't believe this is happening."

Josh pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. I knew the feeling. It was all so overwhelming that it was hard to decide which part to try to sort out first. Cheyenne's pointless murder, Ivy's pointless injury, or the fact that Sabine was Ariana's sister and, apparently, had come to Easton for the sole purpose of torturing me. How were we supposed to deal with that?

And then, of course, there was the issue of us. The "us" that now included three: me, Josh, and Ivy.

"So...now we just...," I trailed off. I knew Josh well enough to know that he always did the right thing. And the right thing at this moment did not include me.

We turned the corner and stopped down the hall from the waiting room. Josh leaned against the cinderblock wall. He looked miserable. Tired and gaunt and haunted. He raised his hands to his face again, making a little tent around his nose and mouth. For a moment, neither of us breathed. Then he dropped his hands, as if resolved, and looked at me. The emotion was gone. In its place was an expressionless wall.

"I have to stay with Ivy," he said firmly. "I have to know she's okay. She's going to need...someone."

My heart contracted painfully, and I allowed myself one moment of selfishness. One. But what about me? I thought. And then I let it go. Because he was right. Ivy needed him more than I did. Yes, I had been through a lot this semester. We both had. Cheyenne's murder, our breakup, my falling-out with Noelle, and the constant feeling that someone was stalking me. All the heartache and paranoia had ... --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Audio CD
• Publisher: Tantor Media; Unabridged,Library - Unabridged CD edition (June 25, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400142393
• ISBN-13: 978-1400142392
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 6.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)

More About the Author

I am a total Jersey girl. I grew up in Bergen County, went to Rutgers University, lived in Hoboken for a year (requisite post-college party time) and then moved back to Bergen, got married, and bought a house ten minutes from where I grew up. I graduated from Rutgers with a double major in English and Journalism, worked as an Editor for four years, then decided I liked writing better and struck out on my own. You've been reading my books ever since!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Kate let me down!!!!, May 6, 2009

By 

Madame Peacock - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paradise Lost (Private, Book 9) (Paperback)

This last book was a disappointment.

The main character, Reed, should have matured more for someone who has been through two murder attempts, public ostracism and a stalker. Allow me to elaborate.

Firstly, she bends over backwards to regain Noelle's trust and friendship (book 8) yet in this book she snaps at Noelle constantly. Sometimes she was downright rude to the girl. You have to wonder if she really cares about Noelle or what Noelle can do for her. (which is a shame because you can tell Noelle really loves Reed as a sister)

Secondly, Reed also seems to continue to forget her "place". Standing up for yourself is good but being rude and insulting to an adult, socialite, Billings descendent AND alumnus is not a good idea (even if she was rude you); especially if you're the scholarship kid.

Thirdly, I find it unrealistic that Reed has no contact with her family in this book AT ALL. She goes to St. Barths, for CHRISTMAS, after a SECOND murder attempt with nary a cheep from her parents! C'mon...

Fourthly, why chose to go horizontal with a blatant flirt on a yacht where she can be easily caught, especially after the Dash fiasco? That's just D-U-M-B. I'm loosin' major respect for this character.

Last point: The ending. This "kill Reed" thing is getting o-l-d. (Think of Stewie and Lois from Family Guy)

After the excitement in Revelation this book really let me down.

I'm not gonna give up on Brian yet, though. It is ONE book of nine.

Book ten better be better.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Summer filler, March 7, 2009

By 

Blackacre (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paradise Lost (Private, Book 9) (Paperback)

On many levels this book felt like the sit-com summer vacation shows. If anyone remembers, think "Saved by the Bell-Hawaii." It may have effects on the rest of the story line (without a doubt because of the ending), but is also complete fluff. Maybe that's why the ending felt so wrong. The rest of the book was meaningless, but the ending has to tie in to the next book. Like some others, I will look forward to the next book, but I have luke-warm feelings about it. Another suggestion for readers might be to wait until you're off on your own tropical vacation this summer (or spring break) and read it then. Maybe it will be more effective.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Jumped the shark..., March 2, 2009

By 

CoffeeGurl - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Paradise Lost (Private, Book 9) (Paperback)

The moment Reed Brennan entered the Easton Academy, her life has not been the same. Falling for Thomas Pearson got the attention of the Billings girls, turning her into a member of the elite group, only to discover that one of the girls, Ariana Osgood, wanted her dead. After Ariana is taken away for murdering Thomas, Reed feels the worst is over -- only to encounter even more tragedy. After the events in Revelation, Reed is depleted of hope, which is why Noelle convinces her to join her and a few of the Billings girls to a Christmas vacation in St. Barths. What could be better than a vacation in paradise? Reed reunites with Taylor and Kiran and meets old Billings girls on the island. She even meets a hot guy who, though every girl on the island is after him, seems to have the hots for no one but her. But Reed is unable to escape her past. Even in paradise, she is stalked and threatened, and meets a flock of new enemies that would prove to be as dangerous as Ariana and Sabine.

To me, this series has jumped the shark. Why? Well, even though this series has never been realistic, it was nevertheless entertaining and intriguing, keeping me looking forward to the new installment. But now this series has gone from unrealistic to downright ridiculous. Reed has turned into a one-woman circus. She attracts jerks, jealous psychos, murderers and stalkers like moths to a flame. Am I expected to suspend this much disbelief? I'm surprised Noelle, Tiffany and the others would want to remain friends with someone who leaves nothing but bad luck and death in her wake. Even though one of the new characters acknowledges Reed's flair for drama by calling her "Hurricane Reed," it is not enough. The book would have been boring without the mystery and the drama, which is why I think Kate Brian should consider wrapping up this series before it gets even more over the top. I am considering abandoning this series, something that I hadn't considered before, that's how bad things have gotten. I'll await the second installment of the Privilege series. At least that one shows some potential.