Customer Reviews

The Secret Heiress

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Believing that twin heiresses forbode bad luck, Nikos Papadaka sends his youngest, newborn daughter, Ariadne, away, utterly rejecting her. The remaining girl, Niki, grows up to be a spoiled monster, garnering hatred from all who meet her. Combined with her blatant disregard of healthy business practices, Niki has set herself up for a great fall, engineered by one of her own advisors. Adrian was given the cast-off infant to send away to obscurity, and it is at his behast that she is brought back and groomed to replace her sister. Ariadne is everything Niki is not, but can she carry off a deadly masquerade?

*** A classic plot is given a new airing in this fast-paced execution. Though Niki is utterly repulsive, Ariadne's transformation into a better version of her is fascinating. At one point, the switch is compared to Greek drama, and that remark proves to be spot on. ***

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.

Man in the Iron Mask is one of my favorite books. That is the only reason for finshing this book. The characters were shallow and plot predictable.
I expected better.

With the death of her father, Nikoletta "Niki" Papadaki takes charge of Papadaki Private Holdings Limited, an international firm with factories all over the world. However, the pampered Niki only cares about the bottom line, which angers environmentalists and other activist groups. One particular extremist faction decides to take matters in their hand by harming perhaps even killing the egomaniac.

Company executives are concerned that their image especially that of hedonistic Niki could cause PPHL troubles resulting in financial losses. They decide they need a more responsible person at the helm. They turn to Ariadne, Niki's twin sister, given up for adoption years ago. Though she knows nothing about her biological family or her late sire's firm, Ariadne brings common sense and an appreciation of social and geo-reasonability of a major company. She also begins to fall in love with her bodyguard Matt.

The dramatically opposite personalities of the twin sisters make for a fine contemporary romantic thriller though finding a former throw away twin is too simple of a solution and the climax is to neat of a wrap up. The story line is fast-paced as the PPHL board changes leadership hoping that a responsible look alike puppet (Ariadne) will save their reputation that spoiled Niki has devastated with her let them eat cake attitude. THE SECRET HEIRESS is an interesting look at how nurturing shapes the personality.

Harriet Klausner