Rating: 
Summary: My favourite!
Review: Belladonna is definately one of the best books I've ever read. Moline has a fabulous way with words, and develops her characters intensely. I've read the book over and over, and never tire of it. She keeps you in suspense constantly, with swiching to and from the "Diary" section. I'd recommend it to anyone; it's a great leisure read.
Rating:
Summary: Surprised at how much I enjoyed this book
Review: I have not read a book so good in years!! I could barely put it down. I wanted more after it was over and plan on buying "Lunch" as soon as possible. Karen Moline uses words in ways I could never imagine and I really cared for her characters! I listened to it abridged on audio first and then read the book about two years after and enjoyed it even more!
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Summary: Summer suprise of sweet revenge
Review: I read Belladonna as an accident and the results were a complete surprise. I picked it up as a "light" read for the summer (after a spring of slogging through dense academic text) and came away with an irresistable urge to concoct obsession-laced revenge plots, filled with beauty, deceit, and a checkered past.As I read, it reminded me of the Count of Monte Cristo(which the plot of Belladonna borrows nicely)and some sinister works of Poe. Add to that exquisite sensuality... A perfect summer read with enough depth to keep you engaged through the final pages. Once in a while you find a book that surprises you, captures you, and takes you on a trip of the imagination. Belladonna proves an excellent tour guide. Moline is a structured, sassy writer who knows how to tell a story and provides a story well told.
Rating: 
Summary: 'Bella ' 'Donna
Review: I really had to struggle with a rating for this one, the first three quarters are just so deliciously trashy and then everything suddenly falls apart. The problem is the setup is so motivating and the story so much fun to read you can't help but be let down by the cop out of an ending. Belladonna's imprisonment- despite its indiscreet lifting of ideas from 'The Story of O'- escape, and years in Italy are fine and dandy, but things really heat up when she relocates her 'family' to New York. The club, where status means nothing and the rich seem oblivious to the fact that they are being mocked, sizzles with subterfuge and random acts of revenge. Though I could have done without Bella's torment of her cousin, who hadn't really done anything consciously wrong all those years ago when Bella wound up a sex slave. When Bella picks up and moves down South, that's your cue to put down the book. The wrap up doesn't live up to its promise in any way shape or form. The pieces just come together so badly and with much predictable, silly coincedence involved. I wanted a slam bang 'vengeance from the heavens' sort of end, but I would have been able to accept one where Bella never finds the answers she so desperately seeks nor the man who inflicted so much torture on her. Life seldom leads to perfect, tied-with-a-bow finishes and it would have been better to have no closure then the ridiculous and disappointing one with which we are presented. A solid three and half star read, perfect for just about any situation.
Rating:
Summary: Smart, sexy novel connects with every-day emotions
Review: In an age of pulp-romance paperbacks it's not often a book manages to be sexy and smart at the same time. As a writer myself I really responded to the author's intelligent yet accessible style, which goes easily from gently-paced descriptions of beautiful clothes and houses to heart-racing suspense. The plot moves from London to Italy to New York to Virginia, all the time in the company of exotic characters who are either incredibly rich, incredibly interesting (like two of the main characters are castrated) or both. Belladonna escapes from the clutches of an English Lord who had kept her locked up for sex and founds her own fortune that becomes the basis for her revenge. Although the story may be set fifty years ago, readers will recognise the emotions in the book as ones they've felt many times themselves. But how many of us get to act out our fantasies of revenge like Belladonna? Quentin Geredt
Rating: 
Summary: Delicious Novel
Review: Isabella Ariel Nickerson is kidnapped and auctioned for 1 million pounds in 1930s England. She finds herself the unwilling play thing of a club of men who get their kicks out of forcing sexual tortures on women. Isabella is actually purchased by a man she knows only as "His Lordship", a man she will dedicate the rest of her life to finding and destroying once she escapes her hell. The story is narrated by a man named Tomasino, one of the few men that Belladonna truly trusts (along with his twin Matteo). They were castrated in the war, and therefore, Belladonna doesn't see them as a threat. Belladonna finds herself the heir of a large fortune, and she dedicates her money and time to Club Belladonna, a popular club, where she hopes to lure one of the members into her club. One member is all it will take to find the rest. I went into this expecting that I wouldn't like it, and honestly, the very beginning, the chapter before the actual story of Belladonna begins, was quite dull. It had that same rambling, verbose, tedious style as Middlesex did in the beginning, which sort of throws me off for a second because I like to get immediately sucked into a book. After that first chapter though, I was thorougly engrossed with Belladonna's story. Tomasino is a witty narrator. He loves to talk. He loves to gloat. He loves to be right. Honestly, I'm glad he was the one telling the story. It gives it a flair that I think would be missing if Belladonna, or even his brother Matteo, told the story. Belladonna's diary is also scattered throughout the book; the diary she kept while she was imprisoned. The diary format was an interesting one as well, as it was written in third person rather than first. I think the concept of revenge appealed to me, as it would many people. How many people get the chance to get their revenge against someone who wrongs them? Many of us have wanted to, but we've never had the satisfaction of doing so. Sure, Belladonna's methods seem a little out there, but wouldn't we all go to great lengths, if we could, to get payback? You can't help but root for Belladonna. So, while this book seems a little extreme, it is a good novel. I wasn't too satisfied with the ending. It seemed a little rushed, a real let down to the climatic events that were taking place before it. Still well worth the read.
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Summary: Deliciously decadent, an arsenic chocolate of a book
Review: Like a Jackie Collins novel on acid, this baroque drag queen fantasy run amok will amuse any former reader of romance. Just when you think the plot could not possibly get any more ridiculous, it does, with delightful results. There is a dark theme, but the book is so over-the-top that it is impossible to take seriously. It reads as high camp. The perfect, by-the-pool page turner. As soon as I finished reading it, I bought a dozen copies to give to my friends. I have yet to hear a bad review from them. This book has no redeeming qualities whatsoever, but it's so much fun you won't care. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Trashy read, couldn't put it down!
Review: This book had me reading between meals, for hours before bed, and was in my hand first thing in the morning! The plot is quite a hook -- a woman seeking revenge on a tormentor she does not know by name. Moline weaves an interesting tale that takes us from London, to Belgium, Italy, New York, and Virginia, and she describes each place magically. I'd compare her descriptive talent matching those in F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Diamond as Big as the Ritz." The sumptuous details of each place, its buildings, furnishings, and people are so evocative. The narrator is a Dominick Dunne-like fellow with a wry wit and sharp tongue (I pictured Truman Capote as I was reading -- chubby, effeminate, wicked). Throw in a little Anne Rice style Gothic sexual horror and you've got yourself a hell of a read! The sex parts -- I didn't find them thrilling at all. Actually, they're quite disturbing. When you get down to it, what happens to her is kidnap and rape -- not sexy in my book. But the scenes (late in the book, so you are practically BEGGING to find out what happened to her) help you understand her struggle and need for revenge. My only criticism is that the ending was too pat. After building up to such a climax (it takes nearly 2/3rds of the book to find "the villian"), it was a disappointing ending. However, the vivid descriptions and juicy, gossipy tone of the narrator made it a fun diversion -- just be prepared for a letdown at the end.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but too long....
Review: This book has everything. Love, Hate, Betrayal, and Revenge...
I personally could not put this book down. Moline does an excellent job portraying the feelings and experiences of the main character. I recommend this book to everyone who needs a little mysterious drama in their lives.
Rating:
Summary: Belladonna - Karen Moline
Review: This had to be the most sensual and seductive book I have ever had the fortune of reading. Even as a hardcore S/M enthusiast myself, this book did not fail to surprise, intrigue, capture and keep my attention, and absolutely take my breath away. This is definitely on my top five of all time book favorites. I could read it again and again. It's deliciously wicked. An exquisite read.
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