This book was a whirlwind of an adventure and I absolutely loved how the story unfolded for the reader.
You start the book thinking this is going to be a fun yacht vacations for some old friend. Of course there is some catty female drama, but some other creepily suspicious things start happening on the boat.
Then you start to see the history between Summer and Belle and realize their friendship is extremely unhappy.
Things quickly escalate while all these women are trapped on this massive boat. The author described it the best—as they sit in their crystal cage.
I did not see the ending coming and that makes this a 4 star boon for me. The attention to detail made this story what it is. Be sure to pick this up ASAP!

This. Book. Was. So. Good. Katherine St. John has set the bar really high for 2020 favorite read! She really hit it out of the park with The Lion's Den! I could not put this book down and stayed up way too late reading! I'm always one for trying to figure out what's going to happen in a book and St. John completely stumped me with The Lion's Den! The ending blindsighted me and I was there for it!

Alright I have yet another ideal summer read for you guys today, this one is wicked and salacious and way more fun that I was expecting it to be. It gave me Jackie Collins vibes with the whole rich people behaving badly thing and then also reminded me a little of Below Deck as it’s set mostly on a luxury yacht. I expected it to be fluffy and light, total brain candy and while it was, it also ended up being a little dark and mysterious as well.

This is all told from Belle’s POV as she joins her BFF Summer on her much older, much richer boyfriends yacht for a week spent luxuriating in the Mediterranean. It all winds up being too good to be true as the guests are all heavily monitored and controlled turning a dream vacation into a total nightmare. There are also flashback chapters dating all the way back to when Summer and Belle first met and then leading up to right before the trip began, and secrets, deception and lies are slowly revealed making this such a tantalizing read. It really is the ultimate summer binge read, entertaining and wildly fun!

This cover doesn't give you the full depth that is The Lion's Den. I didn't know much about the book when I started other than the cover gave me cool summer vacation vibes. Wow. If your like me and have judged a book by it's cover let me tell you this book has it all! Friendship, drama, suspense, exotic location, pampering, divine cuisine, yes it's all in this book and I loved every page! When you start the book you'll feel one way and about half way through everything starts to change. ( in a thrilling way) Perfect anytime read, unless your about to go on a yacht vacation with your stuck up friend dating an older man and a bunch of girls you don't know. Read ir after that trip.
Belle is a struggling actress living paycheck to paycheck to get by. When her best friend invites her on an all expense paid vacation she's excited to see how the other half lives. Starting with a private jet and champagne this trip is off to a good start. How great it will be to sail the Mediterranean and just relax, sip some fruity cocktails on the deck while sunbathing. At least this is what Belle is expecting. Little things start to make her question her host and her millionaire boyfriend. First it's the mandatory handover of everyone's passport, then the mysterious bottle of pills, the many private meetings, and the feeling that they are all prisoners rather than guests. Belle learns within days that she must watch her back and keep things she knows to herself in order to stay alive. Anything that seems to good to be true probably is.

I’ve been seeing “The Lion’s Den” everywhere lately, and it is one you are going to want to add to your list! Basically, Summer is celebrating her birthday by taking some of her family and friends with her on a week-long getaway to the Mediterranean on her rich boyfriend’s yacht. “Sounds like a dream!” You say? No, more like D.R.A.M.A. Once this crew embarks on this journey, outrageous situations arise. This book made me laugh, but made me SO frustrated- especially with Summer. The chapters alternate between what happens with Belle and Summer during the time leading up to the trip and during the actual trip. I love how everything tied together in the end-It was perfect. I can’t say too much without spoiling all the juicy details, so you just have to read it for yourself! ⁣
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Rich people behaving badly in a beautiful setting - yes please.

The Lion's Den had it's fair share of twists and turns I didn't see coming. Belle and Summer were the best of friends until Summer's new beau and lifestyle started becoming more important than the friendship. Summer invites a group onto her mega-rich boyfriend's yacht and drama ensues. Soon the drama turns to danger and you're not sure who to trust.

I loved the setting of this book - it made me want to have a vacation in the Mediterranean! I liked Belle's character and did not know how she kept it together for so long. If you're really good at figuring out twists you might see some of them coming but I was surprised by most of it.



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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes when things appear to be to good they are. Taking a summer gig hanging out on a yacht would be a dream for most, but the girls come to find out that they are more like slaves then guests. As they battle to make it thru their trip she is realizing many people are not as they seem.

Pack your sun hats because this is one you will want to take with you to the beach! I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I did enjoy the past and present viewpoints of Summer and Belle’s friendship. It helped me understand their history a little better because for the life of me I could not understand why they were still friends. Summer was the ultimate mean girl with all of her cronies. This was a dream vacation turned horribly wrong! The first half was a little bit over the top for me with all of their crazy pettiness, but the second half was gold! Things really take a turn for the worst and that ending… OMG. This is one you will want to pick up!!

This book was quite the surprise. I did not want to put it down. This felt very much like Big Summer, as you will read in the setup.

Belle is an aspiring actress and she happens to be best friends with Summer. Summer is dating a much older billionaire and he is throwing her a birthday bash in France with her closest friends. Of course Belle is invited, but from the very beginning something does not feel right.

Summer’s boyfriend John is very controlling, they have to sign NDA’s, there is no Wi-Fi, and he even takes all their passports away, which makes Belle very uncomfortable.

Interspersed within this story are snip-its of days leading up to the trip. As the story progresses you realize that something major has happened between Summer and Belle, but you are just not sure what.

At first glance this story seems like an episode of Real Housewives but then it metamorphoses into quite a thriller. This debut author does a fantastic job of keeping you guessing, and you will be unraveling this one until the last chapter.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Italy and the south of France are absolutely gorgeous in Katherine St. John’s The Lion’s Den. I don’t think it rained the nearly the entire book. Too bad Belle, the protagonist, is been kept virtual prisoner on a luxurious yacht.
Belle is a budding Los Angeles actress with humble Georgia roots, and she is invited, along with a select few other friends, to take a yacht trip on her friend Summer’s wealthy boyfriend’s boat, The Lion’s Den. Quickly, she sees how controlling John, Summer’s boyfriend really is, and that Summer is eager to please him and lock him (and his wealth) down. The story takes extreme, more violent (but not overly gory) turns, and even though I guessed a portion of the reveal at the end, there were still plenty of parts that surprised me and kept me reading.
Because of the way the lap of luxury is quickly exposed to the reader through name brand handbags, private jets, and champagne, I thought this book would have a tinge of shallowness. But in a most genius way, the constant exposure of beautiful things begins to lose its luster and fade in comparison to the stressful situation at hand. The characters initially look a bit shallow too – the gold digger, the wannabe actress, the tortured artist, the faithful best friend. But nope, there is more to the story. Summer especially has many facets. A dig through Belle’s memories of their shared childhood and even more recent events in LA show both the “mooch” and “survivor” sides to her.
Trigger warning for sexual abuse.

This is my favorite kind of summer read. Fast paced, flashy, and full of delightful twists and turns. A luxury yacht and a trip to the Mediterranean. I was pulling for Belle! The perfect summer escapism read with gorgeous locations that had me wishing for a holiday!

The Lions Den was a quick fast-paced read about Isabelle and Summer's friendship. The two friends have known each other since childhood and Isabelle told the story in the present and the past. You get small pieces of the puzzle along the way. I enjoyed the layout of this book and how it all unfolded. The ending completely surprised me and once the secret was revealed it was an interesting rabbit hole to go down. I almost wish I could go back to reread it to piece together more clues. This would be a great read by the pool or beach. Highly recommend! Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

THIS. BOOK. Absolutely a wild ride from beginning to end. I have never done cocaine but I would imagine it feels exactly like reading this book. It literally has everything... riches, scandal, murder, mystery, romance, and kinky sex. I would highly recommend The Lion's Den as your next beach read escape when you're all caught up or overwhelmed on current events. There are some very dark/heavy themes but it all feels just crazy enough/outside the realm of reality to not be crushing.


TW: rape, gaslighting, physical/sexual/verbal assault, suicide, murder, framing

Although this book had a good plot, I think that some of the over the top behavior of the characters, especially Summer and her family, got in the way of the story. I find it hard to believe that someone could commit murder and yet everyone around would say nothing (however what has happened in Minneapolis recently might make me rethink that). I really kept thinking that Amythest was a plant on the boat and not really dead, but I was wrong, which was kind of changed the book a bit. However, I did like the fact the woment in the end brought John down--Belle and his mother, which after seeing women being so subservient through the whole book to him was like a breath of fresh air.

I loved this book about a bunch of girls on a yacht trip, hosted by the much older VERY rich boyfriend. Unfortunately, in the mix with onboard pedicures and endless cocktails, is something sinister. Great beach read. Will like to read more from this author.

This is a perfect summer read: fast-paced, engrossing, dangerous, with exotic locations to take me away. Aspiring actress Belle accepts an invitation for a free week with her friend Summer on Summer's billionaire boyfriend's yacht in the south of France. Several other female friends and relatives tag along. Belle and Summer aren't as close as they were in high school, but surely Belle can make nice in exchange for sunbathing and decadence. But once they're all aboard, things begin to feel less...relaxing. Summer's much older boyfriend is pretty controlling, not just with her but with all the women. He collects their passports (for safekeeping), has cameras everywhere, orders their meals, and won't tolerate lateness or insubordination. Belle becomes increasingly uneasy about this dream vacation.

I read this all in one day, finishing well after you're-going-to-be-tired-tomorrow o'clock in the morning. I kept thinking I knew where the story was going, but then we would take an abrupt starboard turn and I would be thrown off balance again. Thrillers aren't usually my first choice, but this was a lot of fun!

This was quite a novel. For the first half, I was quite tempted to not finish it and just review what I had read, and that would have been a mistake. Most of this book seemed geared toward a very young audience, and perhaps it was supposed to be. But I persevered, and I am happy that I did so.

This was a multi-layered read, and you just don't see it until you are near the end when everything comes together. The mystery ends up being fantastic. While the back and forth through time (not by much mind you, just enough to give extra back-story) can seem a little annoying, they are essential.

All in all, this is an excellent beach read.


*ARC supplied by the publisher and author.

This almost felt like two books because there was kind of a huge (if foreseeable) twist...I was expecting this to be such a beach read but it tried to add a bit more. Unfortunately, I absolutely hated every character in this book and the narrator turned out to b ea bit unreliable. The story was also a bit unbelievable. That said, this could definitely be a fun beach read!

The Lion's Den comes out soon on June 30,2020 and you can purchase HERE.

I've always thought myself immune to the dizzying effects of fabulous wealth, but the sight of sleek jets lines up on the tarmac ignites on unexpected giddiness in me. How liberating to be able to move about the world so easily, without the inconveniences of mass transportation. No lines at the ticketing counter, no taking off shows and disassembling carry-on bags, no body scans, no cramped leg space or short connections, no luggage belts or lost bags.

When I started this book, it seemed like a light, frothy read about Belle-a woman who goes on a Mediterranean yacht trip with her friend Summer. It was the perfect kind of gossipy, mean-spirited "rich folks are bad" book that you can read while sitting by the pool or the beach. About halfway through the book I thought "why did this woman go on this trip with these horrible people??" and then the murder mystery part of the book kept me up late binge reading to find out what had happened. Really well plotted and thought out -it kept me guessing-especially about who was a good character as they all seemed shady.
Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this ARC in return for my honest review.

What a delightful vacation to the Mediterranean...complete with murder! I spent the afternoon wishing I was on vacation with them, while being thankful I was not. Most of the characters are not very likable but play their roles exceedingly well, which would easily lend itself to a movie. I did fall in love with Eric! Belle is invited to go on a dream vacation on the Mediterranean with her friend, Summer, whom she is no longer close to, along with Summer’s mother and sister, and several other friends. They are going with Summer’s new “sugar daddy”. Immediately John enforces his rules and restrictions and the fun is over. The story is told on a back and forth timeline, creating the back story as it charges ahead to the conclusion, which wasn’t as much of a surprise as I thought it might be. Great thriller to read and so engaging I read it in one sitting. This is a great read for those of us who are still sheltering in place but dreaming of a yacht in the Mediterranean! Many thanks to Katherine St. John, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an ARC of this engaging read, to be published on June 30th.