Into The Night Book Reviews: In the Spotlight: Greed by Fisher Amelie

Greed by Fisher Amelie was released on 29 October and it is getting great reviews!

The Understorey was one of my very first indie books (it was free too) and I fell in love with Fisher Amelie's writing style and the gorgeous characters she created.
Then came Callum and Harper, followed by Thomas and January and now the Seven Deadly Series. I have loved every one of these books and cannot wait for the next 5, that's right FIVE! books in the Seven Deadly series.

But for now, the spotlight is on Greed ...

Book 2 in the Seven Deadly Series

Gather ‘round, love, because I want you. I want what you have, I want what you don’t have, I want more of what I already have. I want. But if you so much as ask for something in return, go ahead and walk away. Know if you want to play in my world, it’s every man for themselves and the weak become mine. Leeches will be obliterated because I make it my job to destroy them. I protect what’s mine and I take what’s yours...because that’s what I do. I want.

My story will not endear me to you and, frankly, I could care less if it does because I’m in this for the money and nothing else. There’s nothing redeeming about me. I’m a corrupt, money hungry, immoral asshole from Los Angeles. I’m every man’s worst nightmare and every girl’s fantasy.

I’m Spencer Blackwell...And this is the story about how I went from the world’s most coveted guy to the guy no one wanted around and why I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

Prologue

Greed is a strange, strange sin.

All you want to do is acquire. Acquire money, acquire material, acquire time, acquire energy, acquire attention. The running mantra is “I want, I want, I want” but that quickly turns to “I need, I need, I need.” Suddenly there just isn’t enough time for friends, for family, for anyone. Your goal is to acquire and to make sure what you acquire stays acquired. Your life depends on it. You don’t see truth because the truth is shadowed by enormous homes, incredibly fast cars, in lavish spending. Your life no longer belongs to you, but you are blind to it all because those around you are seeking the same.

So you shuffle along at an impossible rate, and you pass the real world around you.

But what you’ll come to realize, altogether too late, is that it’s never enough. It’s simply never enough.

Chapter One

“It’s confirmed. Peter Knight of Evergreen won’t approve the acquisition. You know what to do,” my snake of a father told me, not two steps into his front door.

“I just got off a seven-hour flight. You can’t let me settle in? Possibly say hello?”

He stood, watching me, a slight tick in his square jaw. He tucked his hands into his Italian silk pants. His six-foot frame followed the steps up to the foyer and stopped a few inches away from my own. We were face to face. Although I fell an inch shorter, he no longer intimidated me. I knew if I had to, I could kick his ass.

“Hello, Spencer,” he said, a serpent’s smile spread wide across his mouth before falling flat. “Get to work. I don’t pay you to sit around. I don’t care if it is your Christmas break.” 

We stayed where we were, each waiting on the other to back down. The tension was palpable. In the end, his face relaxed and he began to chuckle, stepping aside and making way for me. I picked up my bags and headed for my room, giving myself plenty of space to pass him without touching him. When I got to the bottom of the stairs, I changed my mind and threw my bags on the second to last step, intending to pick them up later. I stretched my muscles, loving the feel of my back popping, and started for the kitchen.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” he asked, still standing in the foyer, watching my every move.

“If I don’t say hi to Mom and Bridge, they’ll think something’s up,” I told him and continued on.

He didn’t respond, but I felt his stare burning into the back of my head.

When you have absolutely loved previous books by an author it is sometimes a little worrying picking up their next book, well for me it is anyway. My expectations are often really high, which is not always fair, and I find myself wondering whether I’m going to have yet another fabulous reading experience or whether through having had such great ones before, the bar has moved even higher and is potentially unattainable.

I am thrilled to say that Fisher Amelie did not disappoint me with Greed. It is a beautifully written, captivating and emotionally intense story.

We first met Spencer Blackwell in Vain. The ridiculously rich, rich boy who was hopelessly in love with Sophie Price. I was actually a big fan of Spencer then - despite his wealthy obnoxiousness, he was a good and true friend to Sophie. In Greed we learn so much more about Spencer and there are quite a few bits that are not that nice to know. Despite his obsession with money I felt there was an inherent goodness to Spencer - his conscience battled with the things his father asked of him and ultimately he made some very difficult choices with the primary intent of protecting others.

Through a series of circumstances Spencer meets Cricket Hunt and is absolutely captivated by her. The story is told from Spencer’s point of view and I loved the way Spencer observed Cricket and the way he talked to the reader during certain parts of the story. The relationship that develops between Spencer and Cricket was beautiful to watch unfold. Complicated by the fact that Cricket had a boyfriend and Spencer was determined not to bring his past into the lives of the people helping him and his sister, they both battled with their feelings, trying to deny what was growing between them.

There were a couple of events that absolutely devastated me in Greed. At one point I had to stop reading, because I couldn’t believe what had happened, nor see how the story could possibly be heading in the direction that it was. It’s a true testament to Fisher Amelie’s writing ability that she could throw such a convincing twist into the story.

Greed is a quick read. I loved the messages woven through the story and watching Spencer ‘evolve’ (for want of a better word). At the start of the story he was a ridiculously rich young man, planning to accumulate a multi-million dollar personal wealth through means that were entirely dishonourable and by the end he had become an incredibly selfless, down to earth man who made multiple sacrifices for the people he loved. The love story that runs along side this is also a delight, moving at a realistic pace with a fabulous build up of tension between Spencer and Cricket.

There are some wonderful characters in Greed including Spencer's sister Bridge, Jonah, Ellie and Emmett, and I also loved the descriptions of Montana and the cattle ranch which is the primary location for the bulk of the story.

You don’t need to read Vain before you read Greed - but I would encourage you to read them both, and why not start with Vain so you get an early introduction to Spencer?! All of Fisher Amelie’s books are on my re-read pile and Greed is definitely joining them.

5 out of 5 stars

Fisher Amelie is the author of The Leaving Series, Callum & Harper and Thomas & January. She began her writing career as a copywriter for an internet marketing company wherein one of their client's said, 'Hey! You're funny. You should write books'. Which in turn she said, 'Hey, get out of here! This is the lady's restroom.' While washing her hands and the embarrassment from her face, she thought they may have had a valid point. So, she took the thousands of hours of writing stories growing up, tucked them into her pocket and began writing and writing and writing.