Rufus Leung Gresham, future Earl of Greshambury and son of a former Hong Kong supermodel has a problem: the legendary Gresham Trust has been depleted by decades of profligate spending, and behind all the magazine covers and Instagram stories manors and yachts lies nothing more than a gargantuan mountain of debt. The only solution, put forth by Rufus’s scheming mother, is for Rufus to attend his sister’s wedding at a luxury eco-resort, a veritable who’s-who of sultans, barons, and oligarchs, and seduce a woman with money.
Should he marry Solène de Courcy, a French hotel heiress with honey blond tresses and a royal bloodline? Should he pursue Martha Dung, the tattooed venture capital genius who passes out billions like lollipops? Or should he follow his heart, betray his family, squander his legacy, and finally confess his love to the literal girl next door, the humble daughter of a doctor, Eden Tong? When a volcanic eruption burns through the nuptials and a hot mic exposes a secret tryst, the Gresham family plans—and their reputation—go up in flames.
Can the once-great dukedom rise from the ashes? Or will a secret tragedy, hidden for two decades, reveal a shocking twist?
In a globetrotting tale that takes us from the black sand beaches of Hawaii to the skies of Marrakech, from the glitzy bachelor pads of Los Angeles to the inner sanctums of England’s oldest family estates, Kevin Kwan unfurls a juicy, hilarious, sophisticated and thrillingly plotted story of love, money, murder, sex, and the lies we tell about them all.
Rating: 3 Stars
Despite my many attempts to like this novel, it fell short of my expectations. The characters were awful – especially Arabella and I absolutely despised her bit-picking and overly terrible behavior. She was so judgmental and believed herself to be above others.
I was more tolerable of Eden and Rufus as they were more well-mannered and I liked them the best. As for Rufus’s siblings, they didn’t strike me much and were more concerned about appearances. The storyline was slightly predictable despite the many flashbacks that were surprising.
As for the footnotes, they were interesting but I feel it could’ve been added to the back of the book as a glossary. The switching of POVs was welcoming but at sometimes, felt tiresome. There was a lot of pomp and fashion references, together with expensive furniture and settings in different countries which was fascinating to read about but I wished the author had just stuck to one location.
Overall, Lies and Weddings is a fun, over the top book with rich people problems, and a scandal that was slightly predictable but exciting to read.
Thank you to Pansing Books and Penguin Random House International for sending me a PR Package of this book. Lies and Weddings are now available at all good bookstores.
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