In the Shade of the Blossom Tree, previously published as Forbidden Pleasures, is a glittering novel of romance and suspense by Joanna Rees.

In the high-stakes world of international gambling, where success is measured by the roll of a dice or the spin of a roulette wheel, the lives of two women will become entwined in ways neither could have imagined.

Privileged party-girl Savannah Hudson has everything she's ever wanted – apart from the love of her cold and distant father, Michael. A self-made casino mogul in Las Vegas, he has little time for his daughter when competing with the other empires that line the famous strip.

Lois, a tough, ruthlessly ambitious ex-cop, runs the security business of Michael's greatest rival. She's fought hard for everything she has in life and no one has been able to halt her rise through the glamour and wealth of the casinos . . . not even her young daughter.

As the lines between their lives become ever more blurred, will the two women realize what truly matters before the morally corrupt world of gambling consumes them forever?