This was an odd combination of cozy mystery but with a high body count.
There are three female protagonists and one villain.
FP #1- A female deacon unknThis was an odd combination of cozy mystery but with a high body count.
There are three female protagonists and one villain.
FP #1- A female deacon unknowingly married to a an out and out villain, he's a handsome, charming villain and hides his bad deeds well. Heroine number 1 may be a deacon but she rarely goes to church and jumps into starting a detective agency under the eyes of her Uber-villain husband.
FP#2 - Ex escort, sometime prostitute, she's more than happy to leave the escort business behind after being collateral damage in a hit. She's the tech portion of the biz.
FP#3 - #2's grandmother and thrilled that her granddaughter has left the business. She has a black belt in karate.
I honestly don't know what to say about this book except I really enjoyed. The naïveté of the three creating a detective agency reminded me of Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney saving the day by "Hey kids, let's put on a show!" [image]
The best that can be said for the hero is he isn't as bas as the one in Best Served Cold and he does try and make amends. As a romanMore torture porn.
The best that can be said for the hero is he isn't as bas as the one in Best Served Cold and he does try and make amends. As a romance reader at what point is the point of no return. I'm tired....you can read about his awfulness in other reviews or just read the book.
Two highlights for me are, one, after hearing some horrific things from the hero and his posse, the heroine lets loose and tells them how she feels, and, two, the H's father says they aren't right for each other because he doesn't deserve the heroine.
I can understand a young heroine, as in teen, falling for the cute who's mean, but it's more difficult to understand how these supposedly smart women are so in love with men who treat them like crap emotionally and verbally, but love is not blind, but stupid. Daily reflection is over.
Triggers: references to child abuse, slapping, and, sadly, realistic portrayals of social bias and racism. ...more
This started out so promising. The fiancee runs off with h’s horrible little sister and the equally horrible mother supports it. The heroine actually This started out so promising. The fiancee runs off with h’s horrible little sister and the equally horrible mother supports it. The heroine actually stands up to mom and sister then there’s the rest of the story. The h turns into a me-me-me emotional vampire that sucks all the energy and blood from her friends and the H. She’s one of those chicks that is surrounded by a circle of concerned friends and, sniffle, just can’t seem to move on. Her best friend and her now boyfriend take the brunt of the heroine’s drain. I honestly felt sorry for them.
And the H, is totally the chick. Handsome, built like sin, he’s a badass orthodontist. Nothing sexier…begone you Greek tycoons, MC bad boys and Navy Seals. The H is going to straighten you, or your teeth, out. Poor guy, tries to move on with a really nice girl after the h dumps for him…reasons. Suspicious timing, the h finds out and decides NOW she wants him and shows up to his house on a date. Poor unsuspecting other girl, the H can’t seem to care for her because she has a gap in her teeth. I didn’t make that up.
I was so disgusted as it all started out so well. Now that the h has been rejected by the H because he has pride, she devolves into a gooey mess and (view spoiler)[ serves as a bridesmaid to her evil PREGNANT sister and ex-fiance. WTH?!? (hide spoiler)]
Author lost a rare opportunity to keep the steam going with a strong heroine that gets her revenge by getting a sexy orthodontist while her younger sister gets stretch marks and hemorrhoids and a faithless man....more
This is the equivalent of the Three Stooges. Sad sack heroine, hero #1, hero #2. [image]
Heroine catches her bf having sex with a sex kitten and Oy boy.
This is the equivalent of the Three Stooges. Sad sack heroine, hero #1, hero #2. [image]
Heroine catches her bf having sex with a sex kitten and is more concerned that he never had sex with her in the kitchen right next to the coffee pot that she bought him than she is finding him having sex. A little exaggeration, but not far off. As the H hides his naked self behind a pot, he excuses his actions by saying they never declared "Exclusive." This guy lives in a kindergarten world.
Sadly for this romance, the one person really, really upset about the sex in the kitchen is the sex kitten having sex with the H. [image]
She's horrified he's made her the other woman, and ends up befriending the heroine much to the heroine's dismay, but kitchen sink side kick is a force to be reckoned with. This is the chick that needs a story.
Kitchen sink side chick is in love and engaged about 5 minutes after the kitchen incident and introduces the h to a new beau, a very attractive but gloomy Gus who didn't know that men could cook or do dishes. He, among many, many others in this book has a sad romance backstory. Heroine takes him on because she's desperate for a man, any man, and is really is a 1950s doormat wannabe disguised as a successful architect. Kind of an anti-Wonder Woman.
Once the H figures out that he's not all that since the h dumped him for being an unfaithful cad and never came back, he wants her. Of course he does. His bartender hates him, he got flack from his cousin, and he just isn't interested in bagging more babes.
He ends up stalking the new couple and things really don't improve.
Once hero #2 figures out he's literally #2, he's not a nice guy.
Hero #2. "You're just a bitch who strung me along like he strung you along. And you get away with it because you're pretty, but the truth is, you're not that pretty. The fact you have perky tits and keep the goodies under lock and key makes you seem more attractive than you are, but your personality makes you ugly. You used to be a solid six on a good night, but now I can see you're nothing more than a three. I'm a solid nine, and while naked, you're at least a seven, it's not worth it anymore."
I hope that's not his Persuasive Argument because it didn't convince me he's the better choice.
Oh, and the book is written in the present tense which drove me crazy....more
Problematic book for me as it's listed as a romance.
A revenge plot gone very, very bad as the usual with a romance hero/villain, the true victim is cProblematic book for me as it's listed as a romance.
A revenge plot gone very, very bad as the usual with a romance hero/villain, the true victim is collateral damage aka the heroine. After a several month seduction, the hero films the heroine having sex. No, he doesn't film them having sex because he's very careful to make sure he isn't identifiable as the heroine points out later. He shows the tape to her father who immediately strikes out...at the heroine. The hero gets his deal, the father gets the tape while the heroine loses everything: her rotten family, her partnership, the house she renovated, the garden she created and nourished her soul, and her trust in people. She devolves.
If the hero hated the heroine or thought she was remotely involved it might have been more understandable, but the hero knows how horrible he's being, in fact vomits at the thought of it, but hands the video over anyway. The video itself isn't just sex, but a graphic scene with the heroine calling herself "his whore" and "his slut". It made any subsequent sex scenes stomach churning when she calls herself that again.
Again and again, the heroine is betrayed, humiliated and debased while more than one evil doer gets away with no retribution. (view spoiler)[ The evil OW gets her hands on it and publishes the video and gets off scot free although distributing porn as well as revenge porn is a felony. Heroine's half brother who tipped off the OW doesn't get a full acceptance on his apology for being mean and throwing her under the bus all their lives, the hero wallows in self-pity and gets frustrated the heroine can't see how bad he feels, boo hoo. (hide spoiler)]
The heroine devolves into a shadow of herself, but does finally get a backbone of sorts when she gets cranky but it's not enough when her life is destroyed and the man who destroyed her life puts her life back together the way he wants it, not what she wants. The portrayal of her slow decline was well done and gets the extra star. And the ending is incredibly abrupt, boom.
I signed up for the epilogue but haven't received it, but from what I've read on FB it just confirms that the evil OW and the equally awful father get off without any real consequences. In real life, revenge porn can result in prison. Also makes me question what kind of an idiot the hero is. He pats himself in the back about being a great big business man but can't protect the heroine? I know, I know, if the video wasn't released we would have no book, but let's call a spade a spade.
Once a tape is out there, it's out. Out there for colleagues, friends, family, acquaintances, her future children to see. No coming back from the damage the H caused.
There are plenty of readers who will love the angst of the debasement of a pathetic heroine who loses control of her life through no fault of her own, but by the love of her life, but I have a stomach ache because of it....more
I was going to file this under DNF and then I F'd it.
Technically is it DNF as this ends on a "cliffhanger" as there are two more books to slog througI was going to file this under DNF and then I F'd it.
Technically is it DNF as this ends on a "cliffhanger" as there are two more books to slog through before the heroine gets her [image] "HEA". Serious doubts about that considering....
(view spoiler)[The heroine is the mother of two girls, 9 and 8, and pregnant with another. Her beloved father died in a car explosion when she was 14, and she had to live with her uninterested mother. She then gets pregnant very quickly by the out-of-her-league man next door who dumps her after baby number two. It's now about seven years later and she's off to MC land to hear more about her father's death.
Except he's not dead, he's in some kind of MC witness protection program that apparently doesn't alloy you to bring along beloved daughters. Oh, and the guy that got her pregnant X 2 and dumped her is the President's son and has a pregnant wife of his own. The heroine ends up having sex with him because he's just soooo irresistible, but it's okay because his wife is a bitch and deserves it anyway. Why did the uber alpha male abandon the heroine and their two daughters? Daddy told him to come home. Again, it's all okay [image] He's kept a watch on them all these years by having someone tape recitals and stuff. I know that's going to mean a lot to the little girls growing up without a daddy...that he's been stalking them from a distance. [image]
Oh and the clincher. This third baby she's pregnant with is his too. He snuck in her house while she was sleeping with a boyfriend and they had sex. [image]
The heroine's voice is upbeat and interesting, but bad choices. So, question is, am I going to endure read two more books with a heroine who's happy to have sex with a married man because, what, he was cute, he was hers first, he's her baby daddy, or all of the above? Survey says!
Thank goodness, this broke my long string of mediocre loser romances. Mostly my fault as they stem from FB recs.
Yes, we have a very grumpy hero[image]
Thank goodness, this broke my long string of mediocre loser romances. Mostly my fault as they stem from FB recs.
Yes, we have a very grumpy hero, he's a cross between Roy Kent and Dean. [image] [image]
The heroine is a slightly scatty princess that breaks her mold and after running away from her wedding ends up in a MOC to the H so he can keep custody of his niece. H is bitter because he thought she used him to slum it a few years back only to get back with a slimy fiancee.
Bad parenting as in really bad parenting from her family, and I would have loved one last confrontation with her absolutely horrible dad. (view spoiler)[He slaps the heroine pretty viciously when she refuses to come back. (hide spoiler)]
It's grumpy hero vs Scatty Mary Sunshine, but it really worked for me! And the plot moppet was very cute and very well done. Instead of having a 16 month old reciting the Gettysburg Address, the author realistically presented a one word toddler tyrant.
This started out as a potentially fun revenge story and turned into the most disgusting revenge/torture porn.
Heroine finds out her husband is a cheateThis started out as a potentially fun revenge story and turned into the most disgusting revenge/torture porn.
Heroine finds out her husband is a cheater and he ends up with the OW bitch from hell. The husband's BFs steps in as he's always wanted the h and all hell breaks loose. The husband starts to beat up the other woman. Yeah, she's no prize, but this was gross as in nauseatingly gross.
I hate cheaters and want them to have retribution, but this crossed a line. I was truly nauseated.
(view spoiler)[The husband beats the OW so badly she ends up a quadrapalegic and can't even talk. They end up dead and wallowing in filth. (hide spoiler)]...more
A little leery to read this as past JS reads delved a little too much into the breeder deal and I can only handle so much sperm. This is more a revengA little leery to read this as past JS reads delved a little too much into the breeder deal and I can only handle so much sperm. This is more a revenge story....let me clarify, this IS a revenge story. It was much more fun than the others I've read.
Alyssa aka Psycho-heroine finds her fiancé having sex with her best friend's little sister and doesn't pass go or collect her $200 on her quest to take revenge on the world. For starters, she burns her mattress the proceeds from there.
It was a lot of fun at first, but after a while the ongoing revenge was just exhausting. Along the way she marries a billionaire who is quite indulgent of her insanity revenge plans. She gets a new closet of clothes, heirloom jewelry and a Grace Kelly inspired wedding dress. I need a billionaire.
The plot goes a little wonky at times, and several characters are introduced in the epilogue I had no idea who they were but apparently belong in the Lyon series.
I do mention one issue that I consider triggering. Yes, there is cheating and cheating is discussed incessantly, but the trigger issue is that one of the characters slaps her baby. Its not detailed but the fact that it happened was disturbing to me at least....more
A heartless betrayal from a mindless hero. Another brain trust that decides to get revenge on some collateral damage chick because he's too lazy or stA heartless betrayal from a mindless hero. Another brain trust that decides to get revenge on some collateral damage chick because he's too lazy or stupid to go after the one he thinks is really guilty. She isn't really that guilty either.
The realization that he may have gotten the scenario all wrong is so instantaneous it makes him look even worse. If one statement and a look of scorn can smash your need for revenge, have you really thought it through?
Dim bulb as the heroine hides out under her mother's maiden name 'cause no investigator will ever figure that out. If I ever have to flee from a vengeful Greek/Italian/Spanish or even British tycoon, I have a much better name picked out.
When he finally finds the heroine again (accidentally of course), Mr. Entitlement wants her to marry him and she agrees despite reservations. He has an evil OW on his heels that is a take no prisoners OW. She was pretty bad and about a thousand times smarter and more relentless than the H. He's 6 foot whatever and can't seem to stop her from kissing him, oh dear what should he do?
This made me very cranky as the H gets away with it and shows little remorse....more
Didn't realize I had already read it, so oops. Not sure why I didn't review.
Anyhoo, the heroine is pregnant by one who is not the hero. This is a tropDidn't realize I had already read it, so oops. Not sure why I didn't review.
Anyhoo, the heroine is pregnant by one who is not the hero. This is a trope that falls behind h or H involved with siblings which is usually the grossest (a few exceptions).
However, the H is such a sweetheart with the h and her little plot moppet. Plus extra fun as it's set in Texas, and while I'll probably never live there again, my heart will always be deep in the heart of Texas. I give you Bob Wills, the best of Texas jackasses.
Oh dear. Spell check alert and it's only the blurb.
I’m the president of the Devils. It’s a job I always wanted: to follow in my father’s footsteps and Oh dear. Spell check alert and it's only the blurb.
I’m the president of the Devils. It’s a job I always wanted: to follow in my father’s footsteps and make him proud. But then I screwed up and trusted my VP, my best friend, who betrayed me and started a coop.
A coop? Chicken coop? I'm getting a Green Acres vibe.
Real Review.
Okay spellcheck issues aside, this one worked...kind of. There is a love story, but it's between the heroine and her little sister, Tiny Dancer. Little sis has leukemia, and the author managed to wrench more than one tear out of this cynical little heart. In fact, the waiter asked if my margarita was okay. I need to stop reading at restaurants. Anyhoo, it worked. Yes, it's a little emotionally manipulative, but there was a sweet connection between the heroine and the little sister she sacrificed so much for. Unlike many a fictional sister, the little sister was supportive of her big sister as well. Then as Paul Harvey would say, there's the rest of the story. The male character is less of a dog than usual, (Apologies to dogs everywhere.) but he's still no prize. How stupid do you have to believe a club girl on something so easily verified? What, you'll have to read to find out, but the answer is pretty stupid. H regrets it as much as the broken nose the h gives him....more
I thought in all fairness I should go back and read the first one as reading Bitter Taste Of Sin had so many threads I knew nothing about. Big mistake.I thought in all fairness I should go back and read the first one as reading Bitter Taste Of Sin had so many threads I knew nothing about. Big mistake. One star for words on a page, and second one for the scary little heroine.
The H falls into INSTA-LOVE like Ken after Barbie. Instead of little hearts floating around his head, I suspect it's a body part found much lower.
The heroine is a feisty little thing with a homicidal alter ego called Crow. Crow is about ten times smarter and a hundred times more lethal than any male biker in the book, but because she's a bitch is only called on to do wet work than has to go back home and put her apron back on. Not really about the apron, but she's marginalized then sold off to the lovestruck Hawk, a name in need of a better hero. Hawk loves his little bird, but leaves her out to dry where she gets attacked multiple times by the club girls. Thing is, little bird/Crow takes NO prisoners and occasionally kills a couple of them or more. Oops. This doesn't go down well with Hawk's guys as who will they have sex with now.
Human trafficking, betrayal, and periodic murdering and torturing by our little heroine round out the story.
This is at the ending and is the poor girl's HEA-not.
I gave in and came back to the clubhouse with him because I loved him. I still love him, even though he’s an ass and hasn’t made any real effort to punish the bitches who tried to kill me. According to them they didn’t, that it was my aggressiveness that pushed them to protect themselves. Bullshit.
Oh, they got shouted at and there were threats of throwing them out but it never happened. Hawk was so busy focusing on the club’s troubles he never finalised their punishment.
Instead I’m the one having to swallow my anger and lust for vengeance every single day as they strut around the clubhouse and taunt me. They make sure it never happens near any of the brothers who have made an effort to get to know me. It happens around those who think I’m a fuck toy, and those who distrust me because my father is the National President of the Road Warriors MC. ...more
Obviously this is a series you should read in sequence, but that's a minor issue.
Nothing says soul mate and I love you forever like NOT going after thObviously this is a series you should read in sequence, but that's a minor issue.
Nothing says soul mate and I love you forever like NOT going after the love of your life for ten years, having meaningless and faceless sex because you got roofied and lied to, caught by said SM (soul mate) then threaten to cut the baby out of her because you're so stupid to believe it's your cousin's baby. Whew..run on sentence! The H is saving her from himself. It's only when she comes back decade later from the US as a thinner, badass rock n' roll chick that he wants to reconnect.
Plot moppets galore as well as evil women, his mother, his sister and her BF. Dubious comeuppance for his mom and sister, but it's not looking good for sis. [image]...more
Negative million stars for the Property Brothers hero, the heroine, the plot, the numerous and icky sex scenes, and the lack of anything resembling reNegative million stars for the Property Brothers hero, the heroine, the plot, the numerous and icky sex scenes, and the lack of anything resembling real life.
2 stars for the author's complete and utter dedication to fiction.
Let me count the ways:
H cheats on heroine. Ten years later he still blames her for leaving him. Hey, kids make mistakes, okay. She should have hung in and forgiven him.
Heroine is kicked out by her parents the same night for having some pride. Well, she had some pride then. When H finds out, he then blames her parents for the loss of ten years. Self reflection is not a thing with this guy since cheating with h's best friend and getting caught in the act doesn't seem to factor in on why his blow up doll went missing for ten years.
H and h have sex about ten minutes after they meet again. The first of many icky, sticky hookups.
Heroine saves the day with her high school Mandarin during a meeting. "Saving the day" being a billion dollar meeting.
H and h have sex where one go his partners can both hear and see them. The H melts down later over jealousy.
Heroine is a Perils of Pauline kind of girl. In the course of one book, she's mugged, assaulted by a store manager for supposed theft, almost run down by a truck full of pig iron, and (view spoiler)[almost shot in the ladies bathroom. (hide spoiler)] Glad she didn't have a dog.
H goes after the h's evil family which was pretty entertaining.
This started out very promising: a hunky and attracted hero, a sweet curvy heroine, some mean girl action and then kerplunk...(view spoiler)[ despite This started out very promising: a hunky and attracted hero, a sweet curvy heroine, some mean girl action and then kerplunk...(view spoiler)[ despite being insanely attracted to the heroine hooks up with a random woman at a wedding because it's been five minutes (I exaggerate) since he had sex. The heroine hears the hookup ask for round 2. Come on, Romance Writer Miller, was that necessary? (hide spoiler)]
Lots and lots of bad things happen to the heroine like attempted murder etc. Curviness, murder, mayhem and abuse and bad H behavior seem to abound with this author.
Three star, I was going to 2 star due to the sexapade and the Hs demeaning comments. If I only knew how much worse it could be...dun dun DUN so 3 stars for being a stellar Big Fat Jackass amount greater ones. Ahem.....The Importance of Being Ernie: The Flynns Book 4. I don't know why the heroes are all such jerks in her books as the H's parents are great....more
This started out so promising. The heroine leaves her abusive husband and is a Little Miss Sunshine facing off the grumpy and mourning mafia guy who lThis started out so promising. The heroine leaves her abusive husband and is a Little Miss Sunshine facing off the grumpy and mourning mafia guy who loves to kill people. It was pretty amusing that the minute they have sex he's runs around telling all his guy friends about how guilty he feels. He, of course, tells the h it can NEVER happen again, and her response that it wasn't that great anyway is like a red flag to a bull.
Anyhoo, things went south when they decide to be official and in a BDSM relationship. Kind of out of nowhere, but the h seemed to leave her personality behind when he became Sir. That and (view spoiler)[ she's still married to a homicidal bastard so technically cheating, then there's her husband and BIL backstory of incest, as well as the affair she had with her BIL. Too much yuck for me. (hide spoiler)]...more
Two unlikeable characters that are surrounded by relatively sane side characters.
Hero is an idiot, and it's all about him. He thinks he loves the heroTwo unlikeable characters that are surrounded by relatively sane side characters.
Hero is an idiot, and it's all about him. He thinks he loves the heroine, but has sex with her bully. It's a mild version of the madonna/whore syndrome. As a teen he thinks with his nether regions and can't understand why the heroine who loves him is hurt. Unlike many heroines in cheating romances, she decides to hate him. She still pines for him but likes to make him suffer. His nose is all out of joint because she got mad about his hookup. What did he think was going to happen? The author doesn't help his case by having our first adult encounter with him having detailed sex with his cheating wife and her plastic breasts.
The heroine isn't much better. I can understand her loathing of him, but have some self-respect and grow up. She's still a teenager trapped in a 20-somthing adult woman with her snarkiness and sarcasm. Epic example of how to tell someone you are still besotted without actually telling them.
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