Tara Sivec

When Payton Lambert gets an emergency call from her hometown of Bald Knob, Kentucky, she rushes to be there for her childhood friend, Emma Jo Jackson, who has been beaten by her husband, Bald Knob's mayor, Jed. Payton's guilt from being away for 12 years, is amplified when she doesn't recognize the town sheriff as her former tutor, Leo Hudson, who has grown from a scrawny nerd into a "chesty, muscly" man. After a murder that has Payton's name all over it is committed in Emma Jo's backyard, things get even more muddled as Payton and Emma Jo find themselves in the middle of the investigation.

Jed Had to Die is a hilarious, laugh-out-loud ride through a mystery filled with romance. The story itself is weak and the characters are underdeveloped, but the humor and banter overshadow both of these issues. The absurdity of the plot requires a huge suspension of disbelief, but the quirky characters and ridiculous situations make it easy to do so. The narrative is told in alternating chapters of both traditional storytelling to interviews between Deputy Buddy Lloyd and the many citizens of Bald Knob. The serious subject of spousal abuse is raised but hardly addressed, maintaining the light-hearted nature of the book. Overall, Jed Had to Die is a very entertaining read that lacks much in the way of substance.… (meer)

Garrett McCarthy, Annabelle Parker, and Milo Roberts became best friends once they met in college, but all of them were harboring secrets. Milo and Parker planned to get married until Milo disappeared while on a SEAL mission. Anna and Garrett grieved for over six months until Garrett was offered the opportunity to go to the Dominican Republic on another SEAL mission, with his main goal being an investigation into Milo's death. When some of Anna's secrets are revealed, she is allowed to go on the mission with Garrett, playing the role of husband and wife, but so many more mysteries that are left to be revealed could change everything the three friends thought they knew about each other.

A Beautiful Lie is an interesting romantic suspense with lots of twists and turns woven into the story. Unfortunately, there are also many problematic elements throughout the novel. Much of the narrative is told through 3rd person internal monologues that frequently jump perspectives without warning. The plot itself is completely unrealistic and unbelievable. As college friends, the characters make sense, but once they enter the realm of the spy world, things become less plausible. While the ending of the story holds some memorable moments, overall A Beautiful Lie is a promising romantic suspense novel that needed a lot more editing.… (meer)

Army veteran, Kennedy O'Brien and her two friends Paige and Lorelei have opened a full service PI office called Fool Me Once. Kennedy occasionally takes on jobs for her father and uncle who own Buddy's Bail Bonds. Their latest bail jumper is alien fearing Martin McFadden who not only skipped out on his bond but also stole a Chihuahua named Tinkerdoodle. Unbeknownst to Kennedy, her father has also hired her former husband's best friend Griffin Crawford to work with her on the case. The only thing slowing down the hijinks ensuing during the chase is the attraction the Kennedy and Griffin share.

Shame on You is a cute romantic suspense that is too short to include much romance or suspense. The story is fun with lots of laugh out loud moments, but it is completely over the top and farfetched. Also, the length of the book doesn't allow time for the development of characters or the mystery. Overall, with just a few more pages, Shame on You could have been a really good comedic romantic suspense.… (meer)