Tara Sivec

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)

Seduction and Snacks
3 Stars

After a one-night stand changes her life forever, Claire Morgan is determined to make the best of her little surprise. Skip ahead five years, and the man from Claire's past returns with no recollection of the woman he slept with aside from her unique chocolate scent. This time Claire will ensure he never forgets her again.

The first half of the book focusing on Claire and Carter's past and the consequences of their one night is hysterically funny, with several laugh-out-loud moments. Unfortunately, the over-the-top humor begins to overshadow the story in the second half, and the crude language soon becomes annoying rather than entertaining.

Claire and Carter's romance is engaging, and their friends are appealing. That said, the characters' constant swearing and use of vulgarity are excessive and unnecessary. I'm the last to criticize an author for their use of profanity when it is warranted; however, here it is gratuitous and serves no function or purpose.

Overall, it is fun at first to follow along with Claire's dilemma and Carter's confusion. It is disappointing that there is no follow-through with the story.… (meer)