Member Reviews
Another action packed adventure from Traci! Great characters, great setting and overall a great book!
This one is one of my favorites by Abramson. Although it is billed as a standalone, it is pretty much a sequel to Deep Cover. It brings back the protagonists from that book. It has the Saint Squad. It has the Guardians. It’s all the best of Abramson’s works in one volume.
This book starts with a literal bang. And the more Hadley learns about her ex-boyfriend, the more she wonders whether anything in their relationship was genuine. (By the end, I was thinking…maybe he really did love her. I read the book so fast though, and that element was so minor to me, that it didn’t really matter that much.)
I’m just going to jump to the chase and let you know that the crime in this case is human trafficking. And while I strongly disliked the way it was portrayed in the Poulson story in Entangled, it works in this case.
As with all of Abramson’s female protagonists, Hadley is a good combination of capable and vulnerable. She, like the rest, does not simply wait to be rescued; she is an active participant in her own survival.
Possible objectionable material:
The same as with Abramson’s other work: perilous situations, kissing. This time, children are in danger as well.
Thank you to NetGalley and Covenant Communications for the eARC, which was provided in exchange for my unbiased opinion.
This book also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2021/12/a-dozen-by-traci-hunter-abramson.html
Traci Hunter Abramson offers readers a fast paced entertaining thriller. I an especially appreciative of the way she brings her characters in and out all her other books, but understanding is not dependent upon having read prior books. Each novel stands on its own. Mistaken Reality checked all the boxes for me; strong, intricately woven plot, action sequences that move the story along, detailed settings and character portraits. Traci Hunter Abramson provides clear voiced characters and stellar dialogue which made Mistaken Reality extremely readable. I would definitely like to see these characters again!
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.
This book is well written but I was unable to get into it beyond the first few pages. I suspect romance and suspense is just not my type of book!
Thank you Netgalley and Covenant Communications for the ARC. This is my honest review.
The plot was a little predictable in places, but those were smaller details, the overall story arch caught me by surprise, I love being surprised.
Many of the main characters from “Mistaken Reality” are specifically part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Their faith doesn’t play a major role, it is a more subtle part of the book, and not always prevalent. There were two moments were I felt religion broke up the flow of the book and pulled me out of the story, but overall I liked how it gave the characters strength.
The multiple person point of view took awhile to keep the characters straight. I think if I had read Safe House and Deep Cover first it might have been easier to follow the head hopping. That just means I have more books to add to my TBR pile.
I love Traci Hunter Abramson's books. They are full of suspense, intrigue and romance. While they are obviously fiction, they are based enough in reality that they are fun to read. Thoroughly enjoyable and clean enough that I can recommend to my mom and daughters!
This is sort of a crossover book with the Saint Squad guys and the Guardians. They team up to track down some human traffickers. There are a lot of people and relationships to keep track of in these two series, and sometimes it got a little confusing trying to remember who was in which other books, and married to whom, and how they all interrelate. However, that is not key to enjoying the story—and for me, the romance was secondary.
I liked the plot. There were several intense situations with bombs going off, tracking down the bad guys, and rescuing women and children. I had to keep reading to see how it worked out.
There wasn’t a lot of religious content and absolutely no preaching. No swearing or sex. Except for military grade violence and the horror of human trafficking, it’s a clean and mild book.
I give this a mild+ rating for violence and would be comfortable recommending it to teens. I like this series, and give this book 4.5 STARS.
I loved this book! It grabbed me from the beginning and I could hardly put it down. It is full of intrigue. It deals with human trafficking, which is unfortunately very relevant in our time. This was so well written and kept me on the edge of my seat. I could hardly put it down. I also liked the touch of clean romance throughout as well. I would highly recommend this book.
I love this author! Her books are always exciting and keep me engaged. The romance is a nice touch as well. Hadley is rescued from a bombing at a hotel where she has just broke n up with her boyfriend. Was her boyfriend involved with the bombing? What was he involved in that got him killed? This puts Hadley right in the middle of an FBI investigation with JD.
This book grabbed my attention and wouldn't let go. It is easy to read and the different angles of the story make it hard to put down.
This was the first book I have read by this author. The description and cover really caught my attention, and the action and plot did not disappoint. The characters were likable, and there were enough twists and turns to keep me invested in the story. I would definitely recommend this book if you like action and suspense with a little romance thrown in for good measure!
Oh my heavens!!! This book was unputdownable! I need a shelf for that.
It starts with a bang and just keeps running nonstop until the end. I was reading it with my daughters and they didn't want me to take any breaks. We all had our guesses as to who, what, where, why and such. And I have to say that I was pretty impressed and proud that they were able to guess and figure out a lot of the answers to those questions. They've been raised on lots of Agatha Christie and other clean mysteries. Thanks Masterpiece Theatre.
Hadley experiences one shock after another which of course leaves her questioning what is real and what isn't. Her one source of surety is JD. Together they must piece together the clues and figure out the who, what, where and whys of all the ups and downs happening in Hadley's life. I'm being pretty vague because I really don't want to give away any clues. You must read this and let all the little pieces unravel and fall as the author intended. Because let me tell you, it's a fun ride.
I was out of town and went into one of my favorite bookstores with my kiddos and this book was sitting all pretty and displayed. They giggled and said, "It's the book we just read. We have to buy it!" So I've created several more fans for Traci Hunter Abramson. Now I need to have them go back and read all of her other books. I've read several of them but not all of them. And I want to dive into the different series because this book combines the characters from a couple of her book series and I loved it!
If you enjoy suspense and mystery with a dash of romance, I can't encourage you enough to try this one. Even though it connects characters from previous series into it, this book can be read as a stand alone. It has my kiddos stamp of approval!
Content: Clean. This is a suspense novel so there are moments of peril, fights, gun fighting, kidnapping, and discussion of human trafficking. Not overly graphic.
I received a copy from the publisher, Covenant Communications, via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.
Happy Reading!!!
Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. This was a mystery/thriller story and not my normal genre. I have read a few others by this author. This was an on the edge of your chair novel that had me thinking the whole time to solve the bombing problem and then subsequent problems introduced. Well thought out and written. I will say that this was billed as a stand alone having read a few other things by Abramson was definitely helpful. Great novel!!
I very much enjoyed this book. The suspense was real and there were twists to the plot that took me by surprise. Plenty of action and adventure, plus romance thrown in. It deals with human trafficking, although the horrors of that are not really addressed. Just be aware. It will also make you think twice about being alone in unsafe, unknown places.
Like other books by Traci Hunter Abramson, this book mainly follows two individuals but it does pull in characters from previous books. While it is a standalone, you may enjoy it more if you know who several of the characters are before hand. In particular, the books you'd want to read are "Safehouse" and "Deepcover."
(4 stars) – a most unusual meet-cute!
[This is part of a series, but can stand alone. You won’t have any problem following the story, but it’s clear that many of the secondary characters are from previous books (Guardians & Saint Squad, apparently). ]
The totally unique meet-cute between Hadley and JD was rather funny, even though the situation itself was quite serious, and gets the book off to a great start. There’s an investigation and several mysteries to work on which changes the pace of the story a bit.
While Hadley and JD are the main couple, Noah & Kelsey, as well as Kade & Renee are also featured. There’s a lot of suspense which builds to a dramatic conclusion.
Hadley & JD make a great couple. JD was such a sweet knight in shining armor, but Hadley was impressive in how she managed to be strong when she needed to be despite her being totally out of her element & overwhelmed with fear. The story was written so believably & kept me hooked till the happily-ever-after.
*Clean romance level: sweet kisses, human trafficking is a part of the story, but no graphic details
*Religion: LDS/Mormon – There are a few references to prayers, a blessing, missions work but it was barely noticeable
Hadley teaches third grade in Virginia. She is dating Spencer Andrews. One night they go to dinner with some of his business associates and a bomb goes off. Hadley is saved by JD, an FBI agent.
The story follows Hadley, JD, his partner Noah and wife Kelsey as they try to figure out who the bomb was meant for and what purpose it had.
There is human trafficking going on throughout the book, so be prepared for some tugging on your heart strings.
The action is balanced with living life. This is the best romantic suspense book I have read in a while.
Mistaken Reality by Traci Hunter Abramson, 312 pages.
Covenant Communications, 2019. $15.
Language: G (0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
A terrorist attack brings all hands on deck -- FBI, CIA, undercover agents, and even a civilian -- to find the people responsible. The civilian, Hadley, should have been able to continue with her normal life after being saved by FBI-agent JD, but she is more tangled in the dangerous web than anyone suspected. Will the terrorists be stopped so that everyone can return to their normal lives? Will “normal” even be possible?
Reading this story started our very confusing, mostly because Abramson writes from several different points of view and the pieces don’t seem to be part of the same puzzle in the beginning. Once I got all the characters straight, I loved reading how all the pieces did fit together -- impossible as it first appeared. However, sometimes I felt left out by the obvious history there is between the characters. I suspect that those relationships and stories are told in one of Abramson’s other series, but I nothing explicit says that. Reading Abramson’s other books is not necessary to enjoy this one, but I would have been a little less confused and annoyed at parts if I understood what the characters were referencing all the time. The mature content and violence ratings are for mentions of human trafficking, other illegal activities, and gun shooting.
Review: Carolina Herdegen
uspense, mystery, romance-clean; some violent and suspenseful elements give this a PG-13 rating; CJCLDS faith elements
Murder, romance, suspense all in one. This action packed suspense novel, with JD and his FBI coworker trying to catch bomb suspects and later solve a murder and child trafficking ring, was a suspenseful, well-crafted novel. JD and Hadley's attraction for each other, and later affection as they spend time together while JD guards Hadley to keep her safe from the criminals who murdered her ex-fiance, was well-done too. Their gradual fall, as they are sleuthing, working, trying to riddle through all the clues in this case, was heartfelt, honest, and sweet. Loved the appearances of members of the Guardians and Saint Squad as supporting characters and helpful in solving the case. Perfect read if you like suspense, a bit of romance, and a bit of faith. T.A. knows how to write a suspenseful, well-crafted story.
I received a copy from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for a fair and honest review. My opinions are my own and in no way influenced by this gift.
4.5 stars. I didn't know the Mormon church had a publishing imprint, but I found out when I read this terrific, suspenseful story. There are a few references to the church - prayers, a blessing, missions work - but it wasn't a huge part of the book.
I picked this up because the premise was too good to miss. Early on, though, there were other threads to the book that didn't yet tie into Hadley's part of the story, and those were harder to get into. By the middle of the book, I had figured out where all the pieces fit, and I didn't put the book down until the end. Great story, tons of suspense.
MISTAKEN REALITY by TRACI HUNTER ABRAMSON is a romantic thriller with a well crafted plot and believable characcters. It is an excitibg read. Things are most definitely not as they seem and you will be kept guessing right to the end.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Covenant Communications. The opinions in this review are completely my own.
Traci Hunter Abramson has brought us a story that *squeel* brings characters from both her Saint Squad and Guardian series together! (No worries for those of you who haven’t read either series this book can be read as a stand alone.) Mistaken Reality is a fantastic romantic suspense novel. It’ll keep you on your toes with all of its twists and turns! Thanks to Netgalley and Covenant Communications for sending me a copy. All opinions expressed are my own.