Following is my German review on the book. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy the book and will rate it with two stars.


Anstrengend zu lesen

Vor Jahren habe ich die ersten Bücher der Vampir-Reihe der Autorin ganz gerne gelesen. Irgendwann wurde mir die Serie aber zu absurd und seitdem hatte ich Bücher der Autorin nicht auf dem Schirm. "The Love Scam" hörte sich allerdings abgefahren im besten Sinne an, daher habe ich zugegriffen.

Leider war das Buch für mich ein Reinfall. Der Schreibstil springt teils wirr von einem Punkt zum anderen. Ein intensives, gnadenloses Lektorat hätte dem Buch definitiv gut getan. Viele Dinge machen keinen Sinn, wenn man nur kurz über sie nachdenkt. Der männliche Hauptcharakter wirkte auf mich unsympathisch. Warum irgendjemand sich in ihn verlieben sollte, ist mir bis zum Ende des Buches schleierhaft geblieben.. Zudem bin ich kein Fan davon, wenn erwachsene Männer sich ständig betrinken. Die Liebesgeschichte hat dem folgend natürlich nicht für mich funktioniert und ich war wirklich froh, als das Buch endlich zu Ende war. Mehr als zwei Sterne sind nicht möglich.

Rake Tarbell is a hot mess.Waking up with the world’s worst hangover in a hotel room he doesn’t recognise, he doesn’t figure out he’s in Venice until he falls into the Grand Canal, and frankly he doesn’t get much tidier from there. He is a rich, entitled, careless, thoughtless brat, with the sole redeeming feature that he doesn’t like creeps who attempt to sexually harass or assault women. This, unfortunately, does not a good romance hero make.

MaryJanice Davidson has a really, really strange writing style, that reads like a stream of consciousness from someone with raging ADHD. Which would be fine if it was just one character’s POV, interesting, even, but when EVERY character reads like it? It just comes across as lazy and utterly unedited. There are plot points that didn’t make sense, like Rake making it a big deal that he’d never told Delaney his surname but she knew it anyway, but she TOLD HIM early on that she’d tracked him down to get his DNA. She knew EXACTLY who he was and he knew that, and ugh, just so many things didn’t add up.

There are way too many leaps of logic here with whole chunks of intervening stuff missed out. And yes, that is how an ADHD person’s brain works (ask me how I know… go on) but it just flat out does not work in a book. You need to go from point A to point Z via the whole alphabet pretty much in sequential order; you might be able to skip one letter and then allow the reader to assume it or point out later that it actually happened because it logically fits, but you can’t go “A, D, Q, G, H, T, Z! Look, there’s the whole story!” Because your readers - yes, even the ADHD ones - are going to say, “what the actual heck just happened?”

The author is trying so hard to make this funny. But it’s the literary equivalent of inserting a loud laugh track regularly to try and encourage your actual audience to laugh, and for me it just fell utterly flat. I didn’t like Rake, I couldn’t imagine what Delaney saw in him. Delaney herself actually had some good features as a character but we never got to know her well enough; the story spent way too much time in Rake’s annoying and self-centred head, making the heroine of the story a mystery to the reader, which just does not work in romance. Romance readers want to be in the heroine’s head, able to identify with her, not wondering what she’s up to and why she’s bothering with this chump. Actually, if we’d been in Delaney’s head watching Rake’s bumbling antics, this might have been as funny as the author obviously wanted it to be.

As things are, it’s just a hot, unfunny mess with a garbled plot and a thoroughly unlikable hero. One star.

This is the first time I have read a book by this author. I felt a little lost at times. I did enjoy the book and read it to the end to see what happened. Rake and Blake are twins and totally opposite. Rake is more adventurous and gets himself into trouble. Hence he finds himself in Venice, Italy hungover, broke, and doesn’t know how he got there. When I received a little background on how he is a big playboy and throws his money around I began to understand more of what is going on. Someone wants Rake and Blake to learn a lesson. Delaney comes to his rescue, but is she friend or foe? I liked Delaney and her way of thinking. I felt bad for some of the things that were eluded to that she went through in the foster system. Delaney has a big surprise for Rake that is the last thing he will expect. I was glad to see how Rake handled his circumstances for the most part. I was given a copy of this book through Netgallery, and voluntarily wrote a review.

Rake Tarbell is a rich playboy who wakes up after a night of partying in the city of Venice. He has no idea how he got there and cannot figure out what has happened. He heads outside to clear his head and runs right into a woman who presents him with a little girl named Lillith, whom she claims is his daughter.

Claire has found Rake Tarbell and is determined to introduce him to his daughter. She thinks it is funny how confused Rake is when he meets the little girl. Claire has all the answers Rake is looking for, but will she help him find the truth. How far is she willing to let the game go when someone starts following the trio?

This was a cleverly written novel that has lots of whit and humor in it. I will say It took me awhile to really get into the story, but it did provide a good story in the end to cuddle up with. Thank you to the author MaryJanice Davidson, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book to read and review.

I was kind of having a high expectation on this one because, from the blurb, it sounded so good. I love the idea of the story. But I kind of struggled to get into the story. The style of writing was something I needed to get used to and honestly, it made me scatterbrained reading it. Maybe it's just not the right time to read it, I'm not sure. I would like to get back to it in the future.

The Love Scam is a light hearted romantic comedy that is heavy on the tropes. A millionaire bachelor waking up with the worst hangover of his life only to soon find out he has a daughter that he never had even known and all his money is gone. While the story has a great concept and some absolutely lovely characters I felt like I was missing some along the way. As I realize this is the second book in the series that could be the reason for my feeling of missing something. I did find several enjoyable moments throughout the read. There is some Seriously funny dialogue amongst the characters that will have you laughing out loud. Well this may not have been my favorite book of the year, I do have to say I found enjoyable moments within The Love Scam.

I enjoyed this book, but didn’t love it. Rake is a hot mess through most of the book. He is wealthy (except he woke up broke with no idea how he got to Venice) and he knows it. I wish his relationship with his brother was explained a little better because he insists that he loves his twin, but the interactions we see don’t seem like he even likes his brother.
Delaney is a character that knows what is going on with Rake and is trying to prove he is the father to her friend’s daughter. She is entertained by Rake, but I wish we learned a little more about her.
Rake grew and developed the most throughout the book. The antics he went through and the inner dialogue got to be a bit much, but gave insight into the characters. The side plot of the men that appear to be following they kept me guessing as to what was going on.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

This is a new to me author. I did enjoy the story line but it did take me a minute to really follow and get into the story. There were some funny moments and overall this was a light romance that many will enjoy.

The Love Scam sounded like a great bit of escapism. From the blurb, I expected it to be over the top and I got that. What I didn't expect was for the story to be so scattered. The writing style is kind of all over the place - like stream of consciousness writing, and it just doesn't work for me. There were times when I felt like the story wasn't staying on task, so you can imagine the trouble I had keeping up with everything going on. I think this one had great potential, but the reality of it just fell flat, at least for me.

You had me at Venice. You kept me with the cute child he didn't know about, but you kind of lost me with the romantic interest. I wasn't truly invested in these two, probably because they confused me too much. Thought it was love, but it ended up as friendship with this book. But we'll always have Venice.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley for my honest review.

Very cute read! I loved reading about Rake and Delaney. I loved the character development throughout the book. This is my first book by this author a Nd it won’t be my last. Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for sharing this romantic ARC COPY in exchange for my honest review. My first read by the author MaryJanice Davidson and I really enjoyed it.

The Love Scam is a cute, contemporary romance about a playboy waking up in Venice not knowing how or why he is there. He also meets a woman and a young girl who claims to be his daughter.

Imagine waking up with a massive hangover and not knowing where you are or how you got there? Rake Tarbell's wallet and phone are both missing. Enter Claire Delaney, a stranger who has been looking for Rake to try and determine if Liliths is his daughter. Rake has a twin brother named Blake and unfortunately, there has been some kind of a mix-up and somehow they have lost their fortunes. There was humor and the pacing of the story was good. I really enjoyed it, I would recommend this book.

This is like the movie Hungover, waking up, not know what happened, Have fun and pick up your copy!!

Full disclosure, this was so, so hard to read as is. I hope the final copy was properly edited and things flowed a bit better. Good premise but the execution just didn't work at all.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC.

It took me a while to get into the plot and characters in this book. The author's style of commenting and footnoting was different and took me a while to get used to it. The characters were quirky but interesting. There was humor and the story pacing was pretty good. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I enjoyed this book for the most part. I thought Rake & Claire were interesting characters & liked getting to know them. Lillith was an enjoyable aspect as well. My biggest issue was the back & forth transitions were a little clunky. Also, I found it annoying whenever Blake (Rake's brother) was mentioned in Sweetheart (a town), there was reference at the end of the chapter that said you can read that in another book. I don;t mind reading books in a series but usually there's a little recap to help you along if you missed one. I did enjoy the writing style & the story & would recommend reading this book.

Rake Tarbell woke up in Venice, Italy with no wallet or phone, and apparently no way to get hold of the fortune he normally has access to. That leaves him with Claire Delaney, the woman acting as a private investigator who has a young girl in tow that might be his daughter. He has to help Claire with her endeavors to earn enough money to get a phone, and somewhere along the way Claire and Lillith both grow on him. That’s good for all three because there are men following them in Venice, and too many secrets to determine who those men work for.

Love romance novel tropes? Then you’re in luck. This novel hits SO MANY of them, there’s even a list of them at the end with notations if the trope was inverted. Normally I don’t like parenthetical storytelling (where thoughts are inserted partway through like this) but it works in this case. The story is told from Rake’s point of view, and frequently he interrupts his own thoughts and statements. He is charming in spite of himself, really, which draws in others. Rake, even with such a suggestive name like that, isn’t one to emotionally compromise others. He’s had his fair share of flings as a handsome rich man fluent in multiple languages that went to different countries around the world, but it was understood by both parties. Claire has her history in the foster care system which means she immediately distrusts his charm and thinks less of him for it. Rake does have a genuine desire to help others at times, even when he can’t actually do anything useful about it, which sets their emotional connection rolling from the start.

Lillith is a cute and intelligent child and is a great counterpoint to Rake’s wild mood and behavior changes. I really liked her as well as Claire. Rake is our central character, and I found him as annoying and charming as Claire did from the start. As smart as Rake can be, he often prefers to play dumb in order to be liked by random strangers and avoid responsibility. He’s diametrically opposite to Claire, who almost takes on too much responsibility behind the scenes. The story behind her past is gradually revealed, as is Lillith’s parentage and the secrets her mother was keeping. If anything, it’s sad what happened to her mother and to all the young women of their group. That drives them to try to do better for others, which is always a worthy goal.

As a book that thrives on tropes, yes, it can get a little predictable at points. That doesn’t make this terrible, it’s more that it’s a fun and comfortable type of story so that when the suspense kicks up at the end, we’re more invested in the characters and care about what happens to them.

This is the first book I have read by MaryJanice Davidson and it sounded like a fun read. The storyline was good but Rake and his twin brother Blake sounded childish even though you could tell Rake was super intelligent. Being a millionaire and finding your money all gone, your wallet gone, and you not knowing how you got to Venice had to be the worst nightmare. Now he meets Claire Delaney and finds that he could be a father to add to the mix. Lillith is the sweetest little girl and so smart. Who is the daddy and what role does Delaney play in what has happened to Rake? I received a free copy from NetGalley and MacMillan Publishers.

***I received an ebook copy from the publisher at no cost***

I've never read anything by Davidson before but after reading The Love Scam, she gained a reader in me.

Rake wakes up with a killer hangover and no clue where he is. After discovering he's in Venice (Italy), he crosses paths with Delaney, who knows him, yet Rake has no clue who she is. Thus begins what turns out to be an emotional and hysterical ride of a story.

The writing style in this book is great! At first I didn't know if I was going to like it, but after a few chapters I couldn't stop reading. I love how the inner monologues are sprinkled throughout the story and how a lot of the writing is in the style of how the characters talk.

Rake is hilarious. He's cocky and he can be a bit of a whiner at times, but he's got a killer sense of humor, he's loyal to a fault, and deep down he's a genuinely good guy who cares. It was touching to see him with Lillith and to watch that relationship blossom and grow. I think that of all the characters in the book, Rake morphed and grew the most. He earned a spot on my list of top book boyfriends in 2020.

Delaney is fantastic as well. She doesn't take crap from anyone, least of all Rake. She's guarded and hilarious. She has a close-knit group of friends who connected through their unfortunate past circumstances. She's got big dreams and they all center on helping others, which I found admirable. It was fun to watch her and Rake and see the connection between the two of them. If I'm being honest, they seemed like a good pair from the minute that Delaney found him in the canal outside his hotel. There's a slow burn between them though, and that worked out perfectly well.

There's a lot going on in this book. There's the main plot involving Rake, Lillith, and Delaney, and then there's another plot with some randoms who are following the group and seem to have ill intentions. I liked that I was kept guessing and I was so invested the book that I literally didn't want to put it down. I read it in a single day and was craving more of all these characters.

This is easily one of my favorite reads this year. Davidson nailed the romcom aspect and had me laughing out loud throughout a lot of the story. I loved the plot, which was unique, fast-paced, and fill of surprises that I wasn't expecting. The characters are great, the writing is great, and I can see this being a book I end up reading over and over again.

Also, Davidson has another book -- Danger, Sweetheart -- that takes place during the same time this book does, only it features Blake (Rake's brother). I one-clicked that one as soon as I could and can't wait to dive into that brother's story.

Five stars to this novel!

It took me awhile to get into this book and I usually like the author's quirky writing but I wasn't that into it. I am going to try to read it again to see what I am missing.

The Love Scam is an entertaining escape from reality full of hilarious twists, cliches and a protagonist romance. I will admit that it was a struggle to get into because of all the quirkiness but it truly gets so much better. The story is told from both Rake and Delaney's point of view which makes you feel like you're right in the middle of the action and gives a sentimental touch by the end to know what both of them have been going through throughout the story.
This is the second book in the Danger series. Other than a few references to the first book Danger, Sweetheart that would not be understood if you did not read it, I can confidently say this book can definitely be read as a stand alone. Although, it's a great continuation of the first book and ties it in nicely if you have read it.
Overall, I recommend this book if you are looking for a fast-paced caper with some comedic romance mixed in. I am grateful to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read an ARC of this fun book in exchange for a honest review.