MaryJanice Davidson writes a fun and fluffy rom-com, perfect for a rainy day or when the reader wants to escape from the stresses of life as we know it in a pandemic.

This was a fun rom-com with a cast of characters that were all as entertaining as the other. Each one was unique, quirky, hysterical, and lovable. The one character that was the “adult” in the group was Tom’s niece who was a small child genius and I loved her more than any of the others.

While Ava and Tom are definitely the main characters, the romance was on the light side but the humor carried the story enough so that element wasn’t missed too terribly much. Watching Ava and Tom try to solve the mystery was more fun than suspenseful. I found myself trying to figure out who, what and how so I could get a jump on the reveal, but I was unsuccessful.

This has a fast pace, lots of one liners that had me laughing out loud, and a slow burn romance. This is written in a style that isn’t my normal go to read, with what often bordered on what I consider immature humor. Normally, I would regret this choice but these characters were so likable I couldn’t help but enjoy this book in every way.

This was a very fun, different sort of book. The heroine, Ava Capp or Captain Capp, was a snarky and smart commercial pilot. I enjoyed her so much. The hero, Tom Baker, is a hunky Medical Examiner who is also raising his genius-level six-year old niece. And he’s also up there on the IQ level. They team up to investigate the cold case of Ava’s best friend who was murdered ten years ago.

This was a great mix of romance with a smattering of mystery sprinkled in. I just enjoyed reading the witty dialogue and the unique characters.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

Truth, Lies, and Second Dates is written with the humor and frenetic energy that only MaryJanice Davidson is able to spew across the pages. It’s a funny romance that dabbles across the tropes of storytelling and does so unapologetically and with aplomb.

I really wanted to love this book, and while I enjoyed it, I gotta admit... it just didn't hit me.

I love a good rom-com/chick-lit, but something about this book felt off. It felt like a movie that I'd seen, but they simply changed the genders of all the key players. Not the sexuality, just the genders. Pilot/main character -female. Head flight attendant - male. Nerdy doctor who struggles in social situations - male. Prodigy genius child - female.

It wasn't a bad story, nor was it unenjoyable. It just felt contrived and like every opportunity to flip things was taken to the point where it became predictable. That meant that when we had the red herrings and the misdirection it was painfully obvious because of course wouldn't be that obvious.

However, if you look past the obvious and take the story at the surface, it's enjoyable. And fun. Captain Ava Capp takes no gears from anyone and can handle anything, even when she's not on duty. I like that about her.

I ended up enjoying this story about airline pilot Ava, who happens to fly into Minnesota, her home state, right before a memorial to the woman who had been her best friend but was brutally murdered.

There are some flaws in the plotting of this novel particularly as it applies to who actually committed the murder, but I can’t specify my complaints without giving some stuff away. I’ll just say I liked Ava and Tom, the medical examiner that she falls for.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel, which RELEASES DECEMBER 15, 2020.

If you know me or have ever noticed my reviews, you will notice that I very rarely give out a five-star review. That means that no matter where I've gotten the book, I am totally honest with my opinions!

I loved, loved, loved everything about this book. If there is a romance trope or a horror trope out there MJD put it in her book. And that is what the point of this book and the others in this series are all about -tropes, cliches, etc.


I laughed at parts and got frustrated in others. I didn't figure out the who-dun-it until it was pointed out to me and I love that fact. The romance was great with only one sex scene Oofta! The fact that Ava is a pilot who saved an entire plane was just thrilling!

How MJD used these cliches and made almost everything and every one the opposite of what we've come to expect just made my day.

To tell the truth I'm getting ready to re-read this (It's going on my comfort reads shelf and I'm going to be buying my own copy!)to see if I missed anything. I admit I devoted this book quite fast and had so much fun with it!

*Arc supplied by the publisher and author.

Entertaining love story of a pilot and a medical examiner. The pilot comes home to Minnesota for a memorial for the 10th year anniversary of her best friend's murder, and meets up with the medical examiner. He thinks that her best friend's murder was a mistake and that the murderer really wanted to kill the pilot, so he assigns himself her protector. She doesn't mind...

I kept contemplating if give this 2.5 or 3 stars because although I didn't hate it, I didn't like it either; so I settled for 3 in the end.
This book tried to be a lot of things and for me that's why I didn't clicked with me. My biggest problem though was that there were too many characters and sometimes I truly didn't know who was "talking" and that took me off the story. Also the inside jokes, I as a reader felt left out of the story and I didn't like that.
This book intrigued me thats why I requested to reviewed it. It sucks i didn't like it as much as I wanted to.

"Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's and author MaryJanice Davidson for the chance to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review"

Great book overall, it was engaging and funny but I did feel a bit like I should have read the previous books in this series in order to get the full effect.

I’m always on the lookout for new authors, so when the opportunity to read Truth, Lies, and Second Dates arose, I jumped at the chance. Also, the story’s premise was one I had yet to experience, increasing my excitement. Unfortunately, not only did the book disappoint, but I’m still trying to figure out its genre. And it wasn’t as if I tried to make an effort to relate to the author’s third-person narrative or connect to her protagonists, but I do wish I had liked it more.

To begin with, I had trouble trying to figure out who was who. New characters seemed to be popping up left, right and centre which on reflection, kind of made sense since the first couple of scenes is where one would expect to meet an assemblage of people. As the plot thickened, more players were thrown into the mix, this time falling into place. The dialogue—I’m a fiend for it, can never get enough and if the wordplay is engaging, I’m sold. I can’t dispute that there wasn’t a lack of wit and quirky comebacks; however, moments of convoluted conversation overwhelmed me. To be fair, Davidson’s writing style is one I’m not familiar with. Her sentence structure is unusual, her annotations at the end of the chapters interesting.

Ava Capp is a dilemma! She’s likeable, earned the respect of her peers and not overly judgemental because she considers everything. More importantly, she’s attentive. But some of her actions didn’t convince me. Her relationship with Tom Backer who I liked a lot is confusing. I expected scorching hot chemistry. You know, romance at its best...when the heroine and hero can’t keep their hands off each other. That fell a tad flat. Hmm...this book, nonetheless, is the least expected parody I’ve read in a long while.

If Davidson hadn’t veered away from the storyline with mundane thoughts, if she’d held a stronger course and not travelled in all directions, this long story wouldn’t have felt so dragged out. Having said that, I’d certainly like to read more of her books.

Advanced copy received from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first book by MaryJanice and it came with everything in store. A little bit of romance with a dash of mystery and twists. As a born and raised Minnesota girl I’m always a sap when authors include a salute to the land of 10,000 lakes.

I found the character and plot in this book witty and humorous. I found some parts were trying to be little too much though. I couldn’t decide if i wanted more mystery or more romance. I felt the transition between both was a little rocky. I appreciate where the book was trying to go; I just felt it might have lost me a little bit along the way.

Thank you St Martins Press for the ARC to read and review.

Quirky characters, a murder mystery, and Romance all intersect to make this story a fun read. Ava is a pilot whose friend was murdered over a decade ago. Tom is a medical examiner who is trying to open the cold case back up and solve the murder.

Honestly.... I just didn't hate or like this one. I had pretty high hopes for it because of the summary but overall it was not very remarkable.

I think the humour mixed in with a mystery like this just didn't fit. It broke the story of the book up a lot which made it hard for me to stay connected to the characters and what they were going through/where the story was going.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's and author MaryJanice Davidson for the chance to read this digital ARC.

Truth, Lies and Second dates is an intriguing contemporary romance with a strong mystery element (though not quite romantic suspense). The writing is quick and the characters are lively, but unfortunately I never really clicked with the story.

I really appreciated how MaryJanice Davidson incorporated classic horror tropes and turned them on their heads to make them work for a contemporary romance. It's a testament to her skill as a writer.

Truth, Lies, and Second Dates is the third book in the series, but having not read the first two, I didn't feel like I missed out on anything. I really enjoy MaryJanice Davidson, and this was such a fun read.

Female pilot, cold case, and romantic love interest to the medical examiner, this book has it all! It was quick to start, and I stayed interested the entire read. It was funny, intriguing, and so fun!

Man was this book so much more than just a romance theme. It had murder, mystery, love and it had a own voice lead main character. What stops this from being a 4 star read for me is that sometimes I found it hard to tell who was talking. I was an enjoyable read tho , so if you want a book with a little something extra besides the normal love story I would recommend you pick this up.

Thank You NetGalley for allowing me to read the digital arc for this book.

Captain Ava Capp is commercial pilot who is running from her past. She goes back to the 10 year memorial for her dead best friend and takes up the mystery of how she was killed.

I liked that the female lead was a pilot and I enjoyed her personality. Her male counter part, an ME named Tom Baker, was funny and eccentric and I enjoyed these diverse characters. Dr. Baker, being on the autistic spectrum, was unexpected and added a layer of humor to an otherwise mad-cap book.

This was an enjoyable, but slightly odd read. It had a very mixed tone- it tried to be funny, suspenseful, quirky, and sentimental, all at the same time. I'm not sure it accomplished that.
It is billed as a rom-com, which I think ultimately it was. It was an enjoyable weekend read, but not much more.

Thank you to NetGalley for the copy for review.

I have voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this title given to me via NetGalley. This book was just amazing. I just lost myself in this story and didn’t want it to end. It was really well written and just drew in you into these characters lives. I look forward to seeing what’s next from this author.

Rollercoaster ride of a story. I really spent a lot of time trying to figure out where this story was going.
Ava is a Captain pilot at an airline. She accidentally runs into her childhood best friends brother on a flight. Ava is faced with dealing with the murder of her childhood best friend 10 yr memorial service.

When events at the memorial service really take an unexpected turn, Ava now has to consider if maybe she was the intended target.

Will Ava be able to stay safe? Will the murder finally be found?

A story that will keep you guessing as you unravel the mystery of the murder.

Thank you Netgalley for complimentary copy. Thoughts and opinions are my own.