This was my first MaryJanice Davidson novel, and I’m not sure if it was just me or not. After reading through, I realized that I was just straight up confused.

The writing was very choppy and that made it very difficult to read. The characters also made it very hard to read. They were childish and their dialogue was just not my favorite. It was all over the place.

I hope that if I give this author another try that I would like it better!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for honest feedback!

The good:
This book caught me off guard. It was my first time reading anything by this author, and I had no expectations going in except the mainstay assumptions derived from the cover and publisher reputation. Right from the first chapter, I was captivated by the whip-smart narration and unique sense of self in the heroine. Her voice was interesting, fresh, and entertaining to me, and by the end of the book, I had laughed out loud over ten times -- which, for me, is about nine times more than most rom-coms that taut being "hilarious" or "laugh-out-loud funny". Even though the murder mystery was somewhat transparent to me, it didn't at all detract from the enjoyment factor of the story. I still enjoyed watching how everything played out, including the super cute love story, which also caught me off guard (I originally thought the love interest would be someone else). I so appreciated seeing how two people who are very socially awkward yet not totally inept fit together in a way that was surprisingly realistic. Overall, the writing was just plain fun, and the story was a ride I thoroughly enjoyed. Even though this was kind of a cozy mystery, I'd recommend it for fans of Sally Thorne and Rainbow Rowell; the narrative style and characterizations have a similar vibe.

The bad:
Let's do a Prudie™ breakdown, shall we? 10 is atomic bomb, 0 is none to speak of.
-> Language: 6/10
An overabundance of the F-bomb, lots of instances of "sh-t", and a number of smaller words.
-> Steaminess: 3/10
The racy scenes were scattered, smallish, and not super detailed (in fact, there may have just been the one actual scene and multiple references to previous events) -- definitely easy to skim or skip. But be aware, Prudies, the actual sex scene, though not very detailed, is explicitly clear nonetheless. There is also a casual reference to a vibrator.
-> Positive theme(s): 7/10
Found family, meaningful friendship, emotional healing, the intentional practice of personal growth, hard work ethic, complementarianism, honesty and trust, vulnerability and developing close connection, consideration of others, boldness, controlled risk-taking, teamwork, healthy work community, critical thinking as a daily practice.
-> Political correctness: 3/10
"Sex-positive" (promotes premarital relations and masturbation), periodic alcohol consumption coupled with the frank discussion of alcoholism and the need for rehab, frank discussion of drug use and rehab, a few brief comments regarding various darling social justice movements and progressive stances.
-> Violence: 4/10
Lots of talk of cadavers, odd and sometimes gruesome ways to die, the desecration of a cremated body, some physical beat-downs of attackers, several mentions of blood (one being in a murder victim).
Overall score for enjoyment/appreciation: 7/10 for 4 out of 5 stars.

I unknowingly read this out of order from the previous books in the series -- whoops! But it didn't make a lick of difference in my understanding of the characters or story, so it totally works as a standalone, in case you were wondering.

Unfortunately this was a dud for me. I thought the banter was fun but couldn’t quite figure out where the plot was headed.

This is the third in a series, so I recommend starting with the first in the Danger series (Danger, Sweetheart). If you want a lighthearted story that features romance and mystery, this is a great choice!

I don’t know who’s doing MaryJanice Davidson’s covers, but they have been phenomenal!

I received this copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ava ends up back home in Minnesota, a past she’s been trying to leave behind. Ava runs into Tom unexpectedly who still has a crush on her.

This was a cute story with a complicated history that added depth.

I received an arc of this title for an honest review. I tried a few times to get into this book and could not connect.

First time reading this author. It took time to get used to the writing short choppy sentences that jumped thoughts back and forth took a couple of chapters to keep up. Every single thought expressed is a slight side bar was kind of funny. The romantic suspense is really cute. The slow build to the HEA is also very cute

An edge of your seat, emotionally thrilling and highly entertaining journey. This is a highly entertaining second chance romance filled with interesting charters, witty banter and undeniable passion..

Maybe this one is satire and it just went over my head a little but it was a little too goody and over the top for me.

I received this book complimentary from NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

I liked this! The plot was fun, the characters were interesting and the setting was new to me. The author did try to fit a lot of tropes (or subverted tropes) into the story which seemed more caricature than actual character at times. But I would read something else by the author!

DNF @ 15%

Damnit, I tried y’all. I tried. This is the second book I’ve attempted by this author, the first being The Love Scam, which I also DNF’d and clearly we just don’t mesh.

This one has been sitting on my NetGalley backlog for ages though, and I’ve told myself for the past year that I WILL read it. But I just can’t do it.

Immediately, the writing was rambly, the story all over the place, and the characters were over-the-top. Just a few pages in, and “heroine” encounters her deceased best friend’s twin brother … who is dating a woman that looks eerily similar to his dead twin … oh, and she’s also his second cousin. But his excuse is: it’s okay because it’s legal. I’m over here like: Weird, but okay, just keep going. Clearly the author is trying to do something here.

Then, the heroine is <I>somehow</I> (that whole conversation was all over the place, I don’t even know???) coerced into going to the 10 year memorial for her dead best friend. Her friend was brutally murdered and the heroine was so affected by it, that she skipped town and cut ties with everyone. Except, the writing over the death is so clinical and even crass at times, I found it difficult to believe the heroine really even cared. I’m supposed to believe she does, but the evidence wasn’t there.

We learn the heroine is supposed to be some badass pilot who pulled a Miracle on the Hudson (aka she’s a woman Sully), but it’s brought up SO much (yet vaguely) in the first few chapters that I was sick of hearing about it.

The last straw for me was the introduction of the love interest and that’s where I stopped. The encounter was so awkward and then he’s described as being “clean shaven and unabashedly bald” and I was like NOPE. Immediately pictured Mr. Clean. Honestly, bald men can be hot af. My issue here isn’t even that. It’s that this book reads as though the author was trying to be quirky and go against all expectations in the romance genre—except it’s just done badly and I can’t even say it’s funny or ironic. Hell, I know I’m only 15 percent in, but this book absolutely doesn’t read as a romance in the least. I don’t even know what it is, but it’s not that.

I started reading the book, but was not drawn in & decided not to continue reading. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book, but it unfortunately just didn't work for me to continue with it.

I tried to listen and read this one and just a big nope for me. Everyone is super bitchy and complaining from page one. Not one likable character. This was DNF for me.

Truth, Lies and Second Dates is such a fun lighthearted laugh out loud romantic read. I gobbled it up in one sitting simply because I wanted to know more and I couldn't stop reading. Super enjoyable.

Super sweet rom com! It was sweet and sassy just like the decription says. I do think it is a tad bit cheesy for my liking but I would be interested in reading more from this author in the future.

First let me begin by saying that this is one of my favorite authors! MaryJanice Davidson has yet to disappoint! I completely loved this book!! Our heroine is a strong willed woman who won't take crap from anyone. She's the kind of pilot I always pray for when I board a plane. Strong, brave and knowledgeable.
She has avoided going to her home town because of the murder of her best friend, but circumstances take her back and she is confronted with uncovering the truth and finding the murderer. She and our hero gather clues, face dangers, and finally find the true killer. But, since this is the wonderful Ms. Davidson writing it, there is mountains of humor along the way. Excellent book!! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's for this wonderful gift!! .

Captain Ava Capp doesn't want to be back in Minnesota, but nevertheless, there she is. He ex, M.E. Dr. Tom Baker, is not happy when Ava comes back to town. Is she going to face her past, and past love, or will she run again?

I tried really hard to finish this book, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea. It was a little to cheesy for my liking and I was getting bored throughout the story.

This was a fun rom-com type beach read! Extremely hard to put down. Highly recommend! I was able to breeze through this in one sitting. I look forward to more by this author.

Due to a family illness, and unexpected events, I am very far behind in writing my reviews.I found my self reading one book after another without writing the review -- that was a big mistake. I did enjoy this book very much. I happily give it 4 stars.