I always enjoy reading MaryJanice Davidson's books! This one was a fun read and I loved reading it by the pool this summer. I can't wait for her next book!

I put down this book so many times before finally finishing it, unfortunately, this was not for me. The characters sounded too childish to me, the dialogue was all over the place, just not for me. Maybe for someone else.

Truth, Lies and Second Dates was perfectly up my alley as far as books go. It had a little bit of mystery, a lot of love, and a book based on a female flight crew member. This book stirred up so many emotions and memories for me and the years I spent as a flight attendant. I found the author really nailed all of the terminology, the processes of daily flight crew life, and reactions to female pilots. It brought out A LOT of emotions, in a good way!

I devoured this book on audio in just over a day. It was fantastic. I loved the witty banter and back and forth between the characters in this book. I loved the sass and attitude Ava had, which was so refreshing for a female main character to just own her attitude. I loved Tom. New book boyfriend, I think. While this is marketed as a rom-com, there was also a mystery murder to solve, but it didn't take away from the romance aspects, in my opinion. It made it more fun to read! Highly suggest you check this out.

The third book in the trope triology, Ava is a pilot now famous for her belly landing. She is back in her hometown just in time to go to the 10 year memorial of her best friend. However, after the memorial, things keep happening and Ava is now in danger as the killer might have accidentally killed Danielle instead of Ava and is trying to fix his wrongdoing.

Truth, Lies, and Second Dates by MaryJanice Davidson is the third book in the contemporary romance Danger series. As with a lot of romance series the books in the Danger series change the main characters in each book so they can be read as a standalone if choosing to do so. This third book of the series definitely had an element of mystery to it too even though the romance is the main focus.

Ava Capp is a Captain in the airline industry which is a suiting career for her since she had every intention of getting as far away as fast as she could from her hometown ten years ago. Now after a decade of distance though Ava finds herself landing back in Minnesota and it isn’t long before she comes across Dr. Tom Baker. Tom of course remembers Ava and the reason she left. Could Tom help Ava put the cold case that drove her away finally to rest?

When I first picked up Truth, Lies, and Second Dates I did not know that it was part of a series. While reading this one I always had the feeling that I had been dropped into a story that I didn’t quite know. Looking back I saw that the other books had different characters so I couldn’t put my finger on if this installment just needed a bit more depth or if I had missed an introduction from an earlier read. The characters were likable enough and I did enjoy having a mystery involved in the background but overall I would put this one at three and a half stars thinking it did need a bit more of something to really love.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I had high hopes for this one, having previously liked The Love Scam, as well as seeing the first of six (!) epigraphs to this novel:

"You know what a great pilot would have done? Not hit the birds. That’s what I do every day: not hit birds. Where’s my ticket to the Grammys?" —CAPTAIN CAROL BURNETT, 30 Rock.

That happens to be one of my all time favorite characters/shows. The main characters in this novel are, like 30 Rock, definitely written to be quirky. Unlike 30 Rock, I just didn't find them that funny. And the situation--a teenage girl's murder now a ten-year-old cold case--was simply so horrible that attempts to play aspects of it as funny or odd just felt icky. Exhibit A:
"And sometime in the four hours that followed, Danielle was butchered like a veal calf in her own bedroom. Dennis had been out of town for twenty-four hours—an overnight kegger followed by a day-trip to the U of M. By the time he got back, it was all over, and not just for Danielle."

Exhibit B:
"So she’d carpe’d the diem and followed the rolling morgue. It reminded her of when she was younger and the neighborhood kids would run into their houses for money
(“Wait for meeeeeee!”)
and then trot behind the ice cream truck while it blared “Pop Goes the Weasel,” occasionally stopping to hand out that holiest of holies, the ice cream sandwich.* The parallel was so ludicrous she started laughing, and somewhere between the exit for 494 and University Avenue, the giggles had turned to tears. And not the delicately beautiful ones, like Demi Moore’s perfect teardrops rolling down her perfect cheeks in Ghost. No, ugly, noisy sobs, the kind that required multiple Kleenexes and lots of nose blowing."

As Liz Lemon might say, "Blerg."

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I enjoyed this lightweight and funny mystery, complete with a bit of romance, some humour, and the author’s shameless attempt to include as many horror/thriller tropes as possible. Sometimes the dialogue went too far down the bantering path but for the most part it was great entertainment.

This is a new to me author that mixed it up. We got romance, mystery and a little bit of slap stick comedy. I was smiling and laughing so much while reading this book. I love when a book does that.

This was such a fun fast paced read that I really enjoyed.

I was expecting more from Mary Janice Davidson. The plot and characters were confusing. I really tried to find some common ground with the book but it left me wanting for more substance.

Truth, Lies, and Second Dates is the third book in a series but I never felt lost or that I needed to read the other books first. This was such a fun read, it was easy to get lost in the banter between Ava and Tom and so many times I found myself chuckling at their antics and conversation! As a true crime fan and someone that loves to fly the topics they discussed, the plans they hatched and the insider knowledge was awesome. This is a fantastic book to pick up when you want something light hearted and funny.

This one just wasn’t for me. Started off okay but just didn’t really hold my attention like I was hoping.

A "sweet and sassy contemporary romance." That's what's promised in the first line of the blurb, and maybe I'm just naive, but I expected that when I started reading. What I found was... well, it was a hot mess. I think there was an attempt to make Ava come across as quirky, but her dialogue, her thoughts, her actions were all just a big ball of confusion much of the time. The story is all over the place, and it reached a point where I was setting it aside far too easily. To be honest, a lot of the story felt like it was still in the development stage, and it just fell flat. This is my first experience with this author, so I don't know if this is typical of her writing style, but the storyline seriously lacks continuity, and the whole thing feels scattered to me. Maybe it's just me, and this is only one person's opinion, but this book did not work for me.

Intrigue, some funny moments, and romance. This was a somewhat unexpected ,but not less enjoyable read. I usually stay away from intrigue that touches on a close death, but this was well done where I didn’t feel too much of a pang. Curious about previous and future books.

There was a point in this book that one of the characters had a gun pointed at them and I was laughing out loud. That shouldn’t be happening but it was done in such a good way. This book poked so much fun at itself as well as the characters, that I found myself laughing out loud a lot. I like when a book is a mystery but also has a little bit of romance mixed in as well. This was a new to me author, but I am defiantly going to be checking out more from her.

I apologize for the late review. In part, I made a mistake - I had no idea this was part of a series when I requested. I thought it would be a fun romance set with pilots and flying. With it being the 3rd book I felt like I was missing something throughout - again, not to ding the author on that, as I had no idea it was book 3.
Overall, the story was not what I expected, but it was well written and I loved the story set around a female pilot! Can we get more please.
I would recommend starting with book 1 :)

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. There is nothing"wrong" with this book, but it just didn't work for me. I can't put my finger on why.

TRUTH, LIES, AND SECOND DATES - MaryJanice Davidson

#3 in the Danger series

Some fun characters - 3 stars

Plot - 3 stars - Captain Ava Capp has been flying away from her uncomfortable past for the last decade. She’d much rather leave it, and her home state, behind forever. But when she finds herself back in Minnesota, everything starts to go wrong when her past comes back to haunt her.

Writing - 2 stars - Since I haven't read the first two books in this series, I went into it cold. I'll admit to finding myself confused, and that's on me. Is this a continuing story? Were these characters previously introduced? The writing was light and easy, but it felt as though the author was trying way too hard to be witty and clever. Some of the writing was amusing, but mostly it felt forced.

Characters - 3 stars - Ava is a smart and capable woman, but she seems smart-alecky just for the sake of being smart-alecky. I couldn't relate to her until she told her story about her airplane emergency, then she seemed strong and capable. I just wish she spent more time as that person rather than the cutesie and annoying one. But all of the other characters definitely make up for her. Tom is adorably cute with his nerdiness and exactness. And Hannah is the same, only cuter because she's a young girl following in his footsteps. G.B. is the great friend who is also good looking and hilarious. Tone Ava down considerably, and the read would have been much better.

Title - 2 stars - This added no value to the story. I went in to the book not knowing what to expect, and the title didn't help to lead me in the right direction.

Cover - 3 stars - A nice bright color of the sky and a plane--both good indictors of the story inside and bright enough to catch the eye.

Overall - 3 stars - I mistakenly ordered this book without realizing that it was the 3rd in a series. I don't think I'd call it a standalone since I felt confused throughout much of the book, and I'm assuming it would have been much better if I'd started at the beginning. The plot followed Ava as she revisited a difficult time in her life. I wasn't emotionally invested in the situation, so I couldn't really relate to the trauma she must have been feeling.
On top of that, I felt that the author tried too hard, throwing in jokes and clever turns of phrase just to keep a light-hearted feeling. Overall, it just felt forced and somewhat stilted. Someone should tell her that "less is more." All that being said, the book grew on me as I got more used to the writing style. Ava continued to be annoying, but the other characters made up for that. And the mystery was intriguing enough to keep my interest and keep me reading. I'll certainly give this author another chance to see if we mesh.

I love a sassy main female character in romance novels. Seriously, strong and sassy characters can save an otherwise meh book for me.

And that’s exactly what happened in Truth, Lies and Second Dates. Captain Ava Capp is a strong and confident woman and a captain for Northeastern Southwest Airline.

When she was a teenager, her best friend was murdered, and everyone thinks she ran away from her troubles by becoming a pilot.

When her travel takes her back through her hometown in Minnesota on the tenth anniversary of her friend’s death, her history is drudged back up.

The local Medical Examiner, Tom Baker, and Ava team up to try to solve this cold case and the spark fly between them.

As a who-done-it, this was very frustrating, as the breadcrumbs weren’t there for the pay off. There were a lot of convenient answers at the end for all the questions that were laid out throughout the book.

For a meet cute romance, this was very cute between Ava and Tom. Lots of fun itty banter, lots of making out and a surprise twist at the end.

This was a very fast read for me, but it definitely won’t be a memorable one. The best part was Ava’s pre-flight speeches when she’s captaining the plane (because they’re so realistically true!).

Very interesting writing style, full of wit and tropes. The characters have great chemistry and some funny conversations. Captain Ava Capp (airline pilot) and Dr Tom Baker (medical examiner) get caught up trying to solve an old murder case from Ava’s past. The internal dialogues they have are a hoot, cynical yet relatable.
Overall a fun read!
I received a check complimentary copy of this book, all opinions in this review are my own.

Truth, Lies and Second Dates by MaryJanice Davidson is going to be a book people either find darkly hysterical or leave them feeling confused and a bit uncomfortable. I fell in the second group. The premise of a strong female lead, airline captain Ava Capp, returning to her hometown creating sparks with her old friend Dr. Tom Baker sounded right up my alley. I knew up front she had experienced a tragedy in her past and the two would work together to move past it. Sign me up!
In reality Ava’s returning for a memorial for her best friend who was brutally murdered years earlier. The sarcastic banter interwoven with the main characters internal monologue of dark humor was a constant, not sprinkled throughout. It made it hard to follow plot line with many characters and turns. Against a backdrop of murder and romance this writing style didn’t work for me. It’s going to be a match for readers who like dark humor, fast storylines, and appreciate sharp, sardonic dialogue. I have several reader friends in mind I know will enjoy it!
Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Griffin for the advance reader copy and the opportunity to review Truth, Lies, and Second Dates by MaryJanice Davidson. All opinions are my own.