(actual rating 1.5/5)

As much as I tried to enjoy this book, I really didn't, and ended up feeling more confused than anything.

'Truth, Lies, and Second Dates' attempts to tell the story of Ava Capp, an airplane captain who's been running away from her past for the past decade. After returning to her hometown for the memorial of her best friend who was murdered a decade ago, Ava gets tangled with an instance of vandalism, blamed for said murder, and meets the handsome M.E. Tom Baker. Together, they have to figure out who's behind it all, even as something more grows between them.

While I am aware that this book is supposed to be the way it is, with its usage of the subversion of common tropes, I felt that it didn't do its job as planned. Much of the text was quite confusing and circumlocutive, and hard to understand. This was particularly true in the first half of the book, but things somewhat improve in the second half.

The romance itself was breezy and good. Things progress fairly well and at no point does the relationship dynamic building between the characters seem particularly insta-love-like or forced, thankfully.

That being said, this book was annoying to read. The writing style was distinct in that even though I was reading from a certain character's perspective (third person), I frequently got confused as to who I was reading about. The characters were also quite irritating and insufferable at times. There was a fair amount of unnecessary drama, and I got the feeling that story was getting stuck at times, with no real way of propelling it forward.

Additionally, I was left very unsatisfied with how things were wrapped up. It all seemed very convenient and rushed, just for the sake of ending the book and getting it done with. There were also some plotlines that weren't addressed as well as I thought that they should have.

All in all, I think that while this book had an interesting concept behind it all, things could have been executed much better, and that there was definitely a lot of potential with this one. I would recommend this book to people who have enjoyed MaryJanice Davidson's other books and her particular writing style.

Truth. Lies and Second Dates is exactly what you want from a modern romance. Quick-reading, romance with some mystery. A traveling modern woman - trying to stay away from her painful past - when she's forced to return and meets steady, Type-A Tom Baker. This is a fun, quick read!

This book confused me. There were so many characters and honestly I just couldn't connect with them. The mystery was just not that interesting. I could see how people might enjoy this one, but it just wasn't for me.

Not really my cup of tea. A perfectly respectable read but I found all the inner dialogue disruptive. I really enjoyed Hannah.

Captain Ava Capp has been flying from her past for a decade. She’d much rather leave it, and her home state, behind forever. But when she finds herself back in Minnesota, against her better judgment, everything goes sideways in a way she never expected it to.

M.E. Dr. Tom Baker has never forgotten Ava and the cold case she ran away from. When she shows up unexpectedly in town, in spite of himself, sparks fly. Which is terrible because he can’t stop his growing attraction to her. Can these two Type-A’s let their guards down and work together to put Ava’s tragic past behind her for good? And keep their hands off each other at the same time?

Mystery with a side of romance and snark is how I’d describe this book. Ava is Captain Capp, a commercial pilot never staying in one place for long, the classic ‘guy in every port’ kinda woman, until she is forced to come to terms with her past. Then the real story begins. What happened ten years ago, interwoven with current events of today, make an interesting mystery story that had me quirking my brow and frowning much of the time. I really liked how Ms Davisson took so many common elements of a story and either turned them upside down, or simply threw them out on their respect ears. It made for quite entertaining reading as well as kept me guessing most of the way through the book. I enjoyed Tom’s conflicted personality, as a cross between so literal and genius, and yet so protective and loving to Ava. Hannah, the niece absolutely stole the show every time she appeared. The mystery was nicely written, with enough twists and turns to keep me guessing longer than usual. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher. This is my freely given, honest review.

Complementary copy given for honest review and opinion.
I did not expect the killer to be the killer! I was so shocked! I loved the view of someone on the spectrum with romance.

This is the first book I have read from MaryJanice Davidson and it will not be the last! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it to any romance fan.

I enjoyed this book. It was funny, witty, and it had a bit of everything. I look forward to reading more books from this author.

I thought this was really quick read. When I requested this, I didn't know there were two other books before this, but it doesn't seem like they need to be read in order. It seems like they are companion novels. At least I hope they are. I didn't feel lost reading this.

The few critiques I have aren't that big of a deal, but they did see odd. I know this isn't a finished copy, so these things could have changed. The age difference and the age of the characters didn't seem very realistic. Tom would have been 23-24 with a MD and his sister was 3-4 years younger than him and had a kid and then passed away, that I could believe, but if the father of Hannah walked away, then how is Abe her father in law. And then with Ava being 27-28, I can believe that, but I had a hard time buying that she was interested in quirky Tom with him being a few years younger than her.

I also felt like the synopsis didn't do Tom's crush justice. He read about the story and then he was obsessed with Ava? They never met or anything before that? I felt like I would have believed he had a crush if he had met her.

I also felt like Tom just read so much older than he was. He read to me like he was Spencer Reid from Criminal Minds, and I guess you can argue that his age made sense, but if that was what the author was going for, I would have appreciated being told that Tom was a child genius or graduated early or something. And what happened to his parents. That was never touched on. I feel like I could appreciate his things for Ava more if we knew that his family was all gone and they were one in the same essentially.

All in all though, I did enjoy this.

I need a friend like Captain Ava Capp, or at least haver her as my pilot!

Funny, witty, and genuine. Ava has a great dry sense of humor. She meets the person who can match her wit in coroner, Tom Baker, even if most of the time is being literal.

Ava finds herself grounded in her hometown on the 10th anniversary of her best friend’s death. Against her better judgment, she attends the memorial, only to be accused of vandalism. Force to work together, Ava and Dr. Tom try to do some sleuthing while keeping their hands off each other. Add in a genius child, hilarious co-workers and a set of angry mourners and Ms. Davidson has another hit on her hands!


I received an ARC from St. Martin Press through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so

I found this book pretty humorous as it even picked fun at itself. Ava Capp is a pilot who becomes the subject of a murder investigation. This story is part romance, part mystery, etc and turns a lot of romantic tropes upside down. I got the humor and enjoyed the fast-paced story.
That being said, I was a little confused at times. When the story started, I felt like I was already supposed to know some of the characters. Once I oriented myself, it was a quick read.
Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

3.5 stars

This is the second book by MaryJanice Davidson I’ve read and I think her style is growing on me. Davidson writes in a kind of slapstick, quippy, stream-of-consciousness way that I don’t normally gravitate toward, but in her hands it works. Her books are very meta: each one includes a list of tropes that the story and characters subvert, and the text is sprinkled with footnotes and asides that explain jokes or fact-check for the reader. If you’re a fan of movies like Clue and Knives Out, then Davidson’s romance/mystery novels will be right up your alley.

Truth, Lies, and Second Dates fits into the universe of Danger, Sweetheart (which I still haven’t read!) and The Love Scam, but it’s not essential that you’ve read those books first; this one mostly stands alone. Although the mystery at the center of the story—who murdered Ava Capp’s best friend a decade ago, and why is that person threatening Ava now?—is a very dark one, Davidson keeps the tone light with the madcap development of a relationship between Ava and medical examiner Tom Baker. As in The Love Scam, this novel features a child prodigy whose intellect and powers of perception are ridiculous. I know Davidson is mocking a familiar trope, but even reading about her child prodigies is just exhausting.

I increasingly feel like Davidson should be writing movie scripts, because I’m not sure her style really translates as well in books. Looking at reviews, it often seems like readers don’t understand the meta-joke nature of her work, and I think it would come across better in a visual medium. It took me a while to figure out that you have to approach a MaryJanice Davidson book in the right kind of mood: you won’t get a traditional romance, nor will you get a serious mystery novel, but instead you’re in for a quirky, over-the-top mash-up of the two. On the right day, that’s exactly what I like.

This was my first book by Mary Janice Davidson. I enjoyed the quick-witted heroine (Ava) and the snarky dialogue!
Thank you to St. Martin's and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was not familiar with MaryJanice Davidson's writing so I had nothing to compare it to. I received this book as an ARC from the publisher. But from the description of the book, it sounds like a book that I would like.

I tried to like this book. I tried to find something light and fun about it. I felt too often that the book was written in some of code and I was not given the code to break the story. I understand that the book is a trope but it just didn't work for me. I found myself getting annoyed with the characters and style of writing.

3.5

After living through the murder of her best friend, Ava Capp has been running from the past (or rather flying away from her past). Now a notable pilot on a commercial airline, Captain Ava Capp (yeah she knows), loves flying all over the country, but avoids stopping in Minnesota whenever possible. Unfortunately, it's not always possible, and eventually you have to face your past. But with the ten year anniversary on the horizon, much more has been coming to light about the still unsolved case, such as the fact that the murder has now set their sights on Ava.

Medical Examiner Tom Baker remembers well the violent case that rocked the community although he was still a kid when it happened. He recognizes Ava immediately upon seeing her, and despite himself sparks fly.

Tom and Ava form a team determined to figure out what really happened all those years ago and prevent the same from happening to Ava now.

So, anyone who reads the author's note at the beginning (highly recommended) will know that MaryJanice Davidson's goal was to jam-pack this story with as many mystery/thriller/romance tropes as possible and pretty much turn all of them upside-down. Anyone who has previously read a book by MaryJanice Davidson will recognize the quirky, frenetic characters and pacing. Having to juggle a lot of quick back-and-forths. It's pretty much keeping with MaryJanice Davidson's typical style.

I was initially interested in this idea of the mystery/thriller/romance with a more humorous twist about it. Something that changes the typically serious tone of these types of stories. I think that's a really interesting add for this genre. I just kind of wish that there was more focus on that aspect of the story instead of focusing more on subverting the various tropes. Because with that there were times where the story felt too full and I ended up missing at least half of what what trying to be commented upon.

That said, it was an enjoyable read. I liked Ava. I liked that she went through some very traumatic stuff and pulled herself out of the downward spiral in which she found herself. I liked that she's so successful at her job and has the friendship and adoration of those she works with and over. I very often found myself laughing out loud at her inflight announcements to the passengers.

The chemistry between Tom and Ava was fine. It was another aspect that I think was trying very hard to push the tropes in whatever is deemed the "opposite" direction and didn't really focus too much on creating the connection between them. I can read a dozen romances with the same trope and be perfectly fine with it as long as I feel that connection between the characters just jump off the page with each scene they share together. While I liked Tom and Ava, together, as individuals, I didn't necessarily feel that for them.

Overall, MaryJanice Davidson wrote the story I expected. I'm not let down by it, I'm not blown away by it. I know I can count on MaryJanice Davidson to deliver a quirky book with quirky characters and a fast pace, and often humorous. I appreciated the mystery/thriller that was on the lighter side without necessarily slipping into the "cozy" category. As strange as it kind of feels to say that about a book that deals with a grisly murder and the murderer still on the lose, it felt more like a comfort read. Something guaranteed to entertain and pull me away from the real world for a bit.

Going home is the last thing she wants to do, but she finds herself back home in Minnesota being thrown back into a situation that she didn't fully come to terms with. Her and the detective find themselves falling for each other, but not knowing if they are able to put her past situations behind them. A story of back and fourth and internal emotional battles are strung perfectly in this read.

This is my first MaryJanice Davidson book, and unfortunately, it didn't work for me. I feel like the romance and mystery plots didn't work well together, and I couldn't fully immerse myself while reading because of it. The narration and the tone felt forced and off at times too. I did like Ava though - she was truly the star of the story.

Truth, Lies, and Second dates was filled with witty banter, hilarious moments, and great characters. I truly enjoyed the mystery aspect that MaryJanice Davidson based the story around. I truly enjoyed the way Davidson’s characters acted.
Tom was very blunt, sexy and didn’t lie. In all his actions you could see there was something about him, other than being highly intelligent. For anyone who knows or loves someone on the Autism spectrum you would recognize the signs. This wasn’t made into a huge part of the storyline, it was mentioned just in passing at the end. I loved how Davidson didn’t make a big show of it and was just so inclusive.
Davidson’s world building skills were good, the flow was a little choppy in a couple spots. I can say that the ending was a little bit of a surprise to me. I had my ideas of who the killer was but the clues were so subtle that I wasn’t sure if I had it correct. That was part of the fun. Davidson was able to keep you guessing throughout the story.
While this was a fast read for me. The pace of the book started slow, for me, but after a couple chapters I was fully invested in the story.

This was such a fun romance, though I didn't realize until looking it up afterward that it was part of a series. It functions well enough as a standalone, but that made me want to check out the other books to see how the characters connect.