For Love or Money
Grade : C-

The heroine, Holly, thinks she's having a bad time when her date takes her on the hike from hell. But her day abruptly worsens when they stumble across a dead body, and grows still worse when Holly realizes the body is a woman she knows from work. The icing on the cake is that Holly and her date are considered suspects and the investigating detective is JC, the man who cheated on Holly and broke her heart.

In effort to clear her name and find justice for her murdered friend, Holly decides to investigate the murder on her own. She's a CPA, not a forensic accountant, but her investigations reveal a tangled mess of hidden funds, tax evasion and fraud. Though dealing with JC is not exactly fun, it all seems like an adventure until it becomes clear someone is unhappy with her meddling.

It's been a while since I read a new-to-me romantic suspense author, because I have found that when the suspense is good the romance suffers, and vice versa. I found this to be true here, also, except that the suffering seems to switch back and forth. While Holly is investigating on her own, the mystery plot rolls right along, with several suspects and avenues of research. Holly uses instinct and guile to find the answers she needs, following clues to logical conclusion. But when JC enters the picture she becomes stubborn and illogical, exhibiting TSTL behavior on several occasions. Conversely, there is very little romance in the entire book, but during the few times I found the book romantic, the focus shifted away from the original murder mystery.

I found it very hard to like either main character. JC was particularly difficult to understand. His romantic overtures seemed to consist of blame and abrasive teasing. The fact that he found it difficult to understand why Holly broke with him after she came home and found him in flagrante delicto was just unbelievable. Holly was more likable, except of course when she was dealing with JC - then she became a stubborn child. In one sense, JC was correct, the orignal fight that lead to the infidelity was all Holly's fault, and she never explained to JC, or the reader, why she felt the way she did. Otherwise, her character is that of a good sport. She left a high-paying, powerful position in order to return home and rescue her mother from the financial nightmare her father created when he ran away with another woman. Holly is patient with her mother's foibles, and watching Holly become acclimated to small-town life again has charming moments.

The large cast of secondary characters are vividly drawn. The man with whom Holly was hiking when they found the body is Alex, one of her mother's clients. He has a spiteful mother who hates Holly, and she steals the show at the murdered woman's wake. Holly's best friend is important to the story, as she urges Holly to get back together with JC. SeveraI people that Holly interviewed in the course of her investigation were interesting as well.

The mystery was pretty predictable, but other elements added an aura of danger that made the book more thrilling. So, while I can't say I really hated the book, I can't say I really liked it either, mainly due to JC's abrasiveness and Holly's TSTL behavior. If not for those, I might have given the book a B-.

Reviewed by Wendy Clyde
Grade : C-

Sensuality: Subtle

Review Date : July 6, 2013

Publication Date: 2013/05

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Wendy Clyde

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