Sandy M’s review of Divorced, Desperate and Deceived by Christie Craig
Contemporary Romantic Suspense published by Love Spell 24 Nov 09
Christie Craig has been a favorite of mine since she started this trilogy back in 2007. I always comment that it’s her humor I just love in her books, which is definitely true. She’s one of the best when it comes to making a reader laugh out loud. But her characters are a huge draw for me too. I know that every time I read a Christie Craig book, her characters will pull me into their lives so effortlessly, they will make me care about every little thing that goes on between them and around them. And then they will make me laugh.
This book is no exception. Though this time around, Ms. Craig does give us more suspense upfront, leaving a lot of the laughter until later. Which is fine by me. Any way she wants to write them, I’ll read them. Stan and Kathy, of course, are secondary characters in the first two books, so they are quite familiar to us by this time. You do not have to read those first two to get into their story, though. By reading those first two books, however, you do get a taste of the other characters who are also in this current story, but it’s not absolutely necessary.
Stan has tried for four years to get something going with Kathy, but though she flirts, she’s never given him much more encouragement than that. Now he’s thinking it’s just as well, because his life is about to drastically change and he won’t be around anymore. He wishes, though, he could have something with her and her son. They’ve filled a place in his life and his heart he’s never had before, but when Kathy learns his secrets, she may want nothing to do with him even less than she has so far.
The last of the Divorced and Desperate Club, Kathy has finally decided to let it all hang out and go for the sexy plumber she’s resisted for so long. But in the middle of seducing the now happy and ready man, his unknown past rears up to haunt them both. Finding out Stan is really Luke Hunter, an FBI agent placed in the Witness Protection Program until he can testify at trial against the criminal who employed him when he was undercover, is just as unbelievable as the gun-toting men chasing them with the intent to kill.
And so begins their journey to stay alive and to also learn about each other. Kathy has a lot to learn since all the new information about Luke has been revealed and he’s got just as much to learn about her and why she’s been hot and cold with him since they met. As usual, Ms. Craig has given us charming and endearing characters you can’t help but love. She’s given them a dangerous situation to overcome together while giving the reader some laughs, great suspense, and wonderful romance even with these two on the lam while they discover each other’s secrets.
Also as a fitting completion to the trilogy, we get quite a bit of the previous characters from the first two books, finding out what’s been going on with them and how much they’re still in love, as well as having them caught up in the current mystery involving Luke and Kathy. It’s nice to see them all together one last time.
For some fun this holiday season, try this trilogy of Ms. Craig’s. Heck, while you’re at it, pick up her other two books, Weddings Can Be Murder and Gotcha!, because they are just as fun and suspenseful. Each of these books will you keep you smiling long after the holidays are over.
Grade: A
Summary:
Of the Divorced, Desperate and Delicious club, Kathy Callahan is the last surviving member. Oh, her two friends haven’t died or anything. They just gave up their vows of chastity. They went for hot sex with hot cops and happy second marriages—something Kathy can never consider, given her past. Yet there’s always her plumber, Stan Bradley. He seems honest, hardworking…and skilled with a tool.
PLUMB CRAZY
Kathy’s best-laid plans are about to hit a clog. The guy snaking her drain isn’t what he seems. He’s handier with a pistol than a pipe wrench, and she’s about to see more action than Jason Statham. The next forty-eight hours promise hot pursuit, hotter passion and a super perky pug. And at the end of this wild escapade, Kathy and her own undercover lawman will be flush with happiness . . . assuming they both survive.
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
