Dorothy Parker Award; First digital book nominated for Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award
A comedy romance suspense novel
Her mama has been hoping a man would fall in Stan’s lap. But when a handsome spy dives through the sunroof of her car, Isabel “Stan” Stanley’s pretty sure this wasn’t what momma had in mind.
A cute smile can help with—but not hide—the hail of bullets. And that name? Oh … bullets. And that name? Oh my that name.
CIA agent Kelvin Kapone-with-a-K has managed to survive and thrive in the big bad world, but the ‘burbs and the wannabe romance author could be his greatest challenge in getting out alive, not to mention heart whole…
It was the early 90’s and everyone was watching the first Gulf War on television. Everywhere you went armchair strategists were talking smart bombs and scud studs. Desert Storm camo started popping up in stores. Books and magazines about all the cool military tech appeared on stands. “I’m Proud to be an American” was a hit song. It was serious, very serious, but also a bit whacky because the War was on every channel. Maybe it was just me, but I kept thinking, “We are watching a war.” It wasn’t reality TV. It was real TV.
When the War didn’t have anything new, I watched reruns of Scarecrow and Mrs. King. The War and that show stirred my muse somehow and pretty soon I was also writing. And writing. And writing some more. Yeah, this book was 500 pages in its first draft. O.O
I wrote this book on a word processor. And I still had my trusty electric typewriter close at hand. Then I had to get it onto my first computer. I think that was the first time I cut it down. Now it clocks in at about 200 pages. But it was the first novel I finished and I’m really glad I didn’t give up on it. I had a lot of fun writing it.
Then I had to figure out what it was. I’m not sure I was ever able to slot it. It’s a mix of mystery, suspense, lots of comedy, and yes, the romance. I love a romance. 🙂
If you like humor mixed into your romance and suspense, check out Do Wah Diddy Die or my Mystery Collection. 🙂
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Great
This book was an enjoyable quick read overall but had points where I wanted to put it down because of the whining….
This stand alone novel was the most enjoyable read I have had in a long time. Pauline’s sense of humor throughout the book was original and genuinely funny. Her plot was well structured to keep my interest. Most endearing was her character development. Both her female protagonist and her male ‘interest’ were well rounded and she heightened the the tension between them expertly, with a very satisfying ending.
Highly recommended
(1 criticism – numerous typos)
Everything was pointing to this book being rubbish. The cover art is pretty crap. It doesn’t scream ‘sophisticated writing that’s going to whisk you away into a story that feels so real you’ll…’ I don’t even know how to end that sentence.
Then the book starts with author’s notes informing us that this is the author’s first ever completed novel, and she had real issues getting it published. Oh joy. I’m definitely in for a thrill here.
If this was a movie, it’d be an action comedy. Or a comedy action. It had a lot of action and a lot of comedy. There were shots fired, car chases, stabbings, people getting run over, explosions, and lots of kissing. But it was interwoven with a sense of humour that kept me smiling as I turned the pages. It was the kind of humour that made you chuckle to yourself or snigger quietly as you read on the train, leaving people wondering what you’re reading or watching.
The story is told in first person by Isabel ‘Stan’ Stanley. She is hilariously self-deprecating. It’s a weird kind of humour too, because the other characters keep commenting on it, which makes sense when you’re reading, but looking back makes you realise that the author was kind of laughing at her own jokes. Never mind, I was laughing at her jokes too, so all good.
Despite all the action, despite the deaths, despite the bad guys doing bad things, it was a light hearted romp of a read, and I really enjoyed it. I’d recommend it as a perfect holiday read, something to read at the beach, or if you’ve had too much of reading dark, intense, brooding kinds of books.
I know humour is individual and you might not enjoy it the same as I did, but definitely give it a go. I was pleased I did. I gave it four stars.
Enjoyed seeing what would happen next!
This was fun. I giggled many a time. FYI – this was a clean read.
Laugh out loud funny! I’ve re-read this book 3 times!
I was cracking up – laughing out loud and couldn’t hold it in if I tried. Looking forward to reading some more of her books, hope they are as entertaining as this one.
This was a fun read. Lots of over-the-top action, but the emotional elements rang true. The characters were likable, the mystery was interesting, and the heroine was a hoot.
Fun read, great character interaction. Funny situations.