The happiest day of Payton Lambert’s life was the day she graduated high school and watched Bald Knob, Kentucky get smaller and smaller in her rearview mirror. She wanted more for her life than a tiny town where everyone knows your business and you can’t find a decent cup of coffee for at least forty miles. Twelve years later, an unexpected phone call in the middle of the night has her packing up … up her life in Chicago and racing back home to the one person she ever regretted leaving behind.
Upon her return, she sees that Leo Hudson, the scrawny boy who followed Payton around like a puppy and could recite cow insemination facts in his sleep, is long gone. Leo is still hot on her heels, but now he’s wearing a sheriff badge and dead set on solving a murder that may or may not involve Payton…along with half the town. In a place where the biggest crime happened the day someone kicked a few of his cows, people are pointing fingers, rumors are spreading like wildfire, and Payton swears she’s only making out with the sweet-talking, studly sheriff to distract him from the secrets she’s keeping.
When you’ve been tased, peed on by a yippy dog named Bo Jangles, and can’t stop picturing what Sheriff Hudson looks like naked, it will be a tough job making everyone agree that…Jed had to die.
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$0.99 sale on Tara Sivec’s standalone, romantic comedy/mystery!
The perfect mash-up of romantic comedy and cozy mystery.
$0.99 sale on Tara Sivec’s standalone, romantic comedy/mystery!
SO FUNNY – LOVE ALL OF TARA’S BOOKS
This is a laugh out loud story of small town life and what happens when one of its most prominent citizens is found dead.
Not everything or everyone is what they seem in Bald Nob. But you’ll enjoy the mystery and crazy characters who make this story a funny and entertaining read.
Find out who did it. You won’t be sorry.
Audio Review from March 2019
This book was hilarious! Literally laughing out loud like 90% percent of the book!
The narrator (Amy McFadden) was simply perfection also!!
DNF @ 40%
While I love Amy McFadden & she’s the whole reason I purchased this. Well, OK, it’s was 80% McFadden, 15% because I enjoy OTT funny, & 5% it was on sale on Kobo.
I guess I’m in the minority here, but this just isn’t working for me. This might be spoilery – I don’t think so, but stop here if you want to be absolutely certain not to encounter them.
1. I don’t enjoy future/past back & forth. Every other chapter is a time jump. Sometimes it works for me – but it just didn’t here. This is definitely a personal preference and not a knock to the author.
2. I have a hard time reconciling the serious subject of domestic violence with OTT humor. Especially when it’s witnessed by law enforcement and they do nothing about it … because reasons?
I get funny elements or convos in dark books – that’s not what this was though.
3. Payton was not a likeable character for me. At all. She’s rude, judgmental, self-centered, destructive, etc and it’s supposed to be funny because she hasn’t had enough coffee. Or because she was drunk when she did it. She basically vacillates between the two for the entire story up to the point I quit.
She’s 30 (best I can tell from the math of “she left right after graduation and she hasn’t been home in 12 years). Outside of owning a supposedly wildly popular because it’s not a chain coffee shop (that’s… becoming a chain?) in Chicago – she’s hasn’t matured since 18yo.
Her best friend was just beaten so bad she was hospitalized and all Payton can talk about is a “hot guy” she saw for like a minute. It’s joke after joke after joke about the “hot guy”.
4. RomCom? It’s more like a Murder mystery with one sided attraction to a person she barely used to know each other 12 years ago. Then remembering all the ways he was a “nerd”. I want to want the MCs to get together. I just didn’t.
(Psst: Leo. Run. Run now. The crush your 20yo self had was entirely misguided.)
I almost kept going because I was actually more interested in whether something would blossom between Deputy Lloyd & Emma Jo. But I was too annoyed by Payton.
Small towns are notorious for being close, but filled with gossip. And this one is no different. Coming home after 12 years wasn’t in the plans, but when an old friend is in the hospital with questionable injuries, Peyton can’t ignore the pull from her heart.
This book is filled with memorable characters, delightful one-liners, and so much love it ought to be illegal. By far the most precious character is Bettie, but every single character will endear themselves to you in one way or another.
The twist in the book is mildly sad, but with Tara Sivec’s talent for always finding the humor, it all works out. I loved this story so much. From start to finish, these characters and their stories were an absolute delight. You will feel the down home, good vibes are you fly through these pages.
And if anyone doesn’t like this book, they can go eat a piece of blueberry pie.
I have got to say this was a hilarious book. Town of Bald Knob and the people that live there are completely crazy.
The characters are just something else including Payton and her close friends.
I listened to the audio version and was busting up at multiple times.
Payton has to come back to her home town even though she would rather never return.
You get to go along trying to figure out who murdered Jed (good riddance) while laughing throughout.
The way Leo treats Payton just makes you want to swoon. Makes you just fall in love with nerd turned hottie.
It’s the funny, man.
Normally it’s that sappy, angsty, gritty, gut-wrenching stuff I would dole out five stars too.
But this is definitely not that. I gave this five stars because it’s funny as sh@t. It’s a great palate cleanser if you’ve read one of those aforementioned tropes. I mean the friends you can call @ssholes in a loving way are the best kind of friends.
Read this book. You will feel infinitely better about any and everything.
Jed Had to Die by Tara Sivec and narrated by Amy McFadden is a fun, witty, romantic novel about a murdered abusive husband who is the town mayor. The abused wife had called her friend she hadn’t seen in 12 years to come see her. They start drinking and make a poisoned pie. The abused is never in the house after they made the pie!
The sheriff is a friend of the woman and is angry at the abuser. The abuser is found dead the next day in the back yard. Who did it and how? The small town rumors are hilarious! They grow with each retelling!
It has a hot sheriff too! Things get so crazy in here and funny! Love all the silly things that go one.
Great narration too!
I loved this funny quirky story. I’ve had it on my TBR for quite a while and I’m so glad I moved it up to join a group read. It is an awesome and entertaining audiobook to listen to.
“How the hell did you get in here?”
High-five to me for managing to spit that out instead of “Can I lick your forearms and let you bench-press my body above your head?”
-4.5 Stars-
$0.99 sale on Tara Sivec’s standalone, romantic comedy/mystery!
This is one of my absolute favorites from Tara, and it’s currently ON SALE!!!
$0.99 sale on Tara Sivec’s standalone, romantic comedy/mystery!
At first I didn’t get the flow or style of writing but after a few chapters I got the ghist of what the author was trying to express. That small town cliche & humour eventually did me in as some chapters are interviews with mainly the locals regarding Jed’s death.
First of all Jed is Emma Jo’s husband but I won’t divulge the circumstances of their relationship but it adds that bit of sadness & drama to that otherwise witty storyline. Then we have Payton, the poor girl couldn’t win a trick with all the innuendo she has to face but she was strong & went with it. She was doomed from the start as soon as she stepped back in Bald Knob.
The locals are a hoot & of course there’s the annoying canine Bo Jangles, who is a character in his own right. You can’t forget Leo, the one Payton didn’t recognise who has to be the middle man in all the drama. However together these two ignite the sheets.
Underneath all the humour there is more to the story so it has a bit of everything a reader would enjoy. I suppose the humour isn’t for everyone but it certainly did it for me – enjoy!
Truly amazing!!!! In true Tara-style this book was full of hysterical snort-out-loud moments that had me crying tears of joy and swooning. Besides the crazy moments, this story was heartwarming and showed the true meaning of love and friendship – someone who is there for you without questions and stands by you through all of the bad and good times. I can’t beleive I waited so long to read this one; don’t wait like I did if you haven’t yet read this…..it’s a MUST READ!!!!!
For Payton Lambert – leaving her hometown was such a blessing. Heading to the windy city of Chicago offered the chance to live life on her own terms. Running her own coffee shop leaves Payton the freedom of never bending to others. Then she received a call that would pull her back to the one place she never expected.
Standing beside your best friend is a sacred oath. One that has you jumping at a moments notice if you are ever called upon. It’s something that Payton took seriously. When she received a call that a friend was in harms way, Payton headed back to Kentucky to rush to Emma Jo’s side. What Payton quickly discovers is Kentucky is not on board with her unfiltered mouth. Even more concerning is the way the town never forgets anything from the past, which includes a reputation that Payton just can’t seem to shake.
Life in Small Town, USA was never appealing to Payton. It’s worse now that she is the center of all the town gossip. It routinely lands her front and center with the Sherriff. Payton is surprised to discover that the Sherriff is none other than Leo Hudson. A blast from the past that is so far from the nerd she once remembers. This handsome hunk still has a thing for Payton, and the feeling is become harder and harder for Payton to ignore.
When Payton’s friend from Chicago – Bettie – joins the ladies in Kentucky, things in this small town just got a little more interesting. Armed with coffee, wine, big mouths, and baking supplies…..this trio finds themselves embroiled in a mystery that everyone is ‘dying’ to solve. After all…..we all know that Jed Had To Die!
What a wildly insane ride these characters will lead readers on!! A small town murder with escapades that will have you laughing until you cry and flipping the pages faster than a raccoon can steal a pie! Twist a little second chance romance in the mix and this is one ‘ride’ you don’t want to miss. Make sure you have a little wine and pie handy…..or better yet….pour a cup of coffee and enjoy. Discover the secrets in this town surrounding why Jed had to die!!
Goodness what a funny book, once I started I couldn’t put it down, just one thing after another with Payton and Emma Jo. Can’t believe it took me this long to read it, I loved this book!!
I cannot begin to tell you how much fun I had reading this. Seriously entertaining and hilarious, I wrote hahahahaaaa in my notes way to many times. Right from the start I was smiling and lost in the story.