The Love Scam is a sweet and sassy romantic comedy from New York Times bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson. Rake Tarbell is in trouble. When the fabulously wealthy and carefree bachelor wakes up horribly hungover in Venice, it’s not something that would normally be a problem…except he has no idea how he got there from California. Or who stole his wallet. Or who emptied his bank account of … who emptied his bank account of millions. Or who in the world is Lillith, the charming little girl claiming to be his long lost daughter. For the first time in his life, Rake is on his own and throwing Benjamins around aren’t going to solve his problem. Now if only the gorgeous, fun, and free-spirited woman who brought Lillith into his life was willing to help the situation…
Claire Delaney finds Rake’s problems hilarious and is not in the least bit sorry of adding to them by bringing Lillith into the mix. A pretty Midwestern girl with a streak for mischief, Claire isn’t the type to hang around with a guy like Rake. Even if he is drop-dead handsome and charming as all get-out. Even if he needs help and she has all the answers. But if this helps Lillith, she will go out of her way. And with a guy like Rake, she’s willing to bend her rules a bit for some fun.
But when adventure-filled days turn to romantic nights as they search for answers, and someone starts following them through the streets of Venice, Claire realizes she’s playing more than just a game. And maybe, just maybe, she isn’t willing to let go of Rake or Lillith just yet.
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I so enjoyed this book. Now, I will grant that at first, since I was reading an ARC, I thought it was in need of some major editing, but then I realized she was writing that way on purpose. It took a little bit of time to get used to seeing Rake’s inner monologue especially with weird exclamations, etc., however once I did, I loved it. His inner thoughts were hilarious and it was so refreshing for a book to be told from the hero’s POV. There are plenty of shenanigans in this book to keep you guessing throughout and then Claire having to tell the things he did pre-hangover was so funny too. He did vomit a bit too much though (not all hangover related). His twin is the exact opposite and although there is his story to be told, it does have me wondering how to make him funny. I believe the author can do it though. Lillith, Rake’s possible daughter, was a delight and I just wish there could have been a bit more of her in the book. Overall, great book! Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC for an honest review.
2.5*
Chapter 2 of The Love Scam starts out Ten confusing minutes later… and if that wasn’t a fitting reflection of how I felt pretty much the entire time I was reading…
Even though it’s been quite a few years since I’ve read a MaryJanice Davidson book, I was pretty surprised when I went to GR to mark this as “currently reading” to see it had such a low rating. I remember really enjoying the books I had read, I even own some in paperback. Sadly, after finishing The Love Scam, I can understand the low rating and less than stellar reviews.
While I did end up enjoying the story, at least the ending when things kind of came together, it took a little getting there and I’m still confused about some things. I feel like chapters 1 and 2 should have been the prologue because I’m not sure how they fit, even after going back this morning and reading them again. I don’t know if they would have worked if I read the first book, but they just didn’t make sense to me and I’m still at a loss as to what’s going on with Rake and Blake’s mother. The whole point of them needing to get together to call her the next day- where did that fit in? It was weird to have the prologue take place in current time, jump to the past for a couple of chapters, and then right back to where the prologue left off.
The Love Scam had the potential to be a fun, escapism type read, but ultimately failed a bit short. There were bits and pieces that I liked (Lillith) and found entertaining (some of Rake’s inner ramblings), but overall there were just too many things that didn’t add up or come together. Apparently this book and Danger, Sweetheart, the first book, run concurrently, so maybe if I had read that first I wouldn’t have been as lost as I was, but when I requested the book on NetGalley there was no mention of it being a part of a series so I figured The Love Scam was safe to read on its own, and that’s on me.
*Side note- Ms. Davidson says in her Author’s Note that she wanted to write a love letter about love and tropes, and she included an index of “tropes” at the end of the book. Are “Hero is handsome” and “Heroine is beautiful” really tropes, especially in contemporary romance?!? And what was the reasoning for the 000 after each item?
It took me a while to get into the plot and characters in this book. The author’s style of commenting and footnoting was different and took me a while to get used to it. The characters were quirky but interesting. There was humor and the story pacing was pretty good. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I was lucky enough to win an advanced copy of this from the author herself, as I follow (read: stalk) her Facebook page on the regular.
It’s clear that anyone who rated this lower than 4 stars, especially based on the writing style or comedic characters, has never read a book from MaryJanice Davidson before. She has the uncanny ability to create characters that I’d want to throttle if I knew them in person, but can’t help but love and laugh at on the page.
This was a highly entertaining read, so much so, that I sped through it on a single afternoon. I was desperate to figure out the mystery of Rake’s misfortune, Lillith’s parentage, and Delaney’s motivations. It was a slow, and hilarious, crawl to the burn between Rake and Delaney, and the payoff was sooo worth it. I loved their interactions, both between each other and little miss Lillith, and felt the story tumbled at a great pace before its grand reveal at the end.
Predicable? Absolutely. Loved every minute of it. But I also shamelessly binge her Alaskan Royals trilogy whenever I need the comfort of a good, clean and contented laugh.
Rake Tarbell is in trouble. When the fabulously wealthy and carefree bachelor wakes up horribly hungover in Venice, it’s not something that would normally be a problem . . . except he has no idea how he got there from California. Or who stole his wallet. Or who emptied his bank account of millions. Or who in the world is Lillith, the charming little girl claiming to be his long lost daughter.
Claire Delaney finds Rake’s problems hilarious and is not in the least bit sorry of adding to them by bringing Lillith into the mix. A pretty Midwestern girl with a streak for mischief, Rake is not the kind of man Claire hangs around with. When adventure-filled days turn to romantic nights as they search for answers, and someone starts following them through the streets of Venice.
This is the first book I’ve read by the author & I found it to be a well written book which took me into a genre I don’t normally read but I must admit after I got passed the start of the book (I nearly gave up) I found it to be an enjoyable romp. The characters have depth & whilst I did like them I didn’t love them. For me it was an ideal beach read the could be dipped into over a few days & whilst I did eventually enjoy it it wasn’t a captivating read for me
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an advance reader copy of this story.
The Love Scam, by MaryJanice Davidson, will be available at booksellers on 8-4-2020. Scam is the follow up book to Danger, Sweetheart published in 2016. Scam follows the story of Rake Tarbell, the useless playboy twin of Blake from Danger. It’s important to read the author’s note, it tells about how the story is set up and who the female lead is based on, yuck. It colored my view of the entire book. I think every trope in existence has been used, on purpose, and it doesn’t benefit the story. The only character in the entire story I cared for was Lillith, the little girl. There’s supposed to be a big mystery but by the time it was reveled it made no sense. I’m giving points for Rake’s snappy dialog, he’s actually very funny.
#MaryJaniceDavidson #Netgalley #StMartin’sGriffin #Macmillan #contemporaryromance #romance
A terrifyingly hilarious story. Rake wakes up drunk and broke in Venice. The author spins a tale of how his week unwinds with his rescuer Delaney, and maybe daughter, Lilith. As he tries to figure out what happened to him and who is after them they get into all kinds of out of this world conversations. The verbiage of the story is laugh out loud outlandish as Rake constantly has conversations with himself as he tries to figure out what the hell is going on. Lilith is a delightful character who always pops up with the best comebacks. In the end Delaney and Rake fall into bed and a insta family is formed.
This is my first book by this author and my last too. It was a really hard read for me. If I hadn’t received and ARC of this book I would never have finished it. I feel I owe Net galley that much. I hate to give bad reviews but sometimes I just have too.
The details on this book sounded like a really good story, Rich playboy bachelor, gets drunk end up in Venice from California not knowing how. Has lost all of his millions alone with his passport and clothes. Meet woman who seems to know what happened to him. She also has a cute kid with her which might be his or not.. Unfortunately, somehow it all went wrong.
First there are to two prologues one about Rake Tarbell the bachelor who get drunk and finds himself in Venice. The second is about someone else who you don’t know or isn’t in the book till the end.
There is a lot of Italian quotes in this book, the footnotes letting you know what was said are at the end of the chapter, not under what is being said, so you either have to guess what is going on or flip to the end of chapter to see what was said. It is very annoying.
I read a lot of books on many different types but this one is full, like every page full of cussing and language not fit for anywhere but used in front of a kid. But Rake is sure to tell he is sorry . Lillith the drunks could be daughter was the only good thing in this book. She is smart, cute and wise beyond her years.
The woman who is supposed to be helping him has lots of secrets, and ghosts from her past being in the foster care system. She is either a blackmailer or a modern-day Robin Hood.
There is so much going on with Rake trying to figure out what happened to him. He is always talking to his twin in his head too. Claire Delaney the women who is there for him, who is up to lots of things, the women with her who know more then they say. His mother’s story and of course the Grandmother too.
This book is hard to figure out and keep up with. It was supposed to be a funny romance but I just could not find anything funny about everything going on.
If you like cussing, lots of talking about sex mostly in their heads then actual sex scenes and a plot that is hard to follow this is the book for you. I can’t believe it has some high reviews. I would save your money and pick another book. This is my honest opinion and am giving it voluntarily.
The Love Scam is a cute read. It is a little bit confusing at first and I found it hard to really get into. Then the story opened up and you get more from Rake and Claire (Delaney). You will giggle at times when it comes to Rake and the situations he faces. I love the added mystery on top of the mystery of why Rake is where he is. There are a few lessons to be learned and it is fun watching Rake grow up finally. I gave this one 3 stars only because it took awhile for me to really get into this one and really enjoy it. I loved this one by the end though so it is worth taking a chance on.
The good storyline and the well rounded characters grabbed my attention from the start and wouldn’t let me go until the turn of the very last page!
When a book starts out with a prologue, and then another prologue, a reader gets her first clue that this isn’t your average, ordinary book. I’ve read other books by this writer and her trademark humor and snark are alive and well, making for some lively scenes and exchanges.
My problem with this one is twofold. First, the style of interrupting the reading flow wore old quickly. It was cute the first few times, but then it just jarred me out of the zone and zapped my interest. The footnotes also had the same effect. By the time I got to them at the end of the chapter, I had to search back to find out what they referred to. The other issue is the book really dragged for me during the first half, which may be due to the unorthodox style that I never really got used to.
I’ve really enjoyed this writer’s other books and would highly recommend them. This one, while it had quirky, endearing characters and a great storyline, was just more effort than I want to expend in my escapism reading.
Almost feels like a 1950’s movie!
There are really two stories the The Love Scam. The first explaining Rake Tarbell’s relationship with his twin brother Blake and then another story at the same time starting with a drunk Rake Tarbell falling into a canal in Venice Italy. He is rescued by Claire Delaney that introduces him to his daughter Lillith that he never knew about, and doubts is his. Then Rake finds out he is broke and can’t buy his way out of trouble like he normally does, and it leads to all sorts of new problems for Rake to figure out. It rally feels like a 1950’s movie where not everything is as seems.
The Love Scam is connected to Danger, Sweetheart which is about Rake twin brother Blake.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Love Scam is the second book in Mary Janice Davidson’s Danger series. Rake Tarbell is a free wheeling, fun loving, heavy drinking, life of the party, under 30 millionaire. When he awakens extremely hungover in a hotel, he finds his clothes and goes to figure out where he is and seek out some crackers and ginger ale. What he finds is a fall into a Venice, Italy, canal, and a beautiful woman with a child in tow she claims is his. He also finds his wallet gone, his phone at the bottom of the canal, no hotel key or idea where he had been, and is soaking wet and covered in the waste of the canal.
The lovely lady, Claire Delaney, takes pity on him and allows him to come to her hotel, take a shower, have a meal, and sleep on a pull out sofa. She also has him help her with some charitable projects while he tries to figure out how it is that all his credit cards had been cancelled and his bank accounts drained.
Getting very ill from his dunk in the canal, his daughter Lilith takes care of him and they bond. When some strange man tries to kidnap her in the hotel hallway, he stops it in a most dramatic way, saving Lilith, who just me be his salvation.
This is a very quirky and unusual tale with an understory and unexpected turns in events! In fact, in the beginning I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. But once I was invested I found it to be worth every moment I spent reading it! I did enjoy this book and I do recommend it!
***I received an ebook copy from the publisher at no cost***
I’ve never read anything by Davidson before but after reading The Love Scam, she gained a reader in me.
Rake wakes up with a killer hangover and no clue where he is. After discovering he’s in Venice (Italy), he crosses paths with Delaney, who knows him, yet Rake has no clue who she is. Thus begins what turns out to be an emotional and hysterical ride of a story.
The writing style in this book is great! At first I didn’t know if I was going to like it, but after a few chapters I couldn’t stop reading. I love how the inner monologues are sprinkled throughout the story and how a lot of the writing is in the style of how the characters talk.
Rake is hilarious. He’s cocky and he can be a bit of a whiner at times, but he’s got a killer sense of humor, he’s loyal to a fault, and deep down he’s a genuinely good guy who cares. It was touching to see him with Lillith and to watch that relationship blossom and grow. I think that of all the characters in the book, Rake morphed and grew the most. He earned a spot on my list of top book boyfriends in 2020.
Delaney is fantastic as well. She doesn’t take crap from anyone, least of all Rake. She’s guarded and hilarious. She has a close-knit group of friends who connected through their unfortunate past circumstances. She’s got big dreams and they all center on helping others, which I found admirable. It was fun to watch her and Rake and see the connection between the two of them. If I’m being honest, they seemed like a good pair from the minute that Delaney found him in the canal outside his hotel. There’s a slow burn between them though, and that worked out perfectly well.
There’s a lot going on in this book. There’s the main plot involving Rake, Lillith, and Delaney, and then there’s another plot with some randoms who are following the group and seem to have ill intentions. I liked that I was kept guessing and I was so invested the book that I literally didn’t want to put it down. I read it in a single day and was craving more of all these characters.
This is easily one of my favorite reads this year. Davidson nailed the romcom aspect and had me laughing out loud throughout a lot of the story. I loved the plot, which was unique, fast-paced, and fill of surprises that I wasn’t expecting. The characters are great, the writing is great, and I can see this being a book I end up reading over and over again.
Also, Davidson has another book — Danger, Sweetheart — that takes place during the same time this book does, only it features Blake (Rake’s brother). I one-clicked that one as soon as I could and can’t wait to dive into that brother’s story.
Five stars to this novel!
This book had more twists and turns and everyone was keeping secrets which added to the confusion. This was my first book by this author and while I liked it and it can stand on its own, I would recommend reading Danger, Sweetheart first as there are a few references made to that book. This book is mainly about Delaney, Rake and Lillith. Delaney is sort of hired to find Lillith’s father now that Lillith’s mother is dead. Rake has the possibility of being Lillith’s father and he is a millionaire playboy. Rake really should not drink as it just seems to get him into trouble, in this case, he wakes up in an unknown hotel in an unknown city and doesn’t figure it out until he falls into a canal. Delaney and Lillith come across him (not the first encounter for Delaney) as he is climbing out of the canal and after giving Rake her card and telling him where she is staying and that Lillith might be his daughter, Delaney takes off. Rake’s first thought is to find a phone as his disappeared into the canal and Lillith helps him to borrow one. Rake then learns that his bank account has been wiped out and he is basically penniless. It soon becomes apparent that he is going to need more help from Delaney, so he and Lillith track her down. The more they all learn about each other, the more questions that are raised. It gets even more wild when you throw in Delaney’s friends, a gazillion Easter baskets, Rake’s mom & his twin brother and the nuclear option. This story will lead you on a merry chase, but I believe it is all worth it once you reach the end and learn the whole truth.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and St. Martin’s Griffin I was allowed to read an ARC of this book. This is my freely given review of the book and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
This was such an entertaining book. It isn’t a romance in the true sense of a romance novel as romance plays only a small part in the story dynamic. The story is very well written with good flow and some very good comedic timing. There is a mystery element to it as well. It all meshes so well together. The humor mixed with the mystery, to me, is reminiscent of Lisa Lutz’s Spellmans series. The main characters, Claire Delaney and Rake Tarbell are complete opposites. He’s an entitled rich playboy without a care in the world and she’s a self-employed private investigator of sorts. She has learned to mainly rely on herself and not trust others; to a certain extent. Then throw into the mix a precocious child, that might be his, and things get even more interesting. This was such a good book, I would definitely recommend it.
Wow! Just Wow! This is the first MaryJanice Davidson book I’ve read and now I have to read more just to see if they’re all this wacky! It was beyond confusing at the beginning but stick with it-it’s worth it. The characters are a trip and the plot all over the place but I loved it!
“The Love Scam” by Mary Janice Davidson
I received an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley. Otherwise, I might not have finished this story and that would have been a shame. You see it took me several chapters to finally get hooked on the characters and their unraveling story. If I had not persevered, I would have missed a fun read. The 4-star rating is for my late connection to the story which may very well just have been myself and not the story. Happy Reading ! !
3 1/2 Stars
The Love Scam by MaryJanice Davidson was a fun yet complex read. As the hero Rake Tarbell caught up with what all was going on so did I. The heroine, Claire Delaney had her act together as she “babysat” Rake while falling for him. I liked the reference to “the nuclear option” when Rake and twin brother Blake found themselves penniless – temporarily. One of the best parts of the story was Lillith, the super-smart, very mature young girl who is a major part of the story.
What a LOL Rom Com, filled with all kinds of antics, adventures and falling in love whether you tell yourself not to or not.
I received an invitation to read and review from the publisher using NetGalley and this is my honest opinion!!