Truth, Lies, and Second Dates is a sweet and sassy contemporary romance from New York Times bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson. Captain Ava Capp has been flying from her past for a decade. She’d much rather leave it, and her home state, behind forever. But when she finds herself back in Minnesota, against her better judgment, everything goes sideways in a way she never expected it to. M.E. … she never expected it to.
M.E. Dr. Tom Baker has never forgotten Ava and the cold case she ran away from. When she shows up unexpectedly in town, in spite of himself, sparks fly. Which is terrible because he can’t stop his growing attraction to her. Can these two Type-A’s let their guards down and work together to put Ava’s tragic past behind her for good? And keep their hands off each other at the same time?
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This new to me author liked to spike her writing here with pretty much non-stop, back and forth, flippant, at times funny, often quirky banter. It didn’t matter if it was conversations between the main couple, co-workers, or anyone she met on the street, Captain Ava Capp, the heroine, kept them coming, folks. So did Dr. Tom Baker, the hero, and everyone, it seemed. At first, I was enjoying it. But like eating too much chocolate cake, too much can simply lead to being too much to digest. I started to feel like I was watching a ping pong match of words. Along with nothing significantly happening by 77%, I also found it starting to become somewhat exhausting. The pace never actually picked up that much, even by the end.
Oh, my favorite part had to be the captain of the airways pilot heroine. It was so cool to see her in action and talking FAA lingo. Not that I speak that language, mind you. Walking into her past footsteps and reliving her heroic work related rescue was icing on the cake. The calm, quiet, protective, had fighter skills, determined demeanor hero had a lot of heroine to live up to. He seemed her opposite but in a complimentary way. I did enjoy their chemistry and camaraderie. I couldn’t help but picture the face and soft spoken mannerism of the fictional character Tom Keen from The Black List, btw.
So, anyone else out there confused why the heroine was wrongly suspected/accused for a single second of committing a strange, out there, bizarre crime right after a memorial service? I just didn’t get why she’d be on anyone’s radar for that type of blame. The much more serious, previous, forefront of the whole plot, ten years in the making accusation had me baffled, as well. It just didn’t resonate or mesh with me to the point it really lowered my overall rating and enjoyment of the whole book.
The writing didn’t flow consistently all the time to the point I didn’t feel the need to hang onto every word, especially by mid-way. Meaning, I started skimming, folks. The turbulence of lack of progress in the plot, the talking in circles, and bizarre evil villain reveal had me tempted not to finish it. I did, however, but felt it morphed into a “Say what?” strange murder mystery wrap-up.
I did like seeing Ava and Tom becoming an unlikely couple. After all, it isn’t often you run into a virgin hero. Their unique personalities and skill sets set them apart but somehow complimented each other.
Title: Truth, Lies, and Second Dates, Author: Mary Janice Davidson, Pages: 320, pub date: 12/15/20, stand-alone, calm, soft spoken, protective, good guy hero, sassy mouthed cool pilot heroine, OTT strange plot backdrop with a bizarre out of the blue killer revealed, virgin hero a few years younger, no OW/OM after meeting, very slow moving plot, constant banter got tiresome, writing didn’t consistency flow some of the time, liked their chemistry and camaraderie.
(I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I was not given any payment or compensation for this review. There is no affiliation or relationship between this reviewer and the author, publisher, NetGalley, or PR firm.)
This was a hilariously funny Rom-Com-Suspense-Mystery story. I laughed, got tense, questioned, and even giggled several times. It was just the kind of book I needed to help relieve the days’ tension of my real life. I absolutely Love these kinds of books!
Truth Lies and Second Dates is a humorous mixture of romantic suspense, slap stick comedy and Quincy ME all rolled in to one.
The result is a compelling page turner which keeps you either laughing, or guessing, all the way through.
The characters are quirky and loveable, especially TBMD and I could easily see a series of crime solving novels featuring Ava, Tom and associated crew.
MaryJanice Davidson is a new-to-me author and I’ll certainly be looking out for future releases.
Finding a Killer 3.5*
Took me awhile to get into this book, and by that I mean over a third of the way through, but then I started to enjoy it. Rather than the romance or the mystery, it was the insights into being a pilot and the banter between Captain and flight crew (particularly GB) that I found the most interesting bits of this story. I would consider reading something by this author again.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
3.5*
Hannah saved the day! Or the book, as it were. I honestly don’t know that I would have enjoyed it as much if it wasn’t for the scenes she was in- she stole the show.
Truth, Lies, and Second Dates was entertaining, but it seemed to want to be too many things all at once- chick-lit, romantic suspense, cozy mystery, although it’s promoted as a contemporary romance, which threw me off. And I know (after having read the Author’s Note) that this is part of MJD’s series on tropes, but too much of something isn’t always a good thing.
Ava is still reeling from her best friend’s murder and the 10 year anniversary memorial sets off a series of events take her right back to that day. And that’s when things kind of got iffy for me. There were some fun parts, but it felt wrong to laugh at them, because ultimately this was a story about trying to find Danielle’s killer- which was apparently grisly, but the description of it was so flippant that I almost couldn’t believe what I was reading.
This book also didn’t fit as a cozy mystery because there was more of a focus on the romance than you usually find in that subgenre.
And then you have the romantic suspense aspect of it- if it wasn’t for the sometimes silly things that happened, it would have fit more under this subgenre than any, but it was too silly at times to fit.
There were some parts of this story that I did like, other than Hannah! I appreciated Ava being a strong, independent woman with a pretty kick-ass career. I thought Tom was a sweetheart and I enjoyed his addition to the story- he brought a bit of lightness to Ava. And like I said, I adored little Hannah! She was such a precocious little thing, one of the highlights of the book.
I think ultimately, for me, that Truth, Lies, and Second Dates would have actually worked out better if it had been a true romantic suspense, instead of trying to be too many things.
I’m realizing after having read this, and The Love Scam, that maybe Mary Janice Davidson’s recent books and I aren’t that compatible. (The whole footnote thing is weird to me in a contemporay novel, among other things.) I loved the books in the Undead series that I read (years and year ago), and the Fred the Mermaid series, but these current books just haven’t given me that same enjoyment.
I appreciate St. Martin’s Press giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy through Netgalley.
Truth Lies and Second Dates was hilarious! I really loved how the author took book tropes and turned them on their head! You have pilot, Ava Capp, with a man in every port. Her life changed when her best friend was murdered. She is back in Minnesota on the 10 year anniversary of her death and goes to her memorial. She ends up meeting Medical Examiner, Dr. Tom Baker and the two of them work together to solve this cold case. This was a cute book. It was super funny and also suspenseful. You won’t want to put it down. I absolutely recommend this book!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
“Truth, Lies, and Second Dates” by MaryJanice Davidson
I truly enjoyed my time within this story, although it did take me a few pages to get into the rhythm of the story. An off the wall romantic-comedy with a side of unsolved murder and author footnotes, too! I enjoyed the serious times, the off-the-wall times, and the author footnotes were enlightening or just plain fun, too. BUT, will you figure out who murdered Danielle and why, before the author lets you in on the secret? I surely did not. Happy Reading ! !
Note: I received an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley. This review reflects my honest opinion(s).
The first 20% of this book was definitely a challenge for me to read. The main character has traits that I dislike. I pushed forward and was rewarded. All of a sudden, the book changed for me! I became engrossed in the plot and honestly was in awe of how my opinion of the main character was altered. I actually began to care about her!
I enjoyed the last two-thirds of the book so much. Balanced with the beginning of the book, I am giving this book 3 stars. If I were not so persistent in trying to always complete a book, I would not have read past the few chapters, which would have been a shame.
I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read the advanced reader copy. My review is own opinion not influenced by receiving the ARC and not under an obligation to review.
Truth, Lies and Second Dates by MaryJanice Davidson is a mystery with a touch of romance, snarky dialogue, humor, insight into the world of commercial aviation and a heroine that is smart, independent and good at her job.
I hadn’t read any books by this author before this one and I was delighted to be engaged in the story from the first chapter. A smoothly paced plot, plenty of twists, no viable suspects, fiction tropes scattered throughout and the cutest genius I have ever been introduced to in a book made this an easy and fun afternoon read.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.
So, I started this book several times, thinking that I would get more into enjoying it. Unfortunately, the true enjoyment never happened. I think that was mostly because I didn’t like the flippant narrator (Ava) or the fact that the genre for the book was all over the place. It was rom-com-mystery-thriller, or at least it tried to be. Captain Ava Capp is an airline pilot with an attitude who would much rather be flying than planted somewhere with a family. It is obvious that she has relationship issues and that she likes to come across as bossy when she is really very insecure. None of the characters, however, was very well fleshed-out so I didn’t find any of them particularly likable. The romance was light, the comedy was like a single ha and the mystery about the murder of Ava’s best friend was not very satisfactory since it kept being placed on the back burner. I think that most of my disappointment came from expecting a cozy mystery with some romance mixed in and that is not what this book is. The dialog between the characters was like encoded messages with lots of parentheses to explain the conversation, all of which were very distracting to the storyline. All in all, I found the plot hard to follow and the characters too flat to like. Those who enjoy satire, which is what I really think the genre is, may enjoy it, but it was not my cup of tea (or coffee, or anything else.)
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
This was a first for me – the heroine Ava Capp is a commercial airline pilot. Then there’s the hero, Dr. Tom Baker who is a medical examiner. What an unlikely match-up. Made for a different romance read for me. I liked the two main characters This was an interesting read but not my usual fare.
I received the Advanced Reader Copy from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an honest review.
A lighthearted and fun story. Ava is a pilot who is living the life she wants. She is bubbly and uses humor to hide a complicated past. Tom is the M. E. In the town she grew up. He is handsome, smart and a klutz. The two are working together to solve the10 year murder of Ava’s best friend while falling in love. The author keeps the story rolling with laugh out loud humor, movie references and airline insider jokes that will delight the reader. Tom’s niece, G.B. And the other characters add extra depth and flavor to the story and makes it even more interesting.
This was a fun rom-com with a cast of characters that were all as entertaining as the other. Each one was unique, quirky, hysterical, and lovable. The one character that was the “adult” in the group was Tom’s niece who was a small child genius and I loved her more than any of the others.
While Ava and Tom are definitely the main characters, the romance was on the light side but the humor carried the story enough so that element wasn’t missed too terribly much. Watching Ava and Tom try to solve the mystery was more fun than suspenseful. I found myself trying to figure out who, what and how so I could get a jump on the reveal, but I was unsuccessful.
This has a fast pace, lots of one liners that had me laughing out loud, and a slow burn romance. This is written in a style that isn’t my normal go to read, with what often bordered on what I consider immature humor. Normally, I would regret this choice but these characters were so likable I couldn’t help but enjoy this book in every way.
I’m always on the lookout for new authors, so when the opportunity to read Truth, Lies, and Second Dates arose, I jumped at the chance. Also, the story’s premise was one I had yet to experience, increasing my excitement. Unfortunately, not only did the book disappoint, but I’m still trying to figure out its genre. And it wasn’t as if I tried to make an effort to relate to the author’s third-person narrative or connect to her protagonists, but I do wish I had liked it more.
To begin with, I had trouble trying to figure out who was who. New characters seemed to be popping up left, right and centre which on reflection, kind of made sense since the first couple of scenes is where one would expect to meet an assemblage of people. As the plot thickened, more players were thrown into the mix, this time falling into place. The dialogue—I’m a fiend for it, can never get enough and if the wordplay is engaging, I’m sold. I can’t dispute that there wasn’t a lack of wit and quirky comebacks; however, moments of convoluted conversation overwhelmed me. To be fair, Davidson’s writing style is one I’m not familiar with. Her sentence structure is unusual, her annotations at the end of the chapters interesting.
Ava Capp is a dilemma! She’s likeable, earned the respect of her peers and not overly judgemental because she considers everything. More importantly, she’s attentive. But some of her actions didn’t convince me. Her relationship with Tom Backer whom I liked a lot is confusing. I expected scorching hot chemistry. You know, romance at its best…when the heroine and hero can’t keep their hands off each other. That fell a tad flat. Hmm…this book, nonetheless, is the least expected parody I’ve read in a long while.
I would have liked less mundane thoughts and a stronger course that hadn’t travelled in all directions. Having said that, I’ll definitely be reading more of this author’s books.
Advanced copy gratefully received from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
4.25/5
I think I can truly say that I’ve never read a book like this one. The author (new-to-me) explains in the Author’s Note that this is a book about tropes…specifically romance/horror tropes, and all 60(!) of them are listed at the end of the book. This is a rom-com/horror/mystery that is FULL of snarky humor…laugh-out-loud humor. It reminds me a bit of the Airplane!/Scary Movie films but not as patently silly.
The plot centers around Ava Capp, a pilot captain (Captain Capp), who is a tough, woman-of-the-world who hides her teenage scars (from the murder of her best friend) through snarky humor and running away. She and a sexy, socially inexperienced medical examiner embark on a quest to find the killer-at-large who might be targeting Ava.
Hijinks and a cast of quirky characters make this an enjoyable ride. My only personal complaint was the amount of foul language which I think could have been toned back a bit (however it somewhat plays into the plot of the story).
Anyone enjoying a light, tongue-in-cheek, humorous romp will enjoy this.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for providing me the ARC. The opinions are wholly my own.
This is my second book by this author and OMG I just love her style! I feel that the story flows well and I love the “snarkiness” in the dialogue. If these characters were real-life people; I would love to meet them.
Capt. Ava Capp is currently a commercial pilot. Like the stereotypical pilot/navy personnel; she has “a guy in every port” kind of thing. She has no desire to settle down or actually “date”. She hates her home state of Minnesota for various reasons. 10 years ago her best friend was brutally murdered. Ava meets the local M.E., Dr. Tom Baker by chance; while back in her home town and attending the anniversary memorial. He is intrigued by the unsolved murder of her friend. One of his theories is that her friend wasn’t the target, Ava was….
Great story!
OMG! What a fun read! Truth, Lies, And Second Dates is a magnificent contemporary romance by MaryJanice Davidson. Ms. Davidson has given readers a well-written book filled with characters that are sassy, quirky and make this book a joy to read. Captain Ava Capp is an airline pilot trying to think of a reason to avoid going to the ten year memorial of her best friend’s murder. Tom helps Ava get her drunk friend from the bar to the hotel. When Ava is called back to the funeral home the next morning, she’s shocked to find her helper from the previous night there, and he’s her alibi and the medical examiner. Tom and Ava’s story is packed with drama, humor, sizzle. I laughed all the way through this book and look forward to reading more from MaryJanice Davidson. As an added bonus to this terrific book, we get to meet Tom’s niece Hannah and her grandfather Abe. This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
MaryJanice Davidson is a new author to me.
I liked female pilot idea.
The story was ok for me. I think my expectation for book was higher.
This was a quirky little book. I thought Ava was a bit ditzy for a pilot and a bit of a sex maniac. The dialogue was all over the place and I found it a bit tedious at times.
I was expecting something else from this book, maybe more light hearted. I thought it was just ok
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy
3.5 Stars…
I was actually torn between 3 & 3.5 stars for this rating. I ended up generously awarding the latter. Truth, Lies and Second Dates had the potential to be a five star read for me. Unfortunately, I didn’t love it, didn’t connect nor did I feel the writing was smooth. The pace was slow in my opinion. At least the first half of the book felt that way. This book is 320 pages but it felt like much more.
From the synopsis, I inferred the story to be different from what it was. The premise was explained well enough but the execution didn’t work for me. To be honest, I expected a darker tone. Ava, one of the main characters, was too sarcastic for me to take seriously; and her humor made me cringe during certain conversations. There is a time and a place for everything. This author didn’t feel that way. As a result, I wasn’t laughing all the time. The dialogue between characters was okay, but at times I had to re-read paragraphs because I could not follow along. Several times, I wondered if I missed some vital information because too many aspects didn’t make sense. Another aspect that interrupted my reading flow was the inserts of definitions at the end of each chapter and way too many parenthesis throughout the text. Also, the sudden switches in POV were another issue I had with flow. This book was very busy.
At some point after 30%, I ignored the monotony and decided if I wanted to like this book at all, I would view this story as a murder mystery and not a romantic comedy, as well as ignore the numerous onslaught of tropes. While the romance aspect ended up being cute, I didn’t feel this book was romance. That’s ok, though because I knew going in that the author was integrating many tropes; unfortunately that just didn’t work for me. But thankfully, one stood out so I focused on that. The “who done it” aspect. And to my delight and surprise, I didn’t see the end coming. Nor was I able to guess the murderer until that moment of resolution. I warn you now, there is no foreshadowing in this book. Situations just spontaneously arise. That said, regarding the climax, or my view on it, it was rushed. I had to re-read part of that final scene a few times.
To sum this review up, I didn’t hate the book. While there were parts of the writing I didn’t connect with, there were a few that I delighted in. This author took the dark undertone from the main focus and wrote characters with intellect, witticism, flaws, outrageousness and created an original story. Truth, Lies, and Second Dates, was most definitely something I have never read before. Nor have I read this author before. You cannot take this book seriously.
I want to close this review with one thought. If you are researching this book, deciding if you will read it, don’t look too deeply into the reviews. There are many mixed feelings about this book. Some loved it, some hated it and like me, some thought is was okay. We all have different preferences when we chose a book and while this book didn’t resonate with me in a fully posiitve light, you may love it.
This is my honest and unbiased review and I thank you for taking the time to read it. 🙂