RATING: ★★★☆☆
TITLE: The Love Scam
AUTHOR: Maryjanice Davidson
RELEASE DATE: August 4, 2020
SETTING: Venice
PUBLISHER: St. Martin’s Griffin
GENRE(S): Contemporary Romance, Humor, Mystery
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my DRC in exchange for my honest review.
BLURB
A sweet and sassy contemporary romance 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 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, Rake is not the kind of man Claire hangs around with. 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.
More like 2.75 stars…
This was super scattered in the writing. I get that I read an uncorrected copy, but I have a feeling that even a fully edited, finished copy would be the same sort of haphazard, random writing style. Aside from how unbelievably long it took me to get used to that, this story was strange and funny and actually very sweet.
Rake wakes up in a hotel room he doesn’t recognize COMPLETELY hungover. He has no idea where he is or what has happened. Soon, he discovers he is in Venice… only when he accidentally falls into the sludge filled waters of the Grand Canal. Standing before him when he pulls himself from the water is a woman and a small child, whom she claims he is the father of.
From there, it is just a mishmash of crazy events and lots of vomiting. A lot of very funny things are said, mostly by Rake who is like an adorable puppy. He lives the life of luxury but his bank accounts have all been bled dry. He doesn’t know how this sweet child could be his. He has to backtrack to find out what happened to him… Along the way, he falls for the woman, Delaney… This was a really bizarre book that I am really unsure if I enjoyed or not. And, because of that, this is the most non-concise review I think I have ever written.
feather bound books 