Pretend I'm Not Here

Rating:
Summary: Not really a romantic suspense
Review: Although I generally liked this book, I'm not sure why it was categorized as a "Romantic Suspense" instead of just "Fiction".

The heroine, Ashley, stumbles into a den of intrigue when she finds a dead body in the course of chaperoning the winners of a dating game show. She then splits her time between getting *way* too involved in trying to figure out what actually happened (and jumping to an awful lot of wrong concludions on the way) and trying to convince people that she *didn't* murder the guy.

Overall, the writing was fairly witty and gripping. It was told from the first person, which worked very well for this character, and allowed the reader to know only what Ashley knew. At times the plot really did seem to drag. Several times I thought I had everything figured out, when I realized there was more than half of the book left. But the main character was quite charming, and very self-aware of her own flaws, which made her all the more endearing.

However, I fail to see how this is categorized as a romance. The whole story is spent *chasing* the hero. They spend all of 6 or 8 *hours* together. From what little the reader knows of him, he seems like a good guy. HOwever, there is very little development of him or their relationship. I would instead classify this as a murder mystery or a suspense novel which happens to have a *small* element of romance.

Rating:
Summary: Surprising Gem
Review: Gavaler is a fine technician of the language, has an eye for detail, a keen sense of humor, a snappy writing style. I loved his characters, especially Ashley, the heroine. But they are all well drawn. Like other reviewers I believe the book was mis-categorized. It's light on the romance (not necessarily a bad thing)and heavy on action and derring-do. I enjoyed the plot's twists and turns. Mystery/thriller better describes this book. Shouldn't it have been issued as a hardback, rather than a checkout counter book? It is surely at least as good as most thrillers published these days.

All in all a worthy first effort. I'd like to see more from this author.

Rating:
Summary: Witty and fun
Review: I don't usually read romantic suspense novels, but after I started this I had to stay up late to finish it. Ashley is a chaperone for a dating game whose winners travel to the Virgin Islands. Through a series of mistaken identities, Ashley unwittingly gets caught up in a scheme involving murder, extortion, and journalism. There are just the right number of plot twists. The writing is witty and fun.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable
Review: I'm proud to say that I finished this book in two days.

I find this book to be very enjoyable and Ashley is a very likable character. There's not much romance but I think it is enough as this book focuses more on suspense rather than romance.
Ashley's antics made me laugh out loud and all in all, she is a very endearing character.

However, I have to admit that sometimes, Ashley acts more like an FBI agent than the chaperone on "Who Wants To Be A Blind Date?" because she's brave beyond words and very smart as well. I mean, it's the mobsters she's facing, you know! Yet she can be so calm and cool, which seems just a bit unbelievable.

Overall, this is a very entertaining book and highly enjoyable, as long as you overlook that slight flaw.

Rating:
Summary: A Page-turning Adventure, Great Fun
Review: Much like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books, I really enjoyed this romantic adventure. The witty dialog and fast-paced plot kept me engrossed to the point of having to finish the book to see what happened. The Caribbean setting was at the same time romantic and realistic - not all gorgeous sunsets, but also tangled jungle and sunbaked tourists. I could completely identify with the heroine and her trevails. A great read!

Rating:
Summary: Who Wants to Solve a Murder?
Review: Pretend I'm Not Here is told from the perspective of Ashley, a chaperone for the popular television show "Who Wants to Be a Blind Date?". This week's winners, Randy and Melissa, seem to be the typical "beautiful people" that are always on the show. Their prize, a date on the island of St. Thomas seems like the typical trip. That all changes when Ashley bumps into a hunk on the airplane, a mob mistress shows up at the resort, and a man turns up dead. Ashley finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

This was such a fun book. It had all of the ingredients for a fabulous vacation read, including romance, mystery, intrigue, and comedy. The story moved along well, and Gavaler kept me in stiches laughing at Ashley's shenanigans. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, witty, and suspensful trip to the islands.

~Reviewed by CandaceK

Rating:
Summary: Who Wants to Solve a Murder?
Review: Pretend I'm Not Here is told from the perspective of Ashley, a chaperone for the popular television show "Who Wants to Be a Blind Date?". This week's winners, Randy and Melissa, seem to be the typical "beautiful people" that are always on the show. Their prize, a date on the island of St. Thomas seems like the typical trip. That all changes when Ashley bumps into a hunk on the airplane, a mob mistress shows up at the resort, and a man turns up dead. Ashley finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

This was such a fun book. It had all of the ingredients for a fabulous vacation read, including romance, mystery, intrigue, and comedy. The story moved along well, and Gavaler kept me in stiches laughing at Ashley's shenanigans. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun, witty, and suspensful trip to the islands.

~Reviewed by CandaceK

Rating:
Summary: Good Start
Review: This was a good book, though I would not give it anything higher than a three. The humor was good - I liked the author's style, but the storyline was a little confusing at times and seemed to go around in circles a lot. Her heroine came off more masculine and brave than the hero and for me that was a slight put off - a romantic suspense where I couldn't find anything attractive about the hero! I would definitely buy her next book because I think the author will get better. She has a good start with Pretend I'm Not Here. I just think she needs to reign in the plot better.