Customer Reviews

2 Bodies for the Price of 1 (Body Movers, Book 2)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Carlotta Wren really would not think that anyone would WANT to steal her identity. After all since her parents went on the lam ten years ago, she's been jilted, in debt, had to deal with raising her brother who has a bad gambling habit, and been involved in murders. Yet, someone has not only stolen her identity, but is well on their way to ruining her life. Her credit has gone from bad to deplorable, her cell phone bill is impossibly high, and that's just for starters. Then, she comes home to find the four men in her life; her brother, Wesley, Detective Jack Terry, ex-fiance' Peter Ashford, and would-be suitor Cooper, depressed and freaked out over the fact that she has committed suicide. Apparently, the woman who stole her life has killed herself. Now, in a sting to try and bring her parents out into the open, Carlotta will have to pretend to be dead. Before it's all over, she will have to try to keep pretense from turning into reality.

***** This series is simply splendid. Vivid, quirky, flawed wonderful people fill its pages and you care about what happens to them. Like the prior volume, it is replete with humor as well as action. I can hardly wait to see all these characters again. *****

Amanda Killgore

I wanted to like this book. The author seems to be writing for generally the same readers as Janet Evanovich; however, because her writing, although pleasant, is not laugh-out-loud funny like Evanovich, the paucity of plot is much more noticeable.

"Two Bodies" is much more formula romance than mystery. Yes, something seems to be going on -- someone apparently has stolen Carlotta's identity. At the same time, the question of whether her fugitive parents will reappear after 10 years occupies a lot of pages, but those pages aren't very intersting. It's just a "will they/ won't they"; I would have liked more of an elaboration of the backstory, and more current action.

On the romance end, there are 3 attractive men after Carlotta, who apparently is beautiful, but it's kind of "ho hum". In real life, the men would have actual interests and personalities, but here, although one is rich and polite, one is a cop, and one is a really smart ex-medical examiner, that's pretty much all the personality they have. None is really developed. I would also like to see more of Carlotta developed. Does she have any interests? "Two Bodies" seems to imply that if her parents had not absconded, she would have married a rich guy at 18 and been a rich housewife. In addition, for a woman who makes very little money and has a brother to support, her addition to designer fashion is hard to understand and not very attractive. Life is not about Manolo Blahniks, and the humor of acting as if it were has become very stale.

Stephanie Bond fans we'll be thrilled and please with this latest novel. Reading about Carlotta's troubles is amusing and humbling when you think how bad life can get. I was especially pleased that our favorite heroine got some action this time. And Bond leaves us with another cliffhanger ending that makes you want to read the next book immediately. If you haven't read the Body Movers series, pick it up today!

The first Body Movers book was an enjoyable read, I thought that Carlotta's story was interesting and there was potential. There were a lot of men and a lot of angst about relationshships with them in it, but the mystery plot revolved around it to some extent, so it didn't bother me.

In Body Movers 2, however, the plot of Carlotta's identity being stolen and the mystery surrounding the person who did is buried in way too much of Carlotta's thoughts about the sexy cop, the hunky mortuary guy and the sweet ex boyfriend who wants Carlotta back. Which has nothing at all to do with the mystery plot. As well, much of the action is based on Carlottta getting into hot water and one of these men bailing her out.

I see that Body Movers 3 is billed as "A sexy mystery", indicating that that's apparently the selling point of the series. I'm not against mystery novels with sex in them, but I do expect the mystery part to be a bigger part of the book than the sex, the thinking about sex, the agonizing over who to like, and "does he or doesn't he like me" part.

For me, Body Movers 2 crossed the line departing from the mystery genre and into romance territory. The mystery plot gets little attention and is resolved in about two paragraphs and mostly seemed to be a set up for Carlotta to require rescuing by all three of the love interests in the story.

The third in the series will not be high in my wish list if at all.

Former socialite Carlotta Wren assumes life cannot get much worse since her parents fled the States to avoid white collar prosecution ten years ago and recently she survived the Atlanta police believing her as the prime suspect in a murder (see BODY MOVERS). The last thing she expected was someone stealing her identity, but apparently it has happened. Her credit cards have been run up to the max and her credit dragged to the lowest score conceivable.

As she tries to fix her financial problems, Carlotta returns home to find four men looking like their most loved person died. Her brother Wesley, Detective Jack, her former fiancé Peter (who dumped her), and possible boyfriend Cooper are mourning her death; apparently Carlotta has learned she committed suicide or at least her identify theft double has. Will word reach her parents that she died bringing them home for her funeral watched by law enforcement or is there something even more nefarious going on as Carlotta wonders why her?

This is an amusing Body Mover tale starring a likable quirky heroine and her male harem. The story line is fast-paced but focuses on Carlotta and her problems as she begins to feel like a modern day female Job. Reader and Carlotta will wonder what next will happen to her even as she believes it can't get worse but soon learns it can. Stephanie Bond provides a fun tale in which the audience will wonder who the dead double is while rooting for the delightful trouble magnet to overcome her latest woes.

Harriet Klausner

A fast read because it is so much fun. I just don't know how she is going to choose between the hunky cop and the cerebral former ME. I don't count the former fiance because I just don't like him. I am hoping he morphs into a villain in the next installment coming in 2008. Laugh out loud with this one!

Carlotta Wren has had a pretty rough life. Ten years ago, her parents fled Atlanta following a scandal leaving her with her 9-year-old brother, Wesley. Overnight, she went from a trust fund kid, with a bright future (college and engaged to another wealthy trust fund kid), to struggling just to make ends meet. Having made a habit of avoiding creditors, Carlotta hasn't been checking her bills, and is surprised to find that someone has stolen her identity and is wreaking havoc on her credit. She is even more disturbed when her "look alike" supposedly commits suicide, and everyone now believes that Carlotta is dead. To further complicate her life, Carlotta finds herself in the middle of a love triangle with Wesley's boss, Cooper (a disgraced ex-medical examiner turned "body mover); Jack Terry (a dedicated Investigator who has been charged with locating Carlotta's missing father); and Peter Ashford (her ex-fiancé who dumped her 10 years ago but who now sees the error of his ways). So while trying to get to the bottom of a mystery, getting a little romance, and playing dead as a ploy to bring her father out, Carlotta must also help catch the person who is picking off the people around her.

There are a host of interesting characters that encompass this promising series. Besides the three charming men (each with their own issues), there is Hannah, a pierced bad girl caterer who lusts after Coop. There is a sexy probation officer, known as "E" who Wesley lusts after. A nosey neighbor who takes every opportunity to tell Carlotta how her family is bringing down the neighborhood. There is a bad guy "The Carver" who is after her brother because he owes him a lot of money. There is Chance, Wesley's good friend who is a trust fund brat but who deals drugs. There is an ambitious District Attorney (Kelvin Lucas), who will stop at nothing to capture the man that got away, Carlotta's father, including not keep his word. And then there is her father's ex-mistress (who you don't necessarily like) who is sleeping with not only Jack but her little brother Wesley too. And most of all, Carlotta wants to believe that everything will work out for the best but she finds herself constantly worrying about Wesley, Jack, Coop, and Peter. Meanwhile, Wesley is spending all of his time trying to prove their father's innocence and making enough money to pay off "The Carver", before the stakes are too high for him to pay. But the deeper he digs, the more trouble he finds.

As the story moves along, to a startling conclusion, ok, maybe a startling conclusion is a stretch, it is more like a commercial break, you become engrossed in the tale and want to see how it ends. And what I really did appreciate was the fact that although I have not read the first novel, "Body Movers", I really didn't feel that I needed to, to enjoy and appreciate "2 Bodies for the Price of 1". It was a great read and I can't wait to start the next one.

"2 Bodies for the Price of 1" is the second book in the Body Movers series by Stephanie Bond. It picks up the story of Carlotta Wren, who ten years ago had to refashion her life after her father, Randolph Wren, accused of financial fraud, ditched and ran to avoid prosecution, taking his wife Valerie with him. This left then-18-year-old Carlotta with then-9-year-old brother Wesley to raise on her own. The story line reveals dysfunctional relationships all around, complicated by lack of communication for calculated reasons. Laced with a variety of interesting characters, some of whom participate with Carlotta in the task of moving the DBs (dead bodies) of people who met their demises due to unnatural causes. There are some less than savory characters of questionable ethics and morality. There's also plenty of intrigue as Carlotta manages so do right by the dead exposing the truth surrounding their deaths...much to the consternation of a local police detective who rounds out a threesome of eligible suitors, including Carlotta's ex-fiance and a recovering alcoholic former-medical examiner, each interested in engaging Carlotta in an intimate relationship. It's a fun and fast-moving read.

Good follow-up to the first Body Movers book. Enjoyed the continuation of the story and looking forward to the rest of the series.

I have read all six books in this series. What a fun read. You can readily identify with all of the characters. I can hardly wait for the next installment. Unfortunately it won't be until next year - what a bummer.