Customer Reviews

Divorced, Desperate and Deceived

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Kathy Callahan is the last woman standing of the Divorced, Desperate and Delicious club. Her two best friends are now blissfully happy in their second marriages and are starting families of their own. While Kathy is delighted for Lacy and Sue, after the disastrous ending to her last marriage, a second go around is definitely not in the cards for her. What she would like to do, however, is have a "go around" with her sexy, skilled plumber, Stan Bradley. Too bad for Kathy her plan to get into bed with Stan lands her smack in the middle of a whole different kind of action.

Luke Hunter, aka Stan Bradley, is a federal agent in the Witness Protection Program. He doesn't mind his cover as a plumber, especially when he has gorgeous redheads like Kathy Callahan for clients. But with the trial he's been waiting to testify for finally approaching, Luke knows he's going to eventually come clean with the woman he's sure he's falling in love with. His confession's sped up when the man he's trying to help put behind bars finally catches up with Luke - while Kathy's with him, no less. It's not long before Luke and Kathy are on the run for their lives. Danger's running high and passion hot, but will Luke's deception end the relationship he wants with Kathy before it even has a chance to start?

The fun - and action - never stops in the enchanting Divorced, Desperate and Deceived. Christie Craig's prose practically sparkles with liveliness and charm in the exciting conclusion to her stunning Divorced, Desperate and Delicious Club trilogy. What makes Divorced, Desperate and Deceived so wonderful is its characters. Kathy is a woman burned by her first marriage and thus is wary of embarking on another serious relationship. I felt for her, but at the same time was pulling for Luke to break down the barriers Kathy tried to erect around her heart. As for the agent himself, he has a protective streak a mile wide and that, along with his caring heart and sensual appeal, made him a delicious hero.

Though it's the third book in the series, Divorced, Desperate and Deceived fully stands on its own. However, readers who loved the first two books will be pleased to know that not only do Lacy, Sue, Chase, and Jason play strong supporting roles in this story, Ms. Craig gives nods to their quirks and past events in the other two books. As a huge fan of this series, I was delighted to spend more time with characters that now seem like old friends to me. Furthermore, the epilogue provided a fantastic wrap-up to the series as a whole that fans new and old are sure to adore.

I guarantee if Divorced, Desperate and Deceived is your first venture into Ms. Craig's books you'll want to go back for more. It's vibrant, humorous, tender, and an utterly satisfying read. I loved this book and can't wait to read more by the brilliant Ms. Craig.


Shayna
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I work in a library where things are usually quiet. That is impossible with this book. I have laughed aloud so much that I can't read it in the library anymore. I even have my husband laughing when I tell him of the events of Kathy Callahan. We agree that it would be a great movie for cable. This is the first of Chrisite Craig's series that I have read. I will definitely be reading her others.

Divorcee Kathy Callahan has interest in one man though her friends are unaware whom she desperately wants to make it with. Plumber Stan Bradley seems interested in her, but abruptly stopped showing his attraction as if she was a fungus. With her son spending a month with his dad, Kathy decides to go for her hunk.

Stan has not lost interest, but instead fears he will hurt Kathy. He believes a lasting relationship cannot occur for someone the FBI placed in witness protection program changing his name from Luke Hunter. However, as Kathy starts her seduction, those wanting Luke dead have tracked him down. Instead of being on the lam alone, he is on the run with the woman he loves even if this is his worst nightmare.

The third Divorced, Desperate and D tale (see ... and Dating; and ... and Delicious) is an amusing contemporary romance starring a strong cast; especially deep besides the DDD heroine are the guys and Goodwill (just keep your toes safe). Fans will enjoy this fine amusing frolic as the determined delightful divorcee decides on the plumber with secrets.

Harriet Klausner

Kathy Callahan is glad that her two best friends, Sue and Lacy, are now happily married. All three of them were divorced and knew the horrible feeling of being cheated on. But now Kathy is the only one single. Since Kathy's seven-year-old son, Tommy, is in France spending a month with his dad, Sue and Lacy are determined to find Kathy a boyfriend. However, Kathy only has eyes for her plumber, Stan Bradley. For three years now Stan has been showing his interest in her. Kathy has decided to stop pushing him away. Kathy makes up an excuse to visit Stan. But while at Stan's house, men arrive to kill him. Kathy finds herself fleeing with Stan for their lives.

Stan's real name is Luke Hunter. He is the only surviving witness due to testify against Richard Lorenzo. Luke has been in WitSec (Witness Protection Program) for over three years now. But Lorenzo has connections everywhere and has finally found Luke.

Joey Hinkle does not have a high education and barely makes ends meet. When Lorenzo offered Joey a job with high pay, Joey already knew the man was dirty. However, Joey thought he could work for Lorenzo without getting involved in anything illegal. Now he is expected to assassinate Luke. Donald, Lorenzo's top hitman, is with Joey to make sure the job gets done right. When Joey sees the young redhead enter the target's home and Donald says they must kill her too, Joey's conscience speaks up. Joey doubts he could ever kill a female or child. But if Joey refuses to kill them, Donald will not hesitate to kill Joey.

**** FOUR STARS! This story is the last of a trilogy. Since I have not read those two titles, I can say from experience that this is a stand-alone tale and new readers will NOT find themselves lost or scratching their heads in confusion. Filled with humor, romance, and action, this story had me alternating between laughing and sitting on the edge of my seat. A wonderful way to spend a chilly afternoon in the warm comfort of your home. ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

I really enjoyed this book ... so much that I am now going to go buy the previous two in the trilogy! Lots of action without the gore so many authors include. Great sex scenes without being crude. Plenty of humor. Personable characters. Everything I could want in a novel! Thank you, Christie Craig, for some great entertainment.

Kathy Callahan has had the hots for her plumber, Stan Bradley, for the almost three years he's been in town. She calls him up to fix her pipes, even if they don't need it...and dreams of him fixing her pipes. There's just so much to like about him, and he's great with her son Tommy. The problem is, he's a man, and after a traumatic divorce, she's been very gun shy. Now that her son is in Europe with his father for a month, however, Kathy seizes on an opportunity to follow through on her attraction. Of course, no sooner does she try to give up on her fear and trust all the signals Stan's been sending out over two years of flirting, that it seems Stan has given up. When Kathy shows up at his house find out if the plumber's ship has sailed, she sort of throws herself at him and ends up in his lap. It's a great place to be...until another woman shows up, then the bullets start to fly. Before Kathy can catch a breath, she's on the run from mobster goons, she almost killed a man with a toilet seat, and she finds out her plumber Stan is really Luke Hunter, undercover FBI agent serving time in Witness Protection until he can give testimony to take down a notorious crime boss. So much for trusting men!

I've been a huge fan of Christie Craig since I picked up Shut Up and Kiss Me a few months ago and since then I've read several of her fun romantic suspense novels. They're great light entertainment, and despite the underlying thread of suspense and danger, they're cute and sexy. Divorced, Desperate and Deceived is no different in that regard, and there were several characters I really enjoyed - especially the erstwhile bodyguard turned lackluster goon, Joey...though I'm still not sure of the connection between birdwatching and being gay. Luke was just as delectable as all of Craig's leading men, and his protectiveness of Kathy was both endearing and sweet. I especially enjoyed spending more time with Sue and Jason from Divorced, Desperate and Dating (Romantic Mysteries) and Lacy and Chase from Divorced, Desperate and Delicious (I haven't read that one yet, but I met them in Sue and Jason's book).

In truth, the only character I couldn't warm up to was Kathy, and that became my primary issue with this book. I felt her character came off too much like a damsel in distress when the bullets were flying and too bitter and suspicious when they weren't. The assumptions and disbelief about Luke's relationship with his geriatric landlady was funny at first, but went from funny to completely aggravating by the fourth or fifth accusation. My dislike of her character is not meant to imply that there was a problem with how the author chose to portray her - author's prerogative. I simply mean that my preferences in female leads in a book - and in romance in particular - lean away from the girly-girl, victim-in-waiting type. I prefer smart, capable women who can either talk, think, or fight their way out of their problems. In this book, Luke was the manly man making all the decisions and Kathy followed along behind him like a good girl, and that's not what I prefer.

Also, while I liked the threads that drew Jason and Chase and their spouses into the storyline, as well as the evolution of Joey, the multiple transitions between Luke and Kathy and the rest of the participants disrupted the pacing of the plot and took away from the development of Luke and Kathy as individual characters and their relationship together. I did, however, enjoy the sense of completion that came from the epilogue and the feeling of the overall arc of the loosely connected trilogy coming to a satisfying conclusion. I preferred Divorced, Desperate and Dating for reading enjoyment, but I still think Divorced, Desperate and Deceived was well written and fun, and I am, of course, anxiously awaiting anything else Craig plans to write. 3.5 Stars.

Originally reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.

This is the final book in the Divorced and Desperate series. In my opinion, it is also the weakest link in the chain. The story just wasn't that believable to me, and I just couldn't get excited about the couple. I finished it, but would not recommend it. Sorry!

This is the third of the Divorced, Desperate, and series following Divorced, Desperate and Delicious (Love Spell Contemporary Romanc) and Divorced, Desperate and Dating (Romantic Mysteries). I read "Dating," but have not gotten around to "Delicious" just yet. It isn't necessary to have read either one of them to get this book, but the other characters from those books do play big roles in this one.

I admit that I am a sucker for books with pugs on the cover. I love when animals, especially dogs, add to a story. The pug in this one is a 1-year-old puppy who sounds so cute. Makes me miss when my pug was just a pup. It added some good laughs.

I really enjoyed a lot of things about this book. It had some suspense and danger and also some good chemistry between the two main characters, Kathy and Luke (aka Stan). The addition of the "bad guy" point of view from Joey was well developed and added humor and humanity to the "other side." Besides the adorable pug, Joey's point of view was probably my favorite part of the story. I liked how it all came together.

What I didn't like was the portrayal of Jason & Chase (heroes from the 2 previous books). I don't remember them being so whipped. It was a little over-the-top with them being the protective husbands and conceding to their wives. They both needed a little more backbone. Luke ended up being linked in with them and it just didn't work for me. Overall this is a small nit to the story, but it made the book a little less enjoyable to me.

This is a humorous and fun book, but I liked "and Dating" better.

This was my favorite of the 3 Divorced and Desperate books. The characters were all really developed and after reading the first two books, knowing the history of some of the characters made this book even better. I have read several of Christie Craig's books and really enjoyed them all!

I'm officially hooked on Christie Craig! The books have excellent character development and wonderfully robust plots. Never disappointed in any of her books! I'm glad I had already paid $.99 for the Kindle version because I would have paid much much more after reading it! You cannot go wrong with Christie Craig!