Customer Reviews

Double Take

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Kaitlin "Kait" London lived in Manhattan and was a VP at a small PR firm on Madison Avenue. Her estranged twin sister, Lana, seldom contacted Kait during their seven years apart. In fact, Kait never knew WHY Lana hated her and disappeared those long years ago. But Kait had always hoped Lana would someday return and they could be close. So when Lana called in the middle of the night, begging for help, Kait agreed.

Lana claimed to be in trouble. She needed Kait to pretend to her for two days. After that, all would be fine and they could talk, become friends. Kait jumped at the chance to help her sister. Kait learned that Lana married six years ago to wealthy Trevor "Trev" Coleman, lived in Three Falls, Virginia, and had a four year old daughter named Marni! It was overwhelming to say the least. Kait went Lana's home, ready to play the part of Lana.

No one in Three Falls liked Lana. It seemed everyone HATED her with a passion. Everyone who resided at the estate called Fox Hollow hated her. Within minutes of walking through the doors Trev handed her divorce papers! Feeling as though she was in the 'Twilight Zone', Kait had been thrown into a nightmare! Things got worse when Kait began falling in love with her sister's husband and someone was trying to kill her!

***** What can I say? It is by Brenda Joyce. No other reason is really needed for you to know the story is great! The book grabbed me immediately and the characters are terrific. You will NOT be disappointed in this novel. Highly recommended! *****

Courtesy of A Romance Review

The mystery and suspense of Double Take starts right from the first page with a midnight phone call from Kait London's twin sister, Lana Coleman.

Lana and Kait have never been close like other sisters and rarely get in touch with each other. The last time that Kait knew of her twin's whereabouts was almost seven years ago.

Kait is thrilled to see her twin again and thinks their relationship may change. At the restaurant, Lana asks Kait to take her place for two days, so that she can have time to borrow money to pay her creditor, who threatens her and her four-year-old daughter's life.

Kait arrives at Fox Hollow as "Lana" and meets her family for the first time. She is not welcomed home with open arms, but a furious husband, Trev Coleman, who hands her a divorce paper.

Trev Coleman has been married to Lana for six years and regrets everyday of it. His wife has been cheating on him and it is public knowledge that she seduces and sleeps with any men handy. Trev senses something different in the new "Lana" who recently returns from New York but he doesn't know that Lana has a twin nor does he believe that she has a change of heart. However, "Lana" becomes a good mother to their daughter and even a friend to her rebellious stepdaughter. He also finds himself attracted to "Lana" and cannot keep his mind off her.

The theme and plot of twins switching places have been used for years in movies, novels and dramas. In Double Take, Kait and Lana are two identical twins with characters as opposite as night and day, where Kait is a well-liked individual and Lana is a hateful creature. The intention of Lana's deception gives both readers and Kait a charade to solve and the growing suspense intensifies the twists and tension of the tale. I mostly love the way how Ms Joyce ends the story with a double standard - right the justice without the evil twin ending up in jail.

Kaitlin and Lana are identical twin sisters whose parents are deceased and have been estranged for most of their adults lives. Lana pops in and out of Kaitlin's life when she needs something or bragging or whatever. The last time Kait, who is a vice president in a public relations company in Manhattan, saw Lana was seven years ago.

Lana calls Kait and says she wants to meet her at a small local restaurant/coffee shop. Kait who longs for the closeness of family and loves Lana agrees to meet her. Lana tells her she is in very deep trouble as she was trying to "rescue" her husband's horse farm from bankruptcy and borrowed money from the wrong people. She asks Kait to switch places with her for just two days while she "deals" with the loan shark. Lana assures Kait that Trevor/Trev Coleman, her husband, is out of town. Lana also tells Kait that she has a four-year old daughter, Marni.

Kait is anxious to meet her niece as she loves children and always wanted to get married and have a family so she agrees since it is "only" for two days and she won't need to fool Lana's husband. Kait dresses as Lana and they switch all clothing and identities and cars and off she drives to the small town of Three Falls, Virginia.

Of course as the reader might guess, Lana's husband Trev is NOT out of town. In fact, Kait barely gets in the door and he hands her divorce papers. He and the housekeeper are obviously very antagonistic towards Lana. Even a man at the stable seems mocking. Marni, Lana's daughter, also seems afraid of her although Kait wins her over thus garnering even more distrust and suspicion in both Trev and the housekeeper's eyes.

Kait knew that Lana always had men trailing after her but she is appalled as she finds out the extent of Lana's philandering while married to what Kait thinks is the ideal husband!! Kait loves horses and goes riding only to get shot at - although none seem to believe her.

More and more twists and turns and threats to Kait as Lana occur. As all the devious schemes and plots are uncovered and Kait is trapped much longer than two days in Three Falls, I kept wondering why Kait didn't just tell the truth? If I found out my sister was as evil as hers, I would turn her in no matter how much I loved her as I think that would be the better thing for her! That was my main problem with the story is that Kait - even after getting very "close" to Trev-STILL doesn't confess!! Frustrating!!

The final conclusion and epilogue did disappoint me somewhat although at least Kait ends up happy but not through what I would consider the best of circumstances. An exciting if a bit frustrating read!

Unlike many modern-day novels of suspense with a woman as the main protagonist, this one unfortunately has that woman with as much sense and gumption as one of those from a good old 70s romance novel where females were wishy-washy and no match for a man. Despite being a college graduate with a great New York professional career, Kait London spends an agonizing amount of time fretting over the same does-he-love-me and I-know-she's-bad-but-she's-my-sister thoughts over & over & OVER again, ad nauseum. And when the man of her dreams calls her a lying w---e, she doesn't even stand up for herself and fight back. Her survival against a hidden enemy is more a matter of luck and karma than strength and intelligence.

On the positive side, this is a fast read and does have a happy, albeit expected ending, and in today's world we have enough of bad endings, so that's a plus. SPOILER: So I just didn't get why Trev didn't simply DIVORCE his wife instead of waiting 7 years to have her declared dead? Makes no sense except for a plot device to develop the last chapter.

I wasn't sure how 'd like this book, being the typical identical twins story and they need to switch places and one is in trouble and the other who switched with her is now in the same trouble [yawn). This one was different and very engrossing to say the least.
The characters were very realistic and I liked how the author created a confusing pallet of who was good and who was bad and she made you think about your morals and thoughts.
The twin who takes her sister's place, Kait was very real and very interesting. The story revolves around her and never really strays to anyone else's thoughts too much. Which I found unbelievably suspenseful at times. The fact that two women who are born together and look identical and do not share that pairbond that most twins claim to have was very different.
The twin Lana who leaves her life to take care of a problem while Kait has switched with her was sleek and engaging. The fact that she was very pompous and arrogant and high maintenance and so opposite of her sister was fascinating. Her secrets and the twists the author provides makes for a read that will keep you up all night.
Will Kait survive the few days she is asked to take Lana's place? Will Lana come back in time to fix what is wrong and save her twin that she hadn't ever been close to and for once keep a promise to her? Will Kait succumb to the temptation of Lana's gorgeous husband?
These thoughts and others will run wild in your head as you delve into their dangerous world of deception and forbidden wants. Kait will realize her sister is someone entirely different from the sex-kitten she grew up with and far more faceted. The trouble is, will Kait keep up and succeed in pretending to be this woman?
A deadly game that could get them both in serious trouble and more enemies than Kait can handle make this book a keeper.
Hard to put down and harder to forget.

~@Tracy Talley

"Double Take" does a poor job of convincing the reader of the credibility
of the plot. Twins switch places much better in Judith Michael's "Deceptions"
and I would recommend that book over "Double Take."

Twins switching identity is as old as fiction itself. And, so, sadly, is Brenda Joyce's vapid plot in DOUBLE TAKE.

I never for one minute bought Kait and Lana's story. As wimpy as Kait was at the beginning of the story, there is no way she could have carried off such an elaborate deception. I agree with other reviewers here who say the clues were legion, so why didn't anyone catch them?

Joyce must think her readers have mush for brains . . . and she must have assumed that not one of us has ever read a mystery.

I still can't figure out how authors who turn out fluff like this continue to get published, while those with fresh voices and interesting plots have a pile of rejection letters in their files.

Blech.

Seriously, I think this woman in the story, Kait, should invest in Chapstick, 'cause she's got to have a severe case of chapped lips with all the lip-licking she does.

This book made me want to barf. Horribly cliche, sophomoric plot, stupid, unlikeable characters. And terrible "romance" scenes; the guy, Trev, spends most of his time screaming at Kait that he can't stand her and wants her out of his house, but two seconds later he's all "damn baby, you're lookin' good." Please. Oh, and my favorite line from the entire thing, just as they're about to have sex for the first time "...not because he was huge, which he was..." Seriously? I think I actually tasted bile in my mouth when I read that.

If this book is any kind of indication of the author's other works, then someone please tell me how in the hell she is a bestseller?

I've read this book twice now. The first time, back in 2005, and after re-reading The Third Heiress and House of Dreams just last week, I felt compelled to read this one again. The book drew me in with it's storyline, and was fast-paced. I read it within about 9 hours. If you are looking for a similar story, I recommend "Mirror Image" by Danielle Steel. I will definitely keep this book in my library to read again at some future date.

I don't mind the overused premise of the identical twin taking the place of her sister so long as the plot is good. But what I do mind is the writer assuming that this plot is believable. I got so tired of reading "why do you hate me" or "what have I done to make you hate me?" that I gave up nearly half way through the book.