Customer Reviews

Hitched (Regan Reilly Mysteries, No. 9)

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

 

 

This is my first romance novel and if this is representative of that genre, no thanks ~ let me separate the issues, romance novels versus this book, author, story line etc.,

I'm all for series books, when I enjoy a particular character I hate to see the story end...feels like I've lost a friend. However Regan Reilly feels like a paper doll ~ no depth, no personality. What's the attraction? A ten-year old girl scout has more charisma.

The story line is so predictable ~ the author took the easy way out and connected every subplot and character with shameless ease. Rather than take the time to weave her tale with somewhat believable transitions she just tied every character from Joyce to Cindy to Bridget to Regan and so on to each other to come together and solve the mystery. It was too hard to believe every character would have had a relationship in one fashion or another to each other and even more unbelievable to think this happened in New York. Maybe small town America where everyone knows everyone else and is in everyones business ~

I just kept reading and shaking my head thinking, I can't believe I'm reading this junk...this book was terrible and the writing was worse.

It has been a long time coming but finally California private detective Regan Reilly is getting married to NYPD captain Jack Reilly, head of the Major Case Cquad. The happy couple is going to live in Jack's Tribecca loft but with just a week to go before the wedding, Regan has a lot of details to settle. The most important item is to pick up her wedding dress but when she goes to Alfred and Cherisse's Couture, she finds the owners tied up and the wedding gown stolen along with twenty thousand dollars in cash.

Regan is determined to find the thief who stole her gown and the robbery gains media attention as a human interest story. The thieves are driving to Las Vegas to sell the dresses there while Regan is dealing with the dress and the other brides who also had their dresses stolen along with hers. Jack is trying to catch a bank robber who only is active on rainy days. As he keeps apprised of Regan in her investigation, he discovers a link to his case that just might catch the perpetrator. Regan takes all the problems surrounding the wedding in stride concentrating on catching a jewel thief and a missing woman who was attending one of the bride's bachelorette party.

Looking for an exciting light-hearted mystery with an eccentric cast of characters, some of whom surprisingly turn out to be crooks? Look no further than HITCHED, the latest and most romantic Regan Reilly mystery. Readers finally see Jack as a three dimensional character who is not afraid to show his love for his fiancée. The two protagonists share equal billing in this delightfully charming crime caper.

Harriet Klausner

After reading this author's other books I picked this one up at the airport to keep me company during a long flight. Let me just say I never finished the book and was very disappointed. I love Reagan Reilly but this adventure of hers was a bit too much. Don't waste your time.

I read very few mysteries; but the ones that I choose to read are those with interesting story lines sans the blood and gore that seem to proliferate the literary market. Carol Higgins Clark is a refreshing author who is able to tell a story that focuses on characters and plot development without resorting to excessive violence and graphic language. She is a throwback to mystery writers of yesteryear who wrote to entertain without shocking the reader with mass killings, human torture, and murders in the most descriptive sense. "Hitched" is not a cerebral read, but it does give the reader a delightful escape, for a number of hours, into the world of criminal and not-so-criminal eccentricities.

There's just something about a mystery revolving around nuptials that makes it a must-read for me. So imagine my delight when I saw that a favorite author, Carol Higgins Clark, chose to make that the theme of her newest novel, HITCHED.

Private investigator Regan Reilly has traveled from Los Angeles to her parents' house in Summit, New Jersey and is getting ready to marry her soulmate, NYPD detective Jack Reilly. Heck, it must be fate because, coincidentally, they already have the same last name. Nothing is going to mar the way Regan feels about marrying this wonderful man (or so she thinks). After all, when a woman gets to 31 with no hint of marriage in sight and then meets the man of her dreams, that's something to celebrate!

It's the Saturday before the wedding when Regan, her mom Nora, and best friend Kit traipse into Little Italy to pick up Regan's couture gown. When they get there, rather than finding the gown of Regan's dreams, they discover Alfred and Charisse, designers extraordinaire, bound and gagged. Along with a considerable stash of cash, four wedding dresses have been stolen and another one slashed, mutilated and smeared with blood.

Now it's time for Regan to kick it into high gear and find the answer to this horrible puzzle. While she spends her time looking into the missing wedding dresses, fianc Jack has his hands full trying to solve a string of bank robberies. Could things get any more hectic right before the impending nuptials? You bet!

Amidst an amusing cast of characters are the other four brides, also known as the April brides, each more intriguing than the next. We have Brianne, the bridezilla who demands a full refund and sets off in search of another dress; Tracy, the ballistic businesslike bride whose fianc broke their engagement when he heard the news; Victoria, the bride who is marrying a man she met on the Internet and is planning to continue living separately from him even after they wed; and Shauna, the laid back, nature-loving bride who shows little concern at the news her dress is missing.

Not only is the theft of the dresses a major blow to the brides, it garners major media attention; before long, a simple little mystery to solve is turning into a three-ring circus.

HITCHED is a great, fun read and I didn't want to put the book down until I was done. Carol Higgins Clark takes the reader on a crazy roller-coaster ride that includes stops in New York City, Atlantic City, and last but not least, Las Vegas. I highly recommend HITCHED, as well as the eight previous books in this series.

--- Reviewed by Amie Taylor

Regan Reilly is finally getting married to her fiance Jack, a NYPD policeman. The wedding is only a week away and disaster strikes. Her dress was being designed by two up and coming designers Alfred and Charisse. Their bridal salon was robbed and most of the dresses were either stolen or destroyed. There is an array of quirky characters throughout this narrative; namely the four women and Regan who are notoriously dubbed the "April Brides" by the media. Their unique stories unfold as Regan races against the clock to solve the crime. Though key to the story, Francis and Marco were extremely peculiar. Joyce's kidnapping felt like an extraneous event that was thrown into the narrative as an afterthought. All wedding and romantic problems were solved in time for Regan and Jack's big event. Overall, it was a whimsical weekend read.

Well this is the first book I have read from this author. I will not be reading any more. I was disappointed in the story line which was too predictable and the ending was too "clean" Every character who was "good" got what they wanted, and the "bad" guys got their due with no real suspense. I bought the book as I had enjoyed Mary Higgins Clark's novels in the past. Well, this is not the same author and I will not be fooled into buying her books again.

This story of a top designer's April brides losing their wedding dresses to an inept pair of thieves was an interesting read to me. The Bridezilla theme was overplayed a bit, but one hussy does redeem herself helping to rescue one casualty of a dangling subplot. The bank robbery second mystery didn't quite jell. However, the flashes of humor win out, such as the pet parrot Romeo whose favorite expression is "lazy bums," referring to the main culprits.

I really enjoy all of Carol Higgins Clarks novels and especially the Regan Reilly series. If you want very serious stories, these are not for you. The Regard Reilly mysteries are FUN!! Great "whodunits" with plenty of comic relief and some light romance.

Regan Reilly is back at her parent's home in New Jersey and it is exactly 1 week until she gets married. She is going to move into her fiance Jack's loft in New York as he is head of the Major Case Squad for NYPD. Regan's best friend Kit is her maid of honor and is with her to help finalize the wedding plans and wrap up details that Regan's mom Nora had worked on with Regan living in LA. Regan, Nora and Kit head into the city to the exclusive bridal designers Alfred & Charisse to pick up Regan's gown. When they arrive at the apartment building that the designers work from, they quickly discover a mess with a shredded bridal gown covered with drops of blood and no other gowns hangin on the rack. Regan heads into the back to Alfred and Charisse's quarters to find them tied up and gagged in their bedroom with their safe standing broken and empty!! Besides money ($20,000) and jewelry, the thieves have stolen 4 bridal gowns and shredded one so now 5 brides including Regan have no gowns!! Alfred quickly hires Regan to work on the case and Regan also calls Jack to report it to the police as well as 911. Jack is busy with his unit trying to solve a rash of rainy day bank robberies as well as helping Regan where he can.

How Regan meets the other 4 brides and what they and their fiances are like as well as their reactions to the missing gowns is intriguing and hilarious!! The reader also gets to know WHO did the robbery and has the gowns and that pair of thieves ineptness is amazing!! A fun read with the usual Carol Higgins Clark happy endings!!

Recommended for fun!!

Thoroughly enjoyable. Light; witty all woven into preparations for the "big day". Looking forward to her next novel.