Customer Reviews

Kiss in the Dark (Scarlett Wakefield Series)

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After being dubbed the kiss of death at her old school Scarlett transfers to Wakefield Hall. The school is run by Scarlett's grandmother and she will inherit it one day. Scarlett is looking for a fresh start Wakefield. Everything is going according to plan until, Scarlett's old enemy Plum enrolls. Forcing Scarlett to be on the lookout again for Plum's snide comments and cruel tricks.

Scarlett's spends most of her time with her boyfriend Jase or her best friend, Taylor. Scarlett and Jase are forced to hide their relationship since their families disapprove of it. Scarlett comes from money, Jase's dad is the Wakefield's groundskeeper. The adults in Scarlett and Jase's life are concerned about more than different financial brackets. Henderson does a wonderful job of keeping the reader guessing and interested in what's behind the harsh feelings the adults have for this young relationship.

Besides being Scarlett's best friend Taylor is also her partner. Taylor wants to become a private investigator. So being friends with a girl who is good at coming across dead bodies is perfect. After discovering a body at Wakefield, Scarlett must uncover the truth to protect someone she loves.

In Scarlett Wakefield, Henderson has managed to create a very believable accidental teenage sleuth. Scarlett is smart and athletic ( being a former gymnist comes in handy). In many good mysteries the main character have their own secrets to uncover. Scarlett is beginning to wonder about her parents past. Whether a sleuth is 16 or 36, an author must decide if they work alone or have a partner. (either way works for me) Henderson decided to do the latter. Scarlett and Taylor's friendship and partnership are very believable. One of the many things Henderson is doing right with this series is not forgetting to give Taylor her own storyline.

When I reviewed Kisses and Lies I wondered if Taylor would have a relationship of her own in the third book. If so would Henderson give her a boyfriend or girlfriend. Taylor is still unattached. Plum is continuously calling Taylor names and referring to the two as a couple. Scarlett isn't bothered by Plum's remarks. Towards the end Scarlett does ask herself what if Taylor is gay? Taylor's storyline isn't limited to her what her sexual preference might be. She has a few secrets of her own.

Kiss in the Dark was really good. I read it in one sitting. This is one of the best transitional books in a series I've read. Transitional books bridge the gap between the stories packed with action. Usually, I like them well enough. Though at times it can feel as if an author treats them merely as a precursor to the next book, and they don't spend as much time developing the storyline. Henderson didn't fall into that trap.

Kisses and Lies made many references to the first book. I found it to be a little repetitive. I was worried this would be the case with Kiss in the Dark. I worried for nothing. Henderson does not over do the references. Those who have read the first two books will get a chance to remember a favorite scene or two. Those who haven't will wish they had.

The first two books are out in paperback. I highly recommend starting the Scarlett Wakefield series from the beginning For those already familiar with this series, you will be very happy with Kiss in the Dark. This would be a great suggestion for fans of Ally Carter's Gallagher Girls series.

this is not only another thrilling book by lauren henderson to her Scarlet Wakefield series but it was in excellent condition. I purchased a used book and it was in amazing condition. i could not find a single thing wrong as hard as i tried as i in expected the book.

I am a huge fan of this series and have devoured each of the three books faster than I probably have read any other series (with the exception of the Maze Runner & Hunger Games series).

Scarlett Wakefield's voice is such a refreshing blast of cool-headedness with just enough angst to make things interesting. She is strong with a vulnerability that she shares with the reader in such quirky ways that she is completely endearing.

I enjoy Ms. Henderson's timing with every nuance of the book. She knows exactly when to reveal little tidbits of the plot and information into the backgrounds and characters of each person in the book. I especially enjoy the way in which she slowly has unfurled just how wealthy and important Scarlett truly is throughout the books without giving Scarlett an unnecessarily large head. She's no Plum at all!

I think this book, more than the first two, had me cheering and laughing out loud as Scarlett took on her nemesis. I especially loved the "Pillow or Scissors" encounter! Hurry, Ms. Henderson, and give us a fourth book.

Set in the 2008-2009 school year, Scarlett Wakefield, whom readers have met in Kiss Me Kill Me (Scarlett Wakefield Series) and Kisses and Lies (Scarlett Wakefield Series) has had no shortage of trauma in her 17 years. Orphaned at age 4 in 1996, Scarlett has been a ward of her rich paternal grandmother. In 2008, she was expelled from St. Tabitha's (St. Tabby's), a posh boarding school for rich girls. The curriculum at St. Tabby's appeared to be Developing a Sense of Entitlement and Advanced Fashion Savvy. Unlike her spoiled, rich classmates, Scarlett and a few others have their sights set on academics and in Scarlett's case, gynmastics.

Scarlett's life changed one afternoon when she blew off her two close friends from St. Tabby's to attend a posh bash by the very rich, very chic Nadia Farouk. Dan McAndrew, a boy on whom Scarlett had a crush was the deal maker. She had been longing to share a kiss with Dan for a long time and the party provided a chance to make that wish come true.

Be careful what you wish for! In losing her only two friends at St. Tabby's, Scarlett also loses Dan after they do kiss on Nadia's terrace. He literally dies in her arms after their kiss. Scarlett is subsequently called the Kiss of Death Girl and the bad publicity this brings to St. Tabby's results in her expulsion.

Once out of St. Tabby's, her grandmother, the redoubtable Lady Wakefield takes her in at the academically oriented Wakefield Hall. Scarlett thrives there, away from her arch enemy, the very cruel, ruthless Plum Saybourne and with her new friend from the U.S., Taylor. Taylor has Scarlett's back at all times - in the previous installment, she helped Scarlett discover just how Dan died.

Her other friend is her new boyfriend, Jase. Jase's father is the head gardener and Jase is biracial, which does not work for the school bigots, including Plum who transfers to Wakefield Hall.

Plum gets another delicious dose of her come uppance. The gym teacher does not brook any excuses for not exercising and Plum is forced to do push ups with the class. Another teacher calls her on her attire, telling her she looks like a "night-club hostess" and "a French bar girl from the docks." Ironically, it is a very resourceful form of revenge that results in Plum's arrival at Wakefield Hall. Backfired, but still the result of a revenge plot.

More mysteries crop up. Jase gives Scarlett a bracelet with a questionable background. Jase's father is found dead on the school grounds by Scarlett. As with Dan, the question of whether or not his death was an accident or the result of homicide has yet to be determined. If he was killed, then who did it? Jase is the likely suspect as Jase's father was an abusive man who drank too much and literally drove Jase's mother away. Jase's grandmother, a cruel, racist woman has no problem believing Jase is indeed the culprit.

But is he? If not Jase, then who? Scarlett's racist, bitter Aunt Gwen, with whom she lives on the school grounds? Jase? Someone from the town? A connection Plum has? An accident? Regardless of how, Scarlett and Taylor are out to find the answers.

In this installment, readers learn that Scarlett's parents were killed in July of 1996 when Scarlett was 4. (Her date of birth is given as 4/10, which, if she was 4, would make her year of birth 1992. In the other installments, her age is given as being one year older). Reading the articles about how she became an orphan and demanding answers from her racist aunt throw out more questions than answers.

Scarlett will stop at nothing to clear Jase's name (if in fact he is innocent) and to protect Taylor from Plum's ruthless schemes and conniving. One of the best parts in this book was when Scarlett went to bat for Taylor by giving Plum a taste of her own vile medicine. I just loved the revenge she exacted using the option of a pillowcase or a haircut to cut Plum down and make her toe the line. Plum was truly odious.

The Scarlett Wakefield series is riveting, intense and a delicious escapist read. The strength of the characters and the interlocking mysteries make for very effective reading. Lauren Henerson is truly a genius. I recommend you read the series in order to get the full impact and the fullest picture of how each mystery segues into the next.

CAUTION: MILD SPOILERS!
(especially if you have yet to read the first few books)

Scarlett has finally solved the mystery of Dan's killer and brought some closure to herself and Callum. She put her investigatory pants back into the closet and is moving on with her life at Wakefeld Hall... or so she thought.

Her and her sort-of-boyfriend Jase have not had it easy in the relationship department. Those against them have been very vocal of their opinions on the matter ranging from Scarlett's aunt to Jase's father but neither Jase nor Scarlett have any idea as to why.

One night as Scarlett and her best friend Taylor are out exploring when they discover the body of Jase's father against a tree. What appears to be is not always the case and Scarlett puts her detective pants back on to clear the name of the boy she might love and to stop another killer on the loose at Wakefield Hall.

Plum is right there to get at Scarlett and Taylor's way every chance that she gets, adding girl drama and humor to the intensity of the story.

Through the course of her investigation, Scarlett discovers critical details about her parents, their fatal accident, and the connection to Jase's family.

OVERALL: I am giving the third installment in this series Four out of Five Stars (maybe even four and a half). I enjoyed reading the family history that was brought into this story. It helped to make connections and to tie up some loose ends. There were a few parts in the story where I was even near brought to tears. I greatly enjoyed this book.

I have become a loyal reader and I hope that Lauren Henderson writes the next book very soon.

KISS IN THE DARK is the third novel in the series featuring Scarlett Wakefield.

Scarlett is finally able to get on with life at Wakefield. The worst part of her routine is dealing with her nemesis, Plum, on a daily basis, and sneaking around to meet up with her boyfriend, Jason. Jason's dad and Scarlett's guardian, Aunt Gwen, have forbidden them to see each other. But life for Scarlett is never easy, and soon more excitement lands in her lap.

Taylor and Scarlett are out for their daily run around the grounds when they notice that the gate encircling the lake is open. Scarlett knows that the lake is off limits, so the two of them wander over to investigate. What they find changes everything. There, lying on the ground, dead, is Mr. Barnes, Jason's dad.

While Jason and his grandmother are telling detectives events of the previous evening, Scarlett is determined to prove it couldn't possibly be Jason's fault. Yes, she overheard the heated argument between Jason, his grandmother, and his father, but Jason is kind and gentle. He couldn't possibly have killed his dad.

As Scarlett searches for the truth, more secrets come to the surface. There is history between Scarlett's parents and Jason's parents. As she delves deeper, the secrets become darker. The ending of KISS IN THE DARK leaves the reader on the edge of their seat, awaiting a future installment in the Scarlett Wakefield drama.

Unlike the PRETTY LITTLE LIARS series that keeps going with the same theme, this series keeps readers enthralled with new mysteries around each corner for Scarlett and her friends. Ms. Henderson weaves a captivating story that is at once both believable and highly addicting. Scarlett is likeable and easily relatable for readers.

One doesn't have to have read the prior books in the series to enjoy KISS IN THE DARK. Yes, it makes the background easier to follow, but because this story contains its own mystery, it can stand on its own.

Reviewed by: Jaglvr

As a librarian I will periodically have some of my avid teen readers write reviews for some of the books they enjoy. Here is one from 8th grader, Megan Brown:

Kiss in the Dark is another great addition to the Kiss Me Kill Me series by Lauren Henderson . Scarlett Wakefield's life is a never-ending adventure full of mystery, love, laughs, and death. But when secrets from her parents death rise to the surface will she be able to keep it together? Scarlett depends on her rock, Jase Barnes, to help her through it. When family fueds strike, threatening their relationship, will it bring them closer together or tear them apart? As if that's not enough, Plum is back and meaner than ever, up to her elbows in schemes against Scarlett and her best friend Taylor. They need each other to make it through to the truth but when Taylor isn't acting like herself will it be enough?

I absolutely loved this book! It is just as gut-wrenching and suspenseful as the first two books in the series. It is definitely a must read for anyone who has read the first two Kiss Me, Kill me books and for any mystery loving readers who want to start....plus it will have an ending that will knock your socks off!!!

This is the 3rd book in the series and it's a great series. Set at a British boarding school it's full of intrigue and action and heavy on romance. My main criticism of the series is that it's very soap-y and each book leaves you hanging on for the next. ( I thought the first two could have been combined to one longer book). One warning-I'm not the target audience as I'm older and this is a series for teens but I still found it a fun guilty pleasure and series