Customer Reviews

Love, Lies and a Double Shot of Deception

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
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Billionaire Logan Crawford is a West Coast urban developer and is interested in Philadelphia. Logan literally bumps into Emma Wadsworth. For the first time in his life, Logan is intrigued with a woman. Stranger still, Emma is the first woman who did not latch onto him the instant she recognized who he was. Logan has to actually work to charm Emma into accepting a casual date with him. Logan's first impression is that Emma is very shy. It soon becomes obvious that the truth is much darker. Emma's late husband, Phillip, had been a monster, and Emma has no interest in every dating again.

Emma Brockton Wadsworth is known by the locals as the "Princess of the Hill". Everyone has always believed that Emma's life with Phillip had been perfect. No one knew the truth. Emma kept everything quiet. But Emma has some dark secrets herself. She wants nothing more than to get on with her life and forget the past. But someone out there does not want Emma to forget the past. In fact, someone wants to completely ruin Emma's life.

***** Once again Lois Winston has created a novel that will hook readers with the very first sentence and refuse to let go! It is no wonder that Lois Winston has become well known in the romantic suspense circles. A person who reads ANY of this author's books goes on to become a huge fan; myself included. Fun characters, lots of adventure and drama, and some witty dialogue that will have you begging for more! Excellent! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Love, Lies and a Double Shot of Deception is a great summer read choice for a contemporary romance full of fun and with a suspenseful mystery. The heroine steals everyone's heart---the hero's, the whole city of Philadelphia and the reader. Although this book is not stylistically perfect, it is a fun memorable read!

Logan Crawford is every woman's dream from his looks to his billionaire status but no woman can capture the heart of this love-'em and leave-'em guy, at least not until he bumps into Emma Wadsworth and spills coffee all over her white outfit. On the surface, Emma seems to have it all. The entire city of Philadelphia and its tabloids worship this a widowed heiress with a grand estate with an impeccable historic blue blood family. Emma guards her dark secrets. A romance with Logan might attract the tabloids and cause a scandal. Someone else does not want the past brought to light. When the possibility of murder and possible crime threatens the high society veneer, the danger might just become much more serious than mere scandal.

Lois Winston creates a multi-dimensional character who creates fun and scandal but who also fears attention with psychological realism. The non-stereotypical portrait of the paparazzi surprises and delights. Lois Winston also creates obnoxious and villainous characters who are just fun to hate. The unfolding mystery provides some humorous suspenseful twists and turns. Many parts of this book are clearly exceptional and innovative and yet as a whole, the book does not maintain the level consistently but vacillated between very good and really great. The hero does not quite measure up to the superbly written heroine but the romance is delightful, passionate and tinged with danger. Neither of these slight imperfections, however, detract from the reading pleasure.

Logan Crawford is a West Coast developer and billionaire interested in Philadelphia. While there, he meets Emma Wadsworth. Usually women latch on to him when they meet him. Usually he is a love 'em and leave 'em guy.

Philadelphia worships Emma, a widowed heiress. That is until her romance with logan attracts the tabloids and scandal and she is accused of murder.

Can Logan help Emma prove she is innocent without doing permanent damage to his business worth. And can Emma hold on long enough for the truth to win out?

I loved this romantic suspense. It was so much fun to read, I read it in two days. I just couldn't put it down. I kept wanting to know more.

The author has created a great love story with plenty of suspense and intrigue to keep the reader turning the pages.

I hope there will be more adventures with Logan and Emma. I highly recommend this book.

A terrific romance, with a leading man to drool over. Lois throws in a twist here and there to make you keep turning the pages.

Playboy billionaire Logan Crawford bumps into Philadelphia princess Emma Brockton-Wadsworth, spills coffee all over her and is immediately smitten. Emma, a recent widow wants nothing to do with a man, especially one with a reputation like Logan. She's the poor little rich girl who lost her parents in a drunk driving accident when she was a child, then was shuttled to boarding school in Europe since she had no living relatives. Her husband Phillip used her for her fortune and reputation then systematically destroyed her self esteem, holding her prisoner in her ivory tower in Philadelphia's toney Chestnut Hill.

When Emma and Logan meet again at a charity event, sparks continue to fly, much to the detriment of Emma's nemesis, Leslee, a woman who has already opened the welcome wagon to Logan (and was Phillips longtime lover), and incensed that he would choose Emma over her. She plants seeds of doubt in Emma's mind; when that doesn't work, she frames her for crimes her husband committed, even going so far as to accuse her of murdering Phillip. Emma has pretty bad luck since the DA who is gunning for her is the son of the man who killed her parents and he'll stop at nothing to see that she is behind bars. Emma soon becomes tabloid fodder, and worries that she'll spend the rest of her life in jail.

Winston has created two charismatic characters (though falling in love in a single day is kind of trite, and Logan is s little too good to be true), though Emma is a bit wimpy - probably written that way since she's a victim of abuse. Adding to the intrigue are Emma's two sons and Logan's clever assistant (who's also his adoptive sister), who manage to do more than the police to solve the crime.

After spilling coffee all over Emma Wadsworth, the most eligible bachelor in the country, Logan Crawford, finds that he can't seem to get the attractive, young widow out of his mind. For one thing, the princess of Philadelphia is completely unimpressed by his status and reputation. That is refreshing and the basis for a romance to begin that seems to be the best thing that has happened to either of them in a long time. However, despite her naivte and innocence, Emma has managed to make a few powerful, spiteful enemies and one wrong move incites their wrath. Before Emma knows what way is up, she finds herself being framed for jewel theft and murder, with not a prayer of clearing herself, thanks to her low-life late husband's abuse.
Fortunately, Logan knows he has found a treasure in her and will not rest until she is free to be his.

**** I thought this was going to be a simple bit of fluff, a romantic comedy with a dash of angst, and there are elements of that book in this. However, there's a lot more to the story than that and the extras of suspense, revenge, and murder make it a memorably good read. Granted, Emma's situation seems to be completely unbelievable, but that is what makes it believable. There's a lot in life that seems as if it could not possibly happen, after all. ****

Amanda Killgore