My Mother the Man Eater [Paperback]

Tracy Krauss (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 4, 2010

Loaded with humor, action, intrigue and romance, My Mother the Man-Eater is the exciting story of a woman whose search for meaning in life finds an unexpected outlet. Joleen Allen is on the hunt for a man. Unfortunately, every time the mother of five meets one, he falls for one of her daughters instead! At forty-four, Joleen has lived a tough life. She became a mother at 16, and her five daughters are now grown. Her ex-husband, Harold, is out of prison and back in the picture, looking for revenge. He'll stop at nothing - even murder - to ruin Joleen's reputation as well as her relationship with their daughters. My Mother the Man-Eater makes for some truly tempting and redemptive reading.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Surprisingly powerful tale...skillfully mixing dramatic suspense, tender romance, and tantalizing shots of wicked humor ... A flawed, yet valiant protagonist you can't help cheering for. Thoroughly entertaining, highly rewarding read.

--Apex Reviews

From the Author

Hunting Never Looked So Good! If you like lots of plot twists, action with some romantic spice thrown in, and humorous, well developed characters, this one's for you!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Eloquent Books (November 4, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1609765850
• ISBN-13: 978-1609765859
• Product Dimensions: 1.2 x 5.9 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,673,295 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tracy Krauss is an author, playwright, artist, director, and teacher. She grew up in small town Saskatchewan and received her Bachelor of Education Degree in Saskatoon with majors in Art, English and History. She has lived in many interesting places in northern Canada, many of them north of the 60th parallel. She is currently a full time High School teacher of Art, Drama, English and History. She is currently working on several novels and stage plays, and resides with her husband in beautiful Tumbler Ridge, BC.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for everyone! December 20, 2010

By Martha A. Cheves

Format:Paperback

"I was a dancer," Joleen said, glancing up to gage his reaction. "Of the exotic variety." "I see. And your husband didn't mind?" William questioned. "It was his idea to begin with," Joleen answered back, somewhat defensive. "And I didn't take everything off. I think he took some kind of sick pleasure in the fact that other men wanted me, but I was `his'." "And you didn't object to that?" William asked candidly. "I had no choice in the matter," Joleen shrugged. "What do you mean?" "O'Brighton was also our landlord. He had some very persuasive techniques for getting people to pay money that they owed him." "Sounds like a very unsavory character," William noted. "And what about after Harold went to prison? You continued `working' for O'Brighton?" "Harold had made a lot of enemies. I needed the extra cash flow to keep my family safe."

Joleen Allen is 44 years old and has 5 daughters. Jennifer is her quiet one. She still lives at home, works for a publishing house and enjoys quiet evenings with a good book. Jill is a police officer who has designated herself as the family protector. Jinger lives at home and is a designer waiting on the right person to come along and take her to the top of the clothing world. Jasmine, lives alone and even though she is the oldest, she has very little to do with her mother and siblings. Her time is tied up with acquiring new advertising accounts and drowning her sorrows in a bottle. Jade, the youngest, still lives at home and has nothing really going for her. She works 2 jobs, one at a coffee shop and one as a ticket seller at a cinema. Her favorite pastime - getting high with her boyfriend. These are Joleen's daughters. She loves them dearly but they all seem to clash when together. As for Joleen, she loves men. Young men.... But she has finally come to the conclusion that something is missing in her life. She needs to find a man who she just might be able to stick with and settle down some. She has her eye on Sam in the delivery bay where she works and he seems to have an eye for her. So when he finally asks her out, she accepts. But she also likes the instructor from her self defense class and the teacher from her English lit class and then there was the guy who came in to talk her methods of selling lingerie and oh how can she ever pass up the motorcycle jumper she met at the race track. She can handle it. She will just have to juggle her time.

As you can see, this is one mixed up family. As things heat up with arguments between the girls and Joleen trying to shuffle her boyfriends, in walks Joleen's ex-husband. He has served his time in prison and is bent on destroying the lives of not just Joleen but also the lives of the girls. To do this he has decided to take Joleen to court stating that the divorce and her infidelity ended with him requiring psychiatric care.

I don't know where to start with my recommendations for My Mother The Man Eater. We all have skeletons in our family closets, somewhere. Most of us handle them by keeping the door locked, hoping no one finds the key. But what happens if those secrets of the past do get out? Whether we are the one hiding something or we find that someone we love has been hiding secrets from us, how do we handle it? Author Tracy Krauss has taken a family who's past becomes exposed. Piece by piece the family is torn apart and separated. But, as they all slowly start realizing, there is one being and feeling that can bring it all back together. The being is God and the feeling is Love.

My Mother The Man Eater is a book that I recommend to everyone.. man, woman, father, mother, grandparent, son, daughter. The message in this book is loud and clear and I feel it has a message for everyone, no matter who you are. I simply loved this book. Read more ›

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended! April 1, 2011

By Priscilla Benterud

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This romantic suspense is filled with hilarious mix-ups, toe curling suspense and heart wrenching pain, culminating in blessed redemption. Tracy Krauss portrays Joleen, a single mother of five grown daughters, as a mixed up, man-hunting cougar who can't seem to get it right. Every time Joleen thinks she has found `the one', he ends up falling for one of her daughters. On top of `new' man trouble, Joleen is experiencing `old' man trouble in the form of her ex-husband coming back from the past to haunt both her and the girls. `My Mother The Man-Eater' is a thrilling adventure romance that will keep you coming back for more!
WARNING: You won't want to put this book down once you have started it!!
Highly Recommended.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Highly Enjoyable Read! January 15, 2011

By ReviewsByMolly

Format:Paperback

Okay, so while this was an enjoyable read with a powerful ending message, I must confess that I was a just a little disappointed with the dialog. To me, it ran together with out the author telling who said what.....at times, I got a little confused as to who was doing the talking and who was doing the listening. BUT, that aside, I did find that the author created an interesting plot, with Joleen "man-hopping" to find her "true love" in life, and with Harold, the ex con. Totally interesting. Definitely not a plot line you would think of as an Inspirational novel. However, with this terrificly created characters, and a plot of dysfunctional crazies for a family, and a whopping good message from God at the end, Tracy Krauss has got some MAD talent!

As I said above, her talent is awesome and the plot is interesting. The message at the end, of God's love shining through even the most craziest of families, and Him loving us for US just as we are is awesome. Tack on the lesson of family and forgiveness, and this is one book that you won't want to miss.

So, I do recommend this book. I know I said that the dialog was lacking because of the way it ran on and on for me, but that didn't stop me from pushing forth and finishing this novel. I am, in the end, glad that this 4 star novel did shine and keep me hooked. Please grab a copy for yourselves today and see this talented author's work!

*This review is based on a complimentary copy which was provided for an honest review*

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My Mother the Man Eater March 14, 2012

By MilsP

Format:Paperback

My Mother the Man-Eater is the story of Joleen who is out to find true love. Unfortunately every eligible man she meets falls for one of her grown daughters! To make matter worse her con ex husband has made it his mission to ruin her life and good name! It was interesting to read and see how the characters relationships change and grow. It was a bit confusing at times because with so many characters it became a bit hard to keep track of who was saying what. Overall it was a good book, not my usual genre but glad I read it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My Mother is Fun and Uplifting! September 28, 2011

By Virginia Jaques

Format:Paperback

I loved My Mother the Man-Eater. When Joleen finds herself accidentally dating men who are prospects for all four of her grown daughters, mayhem and madness result. So does the personal growth of each of the characters. The book is a light-hearted, tender portrayal of broken people groping their way toward self-fulfillment. It is masterfully done.

There are some technical problems in the writing, and some plot twists are a little too serendipitous to be believable, but the roller-coaster plotline is so much fun I was happy to suspend my disbelief, just to find out what this spunky author and her delightful characters would do next!

The most enjoyable element of this story, however, was the characterization. I don't remember ever meeting a more realistically, and competently developed, conflicted character than Joleen. I fell in love with her almost immediately, and was rooting for her all the way through her convoluted journey toward self-realization.

This author has a unique way of creating unique characters, in unique situations that makes My Mother the Man-Eater more than just another good read. It is a great story for general readers, but it will appeal to women who have come from abused childhoods in a particularly meaningful way.