Customer Reviews

Take Your Pleasure Where You Find It

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Thirty years ago all that was told of a crime committed by three teenage girls was a grainy picture with one girl holding a bag in her hand. Their identities and faces were never known. However, 30 years later a young woman, Tasha Darden, who spent her childhood in foster care, is interested in finding out who those women are and more importantly which one was the mother who abandoned her. Take Your Pleasure Where You Find It tells Tasha's story and the stories of the three women in the photo in a fast-paced, very convoluted manner.
Renetta Jones has remade herself into a stunning, online entrepreneur. Once the victim of a missing mother and abusive husband, she has taken her life into her own hands and become the picture of serenity. But, will an incident from the past reveal more current crimes?

Phyllis Neville only cares about her upward mobility in corporate America. She has sacrificed her marriage and relationship with her daughter, Abby, in order to succeed. What the world is about to find out is that beneath that successful, well-dressed veneer is a woman running from the past and the future.
Freddie Palmer has been successfully married for over 30 years and on the surface everything seems to be just fine. But her boredom and sudden love for romance novels sends her into a world she could not have imagined and the past popping up does not help matters at all.

JD Mason takes us into the lives and pasts of these women without revealing the identity of the mother until the very end. I enjoyed the fast pace and humor of the novel, though, at times the story seemed to stretch the imagination just a bit. I recommend Take Your Pleasure Where You Find it to all Mason fans and those who love a fast-paced, entertaining novel filled with surprises.

This book was provided by publisher for review purposes.

Angelia Menchan
APOOO BookClub

Going back to your class reunion usually entails ones looking to reacquaint themselves with people they may have lost contact with, show off their new and improved selves, or even hook up with an ex. Well, in regards to Phyllis, Freddie and Renetta, the three former best friends clash as an outdated secret seems to haunt them. While Freddie and Renetta try desperately to rekindle what was once a great friendship, Phyllis refuses to have any sort of dealings with them. What could possibly be so horrid that friends who were as closely connected as sisters can't resolve after 30 years?

TAKE YOUR PLEASURE WHERE YOU FIND IT by J.D. Mason is immediately appealing. Readers find themselves swept up in a 30-year-old mystery. While all of the culprits have been identified, the mystery of the who still lures readers to turn the page. I was caught up from the very first page. You fall into step with the characters, catch up in their lives and learn that this 30-year-old secret will definitely affect, if not ruin, someone's life.

Enjoyable. Can't wait to check out other books in J.D's catalog.
OOSA Online Book Club BOTM

Three friends, who have grown apart over the years, find themselves torn between the past and the present and a secret forever binding them. With their secret on the verge of being exposed, each woman must come to grips with their actions and prepare for any consequences.

With her distinctive and witty style, author J.D. Mason unleashes the pain, regrets and emotional journey of four individuals tied together by one decision. She established intrigue at the outset, and then manages to sustain it right through to a satisfying conclusion. She does a fine job of leaving you guessing until the end the identity in question.

Another solid performance, Mason's latest novel only strengthens her reputation as an unique and creative voice and one of my favorite authors. Fans of Mason's work will be delighted with "Take Your Pleasure Where You Find It." Easily recommendable.

Reviewed by: Toni

In the late 1970s in high school, Renetta, Phyllis and Freddie became the best friends. Everyone knew them as the Tres Amigas. Then something happened to destroy their friendships as they left behind a newborn in the emergency room.

Over the next three decades, Renetta married a nasty person Vincent who used the secret as a weapon against her; until he suffered a questionable stroke. Phyllis put her career over love and family until she failed to get the promotion she expected which shattered her esteem. Freddie is married to Don, but feels the empty nest syndrome of three adult kids having flown away so she takes writing classes under Bianca Hightower who sees more than just a potentially good writer.

Tasha Darden grew up in foster care mostly with disgusting adults after being abandoned in an emergency room thirty years ago. When the only caring foster mom she ever had died, Tasha decides it is time to hire a detective to find her biological mother to ask why. Her sleuth has three prime candidates: the Tres Amigas.

This is a superb character study of friendship and redemption with the three BFFs and the one offspring all coming across fully developed yet different. Readers will appreciate Tasha's efforts to meet the mother who abandoned her at birth, wondering who of the Tres Amigas is her mother. Well written, Take Your Pleasure Where You Find It is an engaging tale as the past has caught up with the present.

Harriet Klausner

Renetta Jones runs a very lucrative online lingerie business from her home. Her models are like daughters to her and they share a close working relationship. She is very wealthy and polished, which has not always been the case. Still married to her abusive husband who is left bed stricken due to a stroke, she still holds onto the belief they are both being punished for past wrongs.

Freddie Palmer is happily married with three children and several grandchildren. She works as a county clerk and although she is happy, her existence is somewhat mundane. After attending a book signing where the author performs a reading from her novel, she is struck with the desire to write. Unsure of her talent as a writer, she signs up for a writing classes led by the author. As the author encourages her to discover her muse, she introduces Freddie to a sordid lifestyle that haunts her everyday life.

Phyllis Neville is a successful account manager at a marketing firm. Throughout her life, her career has been her main focus, even taking precedence over her marriage and her daughter. When she is passed over for a promotion, she begins to reevaluate her decisions. She still has feelings for her ex-husband who has moved on and remarried and she still has not developed a strong relationship with her daughter. When her daughter needs her most, Phyllis has to dig deep in order to be there for her.

These three women were inseparable as teenagers until a horrible secret tore them apart. With each carrying their guilt for a decision made 30 years before, they are no longer friends. With the aid of a private investigator, the secret is no longer buried. Will the trio come to together to face the consequences of the decision they made as kids?

I love the way JD Mason kept the secret to the very end. TAKE YOUR PLEASURE WHERE YOU FIND IT kept me mesmerized until the very end. I was somewhat perplexed with Freddie's story line, but it was hilarious. Mason is an awesome storyteller with well-rounded characters and strong plot development, which continues to earn her a spot as one of my favorite authors.

Reviewed by Paula Henderson
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

My fav book by her is still "On the 8th Day She Rested" I feel like the author is still chasing that brilliance. This is my least favorite book by her.

Will the real mom stand up and confess please.

This was a great read.

Trying to decide who the mother is ?

The one I thought was not the mother. Isn't it great to have good friends like Freddie, Phyliss and Renetta.

Good job J.D. Mason story well told.

I enjoyed this book, I went and decided to read all of the other books by Mason.... I tell you that I would not want to have that type of mother

"Take your Pleasure where you find it" told a story of a young woman who was searching for her mother who left her at a hospital. The young woman finds out her mother is one of three friends who were thick as thieves in high school. JD Mason did a wonderful job in not revealing or giving any hints which lady was mother until the very end of the book. The storyline was very interesting and made for a good novel. JD usually has some very interesting characters in her novel and that usually what drives the book. I found in "Take your Pleasure where you find it" that the characters just seem flat to me. I did not like anyone in the book. Even the young woman looking for her mother was too over the top for me. The characters got on my nerves and I really good not wait for the book to be over. My curiosity of which one was the mother made me continue to read. "Take your Pleasure where you find it" had no message that hit me. The only lesson in the book is probably the old cliché "What you do in the dark will come out in the light" JD continues to release books and the way "Take your Pleasure where you find it" ended I have a gut feeling Ms Mason will have sequel to this novel. I am a big JD Mason fan but I am not sure if I want to read the sequel to this book but my curiosity seems to get to me so it is 50 to 50 chance I will read the sequel. I would like to read a mystery for Ms Mason I am convinced she would be able to put together a good mystery.

Take Your Pleasure Where You Find It was a good read to me. I pretty much knew who the mother would be even though at times I was thrown off. The title and the cover does not really go with the storyline. I would recommend this book