Pretend I'm Not Here (Mass Market Paperback)

by Chris Gavaler (Author) "This week's bachelorette wobbled more than usual, as if thrown off balance by that crown of blonde curls..." (more)
Key Phrases: dead bodyguard, Blind Date, Richard Shilling, Zelda Shilling (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Spending long, languid weekends in St. Thomas would seem like a dream job for most people. For single, thirty-something Ashley Farrell, however, it comes with the humiliation of having to act as chaperone for the varlous bachelor and bachelorette winners of a popular TV dating show. But this dead-end junket shows signs of new life. Between safeguarding the morals of curvaceous Melissa and voracious Randy and avoiding the diamond-dripping wife of a reputed crime boss, Ashley is attracting the serious attention of a tall, deliciously sexy stranger she met on the airplane. Things are definitely looking up!

Until she discovers a dead bodyguard on the beach...

Until she finds herself surrounded by FBI agents...

Until she is arrested for murder...

And now there's big trouble in paradise for sure!

About the Author
Chris Gaveler teaches high school English in Viginia.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: HarperTorch (July 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060002530
• ISBN-13: 978-0060002534
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,759,930 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Start, July 17, 2002

By A Customer

This was a good book, though I would not give it anything higher than a three. The humor was good - I liked the author's style, but the storyline was a little confusing at times and seemed to go around in circles a lot. Her heroine came off more masculine and brave than the hero and for me that was a slight put off - a romantic suspense where I couldn't find anything attractive about the hero! I would definitely buy her next book because I think the author will get better. She has a good start with Pretend I'm Not Here. I just think she needs to reign in the plot better.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not really a romantic suspense, December 1, 2002

By	ali (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

Although I generally liked this book, I'm not sure why it was categorized as a "Romantic Suspense" instead of just "Fiction".

The heroine, Ashley, stumbles into a den of intrigue when she finds a dead body in the course of chaperoning the winners of a dating game show. She then splits her time between getting *way* too involved in trying to figure out what actually happened (and jumping to an awful lot of wrong concludions on the way) and trying to convince people that she *didn't* murder the guy.

Overall, the writing was fairly witty and gripping. It was told from the first person, which worked very well for this character, and allowed the reader to know only what Ashley knew. At times the plot really did seem to drag. Several times I thought I had everything figured out, when I realized there was more than half of the book left. But the main character was quite charming, and very self-aware of her own flaws, which made her all the more endearing.

However, I fail to see how this is categorized as a romance. The whole story is spent *chasing* the hero. They spend all of 6 or 8 *hours* together. From what little the reader knows of him, he seems like a good guy. HOwever, there is very little development of him or their relationship. I would instead classify this as a murder mystery or a suspense novel which happens to have a *small* element of romance.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Page-turning Adventure, Great Fun, August 30, 2002

By A Customer

Much like Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books, I really enjoyed this romantic adventure. The witty dialog and fast-paced plot kept me engrossed to the point of having to finish the book to see what happened. The Caribbean setting was at the same time romantic and realistic - not all gorgeous sunsets, but also tangled jungle and sunbaked tourists. I could completely identify with the heroine and her trevails. A great read!