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Playing Dead
Court reporter Renee Rose found out the hard way that hooking up with a cop is like getting a bikini wax. It starts off hot, quickly turns painful, and ends in tears. But when her best friend receives an e-mail from her long-dead fiancé demanding money, Renee knows they need help. Too bad help comes in the form of Detective Anthony Graciano, an annoying bossy cop who somehow still manages to haul Renee's libido out of dry dock. Police work is more than a career for Anthony, it's an obsession. Specializing in cases involving female victims, he has no time for a personal life until he meets Renee, a delicious mystery he yearns to solve. When Renee’s disastrous marriage ended some years ago, her mother consoled her with the knowledge that when one door closes the next door could open to a plate of warm cookies. Could this detective be Renee’s warm cookie?
"Good looking men are trouble. If I had known then what I know now, I would have put clowns on my wedding cake." – Renee Rose in Playing Dead.
"Good looking men are trouble. If I had known then what I know now, I would have put clowns on my wedding cake." – Renee Rose in Playing Dead.
265 pages, Paperback
First published April 11, 2012
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 27, 2012
When I finished reading Playing Dead by Jody E. Lebel I had to stop and think why I enjoyed the book so much. And I did enjoy it. I ate it up. Yes, the writing is witty and engaging, the plot interesting and fun enough to keep me turning the pages. There’s mystery, suspense and romance–all things I love--and even a couple of plot twists I didn’t see coming. But what I like most about this book is the relationships. Renee and Liz are girlfriends, and Lebel does a beautiful job of portraying how these two interact and care for each other. The friendship feels authentic and characterizes the heroines beautifully. And Detective Graciano, with his mismatched socks and pathetic ties, is a hero waiting to be loved. A little rusty in the dating game, but he gets up to speed quickly once he meets Renee! Renee is the perfect mate for him. And, oh, the chapter headings! Clowns on the Wedding Cake, One Black Sock, One Blue. What fun. I’ll be on the outlook for more books coming from this author.
August 26, 2019
First i received the audio of the book, The audio is long some are up to 19 chapter and then they can be up to 10 hrs, the book playing dead goes form one person to other now the cops are checking my sister and her friends.
Let me tell you the story i am Liz and i received money form my fiancee but you see he was suppose to dead but is he well i am working in the court system and then i make good money but my sister well she another thing she a druggy and then thief . Well my sister is trying to bribe some druggies to kill someone.
You see when i got the money form my fiancee inherited a boat and it at the dock and then i have his condo and i was living in it. Well she had a boyfriend Richard and they were trying to black mail me and i got email and it said that would cut finger off and then if you don't pay up we will do damage,
Well what if Steve not dead and he want the condo and married and bring his wife here i am going to figure it out Well the story goes on and i for got that my mom was suppose to sponsor a student and she on vacation and i seen him in court and then i had to bail him out and then i told the police that he sponsor student.
Well as the story goes on the sister 2 buds try to kidnapped the wrong girls you see i was at the park and then i was to meet my x fiancee and then they grab my friend and try to use her as a hostage.
The audio is 40 chapter an about 14 hrs long so if you want to listen to it and then i tell you it a good book
Let me tell you the story i am Liz and i received money form my fiancee but you see he was suppose to dead but is he well i am working in the court system and then i make good money but my sister well she another thing she a druggy and then thief . Well my sister is trying to bribe some druggies to kill someone.
You see when i got the money form my fiancee inherited a boat and it at the dock and then i have his condo and i was living in it. Well she had a boyfriend Richard and they were trying to black mail me and i got email and it said that would cut finger off and then if you don't pay up we will do damage,
Well what if Steve not dead and he want the condo and married and bring his wife here i am going to figure it out Well the story goes on and i for got that my mom was suppose to sponsor a student and she on vacation and i seen him in court and then i had to bail him out and then i told the police that he sponsor student.
Well as the story goes on the sister 2 buds try to kidnapped the wrong girls you see i was at the park and then i was to meet my x fiancee and then they grab my friend and try to use her as a hostage.
The audio is 40 chapter an about 14 hrs long so if you want to listen to it and then i tell you it a good book
May 14, 2012
My Review:
This book was really smartly written. The characters are all fantastic, from the main hero/heroine to the bad guys who get almost as much book time as the H/h. I don't usually like books that give this much time to the bad guys, but this book worked for me. The book is not that long, but it has so much wonderful development. You get to see all the crazy dynamics of the various villains in the story. There is the wonderful friendship between Renee and Liz that has only gotten stronger over the last year as Liz has dealt with the sudden death of her fiance. Then there was also the partnership between Anthony, who's a complete slob, and his very put-together partner, Grace.
When I think back over this book, I am really astounded at the amount of detail, development, and action there was in here in such a short word count....and all of it was good and extremely entertaining.
Renee is a court reporter. The nature of her job means that she's in contact with law enforcement quite a bit. Unfortunately, she's already had one bad marriage to a pretty-boy bossy cop and has no desire for another so cops are on her no-dating list. That rule is challenged when she meets Anthony, who's investigating a bribery scheme against her best friend. When they meet, the chemistry is sizzling and they both realize it.
Anthony...aw, I really loved his character. It's been a LONG time since he's dated anyone seriously. In fact, neither him nor his partner can remember that far back, so as he looks at trying to pursue Renee, his skills are a bit rusty. His efforts and thoughts when trying to do this are so sweet and endearing. This is a guy floundering and it just makes you love him even more. Renee keeps him guessing and he spends a decent amount of time throughout the book wanting to bang his head against the wall. You have to feel for the guy especially when, as the reader, you can see what an effort he's making. Did I mention I love his character?? ;o)
Overall, this was a fantastic book. Really excellently written. The love story was sweet. The overall story was entertaining. The suspense story was interesting. From the very beginning, you know who the bad guys are, but there were still some unexpected twists and turns that kept the story completely involved. From the moment I started the book, I didn't put it down. Just a great book!
This book was really smartly written. The characters are all fantastic, from the main hero/heroine to the bad guys who get almost as much book time as the H/h. I don't usually like books that give this much time to the bad guys, but this book worked for me. The book is not that long, but it has so much wonderful development. You get to see all the crazy dynamics of the various villains in the story. There is the wonderful friendship between Renee and Liz that has only gotten stronger over the last year as Liz has dealt with the sudden death of her fiance. Then there was also the partnership between Anthony, who's a complete slob, and his very put-together partner, Grace.
When I think back over this book, I am really astounded at the amount of detail, development, and action there was in here in such a short word count....and all of it was good and extremely entertaining.
Renee is a court reporter. The nature of her job means that she's in contact with law enforcement quite a bit. Unfortunately, she's already had one bad marriage to a pretty-boy bossy cop and has no desire for another so cops are on her no-dating list. That rule is challenged when she meets Anthony, who's investigating a bribery scheme against her best friend. When they meet, the chemistry is sizzling and they both realize it.
Anthony...aw, I really loved his character. It's been a LONG time since he's dated anyone seriously. In fact, neither him nor his partner can remember that far back, so as he looks at trying to pursue Renee, his skills are a bit rusty. His efforts and thoughts when trying to do this are so sweet and endearing. This is a guy floundering and it just makes you love him even more. Renee keeps him guessing and he spends a decent amount of time throughout the book wanting to bang his head against the wall. You have to feel for the guy especially when, as the reader, you can see what an effort he's making. Did I mention I love his character?? ;o)
Overall, this was a fantastic book. Really excellently written. The love story was sweet. The overall story was entertaining. The suspense story was interesting. From the very beginning, you know who the bad guys are, but there were still some unexpected twists and turns that kept the story completely involved. From the moment I started the book, I didn't put it down. Just a great book!
June 11, 2012
This is an action packed short-novel, aimed primarily at a female audience. I actually enjoyed it very much, despite my genitalia. The plot revolves around a fairly classic shake-down for money, with enough invention to be interesting and enough tension to be gripping. Actually, the plot was perhaps more convincing because the details of brutal excesses were left to one’s imagination. Many authors pack in so much gratuitous blow by blow violence that the balance of the story can be lost. Books like this show us that there is something to be said for leaving readers some freedom to pour in the quantity of blood they require. This is of course equally true of sexual content. If the male hero has a rather overplayed touchy feely side for me to easily identify with then this only provides a bit of balance to all the bloodthirsty books I have so often read. Yes, you must bear in mind that I am not a regular reader of romance. I will not attempt to deny that I have all sorts of built in prejudices against the genre.
All the female characters are very well rounded and totally believable. The only character in the book that doesn’t quite fit together is the male exchange student. He provides a good twist to the plot, but his naivety about the life-style of North Americans is possibly overplayed. One small flaw that may well only reside in my head is hardly serious, amongst such a great cast. In my opinion Lebel has a particularly observant eye on male bad eggs. Perhaps that is simply because bad egg is the default form.
Despite fashionable brevity Lebel packs plenty in, this is a there aren’t very many wasted words. Her feel for dialogue is particularly good, and has a lot to do with making this such a good read. For those who like to know there is a 66,000 word count. I am not against the conclusion that it seemed so short to me simply because I enjoyed it so much.
Romance is the broad genre, but this book has enough non-romantic action to keep a wide variety of readers happy. I might call it a gritty, police drama, romance. Lebel has built some very interesting characters, some of which have huge scope for further development, which makes me wonder whether any of them are going to emerge again. It would be a waste if they didn’t.
All the female characters are very well rounded and totally believable. The only character in the book that doesn’t quite fit together is the male exchange student. He provides a good twist to the plot, but his naivety about the life-style of North Americans is possibly overplayed. One small flaw that may well only reside in my head is hardly serious, amongst such a great cast. In my opinion Lebel has a particularly observant eye on male bad eggs. Perhaps that is simply because bad egg is the default form.
Despite fashionable brevity Lebel packs plenty in, this is a there aren’t very many wasted words. Her feel for dialogue is particularly good, and has a lot to do with making this such a good read. For those who like to know there is a 66,000 word count. I am not against the conclusion that it seemed so short to me simply because I enjoyed it so much.
Romance is the broad genre, but this book has enough non-romantic action to keep a wide variety of readers happy. I might call it a gritty, police drama, romance. Lebel has built some very interesting characters, some of which have huge scope for further development, which makes me wonder whether any of them are going to emerge again. It would be a waste if they didn’t.
May 19, 2012
Originally posted at: http://www.longandshortreviews.blogsp...
Men don't come back from the dead. They don't reappear in someone's life. And they don't send email messages. Or do they? Something is definitely off here....Playing Dead begins in a mysterious way, taking readers on a tale of lies and deceit. Are you ready for this venture?
Renee was the type of female lead I'm used to reading. She's a good friend to Liz, but she's an annoying heroine. Her stubborn and hard headed attitude got to me quite a few times, especially with her bipolar-like attitude towards Anthony, the hero. I wanted to jump inside the story, take her by the shoulders, and shake some sense into her! If the author was shooting for a character that brought out real emotions in the reader, then she was right on target with Renee. I did notice she has a soft spot for one particular character in the book, other than Liz, so she didn't make me completely crazy.
Anthony, a detective, has a lot of wit and charm to him. He doesn't always seem to take his role seriously, but I suppose in a job like his, a man needs a little humor more often than not. I felt bad for him, going after a woman who seemed to slip away from his every move. He sure sticks with what he wants, though, because he kept trying even though it seemed futile.
The premise of the story is what really kept me going. I couldn't always feel for the characters, other than Liz, and I wished things turned out better for her. She was the one I would have loved to read more about, since the story seemed more focused on her life. There were definite surprises and twists in the story that I never imagined would unfold. The authors writing is fresh and fun. Playing Dead is full of mystery and fun. It's light on suspense, but a great read overall.
If you like your stories mysterious and some moments that are bound to get a smile out of you, Playing Dead is the perfect book. Don't play around, get a copy today!
Men don't come back from the dead. They don't reappear in someone's life. And they don't send email messages. Or do they? Something is definitely off here....Playing Dead begins in a mysterious way, taking readers on a tale of lies and deceit. Are you ready for this venture?
Renee was the type of female lead I'm used to reading. She's a good friend to Liz, but she's an annoying heroine. Her stubborn and hard headed attitude got to me quite a few times, especially with her bipolar-like attitude towards Anthony, the hero. I wanted to jump inside the story, take her by the shoulders, and shake some sense into her! If the author was shooting for a character that brought out real emotions in the reader, then she was right on target with Renee. I did notice she has a soft spot for one particular character in the book, other than Liz, so she didn't make me completely crazy.
Anthony, a detective, has a lot of wit and charm to him. He doesn't always seem to take his role seriously, but I suppose in a job like his, a man needs a little humor more often than not. I felt bad for him, going after a woman who seemed to slip away from his every move. He sure sticks with what he wants, though, because he kept trying even though it seemed futile.
The premise of the story is what really kept me going. I couldn't always feel for the characters, other than Liz, and I wished things turned out better for her. She was the one I would have loved to read more about, since the story seemed more focused on her life. There were definite surprises and twists in the story that I never imagined would unfold. The authors writing is fresh and fun. Playing Dead is full of mystery and fun. It's light on suspense, but a great read overall.
If you like your stories mysterious and some moments that are bound to get a smile out of you, Playing Dead is the perfect book. Don't play around, get a copy today!
December 21, 2012
I really had a hard time getting into the suspense novel, Playing Dead by Jody Lebel. While the suspense plot line of the book had merit and some interesting twists, I found that I couldn’t get past a heroine who I realized I didn’t like.
Renee Rose is a court reporter. She has seen the low of the low and unfortunately even married a scum bag who happened to be a cop. Needless to say she has steered clear of men in blue since her divorce but she finds herself immediately attracted to Detective Anthony Graciano who is assigned to help her best friend, Liz, who is getting emails from her dead husband asking for money.
That sounds like a good story. And it is, except for two things.
First, Renee’s reaction to her attraction to Detective Graciano is to pick a fight with him every time he opens his mouth. While I like a couple who aren’t afraid to do some verbal sparring, constant bickering while secretly lusting after a man seems incredibly childish for an independent woman. Even for a woman who still has emotional scars from her last failed romance.
Second, Renee is babysitting an exchange student who is supposed to be staying with her mother. I found the stereotypical portrayal of the ignorant foreigner a little over the top. While the story does attempt to explain some cultural differences, Detective Graciano’s instant dislike for Hanif is too unfounded to be believable.
There are some good moments in the story which prove Lebel’s talent as a novelist even though this offering didn’t always hit the mark for me on character actions and emotions. I look forward to reading Lebel’s future novels and I predict that as she refines her craft she’ll be an author to keep an eye on.
Renee Rose is a court reporter. She has seen the low of the low and unfortunately even married a scum bag who happened to be a cop. Needless to say she has steered clear of men in blue since her divorce but she finds herself immediately attracted to Detective Anthony Graciano who is assigned to help her best friend, Liz, who is getting emails from her dead husband asking for money.
That sounds like a good story. And it is, except for two things.
First, Renee’s reaction to her attraction to Detective Graciano is to pick a fight with him every time he opens his mouth. While I like a couple who aren’t afraid to do some verbal sparring, constant bickering while secretly lusting after a man seems incredibly childish for an independent woman. Even for a woman who still has emotional scars from her last failed romance.
Second, Renee is babysitting an exchange student who is supposed to be staying with her mother. I found the stereotypical portrayal of the ignorant foreigner a little over the top. While the story does attempt to explain some cultural differences, Detective Graciano’s instant dislike for Hanif is too unfounded to be believable.
There are some good moments in the story which prove Lebel’s talent as a novelist even though this offering didn’t always hit the mark for me on character actions and emotions. I look forward to reading Lebel’s future novels and I predict that as she refines her craft she’ll be an author to keep an eye on.
May 24, 2012
This book started out quick and the pace didn't stop. I enjoyed Jody Lebel's voice and writing style...it made for a smooth read.
All of the characters were interesting. I liked the heroine Renee and her feisty dialogue and internals. I LOVED the hero Detective Anthony Graciano and how he was portrayed as not being the typical "perfect" hero. He wasn't always clean shaven, he might be rumpled in appearance and at times made odd wardrobe choices...as in ties...lol, but Renee couldn't deny her attraction. Even though she'd sworn off dating anyone in law enforcement after a disastrous marriage that ended in divorce.
All of the secondary characters were awesome, from Hanif (my fav secondary character and foreign exhange student), to Liz who was dealing with the death of her fiancee Steve, to Liz's sister Monica who had issues mostly caused by her own hand, but I still felt sorry for her at times. Even Detective Graciano's partner "Slicky" Grace Slikowski was a person of interest....and I couldn't forget the bad guys either...they were done well and I truly disliked them.
I enjoyed this light-hearted romantic suspense with snappy dialogue and an interesting mystery woven in between memorable characters.
I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to finish a book with a smile on their face!
All of the characters were interesting. I liked the heroine Renee and her feisty dialogue and internals. I LOVED the hero Detective Anthony Graciano and how he was portrayed as not being the typical "perfect" hero. He wasn't always clean shaven, he might be rumpled in appearance and at times made odd wardrobe choices...as in ties...lol, but Renee couldn't deny her attraction. Even though she'd sworn off dating anyone in law enforcement after a disastrous marriage that ended in divorce.
All of the secondary characters were awesome, from Hanif (my fav secondary character and foreign exhange student), to Liz who was dealing with the death of her fiancee Steve, to Liz's sister Monica who had issues mostly caused by her own hand, but I still felt sorry for her at times. Even Detective Graciano's partner "Slicky" Grace Slikowski was a person of interest....and I couldn't forget the bad guys either...they were done well and I truly disliked them.
I enjoyed this light-hearted romantic suspense with snappy dialogue and an interesting mystery woven in between memorable characters.
I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to finish a book with a smile on their face!
April 25, 2012
Playing Dead is a page-turning suspense with fun and realistic characters. Readers will fall in love with the main characters, Renee and Antony, as well as the secondary characters. Jody Lebel has a fun and humorous writing style that makes readers want to sit back, relax, and go along for the ride. This story has powerful twists, a strong and believable friendship between Renee and Liz, and a romance that makes you cheer for Renee and Anthony as they discover their feelings for each other and work together to solve the mystery about a trail of strange emails.
An added bonus: you'll learn a lot about being a court reporter in this book. Jody's first-hand experience in the courtroom brings a level of realism that will keep you turning pages. I'll be watching for new releases from author Jody Lebel.
An added bonus: you'll learn a lot about being a court reporter in this book. Jody's first-hand experience in the courtroom brings a level of realism that will keep you turning pages. I'll be watching for new releases from author Jody Lebel.
June 11, 2012
Awesome character development in this mystery/romance. This is key in enjoying the hell out of this novel. You could feel the sexual attraction oozing off each paragraph. The plot is solid and well written, although depending on a couple of coincidences that are easily forgiven. Each time I stopped reading, I looked forward to picking it back up. If I don't find that in a book, then its not worth reading. Great job!
March 12, 2013
Had so much fun reading Playing Dead. This is a romantic suspense that at times is laugh-out-loud funny. Jody Lebel is pitch perfect with her dialogue. If you like a little bit of Carl Haisen with your romance, this is the book for you.
November 6, 2012
I enjoyed this book.
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July 14, 2014Loved the suspense and the characters. I can't wait to read more from Jody Lebel.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews