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Mirror Image
When a TV reporter is injured in a Dallas-bound jet crash, she enters a world of mistaken identity and political intrigue in this action-packed romantic suspense novel -- a Globe and Mail bestseller! The crash of a Dallas-bound jet isn't just a tragedy for TV reporter Avery Daniels; it's an act of fate that hands her a golden opportunity to further her career. But it also makes her the crucial player in a drama of violent passions and deadly desires. After plastic surgery transforms her face, Avery is mistaken for the glamorous, selfish wife of Tate Rutledge, the famous senatorial candidate and member of a powerful Texas dynasty. As she lays helpless in the hospital, Avery makes a shattering someone close to Tate planned to assassinate him. Now, to save him, she must live another woman's life -- and risk her own.
449 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 1990
1172 people are currently reading
6670 people want to read
About the author
Sandra Brown
351 books19.2k followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Sandra Brown is the author of more than sixty New York Times bestsellers, including STING (2016), FRICTION (2015), MEAN STREAK (2014), DEADLINE(2013), & LOW PRESSURE (2012), LETHAL (2011).
Brown began her writing career in 1981 and since then has published over seventy novels, bringing the number of copies of her books in print worldwide to upwards of eighty million. Her work has been translated into over thirty languages.
In 2009 Brown detoured from romantic suspense to write, Rainwater, a much acclaimed, powerfully moving historical fiction story about honor and sacrifice during the Great Depression.
Brown was given an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Christian University. She was named Thriller Master for 2008, the top award given by the International Thriller Writer’s Association. Other awards and commendations include the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature and the Romance Writers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Sandra Brown is the author of more than sixty New York Times bestsellers, including STING (2016), FRICTION (2015), MEAN STREAK (2014), DEADLINE(2013), & LOW PRESSURE (2012), LETHAL (2011).
Brown began her writing career in 1981 and since then has published over seventy novels, bringing the number of copies of her books in print worldwide to upwards of eighty million. Her work has been translated into over thirty languages.
In 2009 Brown detoured from romantic suspense to write, Rainwater, a much acclaimed, powerfully moving historical fiction story about honor and sacrifice during the Great Depression.
Brown was given an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Texas Christian University. She was named Thriller Master for 2008, the top award given by the International Thriller Writer’s Association. Other awards and commendations include the 2007 Texas Medal of Arts Award for Literature and the Romance Writers of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,039 reviews
August 4, 2020
5 stars for enjoyment minus 1 star for a very enjoyable but VERY unrealistic plot
I'd be lying if I said I didn't love this book. It’s one of my favorites by SB. I practically inhaled it. It's equally focused on the romance as it is on the suspense.
But let’s be real. The legs on which this story stands are loose and wobbly. The heroine undergoes a facial surgical reconstruction after she survives a plane crash. After the surgery, she looks exactly like another woman who died in the plane crash. Nobody in her new family notices she is not who they think she is.
I'm sorry but I'm not buying it. What about her body shape? Her legs, her arms, her hands, her nails, her butt, her speech, her accent, her mannerisms? What about her eyes? Granted, they had the same eye color, but come on… Your eyes always give you away. I’m not even sure if it’s possible today (and let alone twenty years ago) to reconstruct one’s face to look exactly as it did before it was completely smashed and burned. Let alone somebody else's face.
Anyhow, she’s got a new face and she gets used to it immediately. In two months she’s good as new. She even travels around by plane. After the plane crash. No psychological issues at all. She doesn’t need a therapist. She’s one of the 14 people that survived the crash. Everybody else DIED. Even her “daughter” has nightmares, for god’s sake.
I’m not sure what to say about the heroine. I liked her in the beginning but I soon started to despise her. I didn’t agree with her choices and decisions. There were even moments when I wanted to slap some sense into her. With gusto.
I know what you think. How can I rate this book so highly if I have so many issues? Believe it or not, I managed to turn a blind eye. And the story was gripping thanks to the author's vivid imagination, great writing and excellent characterization. Tate (the hero) was HAWT. I love SB's heroes! And I enjoyed the suspense. I was biting my nails,hopingwaiting for somebody to expose the heroine. Plus, I wasn’t sure who the bad guy was till the very end.
Though, come to think of it, I have a few questions. Feel free to answer them :)
QUICK REVIEW:
Enjoyment: 5/5
Writing style: 5/5
Storyline: Unratable. It was extremely interesting and gripping but unrealistic.
Hero: 5/5
Heroine: 3/5
Secondary characters: 5/5
Hotness/steam level: 3/5
Romance: 4/5
Angst level: 2.5/5
Darkness level: 1/5
Humor: 2/5
Depth of the book: 4/5
POV: multiple, third person
Triggers:
I'd be lying if I said I didn't love this book. It’s one of my favorites by SB. I practically inhaled it. It's equally focused on the romance as it is on the suspense.
But let’s be real. The legs on which this story stands are loose and wobbly. The heroine undergoes a facial surgical reconstruction after she survives a plane crash. After the surgery, she looks exactly like another woman who died in the plane crash. Nobody in her new family notices she is not who they think she is.
I'm sorry but I'm not buying it. What about her body shape? Her legs, her arms, her hands, her nails, her butt, her speech, her accent, her mannerisms? What about her eyes? Granted, they had the same eye color, but come on… Your eyes always give you away. I’m not even sure if it’s possible today (and let alone twenty years ago) to reconstruct one’s face to look exactly as it did before it was completely smashed and burned. Let alone somebody else's face.
Anyhow, she’s got a new face and she gets used to it immediately. In two months she’s good as new. She even travels around by plane. After the plane crash. No psychological issues at all. She doesn’t need a therapist. She’s one of the 14 people that survived the crash. Everybody else DIED. Even her “daughter” has nightmares, for god’s sake.
I’m not sure what to say about the heroine. I liked her in the beginning but I soon started to despise her. I didn’t agree with her choices and decisions. There were even moments when I wanted to slap some sense into her. With gusto.
I know what you think. How can I rate this book so highly if I have so many issues? Believe it or not, I managed to turn a blind eye. And the story was gripping thanks to the author's vivid imagination, great writing and excellent characterization. Tate (the hero) was HAWT. I love SB's heroes! And I enjoyed the suspense. I was biting my nails,
Though, come to think of it, I have a few questions. Feel free to answer them :)
QUICK REVIEW:
Enjoyment: 5/5
Writing style: 5/5
Storyline: Unratable. It was extremely interesting and gripping but unrealistic.
Hero: 5/5
Heroine: 3/5
Secondary characters: 5/5
Hotness/steam level: 3/5
Romance: 4/5
Angst level: 2.5/5
Darkness level: 1/5
Humor: 2/5
Depth of the book: 4/5
POV: multiple, third person
Triggers:
December 29, 2014
Mirror Image is another one to add to my favorites list of Sandra Brown books. I think Avery and Tate are one of my favorite couples.
This one takes us to beautiful Texas to the Rocking R Ranch.
As with all my other reviews for her books I’m not going to say too much about the plot because it is so much better to jump into her stories without too much floating around in your mind. The synopsis gives you all you really need to know.
I wasn’t sure how SB was going to pull off this plot though. How can someone just take over another person’s life in every essence? Kept an open mind and it paid off!!
Things that happened just moments before the crash had to be an act of fate. The one thing that could have clearly identified Avery was no longer with her.
But Avery Daniels had her reasons for becoming Carol Rutledge. And there were a few times when she ached for things to be different. But then came the point when there was no turning back. Tate Rutledge was a man she wanted to protect, a man who stole her heart.
Tate and Avery drove me crazy, in all the most wonderful ways possible! With the basis of how their relationship began there was no way things were going to end well right? Well, SB takes these two through some intense moments, some freaking sensual sexy moments and some moments that caused me a bit of anxiety.
There were many suspects that kept me guessing right to the end. There were interesting side characters as usual. My two favorites are Fancy and Irish. They both added that extra something to the story that I love.
Definitely another highly recommended read from me!!
This one takes us to beautiful Texas to the Rocking R Ranch.
As with all my other reviews for her books I’m not going to say too much about the plot because it is so much better to jump into her stories without too much floating around in your mind. The synopsis gives you all you really need to know.
I wasn’t sure how SB was going to pull off this plot though. How can someone just take over another person’s life in every essence? Kept an open mind and it paid off!!
Things that happened just moments before the crash had to be an act of fate. The one thing that could have clearly identified Avery was no longer with her.
But Avery Daniels had her reasons for becoming Carol Rutledge. And there were a few times when she ached for things to be different. But then came the point when there was no turning back. Tate Rutledge was a man she wanted to protect, a man who stole her heart.
Tate and Avery drove me crazy, in all the most wonderful ways possible! With the basis of how their relationship began there was no way things were going to end well right? Well, SB takes these two through some intense moments, some freaking sensual sexy moments and some moments that caused me a bit of anxiety.
There were many suspects that kept me guessing right to the end. There were interesting side characters as usual. My two favorites are Fancy and Irish. They both added that extra something to the story that I love.
Definitely another highly recommended read from me!!
November 21, 2014
4.5 Stars
OK, you sort of have to suspend the disbelief here a bit. Some of the story is a bit implausible but go with the flow and enjoy it.
I mean can someone step into somebody else's shoes without those closest to you finding out?
There was politics, friendships, newsroom drama, families, jealousies!
Again, I won't say too much. You are better off just diving in. Yes, I was second guessing most people. Was wrong, as usual. That is the beauty of the writing of Ms Brown, she can make everyone a suspect.
Sex scenes were smoking hot as usual.
So why not 5 stars? Again, I think it is because I love the books where the main male character is a bit of an ass and he is the one under suspicion too. Tate was not under suspicion here.
The crash of a Dallas-bound jet wasn't just a tragedy to TV reporter Avery Daniels; it was an act of fate that handed her a golden opportunity to further her career. Mistaken for a glamorous, selfish woman named Carole Rutledge, the badly injured Avery would find that plastic surgery had given her Carole's face, the famous senatorial candidate Tate Rutledge for a husband, and a powerful Texas dynasty for in-laws. And as she lay helpless in the hospital, she would make a shattering discovery: Someone close to Tate planned to assassinate him. Now, to save Tate's life, Avery must live another woman's life and risk her own
OK, you sort of have to suspend the disbelief here a bit. Some of the story is a bit implausible but go with the flow and enjoy it.
There was a lot about the man to admire. From the crown of his tousled brown hair to the toes of his scuffed boots, he was a man's man and a woman's fantasy
I mean can someone step into somebody else's shoes without those closest to you finding out?
But for every ardent admirer, he had an equally ardent enemy
There was politics, friendships, newsroom drama, families, jealousies!
Something stunck in Camelot
Again, I won't say too much. You are better off just diving in. Yes, I was second guessing most people. Was wrong, as usual. That is the beauty of the writing of Ms Brown, she can make everyone a suspect.
Sweet revenge sometimes required bitter sacrifices
"I don't have a choice."
Sex scenes were smoking hot as usual.
So why not 5 stars? Again, I think it is because I love the books where the main male character is a bit of an ass and he is the one under suspicion too. Tate was not under suspicion here.
December 26, 2018
2º libro del #RetoRita2 #Ritabrown
!Me ha encantado! Pedazo de culebrón que recuerda a Dallas en todo su esplendor -si hasta tiene su propia Sue Ellen, también de nombre compuesto- y al que la autora homenajea sin pudor. Me ha gustado mucho esa trama tan enrevesada, la química entre los protagonistas, esos personajes secundarios tan bien construidos y, aunque hay cosas que me olía, la resolución final me ha sorprendido para bien. Pena que ésta haya sido algo precipitada y que no haya llegado a creerme lo mucho que tarda el protagonista en darse cuenta del cambiazo. Lo recomiendo mucho.
!Me ha encantado! Pedazo de culebrón que recuerda a Dallas en todo su esplendor -si hasta tiene su propia Sue Ellen, también de nombre compuesto- y al que la autora homenajea sin pudor. Me ha gustado mucho esa trama tan enrevesada, la química entre los protagonistas, esos personajes secundarios tan bien construidos y, aunque hay cosas que me olía, la resolución final me ha sorprendido para bien. Pena que ésta haya sido algo precipitada y que no haya llegado a creerme lo mucho que tarda el protagonista en darse cuenta del cambiazo. Lo recomiendo mucho.
December 27, 2021
Re-read 28/10/17.
As I was dusting my shelves the other day, I just took it in my hands and... put it back the next day after I blew my currently reading books and re-read this instead. One might believe that if you read a mystery book once, then there's no point in re-reading it once the plot is unveiled. But the second time you pay attention to all the little clues that the author put for you to find but were unaware the first time. For me, it says a lot about how talented an author SB is. And all the feelings that I experienced the first time were there as well. I loved it equally this second time and I'm sure there will be many re-reads in the future.
This one became one of my favorite. I will certainly re-read again in the future. Sandra Brown knows how to write romantic suspense. I loved it....
As I was dusting my shelves the other day, I just took it in my hands and... put it back the next day after I blew my currently reading books and re-read this instead. One might believe that if you read a mystery book once, then there's no point in re-reading it once the plot is unveiled. But the second time you pay attention to all the little clues that the author put for you to find but were unaware the first time. For me, it says a lot about how talented an author SB is. And all the feelings that I experienced the first time were there as well. I loved it equally this second time and I'm sure there will be many re-reads in the future.
This one became one of my favorite. I will certainly re-read again in the future. Sandra Brown knows how to write romantic suspense. I loved it....
December 18, 2015
Me ha gustado. La novela engancha, pero hay cosas que me parece sencillamente increíbles. Me suele pasar con el tema de la suplantación de personas.
La historia está bien montada, aunque desde el primer momento he sabido quien era el malo, quizás demasiado claro estaba, lo otro, lo he supuesto, pero yo misma he pensado que no podría ser jajajaj
El problema es que se resuelve todo en las últimas 30 hojas, demasiado rápido, y el tema entre ellos, muy previsible.
Pero me ha gustado el estilo de esta mujer y, aunque no creo que sea realmente una novela romántica, leeré algo más de ella.
Me ha gustado el tema de las presiones electorales, esos tópicos familiares y la crítica-análisis al más puro estilo Dallas jajajaja
La historia está bien montada, aunque desde el primer momento he sabido quien era el malo, quizás demasiado claro estaba, lo otro, lo he supuesto, pero yo misma he pensado que no podría ser jajajaj
El problema es que se resuelve todo en las últimas 30 hojas, demasiado rápido, y el tema entre ellos, muy previsible.
Pero me ha gustado el estilo de esta mujer y, aunque no creo que sea realmente una novela romántica, leeré algo más de ella.
Me ha gustado el tema de las presiones electorales, esos tópicos familiares y la crítica-análisis al más puro estilo Dallas jajajaja
December 2, 2022
⭐️⭐️⭐️ three stars -
Well, well… what to say about this book? I had a hard time deciding whether or not I was going to demote this one to two stars due to the atrocious ending, but I did conclude that I would leave it at the three stars it deserves…
Given the fact that I will be discussing the ending here later, I did decide to hide this review due to spoilers, which I really don’t like doing normally, but since there’s no way to quickly churn out a review without including any spoilers here, I did decide to hide my review so as not to impede upon your enjoyment of this story in case you do decide to read it yourself, so here goes…
Overall, a fairly unique, out-of-the box romantic murder suspense that I did read all the way through; almost in one sitting. I did enjoy the mystery of the whodunnit plot, and my brain was engaged throughout in trying to unravel the mystery. I mostly enjoyed the depth of the secondary characters and their contributions to the overall murder mystery.
Readers should keep in mind that this novel was originally published back in 1990. There are attitudes, slang, and character actions that would not be accepted today. While some of these phrases were shocking for this reader to see in print, other readers should know that late twentieth century mores are included here, and should decide to adjust accordingly, or skim these sections if it makes you uncomfortable.
This novel requires a suspension of disbelief given the nature of the main plot point - our heroine’s complete cosmetic surgery transformation. Brown skillfully gets us to this point, and the enjoyment of this novel comes from this out-of-the box idea. In general, the build up of the story is really quite good and most masterfully plotted. The reader just goes with this unbelievable plot action because you have to in order to carry on with the story, but that’s what makes it so fun to read! Truly master world building at this point, and I enjoyed this aspect.
What I didn’t enjoy was a specific character. I am fairly new to Brown, but I have surmised enough that her writing style tends to include a trashy character. I will say in Brown’s favor, though, that these full-on trashy characters are always well drawn, and their character description is well enough to give you a clear picture. Maybe too clear.
Here in “Mirror Image” this trashy character is our Hero’s niece, Fancy. I absolutely hated her. Fancy is described as a spoiled, privileged teen; complete with a brand new sports car, a flashy wardrobe, the morals of an alley cat, and Daddy’s credit card. Besides being the town tramp, her claim to fame is her cruelty to a child.
I absolutely could not stand her nastiness toward an innocent child, (Mandy, our Hero’s daughter) and could not understand why anyone let her be around a troubled young child that she couldn’t be compassionate toward. Fancy was just too awful for me. She needed a good slap and an std test. Way too trashy to me, and she’s the main reason this lost a star.
Besides my burning dislike of this secondary character and any scenes that included her toxicity, I truly hated the pulled from nowhere, convoluted, misguided ending.
*************
* the following includes the reason this review is hidden *
What in the heck was up with the introduction of neo-Nazis at the eleventh hour? It wholly appeared to this reader that this aspect was just thrown in there for shock value, which was in no way needed.
The reader is already at the shock value threshold with the inclusion of this fantastical plot and its sci-fi identity switching, The story did not in any way benefit from more shock and awe.
To top it all off, Brown then got herself caught between a rock and a hard place with this outrageous addition into the plot. She then proceeded to write paragraphs of intricate explanations as to how this all happened. It came off as straw grabbing and while you could appreciate the fact that most people would have difficulty writing themselves out of a corner like that, Brown does pull it off 💁♀️.
* end included spoiler *
**************
Overall, I’m not sure if I would recommend this suspenseful romantic thriller. It might be worth a read for the unique plot point of mistaken identity alone, and the unique sci-fi plot inclusion inside a romantic suspense.
Fans of Brown seem to like this one. I personally didn’t entirely care for it, would never read it again, and might or might not read Brown again. At least not until I thoroughly scour reviews first. I’m just not enjoying the trash factor here, personally 🤷♀️.
Three stars. Read at your own peril.
Well, well… what to say about this book? I had a hard time deciding whether or not I was going to demote this one to two stars due to the atrocious ending, but I did conclude that I would leave it at the three stars it deserves…
Given the fact that I will be discussing the ending here later, I did decide to hide this review due to spoilers, which I really don’t like doing normally, but since there’s no way to quickly churn out a review without including any spoilers here, I did decide to hide my review so as not to impede upon your enjoyment of this story in case you do decide to read it yourself, so here goes…
Overall, a fairly unique, out-of-the box romantic murder suspense that I did read all the way through; almost in one sitting. I did enjoy the mystery of the whodunnit plot, and my brain was engaged throughout in trying to unravel the mystery. I mostly enjoyed the depth of the secondary characters and their contributions to the overall murder mystery.
Readers should keep in mind that this novel was originally published back in 1990. There are attitudes, slang, and character actions that would not be accepted today. While some of these phrases were shocking for this reader to see in print, other readers should know that late twentieth century mores are included here, and should decide to adjust accordingly, or skim these sections if it makes you uncomfortable.
This novel requires a suspension of disbelief given the nature of the main plot point - our heroine’s complete cosmetic surgery transformation. Brown skillfully gets us to this point, and the enjoyment of this novel comes from this out-of-the box idea. In general, the build up of the story is really quite good and most masterfully plotted. The reader just goes with this unbelievable plot action because you have to in order to carry on with the story, but that’s what makes it so fun to read! Truly master world building at this point, and I enjoyed this aspect.
What I didn’t enjoy was a specific character. I am fairly new to Brown, but I have surmised enough that her writing style tends to include a trashy character. I will say in Brown’s favor, though, that these full-on trashy characters are always well drawn, and their character description is well enough to give you a clear picture. Maybe too clear.
Here in “Mirror Image” this trashy character is our Hero’s niece, Fancy. I absolutely hated her. Fancy is described as a spoiled, privileged teen; complete with a brand new sports car, a flashy wardrobe, the morals of an alley cat, and Daddy’s credit card. Besides being the town tramp, her claim to fame is her cruelty to a child.
I absolutely could not stand her nastiness toward an innocent child, (Mandy, our Hero’s daughter) and could not understand why anyone let her be around a troubled young child that she couldn’t be compassionate toward. Fancy was just too awful for me. She needed a good slap and an std test. Way too trashy to me, and she’s the main reason this lost a star.
Besides my burning dislike of this secondary character and any scenes that included her toxicity, I truly hated the pulled from nowhere, convoluted, misguided ending.
*************
* the following includes the reason this review is hidden *
What in the heck was up with the introduction of neo-Nazis at the eleventh hour? It wholly appeared to this reader that this aspect was just thrown in there for shock value, which was in no way needed.
The reader is already at the shock value threshold with the inclusion of this fantastical plot and its sci-fi identity switching, The story did not in any way benefit from more shock and awe.
To top it all off, Brown then got herself caught between a rock and a hard place with this outrageous addition into the plot. She then proceeded to write paragraphs of intricate explanations as to how this all happened. It came off as straw grabbing and while you could appreciate the fact that most people would have difficulty writing themselves out of a corner like that, Brown does pull it off 💁♀️.
* end included spoiler *
**************
Overall, I’m not sure if I would recommend this suspenseful romantic thriller. It might be worth a read for the unique plot point of mistaken identity alone, and the unique sci-fi plot inclusion inside a romantic suspense.
Fans of Brown seem to like this one. I personally didn’t entirely care for it, would never read it again, and might or might not read Brown again. At least not until I thoroughly scour reviews first. I’m just not enjoying the trash factor here, personally 🤷♀️.
Three stars. Read at your own peril.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 24, 2017
From the moment I've read the synopsis I knew that I would love this book.
This is my first Sandra Brown book EVER. I've accidentally sumbled upon this book on wattpad where she posted it as a treat for her fans. The story had its flaws and the whole ending was a just a tiiiiny bit disappointing but I loved Avery and I rooted so damn hard for her so I really can't give this book less than 4 stars. The characters were fairly interesting and the story was filled with suspense, action and romance. For some reason, besides Avery, I loved Fancy. She's troubled but she's a good kid. The chemistry between Avery and Tate was craaazy and I was so happy when he finally found out the truth. Overall, I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. :)
This is my first Sandra Brown book EVER. I've accidentally sumbled upon this book on wattpad where she posted it as a treat for her fans. The story had its flaws and the whole ending was a just a tiiiiny bit disappointing but I loved Avery and I rooted so damn hard for her so I really can't give this book less than 4 stars. The characters were fairly interesting and the story was filled with suspense, action and romance. For some reason, besides Avery, I loved Fancy. She's troubled but she's a good kid. The chemistry between Avery and Tate was craaazy and I was so happy when he finally found out the truth. Overall, I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. :)
December 29, 2018
The story line for this book could have been interesting but honestly, I couldn't stand any of the characters.
Tate Rutledge is running for senator when his wife Carole is involved in a horrific plane crash - she and his 3-year-old daughter are one of few survivors of the fiery crash. Although Tate has no love lost for Carole, he feels responsible for helping her since she's his wife, and he makes sure she gets the best plastic surgery money can buy to return her face to its former splendor.
The only problem is, Carole died in the plane crash, and a reporter, Avery Daniels, who had switched seats with her during the flight, has been mistaken for Carole. Unable to communicate in any way, she undergoes surgery and comes out as Carole's spitting image. While recovering, Avery plans to tell Tate the truth as soon as she's able, but then it comes to her that she can boost her own reporting career if she remains as Carole Rutledge and reports on the campaign from the inside...and then, when a mysterious visitor clues her in that Carole was in cahoots with someone close to Tate to murder him before he took office, Avery decides she must keep the facade to save Tate's life.
I disliked the book because I really disliked Avery. A woman stupid enough to try to save her career by pretending to be another person's wife and someone's mother, and then falling in love with them and that cementing their decision to do so is just plan dumb. She was risking both her own professional career and Tate's eventual love because she convinced herself that only if she were faking being Carole could she find out who was behind it all (and yeah, it didn't help her at all...turns out people who aren't involved at all figure it out way before her).
The real Carole was a real piece of work who doesn't even seem realistic. The ending also doesn't seem plausible or realistic at all. I usually like Brown's books but for me this one was a real dud...and some of the sex scenes, the descriptions were laughable. Something about his semen coating her womb? Like...what?? Who says that??
Definitely don't recommend this particular book, although I do think Brown is a talented writer.
Tate Rutledge is running for senator when his wife Carole is involved in a horrific plane crash - she and his 3-year-old daughter are one of few survivors of the fiery crash. Although Tate has no love lost for Carole, he feels responsible for helping her since she's his wife, and he makes sure she gets the best plastic surgery money can buy to return her face to its former splendor.
The only problem is, Carole died in the plane crash, and a reporter, Avery Daniels, who had switched seats with her during the flight, has been mistaken for Carole. Unable to communicate in any way, she undergoes surgery and comes out as Carole's spitting image. While recovering, Avery plans to tell Tate the truth as soon as she's able, but then it comes to her that she can boost her own reporting career if she remains as Carole Rutledge and reports on the campaign from the inside...and then, when a mysterious visitor clues her in that Carole was in cahoots with someone close to Tate to murder him before he took office, Avery decides she must keep the facade to save Tate's life.
I disliked the book because I really disliked Avery. A woman stupid enough to try to save her career by pretending to be another person's wife and someone's mother, and then falling in love with them and that cementing their decision to do so is just plan dumb. She was risking both her own professional career and Tate's eventual love because she convinced herself that only if she were faking being Carole could she find out who was behind it all (and yeah, it didn't help her at all...turns out people who aren't involved at all figure it out way before her).
The real Carole was a real piece of work who doesn't even seem realistic. The ending also doesn't seem plausible or realistic at all. I usually like Brown's books but for me this one was a real dud...and some of the sex scenes, the descriptions were laughable. Something about his semen coating her womb? Like...what?? Who says that??
Definitely don't recommend this particular book, although I do think Brown is a talented writer.
July 23, 2018
4.5 ☆
#RitaBrown.
Este es otro culebrón que he disfrutado mucho, en el que los líos de familia y los secretos e intrigas llevan el peso de la historia junto a la relación de los protas.
Es cierto que acerté quien era uno de los villanos, pero el otro sí que me sorprendió porque no había pensado en él para nada.
De momento, leer a Sandra Brown está resultándome muy gratificante, a ver si los siguientes libros que tengo preparados también me dejan este buen sabor de boca.
#RitaBrown.
Este es otro culebrón que he disfrutado mucho, en el que los líos de familia y los secretos e intrigas llevan el peso de la historia junto a la relación de los protas.
Es cierto que acerté quien era uno de los villanos, pero el otro sí que me sorprendió porque no había pensado en él para nada.
De momento, leer a Sandra Brown está resultándome muy gratificante, a ver si los siguientes libros que tengo preparados también me dejan este buen sabor de boca.
August 26, 2017
WOW! LOVED THIS ONE!
September 11, 2018
ME
GUSTÓ
BASTANTE…
No había leído nada de la autora y me sorprendió mucho, tenía tiempo que no leía un Romantic Suspense y este sin duda fue muy bueno, obviamente tuvieron cosas irreales pero que la autora nos lo pudo vender para que parecieran creíbles.
HISTORIA
En un accidente aéreo con pocos sobrevivientes, confunden a Avery Daniels como la esposa del candidato a Senador Tate Rutledge, ellas queda con graves heridas de quemaduras sobre todo en el rostro que le queda totalmente destrozado y está irreconocible por lo que un cirujano plástico se lo reconstruye y ella con toda la frustración y desesperación de decirles que no es Carole la esposa pero al no poder comunicarse le hacen la cirugía.
Avery cuando está internada convaleciente recibe una visita de alguien que le dice que su esposo va a ser asesinado muy pronto como lo tenían planeado por lo que ella decide no decir la verdad y fingir hasta descubrir quién es el asesino.
Mientras Avery finge ser la esposa tratando de desenmascarar al sospechoso, se va enamorando de sus supuesto esposo y ganándose su corazón ya que el desprecia a su verdadera esposa.
La verdad es que me tenía pegada al libro tratando de descubrir a los sospechosos admito que el primero fue bastante fácil pero el segundo no lo vi venir y si me tomó por sorpresa.
Debo admitir que la suplantación de personalidad también me gustan mucho en los libros y leer como Avery se iba ganado el corazón de Tate aunque él se resistía fue muy interesante creo que en el fondo él sabía que no era su esposa.
Muy buen libro creo que pronto leeré algo más de esta autora.
GUSTÓ
BASTANTE…
No había leído nada de la autora y me sorprendió mucho, tenía tiempo que no leía un Romantic Suspense y este sin duda fue muy bueno, obviamente tuvieron cosas irreales pero que la autora nos lo pudo vender para que parecieran creíbles.
HISTORIA
En un accidente aéreo con pocos sobrevivientes, confunden a Avery Daniels como la esposa del candidato a Senador Tate Rutledge, ellas queda con graves heridas de quemaduras sobre todo en el rostro que le queda totalmente destrozado y está irreconocible por lo que un cirujano plástico se lo reconstruye y ella con toda la frustración y desesperación de decirles que no es Carole la esposa pero al no poder comunicarse le hacen la cirugía.
Avery cuando está internada convaleciente recibe una visita de alguien que le dice que su esposo va a ser asesinado muy pronto como lo tenían planeado por lo que ella decide no decir la verdad y fingir hasta descubrir quién es el asesino.
Mientras Avery finge ser la esposa tratando de desenmascarar al sospechoso, se va enamorando de sus supuesto esposo y ganándose su corazón ya que el desprecia a su verdadera esposa.
La verdad es que me tenía pegada al libro tratando de descubrir a los sospechosos admito que el primero fue bastante fácil pero el segundo no lo vi venir y si me tomó por sorpresa.
Debo admitir que la suplantación de personalidad también me gustan mucho en los libros y leer como Avery se iba ganado el corazón de Tate aunque él se resistía fue muy interesante creo que en el fondo él sabía que no era su esposa.
Muy buen libro creo que pronto leeré algo más de esta autora.
February 23, 2016
This book's blurb sounded so promising and the plot idea was great. In fact, the story had strong potential, but alas, it was unable to deliver as much as I expected it would be. I had been frustrated with the heroine, Avery, until I found out that this book was first published in 1990. I then came to understand why she chose to do such a thing. There were some unrealistic things in the story, but fortunately, they didn’t bother me much.
Anyway, this book was well written. I enjoyed reading it for the most part. I was somewhat pleased by the fact that this book wasn’t perfect, yet it had me hooked and kept me reading late into the night.
On the whole, this is another one of my unputdownable reads. A little bit above average!
Anyway, this book was well written. I enjoyed reading it for the most part. I was somewhat pleased by the fact that this book wasn’t perfect, yet it had me hooked and kept me reading late into the night.
On the whole, this is another one of my unputdownable reads. A little bit above average!
August 15, 2025
Crazy plot = crazy plot twist
As a primarily a romance reader, I felt like this leaned a little too much into the thriller and dropped the ball a little on the romance. However, I have a feeling that primarily thriller/suspense readers might feel like the romance took too much page time.
It lacked a good balance between the two.
What we did have of romance was interesting. The heroine is mistakenly identified as the hero's truly awful asshole of a wife and FMC's face is reconstructed using AH wife's image (not a spoiler, it's in the blurb)
The heroine has her work cut out for her because the dead wife was really a garbage of a human being. And while the heroine's reasons for continuing to lie about her identity were selfish, I don't think they were unforgivably selfish. Just your garden variety of flawed human.
The hero was hard and cold towards the heroine most of the book because he believes her to be his wife, but he wasn't unlikable either. He's idealistic and determined. The book is about him running for senator and while his 'I will not compromise my morals' attitude was the most fiction part of the book, in this current political climate, it made for soothing escapism.
Finally, the suspense part of the book.
With a crazy plot such as having your face changed and pretending to be a dead woman, I should've known the resolution would be just as crazy, but even in my half-right guessing I never saw the insanity of the half I got wrong coming.
It bordered on unbelievable, but since I went with the flow on the pretending to be the wife thing, I would be a bit hypocritical if I called the ending "unrealistic", wouldn't I?
As a primarily a romance reader, I felt like this leaned a little too much into the thriller and dropped the ball a little on the romance. However, I have a feeling that primarily thriller/suspense readers might feel like the romance took too much page time.
It lacked a good balance between the two.
What we did have of romance was interesting. The heroine is mistakenly identified as the hero's truly awful asshole of a wife and FMC's face is reconstructed using AH wife's image (not a spoiler, it's in the blurb)
The heroine has her work cut out for her because the dead wife was really a garbage of a human being. And while the heroine's reasons for continuing to lie about her identity were selfish, I don't think they were unforgivably selfish. Just your garden variety of flawed human.
The hero was hard and cold towards the heroine most of the book because he believes her to be his wife, but he wasn't unlikable either. He's idealistic and determined. The book is about him running for senator and while his 'I will not compromise my morals' attitude was the most fiction part of the book, in this current political climate, it made for soothing escapism.
Finally, the suspense part of the book.
With a crazy plot such as having your face changed and pretending to be a dead woman, I should've known the resolution would be just as crazy, but even in my half-right guessing I never saw the insanity of the half I got wrong coming.
It bordered on unbelievable, but since I went with the flow on the pretending to be the wife thing, I would be a bit hypocritical if I called the ending "unrealistic", wouldn't I?
July 9, 2018
#RitaBrown A mí este estrés al acabar un libro me hace perder años de vida 😂😂😂. Me lo he pasado bomba leyendo! En el post del #RetoRita2 os contaré mi opinión!
November 27, 2023
Acılar Dinecek
https://img-s2.onedio.com/id-5533f177...
bu adam Tate :D
Bu kitaba ne yazsam ne söylesem az kalır. Kitap efsane heyecanlı, ikilemli gerilimli ve sürprizlerle dolu bir kitaptı. Yani son ana kadar herkesten şüpheliydim en sonunda ise çok büyük bir süprizle karşılaştığım bir kitaptı.
Bir uçak kazasıyla birbirine girmiş hayatların hikayesini okuyoruz. Avery adlı kahramanımız bir haber için Dallas'a giden uçakta bir uçak kazası geçerek yanarak öldüğü tespit ediliyor ama Avery ölmedi aslında ölen kadın Senatör adayının karısı Carole. Fiziksel olarak birbirine benzeyen bu kadınlar uçakta yan yana oturulmaları ve Avery'nin kendini hiç düşünmeden Carole'un kızı olan Mandy için siper edip yüzünün ve kollarının yanmasıyla tanınmayacak hale gelip ve konuşamaması sebebiyle Avery artık ölüdür. Bunun üstüne bir de Carole'un yüz hatlarına bir estetik ameliyatla kavuşunca o artık Senatör adayının karısı ve bir annedir. Ve durun olaylar bununla da sınırlı kalmıyor. Senatör adayı ve mükemmel bir koca olan Tate'i öldürmek isteyen bir adam vardır ve Carole bu adamla işbirliği içindedir. Ve bir muhabir için bu durum gümüş tepside sunulmuş lezzetli yemekten daha çekicidir. Bu işin bonusu olarak Tate gibi bir adam da kocası olacaktır.
Cidden yani düşününce insan sırf Tate için bile olaya balıklama atlar. Bu ne adamdı ya? Yani bu kadar düşünceli, sorumluluklarını bilen, ailesini her şeyden önde tutan ve karısının tüm hatalarına rağmen hastanedeki o haline kimse tahammül edemezken tahammül edebilen bir koca. Normalde aşkından ölen bir koca için bile bu durum çekilmez olabilir karısını terk edebilirdi. Ama Tate Carole'un onu aldatıp çocuğunu aldırdığını bilmesine rağmen yanında durup ona destek oldu. İşte kendisi böyle de bir adamdı. Ve bazen ailesine verdiği değerle bazen seçimi bile göz ardı ediyordu ya işte. İnsan diyordu ki ne kocalar var be!😍 Özellikle kızı için çok önemli bir konuşmayı- ki bu konuşma ona seçimi kazandırmayı hedefliyordu- iptal edip kızı ve karısını yalnız bırakmamak için doktora gitmesi adamın bu ailesine olan bağlılığa hayran olmamak elde değildi. Ah Tate senin gibi adam var mı be?😍
Tabi durum böyle olunca Avery ilk gördüğü anda yakışıklılığı ile etkilendiği bu adama aşık olması kaçınılmazdı. Hem karakter hem de fiziken bu kadar güzel bir adama kim dayanabilirdi ki? Ben dayanmadım şahsen 😍
Ve Avery, Carole olmaya karar verdi ama işler istediği gibi gitmedi. Aşık olduğu adam karısından nefret edip odasına bile gelmiyordu. Bu Avery için tam bir yıkımdı işte. Ve kızı olan Mandy annesi yüzünden psikolojik olarak zaten çöküntüdeyken bu uçak kazası ile iyice içine kapanmıştı. Yani Avery mutlu bir ailenin içine düşmektense yıkılan bir ailenin içine düşmüştü. Bir de bu olaylara ek Senatörlük için seçim yarışı tüm hız devam ediyordu. Cidden o sahneleri okurken adayların ne kadar zorlandığını bizzat hissetim. Hep ordan oraya gidilmesi, ezberlenmesi gereken konuşmalar, sıkılması gereken bir sürü el ve yetmezmiş gibi bir de dişli bir rakip. Politika zor işmiş kardeş insan okuyunca bunu daha iyi anlıyor. Yani kitap efasane heyecanlı ve sürükleyiciydi.
Tabi kitapta bazı detaylar beni rahatsız etmedi değil. Avery sanki böyle dünden razıymış gibi atladı bu olaya ve bu hayatı kabullendi. İnsan birazcık olsun psikolojik olarak biraz yıkılır ama onun yıkılma çok kısa sürdü ilk 10 sayfa falan. Yazar daha çok olay odaklı yazdığından içsel dünyalarındaki dünyayı pek yansıtamadı bana göre. Bunun dışında Carole denen kadınla bu kadar benzerlik fazla. Hiç değilse boy farkları olmalıydı onun yerine sadece birkaç kilo farkı vardı. Bu kadar benzerlik de fazla. Hadi oldu diyelim tüm bunlar, Tate bu kadar uyanık bir karakterken karısı olmadığını farketmesi bu kadar uzun sürmemeliydi.
Ama gel gör ki tüm bu olanların dışında kitap çok iyiydi. O gerilimi sonuna kadar hissettim. Ve kitap o kadar historical okuduktan sonra ilaç gibi geldi. Teksas detayı zaten ayrı bir güzellik katıyordu kitaba. Kitap içsel tahlillerle eksik olsa da kitabı sevdim. 4 ile 5 arasında kaldım. Galiba 5 yıldızı hakkeden bir kitap olduğundan puanımı esirgemeyeceğim. Eğer gerilimi ve heyecanı yüksek bilinmedik bir hikaye okumak istiyorsanız benim gibi bayılacaksınız.
Spoiler
Burdan sonrasını okumayan gelmesin.
!!!
Bu arada Eddy neden Salomon'u vurdu? Biri açıklayabilir mi?
!!!!!
https://img-s2.onedio.com/id-5533f177...
bu adam Tate :D
Bu kitaba ne yazsam ne söylesem az kalır. Kitap efsane heyecanlı, ikilemli gerilimli ve sürprizlerle dolu bir kitaptı. Yani son ana kadar herkesten şüpheliydim en sonunda ise çok büyük bir süprizle karşılaştığım bir kitaptı.
Bir uçak kazasıyla birbirine girmiş hayatların hikayesini okuyoruz. Avery adlı kahramanımız bir haber için Dallas'a giden uçakta bir uçak kazası geçerek yanarak öldüğü tespit ediliyor ama Avery ölmedi aslında ölen kadın Senatör adayının karısı Carole. Fiziksel olarak birbirine benzeyen bu kadınlar uçakta yan yana oturulmaları ve Avery'nin kendini hiç düşünmeden Carole'un kızı olan Mandy için siper edip yüzünün ve kollarının yanmasıyla tanınmayacak hale gelip ve konuşamaması sebebiyle Avery artık ölüdür. Bunun üstüne bir de Carole'un yüz hatlarına bir estetik ameliyatla kavuşunca o artık Senatör adayının karısı ve bir annedir. Ve durun olaylar bununla da sınırlı kalmıyor. Senatör adayı ve mükemmel bir koca olan Tate'i öldürmek isteyen bir adam vardır ve Carole bu adamla işbirliği içindedir. Ve bir muhabir için bu durum gümüş tepside sunulmuş lezzetli yemekten daha çekicidir. Bu işin bonusu olarak Tate gibi bir adam da kocası olacaktır.
Cidden yani düşününce insan sırf Tate için bile olaya balıklama atlar. Bu ne adamdı ya? Yani bu kadar düşünceli, sorumluluklarını bilen, ailesini her şeyden önde tutan ve karısının tüm hatalarına rağmen hastanedeki o haline kimse tahammül edemezken tahammül edebilen bir koca. Normalde aşkından ölen bir koca için bile bu durum çekilmez olabilir karısını terk edebilirdi. Ama Tate Carole'un onu aldatıp çocuğunu aldırdığını bilmesine rağmen yanında durup ona destek oldu. İşte kendisi böyle de bir adamdı. Ve bazen ailesine verdiği değerle bazen seçimi bile göz ardı ediyordu ya işte. İnsan diyordu ki ne kocalar var be!😍 Özellikle kızı için çok önemli bir konuşmayı- ki bu konuşma ona seçimi kazandırmayı hedefliyordu- iptal edip kızı ve karısını yalnız bırakmamak için doktora gitmesi adamın bu ailesine olan bağlılığa hayran olmamak elde değildi. Ah Tate senin gibi adam var mı be?😍
Tabi durum böyle olunca Avery ilk gördüğü anda yakışıklılığı ile etkilendiği bu adama aşık olması kaçınılmazdı. Hem karakter hem de fiziken bu kadar güzel bir adama kim dayanabilirdi ki? Ben dayanmadım şahsen 😍
Ve Avery, Carole olmaya karar verdi ama işler istediği gibi gitmedi. Aşık olduğu adam karısından nefret edip odasına bile gelmiyordu. Bu Avery için tam bir yıkımdı işte. Ve kızı olan Mandy annesi yüzünden psikolojik olarak zaten çöküntüdeyken bu uçak kazası ile iyice içine kapanmıştı. Yani Avery mutlu bir ailenin içine düşmektense yıkılan bir ailenin içine düşmüştü. Bir de bu olaylara ek Senatörlük için seçim yarışı tüm hız devam ediyordu. Cidden o sahneleri okurken adayların ne kadar zorlandığını bizzat hissetim. Hep ordan oraya gidilmesi, ezberlenmesi gereken konuşmalar, sıkılması gereken bir sürü el ve yetmezmiş gibi bir de dişli bir rakip. Politika zor işmiş kardeş insan okuyunca bunu daha iyi anlıyor. Yani kitap efasane heyecanlı ve sürükleyiciydi.
Tabi kitapta bazı detaylar beni rahatsız etmedi değil. Avery sanki böyle dünden razıymış gibi atladı bu olaya ve bu hayatı kabullendi. İnsan birazcık olsun psikolojik olarak biraz yıkılır ama onun yıkılma çok kısa sürdü ilk 10 sayfa falan. Yazar daha çok olay odaklı yazdığından içsel dünyalarındaki dünyayı pek yansıtamadı bana göre. Bunun dışında Carole denen kadınla bu kadar benzerlik fazla. Hiç değilse boy farkları olmalıydı onun yerine sadece birkaç kilo farkı vardı. Bu kadar benzerlik de fazla. Hadi oldu diyelim tüm bunlar, Tate bu kadar uyanık bir karakterken karısı olmadığını farketmesi bu kadar uzun sürmemeliydi.
Ama gel gör ki tüm bu olanların dışında kitap çok iyiydi. O gerilimi sonuna kadar hissettim. Ve kitap o kadar historical okuduktan sonra ilaç gibi geldi. Teksas detayı zaten ayrı bir güzellik katıyordu kitaba. Kitap içsel tahlillerle eksik olsa da kitabı sevdim. 4 ile 5 arasında kaldım. Galiba 5 yıldızı hakkeden bir kitap olduğundan puanımı esirgemeyeceğim. Eğer gerilimi ve heyecanı yüksek bilinmedik bir hikaye okumak istiyorsanız benim gibi bayılacaksınız.
Spoiler
Burdan sonrasını okumayan gelmesin.
!!!
Bu arada Eddy neden Salomon'u vurdu? Biri açıklayabilir mi?
!!!!!
July 19, 2018
#RitaBrown #RetoRita2
5/5
Guau!!! me ha superencantado. Qué culebronazo, XD!!! Si parecía Dallas en todo su esplendor...
La intriga superbien llevada hasta el final. Los personajes principales y secundarios fantásticos.. Y ¿qué me decís de Tate? XDXDXD!!!!!
Leedlo todas ya!!!!
5/5
Guau!!! me ha superencantado. Qué culebronazo, XD!!! Si parecía Dallas en todo su esplendor...
La intriga superbien llevada hasta el final. Los personajes principales y secundarios fantásticos.. Y ¿qué me decís de Tate? XDXDXD!!!!!
Leedlo todas ya!!!!
January 27, 2019
Mirror Image was an older romantic suspense story published in 1990. I originally put it on my to-read list because it was recommended on several blogs by readers with similar tastes as mine. I thought the story was entertaining.
But be aware, this was a buddy-read and I was clearly in the minority with my rating. We had 174 comments among the seven of us. Most of us agreed the suspense was good in the beginning though the plot was OTT and the main characters were not always likable. Especially Avery, the heroine. There were also a couple of gender-offensive remarks that I found surprising to see; I don’t ever recall finding this in other stories by Ms. Brown. And I agree as my GR friends, they were insulting and unnecessary.
So why four stars? When I am continually kept guessing and the tension mounts, I like that. At one time or another I thought the villain could have been every member of the Rutledges including Eddy, Tate’s campaign manager. In hindsight, there were several clues as to the motive that I overlooked. The author maneuvered my thoughts with this dysfunctional family and the off-the-wall romance.
A big thank you to Lyuda, Luli, Nefise, Nadine, Georgie and Jill for all of your insight. Here is hoping the next BR will be better for everyone.
But be aware, this was a buddy-read and I was clearly in the minority with my rating. We had 174 comments among the seven of us. Most of us agreed the suspense was good in the beginning though the plot was OTT and the main characters were not always likable. Especially Avery, the heroine. There were also a couple of gender-offensive remarks that I found surprising to see; I don’t ever recall finding this in other stories by Ms. Brown. And I agree as my GR friends, they were insulting and unnecessary.
So why four stars? When I am continually kept guessing and the tension mounts, I like that. At one time or another I thought the villain could have been every member of the Rutledges including Eddy, Tate’s campaign manager. In hindsight, there were several clues as to the motive that I overlooked. The author maneuvered my thoughts with this dysfunctional family and the off-the-wall romance.
A big thank you to Lyuda, Luli, Nefise, Nadine, Georgie and Jill for all of your insight. Here is hoping the next BR will be better for everyone.
December 27, 2015
I guess the reader is supposed to get some voyeuristic delight out of being mistaken for another (prettier, more glamorous) woman, getting to screw her hot husband and playing Mommy to her daughter, while telling herself that this other woman (Carole Rutledge) was despicable and all these people were better off with herself (Avery)...But I found it very hard to like Avery or relate with her. In slightly different circumstances it could have been a guilty pleasure...and I wanted it to be so. (I wish Avery had been more honest) Sadly I did not enjoy it.
July 25, 2020
4 ve 5 arasında gittim geldim, final notu 4.5 diyorum. Güzel ve akıcı bir hikayeydi, gerilimi güzeldi. Belki başlarında zorlama gibi gelen bir yer hissediyorsunuz ama güzel bağlandı. Karakterler de iyiydi, sonu da beklediğimden iyi çıktı. Bir kısmını tahmin etsem de büyük final gayet güzeldi. Sonuçta beni sıkmayan, yormayan iyi bir romantik gerilimdi.
April 13, 2015
What a stupid anti-climax of an ending.
March 26, 2017
reread: br with Amanda:)
Despite the plot was as unrealistic as it got and most of the characters kinda pissed me off, the book was unputdownable and I couldn't figure out who the mastermind behind the plot was until Mrs. Brown showed her cards in the end. Cool:/
Despite the plot was as unrealistic as it got and most of the characters kinda pissed me off, the book was unputdownable and I couldn't figure out who the mastermind behind the plot was until Mrs. Brown showed her cards in the end. Cool:/
June 9, 2020
Es entretenido, aunque a veces demasiado peliculero.
Para mi gusto el final ha sido, demasiado rápido, me hubiera gustado que fuera más lento y no cerrara tan rápido la historia. Aún así es entretenido.
Para mi gusto el final ha sido, demasiado rápido, me hubiera gustado que fuera más lento y no cerrara tan rápido la historia. Aún así es entretenido.
February 27, 2019
Primer libro que leo de la autora, y ha sido muy bueno. Hay elementos que parecen muy cinematográficos, que te hacen dudar, pero en líneas generales la trama y los personajes son muy buenos.
January 5, 2013
Entertaining and enjoyable mystery suspense with some feel good romance at the end.
I questioned some of Avery’s actions, but I’m not sure what I would have done differently.
You need to suspend disbelief that the husband would not sense differences in his wife: her walk, talk, mannerisms, body parts, and scars. Especially since Avery had not studied Carole’s talk and mannerisms. The weakest part was probably the main bad guy. I cannot imagine any person planning, waiting, and doing what he did. But again if you can suspend disbelief, it makes a good story. It’s good because it’s different and not predictable. It’s not the same kinds of good guys and bad guys that so many other books have.
One set of events felt contrived. The hotel operator wouldn’t put through calls to Avery that she wanted to get. And, Irish didn’t tell his assistants that he wanted to take all calls from Avery and Van. And then during a critical time, Irish put himself in places where he couldn’t be reached. If they had cell phones it wouldn’t be a problem. But this book was written before cell phones were common.
I don’t know why a killer shot a certain person at the end. I wish the author was clearer about that.
Some readers felt the book was too long. I didn’t notice that, probably because I did this as an audiobook. I’m fine with long audiobooks.
STORY IDEA FOR OTHER AUTHORS - A STUPID SECONDARY CHARACTER THAT I’D LIKE TO SEE AS A HEROINE:
At first, I did not like Francine. But later I was hoping she would uncover something. When that didn’t happen, I realized I’d like to read a story about someone like her. Here she is a minor character. She’s flawed and does stupid things, but her stupidity could be entertaining. Her mother was an alcoholic and never gave enough love and support to Francine. Francine picks up guys in bars and sleeps with almost anyone. She is currently obsessed with Eddie, a cold and remote guy 20 years older. He wants nothing to do with her and insults her. She has no shame and throws herself at him, sneaking into his bedroom and suggestively touching herself and him, wanting sex. One day she bribes a hotel maid to let her in. When he walks in, she says Boo. When he does have sex with her he is rough leaving injuries. She doesn’t seem to mind, probably thinks she deserves it since she was never properly loved by her parents. She searches through Eddie’s things because she is nosy. He can’t get rid of her. He throws her out one day and she’s back and rubbing against him the next. I’d like to see a story where he is keeping secrets, and she finds incriminating evidence about him and doesn’t plan to turn him in but ends up causing him all kinds of trouble, even though she never intends to.
In this book, Avery is understanding and kind to Francine which surprises and unsettles Francine. No one has ever treated her that way, but she hesitantly goes along with things Avery suggests. Then she messes up, but then she makes good. One scene made me laugh. While everyone is in a hotel waiting for the next event. Francine is coloring with her 3-year-old-cousin. It surprised me, yet it fit. Here’s this slutty 20-year-old with the emotional maturity of a toddler, doing something a toddler would do - coloring. I don’t remember Francine’s exact age - something over 18.
NARRATOR:
The narrator Dick Hill was good in this book. Very different from his reading Slow Heat in Heaven. I did not like his interpretations in that book.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 14 hrs and 51 mins. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words, but rarely used. Sexual language: moderate, but not often used. Number of sex scenes: about 9, short with not much detail. Setting: 1990 Texas. Book copyright: 1990. Genre: mystery suspense with some romance.
I questioned some of Avery’s actions, but I’m not sure what I would have done differently.
You need to suspend disbelief that the husband would not sense differences in his wife: her walk, talk, mannerisms, body parts, and scars. Especially since Avery had not studied Carole’s talk and mannerisms. The weakest part was probably the main bad guy. I cannot imagine any person planning, waiting, and doing what he did. But again if you can suspend disbelief, it makes a good story. It’s good because it’s different and not predictable. It’s not the same kinds of good guys and bad guys that so many other books have.
One set of events felt contrived. The hotel operator wouldn’t put through calls to Avery that she wanted to get. And, Irish didn’t tell his assistants that he wanted to take all calls from Avery and Van. And then during a critical time, Irish put himself in places where he couldn’t be reached. If they had cell phones it wouldn’t be a problem. But this book was written before cell phones were common.
I don’t know why a killer shot a certain person at the end. I wish the author was clearer about that.
Some readers felt the book was too long. I didn’t notice that, probably because I did this as an audiobook. I’m fine with long audiobooks.
STORY IDEA FOR OTHER AUTHORS - A STUPID SECONDARY CHARACTER THAT I’D LIKE TO SEE AS A HEROINE:
At first, I did not like Francine. But later I was hoping she would uncover something. When that didn’t happen, I realized I’d like to read a story about someone like her. Here she is a minor character. She’s flawed and does stupid things, but her stupidity could be entertaining. Her mother was an alcoholic and never gave enough love and support to Francine. Francine picks up guys in bars and sleeps with almost anyone. She is currently obsessed with Eddie, a cold and remote guy 20 years older. He wants nothing to do with her and insults her. She has no shame and throws herself at him, sneaking into his bedroom and suggestively touching herself and him, wanting sex. One day she bribes a hotel maid to let her in. When he walks in, she says Boo. When he does have sex with her he is rough leaving injuries. She doesn’t seem to mind, probably thinks she deserves it since she was never properly loved by her parents. She searches through Eddie’s things because she is nosy. He can’t get rid of her. He throws her out one day and she’s back and rubbing against him the next. I’d like to see a story where he is keeping secrets, and she finds incriminating evidence about him and doesn’t plan to turn him in but ends up causing him all kinds of trouble, even though she never intends to.
In this book, Avery is understanding and kind to Francine which surprises and unsettles Francine. No one has ever treated her that way, but she hesitantly goes along with things Avery suggests. Then she messes up, but then she makes good. One scene made me laugh. While everyone is in a hotel waiting for the next event. Francine is coloring with her 3-year-old-cousin. It surprised me, yet it fit. Here’s this slutty 20-year-old with the emotional maturity of a toddler, doing something a toddler would do - coloring. I don’t remember Francine’s exact age - something over 18.
NARRATOR:
The narrator Dick Hill was good in this book. Very different from his reading Slow Heat in Heaven. I did not like his interpretations in that book.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 14 hrs and 51 mins. Swearing language: strong, including religious swear words, but rarely used. Sexual language: moderate, but not often used. Number of sex scenes: about 9, short with not much detail. Setting: 1990 Texas. Book copyright: 1990. Genre: mystery suspense with some romance.
March 5, 2024
— 3✮
when an airplane accident turned avery daniels's life upside down, her body was seriously injured and her face was badly destroyed to the point that no one could recognize her until she was mistaken for carole, a wife of a senator. she couldn't talk and couldn't move. avery couldn't tell everyone that they were mistaken that she's not carole.
and while still in the ICU someone came to her room and said that their plan on killing her husband is still continue.
confused about what's happening, avery did the unthinkable pretending to be carole to find out and save the life of her fake husband, tate.
this book was a roller coaster ride😭 it was so absurd and crazy lmao
the first half of the book i really enjoyed it but as the story goes there are some parts that are absurd.
i tried to look past it but it happened a lot so i was like yeah, no. and omg the family drama in this book is PIPPING HOT IT'S INSANE. i even forgot it's a mystery because of how focused the story was about their family dynamic literally none in tate's family is normal😭
the mystery in this book is basically only like 30% and the rest was family drama.
there were some parts of the story that i found unnecessary such as their niece Fancy, which was so uncomfortable.
and the thing with jack and his wife? what's the point of that and even the conclusion about them in the end was so weird and unsatisfying.
again, the mystery? where? you would know who it is just from the start honestly but i was so entertained with their family drama lol that's why i gave it 3 stars and finished the book😂
this book is worth a try if you want to read about some crazy unstable family that needs therapy.
when an airplane accident turned avery daniels's life upside down, her body was seriously injured and her face was badly destroyed to the point that no one could recognize her until she was mistaken for carole, a wife of a senator. she couldn't talk and couldn't move. avery couldn't tell everyone that they were mistaken that she's not carole.
and while still in the ICU someone came to her room and said that their plan on killing her husband is still continue.
confused about what's happening, avery did the unthinkable pretending to be carole to find out and save the life of her fake husband, tate.
this book was a roller coaster ride😭 it was so absurd and crazy lmao
the first half of the book i really enjoyed it but as the story goes there are some parts that are absurd.
i tried to look past it but it happened a lot so i was like yeah, no. and omg the family drama in this book is PIPPING HOT IT'S INSANE. i even forgot it's a mystery because of how focused the story was about their family dynamic literally none in tate's family is normal😭
the mystery in this book is basically only like 30% and the rest was family drama.
there were some parts of the story that i found unnecessary such as their niece Fancy, which was so uncomfortable.
and the thing with jack and his wife? what's the point of that and even the conclusion about them in the end was so weird and unsatisfying.
again, the mystery? where? you would know who it is just from the start honestly but i was so entertained with their family drama lol that's why i gave it 3 stars and finished the book😂
this book is worth a try if you want to read about some crazy unstable family that needs therapy.
December 11, 2015
Avery Daniels was in a plane crash and survived. However, she awoke and found herself badly injured with no way to communicate and was mistakenly identified as someone else. Everyone now believes she's Carole Rutledge, wife of the Texas U.S. senatorial candidate Tate Rutledge. While recuperating in the hospital from surgery to restore her face but before she regains the ability to communicate, someone lets her in on the plan to assassinate Tate but she doesn't know the identity of that person. Avery makes the decision to continue to impersonate Carole and figure out the identity of the killer.
As with most mystery/suspense stories, you cannot say too much about them without spoiling the experience for other readers. What I liked about this book was that it took a while for everything to unfold and I was learning about the other characters at the same time as Avery. The developing romance between Tate and Avery was tenuous because at some point she was going to have to tell him the truth. There were times when I questioned Avery's integrity as she allowed the ruse to continue for a protracted period of time, deepening the relationship with not only Tate but his daughter Mandy.
The ending was a little anticlimatic but still interesting. When the identity of the killer was revealed, so was another twist. I completely blew it in guessing the real killer but that person was on my short list.
This was an interesting book that held my interest throughout, especially listening to it during a long road trip.
As with most mystery/suspense stories, you cannot say too much about them without spoiling the experience for other readers. What I liked about this book was that it took a while for everything to unfold and I was learning about the other characters at the same time as Avery. The developing romance between Tate and Avery was tenuous because at some point she was going to have to tell him the truth. There were times when I questioned Avery's integrity as she allowed the ruse to continue for a protracted period of time, deepening the relationship with not only Tate but his daughter Mandy.
The ending was a little anticlimatic but still interesting. When the identity of the killer was revealed, so was another twist. I completely blew it in guessing the real killer but that person was on my short list.
This was an interesting book that held my interest throughout, especially listening to it during a long road trip.
July 14, 2015
Ok you are going to have to stay with me here. Hear me out...
This story is about Avery Daniels. Avery is a reporter who is in a plane crash and mistakenly identified as Carole Rutledge, the wife of aspiring senatorial candidate, Tate Rutledge. The real Carole Rutledge was also mistaken for Avery, and died in the plane crash. Hence the confusion. Avery and Carole looked so alike that they were often mistaken for each other normally. But Avery's face was totally smashed up in the crash, so nobody could tell. Unfortunately and terrifyingly she is unable to communicate with the doctors and Tate, and her face is completely transformed by plastic surgery to resemble Carole.
Just as Avery is about to reveal the truth to Carole's husband Tate in the hospital after she is well enough to speak, she discovers that there is a plan in action to assassinate him. She quite likes Tate at this point, even though she discovers his marriage to Carole was extremely turbulent . Anyway she doesn't want him to die, and being the reporter that she is, she smells a story in all of this, so she says as Carole to try and figure out who the mastermind behind the assassination plot is.
Meanwhile she isn't Carole. And how long can she pretend to be a woman she would have hated, before people start figuring it out??
Well..
I know I know! You read this synopsis and think "How the hell am I going to enjoy something that is SO UNBELIEVABLE?!". But this is Sandra Brown we are talking about... This is the Queen of romantic suspense! I admit its not exactly "believable" obviously. But if anyone is going to come close, its Sandra Brown! She makes the believability of the story totally irrelevant because its so darn entertaining!! Its like a cool soap opera tale mixed with a good action book!
The characters were totally loveable, except for the real Carole, what a piece of work! But Avery was so sweet and Tate was so much more awesome than he could have been. Tate and Carole's daughter Mandy was such a sweetie. His family were fascinating and his tramp-of-a-niece Fancy was a great character too! There really wasn't a character I didn't enjoy reading about.
The romance is really sweet. Yes, yes its corny because he doesn't know that she isn't his wife - and how could you NOT KNOW... But damn it - It just works! The sexy scenes are sizzling, the tension is palpable, and the suspense is great! And in typical Sandra Brown style there is an awesome twist at the end that I didn't see coming. It will absolutely be something I will read again, and that is saying something because I don't often waste my reading time re-reading something I have already read!
The only criticism I have of this book were of some of the medical scenes. Overall she did a good job, but if you have a breathing tube down your throat connected to the ventilator, you cannot SMELL anything... The tube is bypassing your nose completely. But the medical stuff didn't annoy me enough to change my rating. Which is a lot more than I can say compared to some other books and authors that shall remain nameless.
Thank you Sandra Brown, your books are a constant source of enjoyment for me, thankfully there are so many more for me to get through!!
4 Stars because I enjoyed it so damn much!!
This story is about Avery Daniels. Avery is a reporter who is in a plane crash and mistakenly identified as Carole Rutledge, the wife of aspiring senatorial candidate, Tate Rutledge. The real Carole Rutledge was also mistaken for Avery, and died in the plane crash. Hence the confusion. Avery and Carole looked so alike that they were often mistaken for each other normally. But Avery's face was totally smashed up in the crash, so nobody could tell. Unfortunately and terrifyingly she is unable to communicate with the doctors and Tate, and her face is completely transformed by plastic surgery to resemble Carole.
Just as Avery is about to reveal the truth to Carole's husband Tate in the hospital after she is well enough to speak, she discovers that there is a plan in action to assassinate him. She quite likes Tate at this point, even though she discovers his marriage to Carole was extremely turbulent . Anyway she doesn't want him to die, and being the reporter that she is, she smells a story in all of this, so she says as Carole to try and figure out who the mastermind behind the assassination plot is.
Meanwhile she isn't Carole. And how long can she pretend to be a woman she would have hated, before people start figuring it out??
Well..
I know I know! You read this synopsis and think "How the hell am I going to enjoy something that is SO UNBELIEVABLE?!". But this is Sandra Brown we are talking about... This is the Queen of romantic suspense! I admit its not exactly "believable" obviously. But if anyone is going to come close, its Sandra Brown! She makes the believability of the story totally irrelevant because its so darn entertaining!! Its like a cool soap opera tale mixed with a good action book!
The characters were totally loveable, except for the real Carole, what a piece of work! But Avery was so sweet and Tate was so much more awesome than he could have been. Tate and Carole's daughter Mandy was such a sweetie. His family were fascinating and his tramp-of-a-niece Fancy was a great character too! There really wasn't a character I didn't enjoy reading about.
The romance is really sweet. Yes, yes its corny because he doesn't know that she isn't his wife - and how could you NOT KNOW... But damn it - It just works! The sexy scenes are sizzling, the tension is palpable, and the suspense is great! And in typical Sandra Brown style there is an awesome twist at the end that I didn't see coming. It will absolutely be something I will read again, and that is saying something because I don't often waste my reading time re-reading something I have already read!
The only criticism I have of this book were of some of the medical scenes. Overall she did a good job, but if you have a breathing tube down your throat connected to the ventilator, you cannot SMELL anything... The tube is bypassing your nose completely. But the medical stuff didn't annoy me enough to change my rating. Which is a lot more than I can say compared to some other books and authors that shall remain nameless.
Thank you Sandra Brown, your books are a constant source of enjoyment for me, thankfully there are so many more for me to get through!!
4 Stars because I enjoyed it so damn much!!
December 31, 2014
4.5 SENATOR STARS
Well, Ms. Brown is quickly becoming one of my go-to authors...she knows how to write and to weave a really good mystery mixed with a danger, intriguing characters and a little bit of sex to keep those juices flowing! I loved this one and so far, Tate and Avery are my fave MCs of SB's books.
Okay, I had my doubts on how you one person could pull off being another person even with the striking resemblance and while for some of it you have to have an open mind, Ms. Brown did a great job!
I can't talk about the plot without giving anything away and you are best to go in blind but, what I will say is that she had me guessing for most of the book. While I figured out the ultimate culprit at around the 80% mark and the motive, I still didn't have all the pieces of the puzzle.
The chemistry between Tate and Avery was palpable, searing and made the whole situation more believable and easier to digest.
I highly recommend this book. If you love a great mystery with a few surprises, really complex and intriguing characters...loved Fancy, Irish and Van...and a superbly written story, you must read this book!
Well, Ms. Brown is quickly becoming one of my go-to authors...she knows how to write and to weave a really good mystery mixed with a danger, intriguing characters and a little bit of sex to keep those juices flowing! I loved this one and so far, Tate and Avery are my fave MCs of SB's books.
Okay, I had my doubts on how you one person could pull off being another person even with the striking resemblance and while for some of it you have to have an open mind, Ms. Brown did a great job!
I can't talk about the plot without giving anything away and you are best to go in blind but, what I will say is that she had me guessing for most of the book. While I figured out the ultimate culprit at around the 80% mark and the motive, I still didn't have all the pieces of the puzzle.
The chemistry between Tate and Avery was palpable, searing and made the whole situation more believable and easier to digest.
I highly recommend this book. If you love a great mystery with a few surprises, really complex and intriguing characters...loved Fancy, Irish and Van...and a superbly written story, you must read this book!
March 2, 2013
I've read several other book by Sandra brown so when I saw this one was only $1.99 I purchased it without a second thought. Boy, was I surprised at how badly this was written. The plot sounded interesting enough but ended up being utterly ridiculous. I thought this would be a suspenseful book but what I ended up with was soft core porn. I'm not a prude by any means its just not my choice in reading materials. It also confirmed that i will never bother with another one of browns books as I seriously question her ability as a well respected author. How do you have your main character, an investigative journalist, not investigate anything except how to get in the pants of another woman's husband. I would think that if you were going to impersonate someone the first thing you would investigate is who the person you are impersonating is! Instead it's handed to you months later by your mother in law! What?!?!
The dialogue was cheesy. Who finds the sound of stockings rubbing together erotic? Or eating cheese or whatever the heck he was eating she couldn't control herself? Maybe if ms. Brown focused less about these two screwing and put more thought into the plot the book would be descent. The ending was half assed and also ridiculous. I'm sorry I wasted so much of my time on this nonsense
The dialogue was cheesy. Who finds the sound of stockings rubbing together erotic? Or eating cheese or whatever the heck he was eating she couldn't control herself? Maybe if ms. Brown focused less about these two screwing and put more thought into the plot the book would be descent. The ending was half assed and also ridiculous. I'm sorry I wasted so much of my time on this nonsense
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