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Premeditated Marriage
Charlotte "Charlie" Larkin believed she'd been cursed when it came to matters of the heart, especially since every man she'd ever been involved with had met with an untimely end. To add insult to injury, to-die-for true-crime writer Gus Riley had come to the remote Montana town to research her for his next book!
Following an attempt on Charlie's life, Gus insisted the two join forces to pursue the investigation. Charlie was unwittingly drawn to her sexy protector, but she knew she should keep her distance. Except when Gus insisted they pretend to be involved to draw out the killer, her defenses crumbled at his all-too-real advances. And being in close proximity to Gus made Charlie forget that the arrangement was supposed to be temporary--which was dangerous while the real killer lurked.
Following an attempt on Charlie's life, Gus insisted the two join forces to pursue the investigation. Charlie was unwittingly drawn to her sexy protector, but she knew she should keep her distance. Except when Gus insisted they pretend to be involved to draw out the killer, her defenses crumbled at his all-too-real advances. And being in close proximity to Gus made Charlie forget that the arrangement was supposed to be temporary--which was dangerous while the real killer lurked.
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 2002
13 people are currently reading
175 people want to read
About the author
B.J. Daniels
514 books1,257 followersB.J. Daniels started her life in Houston, Texas, before her family moved to Montana at age five. She grew up in a cabin in the Gallatin Canyon near Big Sky and later on Hebgen Lake near West Yellowstone. Because of her love for Montana, most of her books are set there.
Born into a storytelling family, all she'd ever wanted to do was write stories. After a career as an award-winning newspaper journalist, she wrote and sold 37 short stories before she finally wrote her first book, ODD MAN OUT. Since then she has won numerous awards including a career achievement award for romantic suspense.
She lives in Montana with her husband, Parker, two Springer Spaniels. When she isn't writing, she quilts, boats and. makes rope/fabric baskets. She always reads, loving to lose herself in a good book.
Born into a storytelling family, all she'd ever wanted to do was write stories. After a career as an award-winning newspaper journalist, she wrote and sold 37 short stories before she finally wrote her first book, ODD MAN OUT. Since then she has won numerous awards including a career achievement award for romantic suspense.
She lives in Montana with her husband, Parker, two Springer Spaniels. When she isn't writing, she quilts, boats and. makes rope/fabric baskets. She always reads, loving to lose herself in a good book.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 21, 2018
Augustus T Riley was a crime thriller book author, and he'd come to town to get the true story about his half-brother who died a year ago in Utopia, Montana. He believes "Charlie" was responsible for his death, but she turns out to be a girl and he can't get it to fit the information he's found so far. Utopia is about 3 to 4 city blocks long. There's a café, the police station, a set of log cabins if you need a room, a grain store and the gas station with a mechanic named "Charlie", she took over after her father died.
So they go round and round about who's to blame, and eventually they solve the case, but that's not the end. You will need to read it to find out.
So they go round and round about who's to blame, and eventually they solve the case, but that's not the end. You will need to read it to find out.
April 30, 2018
This story had lots of twists and turns. Charlotte believes she is a danger to anyone she is interested in and decides to stay away from any romantic involvements. When Gus Riley, a writer comes looking for Charlie, she becomes scared as to why he is asking about her. When attempts are made on her life, Gus decides they should pretend to be involved to catch the culprit. She does not plan on falling in love with Gus but circumstances change both of them.
November 19, 2018
This is a Harlequin Intrigue romance. The author is a Montana writer and according to the book lives in Bozeman. Gus travels to Utopia, Montana, hoping to find out who had murdered a Missoula doctor. Charlie, a local mechanic, is a prime suspect. Gus finds that people in Utopia either love her or hate her. There are some surprises as Gus tries to solve the murder. This romance was fun (and not full of inappropriate details).
January 1, 2024
Gus heads to Utopia, Montana to investigate the murder of his half brother and is surprised to find his chief suspect is a woman named Charlie and not a guy. As he investigates more, he finds out that there have been other deaths and injuries to men who have had close ties to her. Nevertheless Gus finds himself attracted to her.
March 23, 2024
Charlie Larkin thought she was cursed. Anyone that seemed interested in her ended up being murdered. Gus Riley came to town to prove it and write a book to expose her. Instead they end up trying to solve the murders themselves. Started out a little slow but got much better as you get involved in the story.
June 21, 2019
Once again B.J. Daniels has a good plot for a novel which is suspenseful.
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July 1, 2020😫🤦♀️
April 20, 2021
What a mystery. Poor Charlotte doesn't have luck with men. They seem to die or get hurt. Gus comes to town trying to find a murderer. It could end his life.
August 3, 2023
The author did an excellent job of setting up this suspenseful story of Charlie. Edge of your seat. Very good.
February 24, 2025
HI #687
November 20, 2013
I've heard great things about B.J. Daniels, and well, not gonna lie, I do love a good B.J. Who doesn't? I've been working up the wazoo lately so "Premeditated Marriage" by B.J. Daniels was a nice way to wind down at night. Whenever I am SUPER busy and want a good quick read that I don't need to think about too much I head to good ole' Harlequin. Yes, I think I am the only male reader on the planet, but I have come to terms with that! It wasn't amazing, but it was entertaining enough and a solid 3 stars.
Sometimes the story has a bit too many connections, characters, and subplots, but luckily our trusty author B.J provided us with a handy dandy character list at the beginning, and a useless map of Montana informing us which towns are fictional, and which actually exist. I hate to break it to ya, but if you get the hankerin' to visit Utopia any time soon, I'm sad to say it doesn't exist. However, it does remind me of many Minnesota towns.
So what is this book about? I'm here to fill ya in! No spoilers here. Dashing True-Crime author Augustus T. Riley (Heck, with a sexy name like that if I had bosoms they would be heaving already!)drives to a small Montana town to research a mysterious murder that took place there. There have also been other mysterious deaths and events surrounding one of the townspeople, Charlie Larkin. "Gus" goes to the mechanic shop to track him down, and to his surprise, HE is a SHE! And what a SHE Charlie is! After some investigating (and by investigating I mean chatting with locals at a diner), his number one suspect is Charlie! But throw in some romance, twists, and wacky connections, and we have a mystery afoot!
The pros: I was entertained, I followed the story fairly well enough, and I did like the character Gus. I thought compared to a lot of Harlequin books he did have plenty of depth and realistic qualities. I LOVE the setting, and it is described in such a way that transports the reader right to Utopia. I could vividly imagine the place. I also was mildly surprised by the twist ending.
The cons: Too many red herrings, too many characters (some just get in the way. For instance, so that the reader could feel sorry for Charlie, B.J. decided to give her mother alzheimer's. This isn't vital to the story and I thought was a poor addition to pull on the readers heartstrings). Also, I feel like a bit more excitement and suspense could be added. Most of his investigating is just diner chitchat. And last, but not least, the title. "Premeditated Marriage". What???? What does this have to do with the story, and what an idiotic name for a book. Makes it sound like a Minus 4 Star lifetime movie starring that chick that played DJ from "Full House". Oh, and random side note, that chick that played DJ from "Full House" is smokin' hot now. True story, google it.
So, those are my thoughts about "Premeditated Marriage". You can probably find it at a Goodwill. It makes a decent speed read. :) Enjoy.
Sometimes the story has a bit too many connections, characters, and subplots, but luckily our trusty author B.J provided us with a handy dandy character list at the beginning, and a useless map of Montana informing us which towns are fictional, and which actually exist. I hate to break it to ya, but if you get the hankerin' to visit Utopia any time soon, I'm sad to say it doesn't exist. However, it does remind me of many Minnesota towns.
So what is this book about? I'm here to fill ya in! No spoilers here. Dashing True-Crime author Augustus T. Riley (Heck, with a sexy name like that if I had bosoms they would be heaving already!)drives to a small Montana town to research a mysterious murder that took place there. There have also been other mysterious deaths and events surrounding one of the townspeople, Charlie Larkin. "Gus" goes to the mechanic shop to track him down, and to his surprise, HE is a SHE! And what a SHE Charlie is! After some investigating (and by investigating I mean chatting with locals at a diner), his number one suspect is Charlie! But throw in some romance, twists, and wacky connections, and we have a mystery afoot!
The pros: I was entertained, I followed the story fairly well enough, and I did like the character Gus. I thought compared to a lot of Harlequin books he did have plenty of depth and realistic qualities. I LOVE the setting, and it is described in such a way that transports the reader right to Utopia. I could vividly imagine the place. I also was mildly surprised by the twist ending.
The cons: Too many red herrings, too many characters (some just get in the way. For instance, so that the reader could feel sorry for Charlie, B.J. decided to give her mother alzheimer's. This isn't vital to the story and I thought was a poor addition to pull on the readers heartstrings). Also, I feel like a bit more excitement and suspense could be added. Most of his investigating is just diner chitchat. And last, but not least, the title. "Premeditated Marriage". What???? What does this have to do with the story, and what an idiotic name for a book. Makes it sound like a Minus 4 Star lifetime movie starring that chick that played DJ from "Full House". Oh, and random side note, that chick that played DJ from "Full House" is smokin' hot now. True story, google it.
So, those are my thoughts about "Premeditated Marriage". You can probably find it at a Goodwill. It makes a decent speed read. :) Enjoy.
March 30, 2014
I was not as impressed with this book as I have been with other B.J. Daniels works. It was a lame premise, especially when at the end you learn the whole story.
There are people in Utopia, MT who believe that Charlie is a black widow. She kills or injures any man who gets close to her. Mac comes to town because they have just pulled a car from the lake with the remains of Josh. Mac writes true crime and thinks he has a hot lead in Charlie. Big problem is that Mac thinks Charlie is just plan hot and from past experience he knows better than to get involved with her.
Someone is stalking Charlie and there are a lot of lies and secrets about what happened to Quinn, Charlie's high school boyfriend. As Mac gets to know Charlie, he puts himself in the sights of the stalker.
There are people in Utopia, MT who believe that Charlie is a black widow. She kills or injures any man who gets close to her. Mac comes to town because they have just pulled a car from the lake with the remains of Josh. Mac writes true crime and thinks he has a hot lead in Charlie. Big problem is that Mac thinks Charlie is just plan hot and from past experience he knows better than to get involved with her.
Someone is stalking Charlie and there are a lot of lies and secrets about what happened to Quinn, Charlie's high school boyfriend. As Mac gets to know Charlie, he puts himself in the sights of the stalker.
June 19, 2013
This book was fantastic. It read more like a thriller/suspense rather than a romance novel but enjoyed it all the same. Someone wants to frame Charlie "Charlotte" for some unexplained murders and incidents resulting from guys she dated. Along drives in Gus T into the one-horse shoe town to solve the mystery and rescue the damsel. The suspense was a bit drawn out and the romance too rushed to be believable but a good read nonetheless.
November 26, 2007
this isn't the worst romantic suspense novel I've ever read, but it definitely wasn't the best either. I don't think I'd bother with any more novels by this author--unless I was sick again, and had it laying around my house. very convoluted, and hard to root for the main characters. almost a waste of time.
August 17, 2014
2.5 stars
January 21, 2016
I love this book every time I read it, it's such a wonderful story.
July 19, 2016
Svår att lägga ifrån sig. Spännande, gripande och läskig.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews