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Matchmakers Underground #2
Intimate Knowledge
AN ACCIDENTAL RUN-IN?
A benign business trip to Mexico turns sinister when one man turns up dead and another -- impossibly -- returns in the flesh! Penelope Moon couldn't believe her eyes when she saw her fiance, Simon Decker, a man who had been languishing in a coma for months, on board a passing yacht with a man who would die within hours. But this Simon wasn't the kindly accountant she'd fallen in love with, who knew her intimately as though he'd read a brief on her needs and desires. This man was altogether different. Tougher, stronger -- sexier than she'd known. And she secretly liked it.
Soon Penelope found herself drawn into a deadly conspiracy involving an illegal pharmaceutical and border infiltration. More than just her wedding was at stake. But would her heart end up as collateral damage...?
Matchmakers Underground -- Coincidences... Chance encounters... It's what one Houston, Texas, firm specializes in. Who knows what lies around the next corner...
A benign business trip to Mexico turns sinister when one man turns up dead and another -- impossibly -- returns in the flesh! Penelope Moon couldn't believe her eyes when she saw her fiance, Simon Decker, a man who had been languishing in a coma for months, on board a passing yacht with a man who would die within hours. But this Simon wasn't the kindly accountant she'd fallen in love with, who knew her intimately as though he'd read a brief on her needs and desires. This man was altogether different. Tougher, stronger -- sexier than she'd known. And she secretly liked it.
Soon Penelope found herself drawn into a deadly conspiracy involving an illegal pharmaceutical and border infiltration. More than just her wedding was at stake. But would her heart end up as collateral damage...?
Matchmakers Underground -- Coincidences... Chance encounters... It's what one Houston, Texas, firm specializes in. Who knows what lies around the next corner...
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 2005
About the author
Amanda Stevens
279 books2,225 followersAmanda Stevens is the award-winning author of over fifty novels, including the modern gothic series, The Graveyard Queen. Her books have been described as eerie and atmospheric, “a new take on the classic ghost story.” Born and raised in the rural south, she now resides in Houston, Texas, where she enjoys binge-watching, bike riding and the occasional Horror Night with friends.
The Graveyard Queen trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrCf_e...
http://twitter.com/AmandaStevensTX
http://facebook.com/amandastevensbooks
amandastevensbooks@gmail.com
The Graveyard Queen trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrCf_e...
http://twitter.com/AmandaStevensTX
http://facebook.com/amandastevensbooks
amandastevensbooks@gmail.com
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 24, 2015
~ SPOILERS ALERT ~
I usually like Amanda Stevens, and it's not always easy to explain why. Most of her books have overly complicated plots that I can't remember the day after I read them. Yet there is something that I find very appealing about her writing.
In Intimate Knowledge, Penelope is about to marry her sweetheart, geeky accountant Simon, but he doesn't show up to the wedding. Later that night, she finds out that he's been in a serious car crash and is in a coma. He remains - or appears to remain - in his coma for months. Until one day, Penelope is on a business trip to Mexico and thinks she sees him up and about, and seemingly healthy. Except he doesn't look quite like the Simon she knows - he looks dangerous.
Returning to the US, she finds that to all appearances, Simon remains in his coma in the rehab facility. Yet Penelope senses that something hinky is going on under the surface of the hospital, and indeed the surface of her life. Simon keeps appearing to her, but every time he does she ends up passing out and waking up with only distant, fuzzy memories. Is she hallucinating, or seeing a lookalike, or is something stranger going on? And how is it connected to the shipments of Central American artwork that are coming in to the museum where she works, and the murder of her business contact down in Mexico?
I'm wavering between 3-stars and 4-stars for this one. It probably deserves 3 - or 3.5 - because it really did have a confusing, and often unbelievable, plot. The whole thing about Simon's faked coma was just too outrageous for me to handle. I could understand a government agent faking a coma and not allowing people to see him - but putting in the effort to pretend to be comatose so his fiancée could sit with him and cry over him all day? Preposterous.
In addition, there were too many plot threads, several of which didn't get tied up neatly. I know this is part of a series, but I don't know if any of the characters recur. If they do, perhaps some of my questions will be answered in subsequent books - like, how was Tay involved? Was she buying Nicin for her face cream? Including her in the book and then neither convicting nor acquitting her of criminal behaviour just muddied the waters. Ditto for Alex, although we did at least get some explanation for him, although no resolution.
In general, the ending felt rushed and lacklustre. Plenty of build-up throughout the book, plenty of suspense - and then it was all over in a couple pages, and I was left wondering what happened.
Yet I have rated the book quite highly. I do so wish we could give half stars, because this is neither a 3-star nor a 4-star book for me. I've given it 4 because, unbelievable plot points aside, I did enjoy reading it. I liked Penelope a lot - I loved the combination of shy and gutsy, and the loyalty she had to Simon even while in his 'coma'. We didn't get to see enough of Simon himself, and the bits we did see made him seem like an arrogant ass, but I could forgive that as the chemistry between the two was palpable, and the sex was smoking hot.
All in all, a very hard book to review. 3.5, but we'll call it 4.
I usually like Amanda Stevens, and it's not always easy to explain why. Most of her books have overly complicated plots that I can't remember the day after I read them. Yet there is something that I find very appealing about her writing.
In Intimate Knowledge, Penelope is about to marry her sweetheart, geeky accountant Simon, but he doesn't show up to the wedding. Later that night, she finds out that he's been in a serious car crash and is in a coma. He remains - or appears to remain - in his coma for months. Until one day, Penelope is on a business trip to Mexico and thinks she sees him up and about, and seemingly healthy. Except he doesn't look quite like the Simon she knows - he looks dangerous.
Returning to the US, she finds that to all appearances, Simon remains in his coma in the rehab facility. Yet Penelope senses that something hinky is going on under the surface of the hospital, and indeed the surface of her life. Simon keeps appearing to her, but every time he does she ends up passing out and waking up with only distant, fuzzy memories. Is she hallucinating, or seeing a lookalike, or is something stranger going on? And how is it connected to the shipments of Central American artwork that are coming in to the museum where she works, and the murder of her business contact down in Mexico?
I'm wavering between 3-stars and 4-stars for this one. It probably deserves 3 - or 3.5 - because it really did have a confusing, and often unbelievable, plot. The whole thing about Simon's faked coma was just too outrageous for me to handle. I could understand a government agent faking a coma and not allowing people to see him - but putting in the effort to pretend to be comatose so his fiancée could sit with him and cry over him all day? Preposterous.
In addition, there were too many plot threads, several of which didn't get tied up neatly. I know this is part of a series, but I don't know if any of the characters recur. If they do, perhaps some of my questions will be answered in subsequent books - like, how was Tay involved? Was she buying Nicin for her face cream? Including her in the book and then neither convicting nor acquitting her of criminal behaviour just muddied the waters. Ditto for Alex, although we did at least get some explanation for him, although no resolution.
In general, the ending felt rushed and lacklustre. Plenty of build-up throughout the book, plenty of suspense - and then it was all over in a couple pages, and I was left wondering what happened.
Yet I have rated the book quite highly. I do so wish we could give half stars, because this is neither a 3-star nor a 4-star book for me. I've given it 4 because, unbelievable plot points aside, I did enjoy reading it. I liked Penelope a lot - I loved the combination of shy and gutsy, and the loyalty she had to Simon even while in his 'coma'. We didn't get to see enough of Simon himself, and the bits we did see made him seem like an arrogant ass, but I could forgive that as the chemistry between the two was palpable, and the sex was smoking hot.
All in all, a very hard book to review. 3.5, but we'll call it 4.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2014
Maybe not a 4 star...maybe 3.5 Still another good book by Amanda Stevens.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews