New York Times bestselling author Mary Monroe takes you on the ultimate twist-filled ride with her Lonely Heart, Deadly Heart series. For two restless women looking for satisfaction, too much of a good thing is never enough--even as a lethal passion closes in...
Best friends Lola Poole and Joan Proctor-Riley have finally found the love and excitement they've always longed for. Online-dating an endless line of wealthy, no-strings-attached lovers is the perfect escape from their unfulfilling lives. And between Joan's selfish husband and Lola's hateful, demanding relatives, the hotter these ladies' secret activities get, the more they crave--and the more reckless they become. Soon, they're taking ever greater risks to pursue their desires...
When rugged trucker Calvin Ramsey comes into Lola's sights, he's a surprising answer to all her prayers. He's kind and responsible in his everyday life--and delivers sexual healing like she's never known. What Lola doesn't know is that Calvin loves women to death--literally. And every caring moment and seductive promise this killer gives her draws both Lola and Joan deeper into his inescapable, fatal fantasy...
I am the third child of Alabama sharecroppers and the first and only member of my family to finish high school. I never attended college or any writing classes. I taught myself how to write and started writing short stories around age four. I spent the first part of my life in Alabama and Ohio and moved to Richmond, California in 1973. I have lived in Oakland since 1984.
My first novel THE UPPER ROOM was published by St. Martin's Press in 1985 and was widely reviewed throughout the U.S. and in Great Britain. An excerpt is included in Terry McMillan's anthology BREAKING ICE. I endured fifteen years and hundreds of more rejection letters before I landed a contract for my second novel, GOD DON'T LIKE UGLY. It was published in October 2000 by Kensington Books. GOD DON'T PLAY is my seventh novel to be published, and it landed me a spot on the prestigious New York Times Bestsellers list for the first time! My eighth novel, "BORROW TROUBLE," was released December 2006. My ninth novel, DELIVER ME FROM EVIL, was released September 2007 and my tenth novel, SHE HAD IT COMING, was released in September 2008, and my eleventh novel THE COMPANY WE KEEP, will be released March 2009.
I won the Oakland Pen Award for Best Fiction of the Year in 2001 for GOD DON'T LIKE UGLY. I won the Best Southern Author Award for GONNA LAY DOWN MY BURDENS, in 2004.
I am divorced, I love to travel, I love to mingle with other authors, and I love to read anything by Ernest Gaines, Stephen King, Alice Walker, and James Patterson. I still write seven days a week and I get most of my ideas from current events, the people around me, but most of my material is autobiographical.
I really don't like when authors build up all this suspense and leave you hanging like it's an end of the season of a television show. This book could have been finished with a few more chapters.
Although it took me awhile to get around to it, I was anxious to continue with the Lonely Heart, Deadly Heart series and see where we’d left off with the adventures of Joan and Lola and now Calvin.
There were points that I loved in the book, especially seeing Joan coming into her own after having been so close with Lola for so long. I was eager to get deeper into Calvin’s story but I felt his character was the most difficult to understand with the accelerated anger issues and internal struggles.
I gave this book 3.5 stars because I’m hoping that I’ll have my wish and Lola and Calvin will have a twisted, “happily ever after” instead of what appears to be a very harrowing relationship, at best. This book gave me hope.
This book was okay. I didn't like the ending because nothing really happened. It was a nice quick read but I don't know if I will pick up the next book in the series. It was good to see the main characters again but they were still up to the same things that they were up to in the first book. I didn't really see any progression and that disappointed me.
It appears that the author has adopted the new style of writing I see . And that is to draw out a series for several books, cliffhangers that occur at the most unexpected times, incomplete and repetitive chapters and losing readers in the process from frustration .
The best parts of this audio book were the chapters told from Daniel's perspective. Unfortunately, they were few and far between. Each conversation between the 2 characters that the author chose as the primaries in this series was the same as the previous conversation in a previous chapter with a different setting and still extremely sophomoric. Joan complained she couldn't openly cheat. Lola complained about her home life and her lust for Calvin. It was hard to believe these were 30 year old women. There was one "surprise" with Libby, but it was not capitalized upon.
When the audio book ended, much like with book 1, I had to look down at my phone device to see if something happened.
I am returning this book to receive my credit back. I'm hoping the next book ends this series. This one that unfortunately the team was not well versed on and did not know how to handle. There was SOOO much missed potential with this multiple story lines. It's disappointing.
As I've stated in previous reviews, since elementary school and reading Little House on the Prairie books I don't care much for reading series. I have a strong preference for stand alone books and didn't realize until just as I was starting this novel that I had selected book 2 in a series. Oh well, that's on me. I was thrown off right away by best friends Lola and Joan within the first 3 chapters. Lola is single. Joan is the married mother of one son. The two friends are both members of an Internet dating sex club. Then at the beginning of the next chapter Joan turns to Lola and asks her to pray for her. Huh? They pray? The introduction of the other main character, homicidal Calvin Ramsey made it interesting. I noticed that there were a lot of "incredulous" looks being given throughout this novel. And I lost track of exclamation points. The end of the book disappointed me because it didn't end. Instead of ending it has in all caps...TO BE CONTINUED. I'm done here.
This book was really good. At times it was a little drawn out. I this book we continue the saga of Joan and Lola who are still hooking up with men on the website Discreet Encounters. Joan is still in a loveless marriage with a man who threatens suicide Everytime she wants to leave. then there is Lola who meets Calvin who she thinks is here prince charming or is he?. some parts of the book had dialogue that added nothing to the story and it ended with a cliffhanger so we will be getting another book.
The title speaks for it self. Very good book. The characters had me scratching my head. I found myself screaming at the characters. Can't wait for the next book to the series
Best friends Lola and Joan are two women dissatisfied with their lives who are hell bent on turning the odds of happiness in their favor…even if only for a moment. Both are attractive, intelligent, and sexually free, but each has an albatross around her neck. For Lola it comes in the form of an overbearing, selfish, smothering stepmother who is determined not to be left alone in her older years. A promise made to her father on his deathbed keeps her fully entrenched in the old woman’s manipulative embrace. On the outside Joan appears to have the perfect life. She’s married to a wealthy doctor, has a child she adores, has access to the finest stores and resources anyone could ask for. But all is not as it appears. Her husband is possessive, controlling, and manipulative. And he knows just what to do to keep her in line.
As a way to exert a semblance of control and excitement into their lives, the ladies join a secret sex club, giving them access to some of the best sex and most accomplished men in the country. The excitement alone is enough to keep them coming back for more. The air of danger from the risk of getting caught is too great a temptation to bear.
Joan has a number of partners willing to sweep her off her feet, each one more accomplished than the last. Lola is sure she’s met the ideal man. But all is not as it appears and the ladies have bitten off more than they can chew in this stream of suitors.
Monroe pens an interesting tale of the desperate measures some women are willing to take to break up the monotony of a dull, meaningless existence. With these characters readers see that everything that looks well doesn’t end well. Several secondary characters drew such a reaction at times I wanted to reach through the pages and wring their necks! It will be interesting to see how it ends and to know the ultimate choices that both ladies make concerning their lives. This book is part of a trilogy. Although well written and interesting, the storied dragged out longer than it needed to and could very well have ended the series with this book.
Bought this one because I have read everything by Ms Monroe , characters very believable seem like people you know. Mr Calvin a man with a mission .just I thought he would get what's coming to him. A page Turner . To be continued
Book was a good read. The suspense kept building around Calvin’s character and then it ended. Very very disappointed in the ending. I actually would rate it 3.5 stars
Just happened to see this book title and it caught my eye in the library a few weeks ago!! I didn’t realize that this was a series and the story sometime dragged on. I didn't like how the story ended cause I didn’t know I was reading a series. It got really predictable given how online dating can be meaning a hit or miss. The two main characters were predictable. Overall, a good book but it didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat.
AHHH! I loved it! I haven't read a Mary Monroe book in YEARS, so i re downloaded the God Don't like Ugly series and THIS one. i didn't know this was a series when I downloaded it, but BOY am I happy I did! Joan and Lola's friendship kind of reminds me of Annette and Rhoda's friendship in the GDLU series, except Joan and Lola's friendship is a lot more healthier and TWO SIDED than Annette and Rhoda's. Even though I started Never Trust a Stranger which is the second book in the series, I can't wait to get and read the first book and then the last so I can enjoy this full reading experience! I wonder if Calvin will be in the first book, I know he's in the last. He is A MESS! The worst kind of man. But then again so is Lola also being a bit of the WORST because she is SO FAST! QUICK to fall head over hills in LOVE with this STRANGER of a man, she JUST MET three dates ago, ON THE INTERNET! Between her crazy over the top ass, and HIS TO, it's giving "Fatal Attraction" and I can't wait to see how it all culminates. Now, about Joan and Reed! They gave me THE BLUES! Their relationship is ABSOLUTE TRASH and neither one of them needs to be in it. Idk HOW Reed thinks that keeping on telling his wife that if she ever leaves him, he'll kill her and himself is a good idea! Saying shit like that is the most alarming red flag EVER! and Joan needs to grab her son and drop off the face of the earth with the fire in her ass! Get as FAR away from Reed as possible. ESPECIALLY since her crazy ass IS CHEATING. WTF! I hate that he is SO suspicious of her (with EVERY REASON to be) and she is still gas lighting him. Just CHEATING ON and BOLD FACE lying to this man! But thats still no reason for him to threaten MURDER, SUICIDE over some good coochie. TF?! Even though, he's not ABUSING her out right, THOSE KINDS OF THREATS ARE ABUSIVE and threatening. ok, I KINDA live for it (AS A BOOK), but everyone is absolute TRASH. LMAOOO!!! I love it. I'm rooting for LOLA, I hope she wises up and STOPS being so SPRUNG over Calvin's BITCH ASS so he doesn't kill her. I LIIIIIVE!!! lmaooo!
Best friends Lola and Joan are two women dissatisfied with their lives who are hell bent on turning the odds of happiness in their favor…even if only for a moment. Both are attractive, intelligent, and sexually free, but each has an albatross around her neck. For Lola it comes in the form of an overbearing, selfish, smothering stepmother who is determined not to be left alone in her older years. A promise made to her father on his deathbed keeps her fully entrenched in the old woman’s manipulative embrace. On the outside Joan appears to have the perfect life. She’s married to a wealthy doctor, has a child she adores, has access to the finest stores and resources anyone could ask for. But all is not as it appears. Her husband is possessive, controlling, and manipulative. And he knows just what to do to keep her in line.
As a way to exert a semblance of control and excitement into their lives, the ladies join a secret sex club, giving them access to some of the best sex and most accomplished men in the country. The excitement alone is enough to keep them coming back for more. The air of danger from the risk of getting caught is too great a temptation to bear.
Joan has a number of partners willing to sweep her off her feet, each one more accomplished than the last. Lola is sure she’s met the ideal man. But all is not as it appears and the ladies have bitten off more than they can chew in this stream of suitors.
Monroe pens an interesting tale of the desperate measures some women are willing to take to break up the monotony of a dull, meaningless existence. With these characters readers see that everything that looks well doesn’t end well. Several secondary characters drew such a reaction at times I wanted to reach through the pages and wring their necks! It will be interesting to see how it ends and to know the ultimate choices that both ladies make concerning their lives. This book is part of a trilogy. Although well written and interesting, the storied dragged out longer than it needed to and could very well have ended the series with this book.
The premise for the book reminds me of an Eric Jerome Dickey novel. People sign up for a sex club and then rate each other on their encounters. Lola and Joan were two members who were involved with these encounters. Joan was married but sexing everyone moving. Mary Monroe is nowhere close to Mr. Dickey in writing style. Calvin, a so-called serial killer, who seems to be attracted to women who look like his ex-wife, is juggling Sylvia and Lola with wimpy excuses. I will NOT be reading part Two.
I won this, not my normal read. But always try to finish what I start. These ladies really into risky situation. One been married for years, but still joined a web site and picks up dates "for pleasure". The other joined also and gets dates the same way. Imagine reading 300 pages and at the bottom of the page see TO BE CONTINIED. Sorry don't think I'll be reading the next book.
I was a little disappointed. The most interesting part was Berthas daughter. The Reed suicide contemplation dragged. And then to be continued? Bait and switch.
I got to page 260 before getting fed up with the flow of the book and just reading the last chapter. The fact that Calvin was just out there killing women with no type of repercussions is anticlimactic. The last chapter is Bertha about to meet him. I wanted to see his true colors come to light and him getting so close to fulfilling his plan of killing Lola just to have it thwarted and him go to prison. Joan is still in her toxic marriage one she should've left years ago. I wanted to see her have that hard conversation with her husband. I wanted them both to attend therapy to both heal from their traumas. I mean the man DID rape her. I wanted her to do something like become abstinent and learn more about herself and he to have a breakthrough in therapy and move on and find himself. I wanted something humbling to happen to Ms. Judgmental or the MIL from hell. I wanted her to be humbled to the point where she has some type of positive change of heart. I don't know, I had expected this book to go all sorts of places but definitely not the place it went. The buildup was definitely repetitive. I also didn't like how Lola was all of a sudden in love with Calvin. They had ONE coffee date and he's all she could think about. He went ghost for over a month and she was just happy he reached out. And as someone who would tell my friend that they were crazy because of that I know for a fact Joan was in the right for telling Lola so. In the book however it came off as if Joan was the bad guy for looking out for her friend. It wasn't terrible. Maybe I should've started with the first book in the series or something because it wasn't MY cup of tea.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Entertaining but I didn’t realize this was a book in a series/ I never read the first book so I started in the middle. The boo is well written though so you wouldn’t even realize you were starting in the middle of the series. The main characters Joan and Lola are best friends who join an online sex-club. Joan is married to a wealthy man she is miserable with while Lola lives with her step-mother and wishes for a husband. Lola’s desperate quest for a husband leads her right into the arms of Calvin who unbeknownst to her is not what he seems.
Well Lola, Joan and the rest of the messy crew are back again. This installment was filled with more drama, lies and crazy characters. The dynamics between Lola and Joan with their families is still annoying to me. I do agree with the other readers that this series could have wrapped up with this book but I will read the third installment because I have to know what happens. **I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review**
I was a bit annoyed at the ending, I hadn’t realized it was a series until I started the book. All the suspense was building up around Calvin and Lola.... and then nothing happened. It wasn’t a cliff hanger that would have you running to get the next book. It felt like an ending to a season of a TV show. It took me some time to finish because I could tell that no climax was building for an explosive ending. Overall a quick, easy read.
I jumped into this book not knowing it was going to leave me on a cliff with a literal "to be continued". I wish I could have the two days back that it took me to read this. I didn't like ANY of the characters and the storyline is just not believable. I did not enjoy this story albeit a very well written story. Yet and still...something inside me wants to know how and when will Calvin try to kill Lola.
If you are a fan of Mary Monroe you will love this book. Just as in the previous book in this series(Lonely Heart, Deadly Heart) Monroe constantly repeats key plot points as if the reader has no memory. Honestly, the only reason why I keep reading is I want to see if Calvin follows through on his plan and what becomes of Joan and Reed.