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Now Lorraine Has Gone

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Multi-award-winning romantic comedy.
Days after Dr. Daniel Horvath’s not-quite-ex-wife dies in another man’s bed, a woman he has been avoiding for years shows up—and turns his predictable life inside out. Can a little French bulldog named Lylou help Danny and Rhonda find the rocky path to love and family?
What readers are
“Two people craving family and togetherness find themselves caught up in intrigue and humorous adventures. Read the story and enjoy the ride.” -Kindle Customer
“This book is hysterical.” -Susan S.
“No typos!” -Kindle Customer“
I laughed out loud on nearly every page.” -Karla J.
“I look forward to more romantic comedies from this author.” -Linda P

331 pages, Paperback

Published June 13, 2020

167 people are currently reading
3679 people want to read

About the author

Jeff Lowder

1 book14 followers

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5 stars
89 (45%)
4 stars
58 (29%)
3 stars
31 (15%)
2 stars
14 (7%)
1 star
5 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
Profile Image for Deacon Tom (Feeling Better).
2,639 reviews244 followers
December 4, 2020
A Fun Read

Truly was a fun book to read.

The one problem I had was with the focus. It didn’t really have a specific identity. The cover says it’s a comedy, which I found lacking here is the main part of the story is mysteries of trying to solve missing money and all kinds of situations. That was very respectable.

Finally, there is an amazing storyline of two cousins that are falling in Love.

The characters were very likable. For me’ likability is very important in any novel. The pace moved very quickly and that is very respectable and strong.

Yes, just a fun book that I recommend
Profile Image for Jeri.
533 reviews26 followers
October 10, 2020
This book was interesting, but certainly not laugh out loud funny to me. Don't get me wrong, it's not terrible. It's a great thing that a book keeps your attention all the way through. I laid in bed listening to Hurricane Delta blow through last night while reading this book on my kindle. There is a little of it all in the story to catch your interest. There is a mystery, a romance, evil characters, an adorable French Bulldog and a character that shares my very own name!

I won an advanced copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads program.
Profile Image for Brandy.
1,264 reviews56 followers
August 11, 2021
Gross. I kept reading it hoping it would get better but I should have just walked away. It’s not funny. It’s not romantic. It’s annoying and there isn’t a single relatable character. The dog is cute tho.
Profile Image for Catbytheseareads ♡.
805 reviews76 followers
April 4, 2023
A wonderful comedy romance it had me rolling over laughing out loud nearly enough to wake my family. It's a slow burn with some mystery to it.

The main character can be a bit annoying but it's still funny once you realize what's going on.
Ah hem, kissing cousins? Just give it a try it's crazy, funny and a great ending with all the feels.
Profile Image for Heather Doughty.
465 reviews11 followers
July 26, 2020
***I won this book via the Goodreads Giveaway program. This has not influenced my review.***

I am not squeamish about much - mice/rats and snakes really make me scream and cringe. After reading this book, it turns out I am also squeamish about "kissing cousins" love relationships. This was too much for me.

Here's what I did like that earned that extra star to get two stars. The author has a sense of humor. Some of the writing did make me laugh. The scenery was lovely. I enjoyed reading about the hiking. I was a good, clean edit. I found very few mistakes (maybe one missed word and a few missing commas).

What I did not like was the relationship between the main character and the woman who has just come back into his life. Talk about, "Ewwww, David!" In this case, it's "Ewwww, Daniel!" (Nod to "Schitt's Creek" for those who missed it.) What was the main point of the book? Was it that Daniel's wife died and did something with all his money? Whas it that Daniel just wanted to feel loved? Was it about Daniel's boss who was a shady, conniving, manipulative person? All of the plots felt equal to me, and it was hard to discern what this book was actually about.

And then there's the "kissing cousins." I just...can't.
Profile Image for Vanessa Petsuch.
187 reviews
June 9, 2024
Not a favorite. Took me 2 weeks to actually finish it. Just a weird story, IMHO. Glad it's done and I can move on. Not quite sure I got why he didn't take the money?!?
21 reviews
November 30, 2020
Lorraine is Gone

Clever, unpredictable, engaging. The characters were wonderfully flawed. The subplots were absolutely brilliant. For example dog behavior was hilarious and perfect. If you can take a little raunchy, I would highly recommend this book.
Profile Image for Susan.
668 reviews
September 12, 2020
I received this book in advance and promised to give an unbiased review.
Thank you Goodreads, Rockhampton Press, Jeff Lowder,


I know this is an advanced copy but it seriously needs editing.
There were in complete sentences, other sentences that needed some sort of punctuation changes. There is a great deal of internal dialogue but there needs to be some uniform way to identify this. Sometimes it is in italics (great) sometimes regular type (not so great) sometimes in quotations (awful). I had to re-read a couple of sections a couple times to make sure I understood because internal dialogue was in regular type and quotations but the rest of the sentence said that he was glad he only thought that rather than said it out loud.
Inconsistencies also abound. One example: Lorraine is found in a chain hotel. vs Lorraine died in another man's bed.
Stretching credibility, plausibility and concievability for the sake of a laugh or a quick wrap up to a scene. Spoiler Alert: [ a woman getting a boob job against her will and paying for it through sex by a guy she doesn't like; the funny scene leading up to the car shed; someone pulling a ripped letter our of someone else's trash while they are helping clean up.]

On a positive note:
The first page caught my attention. Great opening line. "Thought I'd never see you naked again, Lorraine, and I damn sure didn't expect to find you dead."

A dermatologist is called to the scene to identify the body of his soon to be ex wife. His wife had been cheating on him and was bleeding him dry financially in the divorce settlement that is set to be finalized within days. He discovers that she was cheating on him with his boss, the owner of the clinic where he works.

It was a light book about serious topics - adultery, incest, sexual harassment, theft/ embezzlement.
The end left lots of loose threads. I wanted to know what happened to Jane and to Ash. I wanted to know if CFS lost his medical license.

I didn't like the same topic the author's wife did. The idea of young cousins experimenting sexually made me uncomfortable but it seemed credible. What seemed incredible was the fact that as adults many years later, they would act upon it. Each time that topic came up, which was often, I would cringe and feel uncomfortable. I didn't know until I read the end of the book that his wife gave him the topic.

There were some extraneous characters like the little girl in the park, Mark, etc. that I didn't understand their purpose in the story or bringing them in when and where they did.

I liked the scenes with the vet. That character, while short-lived, seemed more fleshed out than some other characters, key characters, like Rhonda.
Characters were shallow - not just their personalities, but their presence on the page.

I almost stopped reading at the 25% point (too many books, too little time theory) - but I hate doing that and made a commitment to Goodreads, Rockhampton Press, and the author to finish and review. I was glad I did. The editing got better and the plot had me wondering how it would resolve - the clinic and financial parts of the story - not the love story.
Even with the stretching the bounds of credulity there were funny part of this book. The internal dialogue was good. Some of the other dialogue was good, some was forced. It seemed like he was forcing the double entendres at times. Almost like there was a contest to see how many he could fit into a chapter.
I liked the music and pop culture references.
490 reviews9 followers
January 10, 2021
Absolutely loved it. Although the book was not a complete comedy, some parts were so funny I laughed out loud. Rhonda was a real hoot, smart, sassy, but all woman - just loved her. And then there was our over forty-year practically a virgin. He must have started late in life to really know so little about making love to a woman, but he had a good teacher in Rhonda. Hilarious!!!
I guess that the only disappointment to me was in not really knowing what happened to Silberg. Did he lose his license, was he prosecuted for fraud, did he go to prison and what happened to the money that Horvath worked so hard for so many years to get. It doesn't seem fair that he should lose it. He really did nothing wrong except marry the wrong woman.
But, in spite of that, I really did enjoy the book immensely and look forward to reading more by this author - but hope he treats the hero a little more fairly. I realize love is very important, but a having money to go along with it sure enchances it.
Profile Image for Marsha.
55 reviews6 followers
August 19, 2023
I did like this book except I did find it that there was so much going on. From Lorraine's death which started the chain of events, like Daniel's cousin he hasn't talked to and/or seen for many years reaching out and showing up, Dr. Ash possibly having his license suspended, Dr. Silberg's fake company that he used to steal Lorraine's money, Daniel's relationship with one of his coworkers, etc. Daniela nd Rhonda's relationship was kind of weird and I thought that was kind of odd to be put in this story. But it was a fun and an interesting read.

Thank you to the author, Jeff Lowder, and Rockhampton Press for the Kindle copy in the Goodreads Giveaway.
Profile Image for June.
411 reviews2 followers
February 1, 2021
Well there were some quirks of humor here and there but Daniel's overwhelming obsession with his cousin Rhonda sort of takes over the book. There are a few others, his dead ex-wife who has some secrets of her own, a worker in his office Jane who flirts with him and a bunch of other nefarious characters who wish Daniel harm. But again Daniel cannot extricate himself from thinking about Rhonda and thats what did it in for me. After awhile I just got really tired of it and then just stopped caring.
Profile Image for Tiffany Shelby.
80 reviews4 followers
May 28, 2023
I struggled to finish this book, and found myself skimming many parts just to get through it. The story was a little odd. Cousins falling in love, is not a story line I am a fan of. There was also too much going on. There were too many story lines and it was all a bit cliche.

I received this book from a good reads first reads giveaway.
124 reviews2 followers
April 8, 2024
DING DONG LORRAINE IS GONE....The Fun Begins

This story would make a GREAT movie! The characters are interesting, the story twists keep things stirred up, the wisecracks are entertaining, and the French bulldog is icing on this scrumptious cake. Instead of trying to assign this book to a specific genre, I just need to tell you this one thing.....DON'T miss this one. ENJOY!
Profile Image for Karla Jay.
Author 8 books585 followers
June 24, 2020
I really loved this book. Lowder's dialogue is spot-on and I laughed out loud on nearly every page. There's a mystery, a romance, and one sweet dog to deepen the storylines. Just what I needed in these stressful times!
1,065 reviews2 followers
July 23, 2020
Comedy?

This was supposed to be a comedy. This book was not funny to me, not a book that kept my interest, perhaps for others. I still rated it a four because the writing was good, editing was better than a lot of books, just the story itself did not appeal.
73 reviews
September 17, 2020
I won this book via the Goodreads Giveaway program. This has not influenced my review.
I enjoyed this book and recommend it. If you would like a pleasant, interesting and enjoyable read with some laugh out loud sections then this book is for you.

4 reviews
November 17, 2020
A Fast and Funny RomCom

In some ways this is almost a caricature of a romantic comedy. It follows the formula but has welcome surprises. Well written and well edited, the fifth star was earned by attention to get by the author and his colleagues.
1,292 reviews1 follower
December 3, 2020
Laugh till you drop

No typos! Fantastic story, more twists than you can foresee. Danny's life is about to go crazy after he identifies his wife's naked body in the hotel room. Then his cousin, Rhonda, flies in to save the day.
33 reviews
December 13, 2020
Are they or aren't they?

I liked Dr. Horvath. Usually the books I read are centered around women as the main character/s. I've done my own genealogy study but only found 3rd cousins. This was a good read. All the characters were credible and some more likable than others.
382 reviews5 followers
May 16, 2021
I won this book from Goodreads. It is a quick and easy read, rom-com with twists and turns. It is includes characters that you love as well as hate. Lylou, the French Bulldog is fun addition to the story.

237 reviews4 followers
May 24, 2021
Entertaining

It's a highly entertaining and humorously romantic book. Although I can't imagine a doctor being that naive and impulsive - and stupid - but it makes for a fun story to read.
2 reviews
November 17, 2023
Great Read

Could have been a very depressing read but the Author spinned the tale with a sense of humor or iron. It was fun reading with several surprises along the way. Now to to-do list just grew. Going to read all of Jeff's books!
Profile Image for Brenda Lowder.
Author 13 books757 followers
July 3, 2020
Hilarious, quirky, and uproarious fun! This edgy, irreverent rom-com delivers a fast-paced, bumpy ride and a second chance to a happily ever after.
58 reviews
July 24, 2020
Fun read

Great descriptive passages, and snappy, almost like real-life dialog. I read it straight through, and I'm ready for more by this author.
Profile Image for Ellen Krueger.
73 reviews1 follower
July 26, 2020
A fun read. A love story. Wacky action. Interesting characters. An adorable dog. Most enjoyable, if kind of preposterous.
Profile Image for Anita Rohn.
1,960 reviews9 followers
September 10, 2020
Cousins

Two people craving family and togetherness find themselves caught up in intrigue and humorous adventures. Are they related or not. Read the story and enjoy the ride. .
Profile Image for Kathy Webb.
553 reviews37 followers
November 30, 2020
I won this Kindle edition book in a Goodreads
Giveaway. Thank you to everyone involved.
4 reviews2 followers
April 9, 2022
don’t bother

Far fetched, full of cliches and silly sexual innuendos. “He had to pee likes a Clydesdale” - are you kidding me???
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews

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