Status Updates From Bittersweet Motives (Serena...

I'm having a hard time getting into this one. It claims to be the first book in the series, but I've found out it's actually the second book. Why do publishers do that? Do they think readers will never find out? I hate to give up on a Tyora Moody book, so I might just have to set this one aside until I get a good pricing deal on the actual first book in the series.