Review for Bethany Maine's The Second Shot by Juliana Aragon Fatula

Dear Reader,

Bethany sent me an advanced copy of her new book, The Second Shot, that released October 24th. The moment it arrived, I dove in and began reading. I had no idea what to expect. I was hooked from the first chapter.


October 14, 2019

Review for Bethany Maines, The Second Shot five stars out of five. http://bethanymaines.com/

Bethany Maines has written many mysteries. This was my introduction to her work. Now that I’ve read The Second Shot, I’m excited to read more of her mysteries. I have her book, Bulletproof Mascara on my kindle. It’s next on my reading list.

I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but Bethany Maines isn’t afraid to get dirty. She writes some amazing, sexy love scenes. I loved the lust and romance. It was lusty but had love at the heart of it. It’s a love story between Max, the U.S. Marshal, and Dominque, the femme du monde. They reminded me of the characters in the tv series, Moonlighting, of the late 80’s where Bruce Willis and Cybil Shephard are opposites who fight and argue but are drawn to one another by sexual attraction. Max and Dominique are enemies who end up as lovers. The result is a delicious, sexy, battle of wits and very entertaining.

Bethany’s characters, all of them, are smart and funny. The sarcasm in the Deveraux clan dynamics brings a reality to the family dysfunction. And the subtle politics of the story remind the reader of actual events of today’s leaders.

The story opens with a memory of the main characters’ first meeting and the book ends with their happily ever after. A love story that made me happy.

“Maxwell Ames looked across the room at Dominique Deveraux and felt himself physically flinch at a memory-driven whip of embarrassment.” Excerpt From: Bethany Maines. The Second Shot.

“Dominique had to physically restrain herself from blurting out that she loved him and his beautiful, thoughtful brain. They were two whole weeks into dating. The L word was the kind of thing that sent people running. And seriously, she shouldn’t be saying that. It was only two weeks! Even if she kind of, seriously, thought that she meant it.” Excerpt From: Bethany Maines. “The Second Shot.”

I enjoy love stories, but this is a mystery and the suspense and thrilling who dunnit scenes had me up all night reading until I finished the book. It was a full moon. I have difficulty sleeping during full moons. I usually sit up writing all night. It’s something uncontrollable and brought on by astronomical laws of magnetism, or lunar tides, or whatever. But I didn’t want to write. I wanted to read.

I enjoyed the sex scenes more than I expected (blush) but the fact that these two main characters were falling in love had a huge part of my interest in their coitus. That and the fact that interruptions kept them from fulfilling their desires. It was suspense in the bedroom and in the sinister scenes of being ambushed, shot at, tackled, wrestled, beaten, and ran over by vehicles.

The ending left me wanting to find out more about what happens next to these characters. Bethany carefully teases with just enough information to drive her readers to the next chapter and the sequel.

Bethany Maines, new favorite author of mine, and someone I highly recommend to anyone interested in reading a smart, sexy, witty book on mystery, romance, and stilettos.

Some of Bethany Maine’s novels.

Carrie Mae Mysteries

Bulletproof Mascara from (#1)

Compact with the Devil (#2)

Supporting the Girls: A Carrie Mae Mini-Mystery

Power of Attorney: A Carrie Mae Mini-Mystery

High-Caliber Concealer (#3)

Glossed Cause (#4)

San Juan Islands Murder Mysteries

An Unseen Current

Against the Undertow

An Unfamiliar Sea

Shark Santoyo Crime Series

Shark’s Instinct

Shark’s Bite

Shark’s Hunt

Stand Alone Novels

Wild Waters

Tales from the City of Destiny