I would gladly read an instruction manual if it was written by this author, thankfully that wasn't the case and I was lucky enough to enjoy this book! The story is all about chance, love and luck, which sure it has been done before, but the author writes in such a way it feels fresh and new. I fell in love with these characters and the story. If you are looking for something that will have you laughing one minute and all in your feels the next, look no further.

DNF @37%. I need to end it there. This read is coming across as a little far-fetched. There were moments when I wanted to continue to solve the caper of sorts. Unfortunately the writing style was a little self indulgent with many side bars and seemingly unconnected tangents. It was like having a conversation with someone with a very short attention span or a bad memory... "Look a squirrel!"
The main character Rake was rich, drunk, tropey (by design I think) not too smart and pretty forgettable. It actually makes me cringe at how oblivious and helpless he appears. Upon further research I have discovered that there is a book one which follows Rake's brother Blake's story published before this.
Perhaps this is why I felt so disjointed throughout the entire read.
The pros so far at 37% are the subtle building of suspense and curiosity as to what really is going on and why. The cons: I don't like Rake, the main character very much or enough to continue with this any further.

Thank you St. Martin's Griffin for allowing review this ARC.

Storyline was enticing, but characters and writing couldn’t hold my attention..Better character development could have saved this story and drawn readers in.

This second installment in Mary Janice's Davidson's Danger series follows Rake Tarbell's adventures in Italy.

He finds himself stranded in Italy, with no access to his money, phone, and a hazy recollection of how he got there, when he is approached by a woman and young girl. Surprisingly, this woman, Claire Delaney leaves the girl, Lillith, with him and informs him that the girl is potentially his daughter. To find out more about this little girl, her mother and Delaney's charitable activities, while earning money for a cell phone, lodging, and food, he must work for Delaney stuffing Easter baskets.</p>

As the story unfolds, the reader is invested in the mystery and discovering where Rake's money went, if Lillith is really his daughter, the magnetism, and attraction, and dynamic banter between Rake and Delaney, and who are the men chasing them; all with tropes interwoven throughout. Is it coincidence that Blake, his older twin brother doesn't have access to his money at the same time (revealed in "Danger, Sweetheart")? Although, it is not necessary to read "Danger, Sweetheart" to understand "The Love Scam" but, we get a better understanding of everything.

I enjoyed that the female characters can hold their own when it comes to business or protecting themselves. Which is not to say that they will deny help when offered, but that they don't "need" to be saved by a man, (the usual "damsel in distress") trope.

Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. This book is scheduled to be available on August 4, 2020.

I REALLY wanted to love this, but it just fell flat for me. Certain action was hard to follow, but with all transparency I didn’t realize there was a book one until I finished this. I imagine my review would be very different had I read the first book.

I'm torn between giving this 2 or 3 stars.. This book was pretty much just ok. It was something to kill time really.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to like this book, it sounded great from the description but I just couldn't get into it. The writing was sloppy, I was confused from the beginning and it wasn't capturing my interest to want to continue reading.so I DNFd at about 25%,

A big no from me, this just wasnt one I could get into or even like - and I read alot and many genres too. This book had ALOT of dialogue, at times very hard to follow. Short chapters which means alot of jumping back and forth. I also received an advanced copy that had yet to be proofed or edited and it needed it - lots of it.
I dont want to say the entire book was negative, it wasnt, the lines are actually some pretty funny dialogue, the premise of the storyline is good and the characters are good. Perhaps if this was laid out in a different way with some editing it would be much better than it is currently.

I so wanted to love this but ended up only liking. Both the premise of the story and the on-going plot were unique and totally engrossing. The Love Scam is an entertaining, caper-esque story full of wit, self realization, a zany plot, and hilarious events that effect all the motley characters. It was a fun book to read and I enjoyed the characters greatly, I just wasn't totally invested because of the style of story telling.

The execution of the plot was a little off for me and it took me longer to get through this one - certain action was hard to follow and it felt like there were things missing that I didn't get because I didn't read book one. However, I didn't realize there was a book one until partially into this book and by then I didn't want to stop. Things happen sort of willy-nilly for the main characters. It's full of hilarious twists and sometimes you don't fully get how they even arrived at that place.

The romance was very light but an underlying tension from the two main characters keep you tethered to it. The charm of the male protagonist equals the wit of the female protagonist and makes for certain chemistry. The highlight was the clever child character and her part in the entire plot.

Fans of light and funny, low angst women's fiction I think will really enjoy this story. It's definitely entertaining and a lot of parts are laugh out loud funny.

The premise of this story had great potential. A hot billionaire waking up in Venice to a whole mess of problems with no memory of how he got there, sounds like a blast. Unfortunately for The Love Scam the story is a mess. It's very hard to follow, the formatting was a nightmare to read. Now this might be different with a paperback book but the copy I received was VERY confusing. Beyond formatting, it's just a mess. There's too much happening and it's hard to connect with the characters. I really struggled to finish this one.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The cover looks pretty, the synopsis looks very interesting and funny. However, it turns out that this book wasn't what I expected.

The digital copy that was given to me was an uncorrected copy, and it needs a lot of copyediting and proofreading. Nevertheless, the plot is a roller coaster of who's who, where and what. This book had a promising comedy, mystery, and possibility of a romance. So in conclusion, this book was very hard to read that I had to just give up. However, if everything is corrected and edited before the publishing then it could be something remarkable.

3.5 stars = I liked. I thought this was cute and kooky romp of story. Normally, this author writes wacky heroines, but this time the zany one is the hero Rake - who starts out as a less then heroic hungover mess. I didn't guess correctly where this story was going, probably since the title was sort of a red herring, but I liked the way that the truth came to light at the end. I liked the kid and the fact that Rake was more than the wastrel that he seems at the start.

This is an unpaid review, ARC via NetGalley

Let me start this by saying if you have not read the previous book “Danger, Sweetheart”, you may want to before reading this book. I was a little lost at the beginning and finally caught up, but it took a few chapters and I did not enjoy the journey. By the mid point, I was “all in” and loved the twists and turns. One item I feel needs correcting are the constant foot notes per chapter, you are either constantly going back, or skipping forward to match them in the chapter. The story is twisted, fun, outrageous and romantic. A fun read.

After reading the synopsis I thought I would really enjoy this novel. However, this one fell completely short for me. I struggled with the writing style and the plot. This one just didn’t work for me and I ended up giving this book up. I just couldn’t go on reading it unfortunately.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Love Scam by MaryJanice Davidson seemingly had everything I would enjoy in a read, however I had the most difficult time getting into this story. A hot mess, I felt my eyes glazing over as I tried my hardest to press onwards. Putting the book down and giving it some before making another attempt was no help; I struggled with it all. I couldn’t relate to the characters, let alone I didn’t like them, the storyline was a train wreck and the execution of the story left a lot to be desired. DNF at 50%.

An ARC was generously provided in exchange for an honest review of which this is both honest and completely voluntary.

Like some of the other reviewers, I had a little trouble following what was going on in the beginning. But, I kept reading and really enjoyed the story!! I do love this authors funny, clever writing style.

There are several ways I could sum up The Love Scam in a two word sentence. Wait, what? I’m lost. Just no. So confused. I’m pretty sure Davidson is trying to trying to create a humorous story. And what’s she written is kind of funny, but I’m not entirely sure it’s a story. It’s definitely not a cohesive one. Apparently Delaney is hired to run a scam that involves convincing rich, oblivious Rake that he has a child while depriving him of his money for what is supposedly a good cause. It also appears to have Rake hating his “perfect” twin brother, gallivanting about Italy, over imbibing on vermouth, falling into the canals, experiencing uncontrollable vomiting and hanging around a Best Western in Venice filling Easter baskets full of Peeps. If this doesn’t make any sense to you, I assure you it’s not me (or you for that matter), this is actually events unfolding in the book. If you’re looking for dialogue that may seem witty when you’re trashed on vermouth then this book may be for you. Otherwise it’s probably not worth the headache it will give you trying to follow along.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I had hoped to enjoy this book more for a fun, light read but unfortunately, it just wasn't my cup of tea. Funny and witty moments at points but the characters seemed a little bland and shallow at points and it just wasn't for me.. I know other readers would definitely like the mystery and plot and can see some of the appeal for the overall story.

Where do I start, Rake is a like able guy. He seems charming, funny and sweet underneath it all. A bit privileged but nothing that can’t be fixed and appreciated. Delaney has a hard exterior but she wants what we all do...love. I really enjoyed this read and I’m curious to read others by this author. Thank you Net Galley!

This book is quite unique. It's a little confusing in the beginning. Takes a while to really catch on to what is happening. It alternates between POVs, and sometimes it takes a few paragraphs before you realize whose POV it is. There is some mystery.. partly the characters actually trying to solve a crime and partly (well, mostly) just the mystery and secrets they are keeping from one another. There are things hinted at, but never elaborated. There is also a little romance. A slow burn kind. There is also a small amount of thriller/suspense. Humor spread throughout. She comes off as a bit of a vigilante, but is she friend or fo? He is a clueless playboy who just happens to be smarter than he comes across as, of course it takes a while for everyone else to figure that out. The two of them, along with her motley crew, are somewhat forced to spend time together. Crazy things happen to them. There are a couple different story lines that criss cross throughout the book, and that is part of what makes it confusing. You don't realize one thing doesn't have anything to do with the other until further into the book. (Of course they all kinda come together in the end.) There is very minimal sexual content, though there is mention of it throughout. (I'd consider it safe for teens and up, though there is some mild language.) The style of writing is different than what I am used to. There are mention of things or different language spoken (the book takes place in Italy) that is '*' and clarified at the end of chapter. There are also mid sentence breaking points to include inner thoughts.

*I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley.