I have read so many books by this author and was so excited to have another one to devour! Such a good summer read - its got comedy, mystery, love, and more!! Would definitely recommend to friends.

Rake Tarbell is in trouble. Somehow, the millionaire playboy managed to get himself stranded in Venice, with no money, no phone, and no ID, after falling in a canal. Delaney is there to help him out, letting him sleep on the sofa bed in her room, volunteering him to fill Easter baskets for her charity, and introducing him to Lillith, the daughter he had no idea he had. Rake’s confusion at the various situations grows, especially when he learns that his brother Blake has also been cut off from his inheritance, but his growing affection for both Lillith and Delaney keeps him close as he tries to decipher the meaning behind the unfolding drama.

I liked Rake, Delaney, and Lillith, though I thought the storyline was a bit of a stretch. No spoilers here, but there was some overreach with the plot. This is the second book in this series, and I felt I was missing out on the Tarbell family dynamics that I assume were outlined in the previous book. I found The Love Scam to be a cute story, but it didn’t keep me riveted to the pages.

What a LOL Rom Com, filled with all kinds of antics, adventures and falling in love whether you tell yourself not to or not. 💞💞

I received an invitation to read and review from the publisher using NetGalley and this is my honest opinion!!

Also posted on B&N

The Love Scam picks up en medias res, alternating between the present and past via flashbacks. Deftly balancing zany hilarity with moments of deep emotion and serious topics, It's an original and entertaining romance with an intriguing blend of humor, suspense, romance, drama, heart, and tropey goodness. Davidson’s prose features vivid description and a crazy mix of internal thoughts in the form of his twin brother's critical voice, sarcastic and witty repartee, and pop culture references. The characters and their interactions are delightful and well developed. I freely admit to being a person who likes to multitask about 85 percent of the time, but the structure of this novel, narrative flow, and how the character’s internal monologues and conversations, as well as interactions read make this a novel that requires complete focus. It’s definitely well worth your time.

Womanizing, man-child Rake is a complete hot mess! The troubles he gets into are like a comedy of errors. When Claire, a mysterious midwestern free spirit, and, Lilith, an irresistible little girl too mature for her young years—who might be his daughter from one of his many one-night stands—is thrown into the mix, Rake’s life takes on a whole new meaning for crazy. But he’s finding it suits him.

It is not often I get to read this author any more so this one was a delight to get into when I seen it. The humor was exactly what was needed along with the story that comes with it. Poor Rake he does have more and I do mean much more than a plate full of troubles. Another charming addition to this is Lillith who is have that plate tip over. He will have a bit of help from Claire and when the three get together more also comes along on their tail. Romance does help turn the pages but so does suspense with this author knowing how to get our attention for longer than a minute.

I've read books by this author in the past and thought I would give her another try. Although, it took a little while to really get into the story, I was not disappointed overall. Funny and entertaining.

High jinks abound in this unlikely romance between a wealthy party boy who's just lost everything and the quirky undercover ward of his newfound daughter. How this is all happening in Venice eludes him, and he must go on a crazy scavenger hunt of sorts to solve how this all happened, who's doing it, and how to fix it.  

Close proximity makes this mismatched pair partners in uncovering the truth, plus becoming a sudden father to a smarter-than-your-average child makes this crazy story believable. Hold on tight, and pay attention to every word, because this is funny, entertaining, and a joy to read.

**received an ARC from netgalley**

Rake wakes up in Venice with no idea how he got there. Although he is very wealthy, he has no money, ID, credit cards or phone. He wants to contact his twin brother to help him out but has no way of contacting him. He comes across Delaney who seems to know who he is. As the story progresses, he finds that she has a small child with her who she claims to be his daughter. Lillith is an amazing little girl, intelligent beyond her years. She is an absolute riot! There is a lot going on in this story. I had a little trouble getting into it at first but once I did, I couldn’t stop reading. It was a fun book!

Also reviewed on B&N and Kobo

Hilarious Action/Adventure/Romance
There is no easy way to label this story. I can honestly say that I haven't giggled like this over a book in a long time. The long game con is excellent, the mark is truly lovable and the situational comedy will bring a smile to your heart just thinking about it. Both the hero and heroine could have an entire series' written about them alone, to be together in the current series is unbelievable fun. I could have done without the explicit sex but was able to skip over it with no adverse effects. I plan on going back to read the first book in the series right now. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

Despite the cons, I still gave this book 5 stars because of you know who and the snark. It was the perfect pick me up.

Pros: Freaking hilarious. Lillith. Seriously funny and wacky and snarky and everything you'd expect from Ms Davidson.Lillith. Easy to read. Total fluff but with a pinch of serious themes. Oh yeah,and Lillith.

Cons: A bit disjointed sometimes. I also thought a few plot points were left unresolved or too lightly handled. Also the first book in the series NEEDS to be read first and I should have re-read/skimmed it before this one because I forgot way too much! LOL

I have mixed feelings about this book since I was completely confused through a great deal of it and it took quite a while for the fog to clear and I finally enjoyed this romantic comedy set in Venice. I liked Rake Tarbell, a wealthy and carefree bachelor and enjoyed his dynamic with the other characters especially Claire Delaney and Lillith who may be his eight-year-old daughter. If you enjoy sassy and romantic comedy, don't miss "The Love Scam". I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Rake Tarbell has a problem and it's a big one. Somehow he finds himself in Venice, hungover and broke. The broke part is really problematic as he is a millionaire. A good looking and single millionaire. After falling into a canal he meets the mysterious, and beautiful, Claire Delaney who introduces him to Lillith who may or may not be his daughter. What follows is a week packed with charity work (filling Easter baskets with Peeps) mystery, danger, unanswered questions and romance. Can he survive it?
This wonderfully told story is an absolute pleasure to read. It is witty, funny and populated with a marvelous cast of characters. The dialogue between Rake and his twin brother, Blake, is priceless. The narrative is well paced and engrossing. Filled with surprises and heart, this book is well worth reading. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's and NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own..
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I'm kind of right in the middle with this book. Overall I thought the concept for the book was good but I struggled to really get into it and found the flow choppy which made reading it a challenge. I will say that this story had a zany, over-the-top feel to it, which is something I generally enjoy but in this case I found it a bit of a turn off and I think that was because of one thing and that was the inclusion of a child. I can actively embrace wild and crazy scenarios & escapades but not when a kid is involved. As for the characters, the only one I truly and cared about was in fact, Lilith (the child), who seemed more mature than both of the main characters put together.

A delicious hot-mess of a romantic comedy! Filled with clichés and tropes (see the author’s note since that was the plan!), a bit of mystery, and an ending that almost came out of left field (ok, it was a bit of a surprise!), what started off as a slow-read quickly picked up speed and ended up being a fun, quirky read that has left me interested in reading more about the Tarbell family!

The Love Scam is an entertaining comedy with interesting and somewhat silly situations and characters. Twin brothers Rake, the hero, and Blake are nothing alike. Both are intelligent and handsome, but Blake is grounded and practical, while Rake is the silly one. Blake would never awaken, hung over, in a canal in Venice, Italy. Rake did just that and has no idea how he got there. When he climbs from the canal, he comes face to face with Claire Delaney, the heroine. Claire is a sort of private investigator. She has with her a little girl, Lilith, who just might be Rake’s daughter. Now the adventure begins (or continues if you count the canal incident). Enjoy a mystery, snarky dialogue, brotherly love, and a romance in bloom in this filled-with-fun story.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

I only made it a quarter of a way through this book. The description sounded interesting, especially set in Venice. But, it was really hard to read--I think, due to the confusing writing style that used a lot of parentheticals and disjointed events. It was as if we were already supposed to know who the characters were at the start, when they weren't actually described. I finally gave up.

Rake Tarbell is the fun twin. His brother Blake is the responsible one. It’s no surprise when Rake ends up hungover with no pants in Venice, Italy. But that is where the predictability ends in this romantic comedy. This story features an adorably intelligent little girl, a band of former foster girls doing the wrong things for the right reasons and nosy relatives. This is a fast paced romp that is part of a trilogy and while it can be read standalone it is better if you’ve read the first book Danger, Sweetheart.

Following is my German review on the book. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy the book and will rate it with two stars.


Anstrengend zu lesen

Vor Jahren habe ich die ersten Bücher der Vampir-Reihe der Autorin ganz gerne gelesen. Irgendwann wurde mir die Serie aber zu absurd und seitdem hatte ich Bücher der Autorin nicht auf dem Schirm. "The Love Scam" hörte sich allerdings abgefahren im besten Sinne an, daher habe ich zugegriffen.

Leider war das Buch für mich ein Reinfall. Der Schreibstil springt teils wirr von einem Punkt zum anderen. Ein intensives, gnadenloses Lektorat hätte dem Buch definitiv gut getan. Viele Dinge machen keinen Sinn, wenn man nur kurz über sie nachdenkt. Der männliche Hauptcharakter wirkte auf mich unsympathisch. Warum irgendjemand sich in ihn verlieben sollte, ist mir bis zum Ende des Buches schleierhaft geblieben.. Zudem bin ich kein Fan davon, wenn erwachsene Männer sich ständig betrinken. Die Liebesgeschichte hat dem folgend natürlich nicht für mich funktioniert und ich war wirklich froh, als das Buch endlich zu Ende war. Mehr als zwei Sterne sind nicht möglich.

Rake Tarbell is a hot mess.Waking up with the world’s worst hangover in a hotel room he doesn’t recognise, he doesn’t figure out he’s in Venice until he falls into the Grand Canal, and frankly he doesn’t get much tidier from there. He is a rich, entitled, careless, thoughtless brat, with the sole redeeming feature that he doesn’t like creeps who attempt to sexually harass or assault women. This, unfortunately, does not a good romance hero make.

MaryJanice Davidson has a really, really strange writing style, that reads like a stream of consciousness from someone with raging ADHD. Which would be fine if it was just one character’s POV, interesting, even, but when EVERY character reads like it? It just comes across as lazy and utterly unedited. There are plot points that didn’t make sense, like Rake making it a big deal that he’d never told Delaney his surname but she knew it anyway, but she TOLD HIM early on that she’d tracked him down to get his DNA. She knew EXACTLY who he was and he knew that, and ugh, just so many things didn’t add up.

There are way too many leaps of logic here with whole chunks of intervening stuff missed out. And yes, that is how an ADHD person’s brain works (ask me how I know… go on) but it just flat out does not work in a book. You need to go from point A to point Z via the whole alphabet pretty much in sequential order; you might be able to skip one letter and then allow the reader to assume it or point out later that it actually happened because it logically fits, but you can’t go “A, D, Q, G, H, T, Z! Look, there’s the whole story!” Because your readers - yes, even the ADHD ones - are going to say, “what the actual heck just happened?”

The author is trying so hard to make this funny. But it’s the literary equivalent of inserting a loud laugh track regularly to try and encourage your actual audience to laugh, and for me it just fell utterly flat. I didn’t like Rake, I couldn’t imagine what Delaney saw in him. Delaney herself actually had some good features as a character but we never got to know her well enough; the story spent way too much time in Rake’s annoying and self-centred head, making the heroine of the story a mystery to the reader, which just does not work in romance. Romance readers want to be in the heroine’s head, able to identify with her, not wondering what she’s up to and why she’s bothering with this chump. Actually, if we’d been in Delaney’s head watching Rake’s bumbling antics, this might have been as funny as the author obviously wanted it to be.

As things are, it’s just a hot, unfunny mess with a garbled plot and a thoroughly unlikable hero. One star.

This is the first time I have read a book by this author. I felt a little lost at times. I did enjoy the book and read it to the end to see what happened. Rake and Blake are twins and totally opposite. Rake is more adventurous and gets himself into trouble. Hence he finds himself in Venice, Italy hungover, broke, and doesn’t know how he got there. When I received a little background on how he is a big playboy and throws his money around I began to understand more of what is going on. Someone wants Rake and Blake to learn a lesson. Delaney comes to his rescue, but is she friend or foe? I liked Delaney and her way of thinking. I felt bad for some of the things that were eluded to that she went through in the foster system. Delaney has a big surprise for Rake that is the last thing he will expect. I was glad to see how Rake handled his circumstances for the most part. I was given a copy of this book through Netgallery, and voluntarily wrote a review.