I received this book I’m exchange for a honest review. This book was a glorious hot mess of a book and I loved it! Truth, Lies, and Second Dates is a romance/mystery mash-up with a generous dose of comedy thrown in. It follows the story of Pilot Ava Capp as she returns to her hometown on the tenth anniversary of her best friend's murder. When the memorial is vandalized and she's pulled back into the murdery mystery, she meets medical examiner Tom Baker who is convinced that she was the original murder target. As the two of them start to unravel the mystery, sparks fly and the two of them hit it off with some fantastic witty repartee. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see what the author writes next

Ava Capp is a commercial airline pilot with a sarcastic personality. She left Minnesota after someone close to her was murdered, but returns years later for the 10 year memorial anniversary. However, it seems as though the murderer has also resurfaced, in order to finish what they started. Will Ava be able to withstand the accusations and finger-pointing directed her way, and finally put the past behind her? Will the handsome Medical Examiner be able to trust her enough to help find the real killer?

The author talks about tropes in her introduction, and I liked that there were many instances where this book broke traditional stereotypes. The author includes footnotes within each chapter: I liked the idea of this at first as it made the book feel autobiographical, but after a while I just found it irritating to flip back and forth while reading a fictional book. I didn't really find this book to be much of a mystery, but others may find this the perfect book to escape 2020 for a while.

I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martins Press for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. #NetGalley #TruthLiesandSecondDates

This book had elements that I liked, but didn't add up to a whole book experience. Bits of dialogue here, interesting mix of romance and mystery, I could point to several isolated parts that worked for me, but they were just that, snippets of good ideas rather than a cohesive body forming an engaging story. It was like a lot of good ideas were thrown in, but there wasn't a step back and take it all in moment to ask: "Does this make sense as a whole?" Where I struggled the most was the humor: it felt heavy handed, and based on unrealistic premises (the baby in the overhead compartment was a real head scratcher).

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The rating is because this is supposed to be an adult contemporary romance, and I'm getting nothing of that from the first 15% of the story (which is when I couldn't read any farther).

It was just... very confusing and jarring. I felt like I wasn't properly introduced to any of the characters, and we didn't even meet Tom. If Danielle's story was an important part of this story and the main character's growth, then the story probably should have started around the spot I put the book down, because what is currently the beginning is very dramatic/soap-operaish and not all that appealing.

Also, brackets in novels? No thank you.

"Truth, Lies, and Second Dates" was thoroughly amusing; another gem by MaryJanice Davidson. Captain Ava Capp is at least as funny as Betsy Taylor, Queen of the Vampires, from the Undead series, and is definitely irreverent. The book (and the series) sets out to honor and mock tropes, especially those beloved of romance novels, and in this book, also horror novels. Ms. Davidson includes a list of tropes in an appendix at the back of the book and indicates which tropes she has subverted. The cast of characters is great, from airline pilot Ava to head flight attendant G.B. to medical examiner Tom Baker and his precocious genius niece Hannah. The plot of the book, while interesting and well-crafted, is really just a vehicle for utilizing tropes and creating amusing interactions and conversations. Ms. Davidson utilizes the occasional endnote to poke fun at herself, reveal that events that seem surely to have been invented were in fact real, and to explain airline crew slang -- my favorite is "gate lice."

I don't know that another full-length novel featuring these characters would work without feeling derivative, but I think a series of short stories about Captain Capp and her flight crew or a short story featuring Hannah would definitely be enjoyable possibilities.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Kooky. Ava is a total nut job and not as funny and as cool as she seems. I didn’t like her except I liked her. She seemed more like a chip on her shoulder teenager than someone almost 30. Tom was an odd duck as well, but I wish the ambiguity about him and his niece on the “spectrum” had been clear not hidden. Having the trope list at the end was entertaining but sad to see it clearly written out about how many were in the novel.

I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Truth, Lies, and Second Dates is more of a contemporary rom-com than a romantic suspense story.

Ava Capp pilot for Northwest Southeast Airlines (they fly everywhere) she enjoys flying in somewhat friendly skies, no roots, no commitments, just hook-ups, and no second dates.

Thomas Baker, MD, Medical Examiner in Minnesota, assists Ava with getting Dennis Monahan, her dead best friend's brother back to his hotel, after the ten-year memorial of his twin sisters' unsolved murder.

There is a lot going on in this story, while some are over-explained by the author, other notes are simply pointing out tropes and footnotes along the way. While this might be helpful for some books this was just overkilled in my honest opinion. I found it a struggle to move past certain parts of the book, they were just boring while some lines were funny, others were just so-so. I really wanted to like this book more than I did.

This was the first book that I have read by this author and the well rounded characters kept me totally engaged with the good storyline and I look forward to reading more from this author!

This was a new author for me, but the blurb sucked me and the story was simply amazing! I couldn't put it down!

This book was a glorious hot mess of a book and I loved it! Truth, Lies, and Second Dates is a romance/mystery mash-up with a generous dose of comedy thrown in. It follows the story of Pilot Ava Capp as she returns to her hometown on the tenth anniversary of her best friend's murder. When the memorial is vandalized and she's pulled back into the murdery mystery, she meets medical examiner Tom Baker who is convinced that she was the original murder target. As the two of them start to unravel the mystery, sparks fly and the two of them hit it off with some fantastic witty repartee.

The dialogue in this book was some of the best I've ever read. Witty, fast, realistic, and absolutely hilarious. I loved reading the conversations between Ava and pretty much anyone because I was guaranteed a laugh. All of the characters are funny and well-rounded and Ava and Tom were so three dimensional that I could imagine meeting them tomorrow. Davidson knocked it out of the park with her characters and dialogue. Unfortunately, the writing style and punctuation were a little too manic for me. With parentheses and footnotes and random exclamations strewn through the pages, it was a little distracting and hectic for me. Additionally, the murder definitely took a back seat to the romance to the point that I felt like she should have spent a little more time on it. Still, this book was a fun read and the dialogue was SO good!

Truth, Lies, and Second Dates by MaryJanice Davidson is a Romantic comedy and romantic suspense :)
This is the first book that i have read of this author and was very surprised to find the the incredible writing
The dislodges are witty making you smile as you read.

Captain Ava Capp avoids commitment and is a pilot without roots. Tom Baker is a sexy brainy doctor who offers to be Ava's bodyguard as Ava tries to understand the events related to death of her friend.

Its refreshing to have clumsy, cute hero (Why should heroines always have to be clumsy?).

"I have several things to keep track of" he said with faux haughtiness. "Where parts of my body are in relation to random large objects is not high on my list"

The personalities of the protagonists, wouldn't be for everyone as they are both not great with social niceties but that's how the characters were written realistically making this really a fun read
I enjoyed reads the metal lists that Ava prepares at the start of every chapter! The book was written in third person point of view but the view point shifts in some places abruptly

I will be going back to read more of this author soon.

Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin's Griffin/Press for providing an ARC

Fast paced, intriguing, suspenseful and not predictable. I really enjoyed this story. It keeps you on your toes and guessing what the next twist will be.

Truth, Lies, and Second Dates is a fast-paced romance with an unlikely female protagonist. Captain Ava Capp's friend was murdered when they were just teenagers. However, when she returns to Minnesota for a 20-year memorial service, she learns that her friend, Danielle, may not have been the intended victim. Now, the killer is after Ava, and with the help of her romantic interest and the local medical examiner,Tom, she unravels this new mystery. The dialogue is witty and sharp, and you'll keep turning pages as Ava's adventures take her across the country. This is a fun read.

This story tells the story of Female pilot Ava Capp who happy flying planes, and this book tells her story of what happens in her life.

Unfortunately I really struggled to finish this book and wasn't able to finish it, the characters in the book just came to fast eg too many characters introduced , and I also struggled with the storyline

With thanks to Netgalley & St Martin Press for the arc of this in exchange for this honest review

Good. Interesting characters and concept. A real page turner as the words just flowed and kept me hooked till the very end.

I loved this book. Ava and Tom are great characters and their story is excellent. I really enjoyed reading this. It was funny and romantic. The list of tropes in the story at the end was great. I highly recommend this book to anybody who likes their romance mixed with humor.

I liked this book, it started off slowly and improved as the book went on. It's a rom-com mystery, an interesting combination that worked. The main character, Ava, was very realistic and had actual problems and worries like we all do. This will appeal to both romance and mystery readers. I recommend this book, 4 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC, in return, I am writing a voluntary review.

This was fun, Davidson takes forty plus tropes and twists some and then tosses in a female airline pilot as the leading lady and a studly offbeat medical examiner as the leading man to build this murder mystery romance.

Truth,Lies and Second Dates s supposed to be part of a triology, but it is really a standalone with the only connection being a brief drop in by one of the leads from another book.
ARC courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley Expected Publication Date Dec 15, 2020 - this is an unpaid review.

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I’m saddened to confess that I abandoned it after fifteen chapters. When I checked the index and saw there were 48 chapters, plus an epilogue, I said “Oh, hell no.”

Touted as a romantic comedy, “Truth, Lies and Second Dates” not only failed to tickle my funny bone, I simply couldn’t get into it. It’s not just that it wasn’t funny, it was a huge yawn. The characters were mere cutouts and what was supposed to be comedic banter fell flat. I’m not aware if it has a plot. If so, it was lost on me. The protagonist is an airline pilot named Captain Ava Capp so the “Captain Capp” moniker becomes a trope by itself, but after a while that too was overdone.

Consigning a book to the DNF (Did Not Finish) shelf saddens me but being unable to make even a single positive comment is infinitely worse. Perhaps if I’d been able to stay awake through more chapters I could dig deeper for commentary but I couldn’t so there is no more I can say. It seems unfair to rate a book I didn’t finish but if I’m forced to rate it, I have to go with two stars. This book is scheduled for release on December 15, 2020

#TruthLiesAndSecondDates #MaryJaniceDavidson #StMartinsPublishingGroup

Ava isn’t your typical heroine in rom-com mystery...lets just say she would never be featured on the Hallmark Channel. But her inner monologue, conversations with coworkers, and her relationship with Tom, all made me laugh out loud. Once you get used to the author’s style of writing, you want more Ava, more Tom, and more of Ava and Tom together with a sprinkle of their friends and family.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.