Shame on You

Fool Me Once

By: Tara Sivec

Narrated by: Amy McFadden

After war veteran Kennedy O’Brien returned home from Afghanistan and caught her husband in bed with the nanny, she lost her faith in all things male. So she started Fool Me Once Investigations to stick it to the man — because there’s no better bounty hunter than a woman scorned.

Her latest job is a wild dog-chase to slap cuffs on a bail jumper turned Chihuahua thief, but thanks to her meddling family, Kennedy will have to put up with a partner. And it’s about the last man she’d ever pick: Her cheating ex-husband’s best friend, Griffin Crawford. As gorgeous as he is unwelcome, Griffin is a pesky (if scorching hot) reminder that Kennedy will need help to catch her man — and to open up her heart again.

©2014 Tara Sivec (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Liked it; despite myself

This is one of the selections I acquiesced to during June's end of the month sale. I didn't expect to enjoy the listening experience; as the headline would suggest I was pleasantly surprised by this mystery/ romance. It is in fact a romance with a slightly more than casual nod to mystery.
Kennedy O'Brien returns from Afghanistan to find her husband in bed with a woman closer to her daughter's age than her own. She starts a detective agency with her two best friends Lorelei and Paige attempting to save women from the experiences they'd had with the men in their lives. She also works occasionally as a bounty hunter going after fugitives who've skipped out on their bond provided by her father's bail bonds business. She's runs into her husband's best friend Griffin Crawford at a fugitive's front door he's just taken a job as a bounty hunter with the same company.
Sparks fly as the attraction between them is strong as is the antipathy; because what the hell it's a romance and couples always begin that way in a romance novel. The interplay between them is sharp and humorous and the language used Kennedy and her family is highly reminiscent of an army barracks.
While it's true that most of the book's characters have at most two dimensions this is a nice little story that I'm glad I was talked into purchasing. Warning; there will not be very many surprises in this book; it's a pretty typical romance novel, but an enjoyable one.

Love Tara

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I love everything Tara does, but ended up reading the rest of this book cause the narrator annoyed me so much.

Romcom

Pissed and sex deprived with her ex-husbands best friend Griffin Kennedy denies what her body wants. She doesn’t trust him or his Harley driving muscle a$s. Yet she’s immensely attracted to him, always has been.
They served together in the army and became great friends. Her father owns Buddy’s Bail Bonds where she worked until she opened Fool Me Once Investigations with her two girlfriends. Her father hired him to work with her on a case.

Narrator:
Amy McFadden was the solo female narrator who performed all the voices in this audiobook. I wasn’t a fan of this book when I read it, but I’m loving Amy’s performance. It’s performed word perfectly. Amy’s enthusiasm for the storyline and characters is what enhanced my reading experience.
I must confess I wasn’t completely sold on this book when I first read it, but then I took a chance on the audiobook and I’m glad I did. My experience improved ten fold by listening to Amy perform this comfy comedic romance.

Overall:
It’s a flirty horny driven story with Griffin doing the flirting and Kennedy doing the lusting.
The army mom with the teenage girls was kinda funny.
Tara covered a lot in a short amount of time. Between the crazy shenanigans her friends got her into and wild adventures between her and her family this was a fun and laughable read.
Tara did an excellent job writing all the humorous scenes.

main character is a b*tch!

I couldn't even finish, main character is unlikeable in my opinion. story line is also a bit weak.

Narrator was a little distracting

I've had this title in my library for years and finally listened to it. Luckily it was short because I'm not sure I could have listened to the narrator for more than 4 hours. I can't tell if I really didn't like the main character or if the narrator just turned me off but I wasn't rooting for her. In fact, I thought everyone around her was being TOO nice to her - she was mean to the people in her life. If my friend/love interest/mother/daughter talked to me that way, I wouldn't respond 1/2 as well as the people in Kennedy's life did to her. I won't be continuing with the series but maybe you will like it better.

X rated Stephanie Plum style rom-com

Kennedy and Griffin’s HEA
Balls on Fire! This was a fun, sexy, rip roaring good time. Tara Sivec and Amy McFadden are in the zone for this enemies to lovers, second chance, football loving, tomboy mom with two kids romance… which is saying something because, other than the enemies to lovers theme, I usually avoid romances involving divorce, kids, or sports.

This is mouthy, raunchy, and crazy, so listeners who like cute, cozy romance should pass. But, if you can get this on sale, this naughty novella gets right to the action, hijinks and hilarity… and packs in several hot get togethers (the football-play, finger scene… omg, I was the crazy lady snort laughing as I listened while grocery shopping).

Book 2 has many of the same ingredients, and yet the cake bakes flat as McFadden’s narration for Paige reaches new, shrill heights and Sivec’s writing has separated, but not divorced, folks getting busy amid several morally distasteful scenarios. The divorce/infidelity themes are more prominent, the superficially and stupidity of the characters is amped, and the chemistry fizzles.

Book 3 falls in the middle of the pack, regaining the sass and sexiness for Lorelei’s HEA with another enemies to lovers theme, but dragging down a bit with the negativity from parents and the length of time it takes Dallas to stop being a jerk and Lorelei to stop being a prickly stick in the mud.

Not great.

It was really hard to get into the book. It starts off very slowly. Somewhere around chapter 5, it picks up. The performance was exaggerated in some places and annoying in the first chapter. It seemed like the only real detail the author put in the story was in the the sex scenes.

Quirky

The book seemed a little far fetched, hard to connect with the story. Was funny and good for a laugh.

A short sexy heartwarming read!

Kennedy and Griffin are adorable!! Loved the characters and the laugh out loud moments!

Funny Book, Great Narration

This was a fun book. I enjoyed it very much, some very funny moments. I liked all the characters and the story line.

There was great chemistry between the Griffin and Kennedy. A couple of good sex scenes. I was a fast pace story and not a long book, so it's not full of a bunch of filler nonsense. And lots of dialogue throughout.

The narrator did an excellent job. The men sound like men and she reads with lots of emotion. Good job Amy McFadden.