Samantha Shaw is one kick butt kind of character. I really enjoyed reading about this character. I really like how she reinvented herself after she found out what a pig her husband was. It was a really funny, witty, and rare find for a mystery. I really loved this book.
Jennifer Apodaca creates such great characters and they always have flaws that they need to work out through the book but yet they always kick butt. I really love that fact that she writes her heroines like that. They aren’t flawless but they don’t let the bad guys win either.
Samantha got the cruddy end of the stick in this one. She had the nice perfect marriage, two beautiful sons, and was a soccer mom. Her husband suddenly dies from a peanut allergy after eating some homemade candy. Turns out she didn’t have such a perfect marriage. Not only did her husband cheat on her all the time but he was also involved in the drug dealing business and someone wanted him dead. Problem is he stiffed someone out of a lot of money and now everyone thinks Samantha has it. Now she has criminals tracking her and her family’s every move, threatening their lives for that very money.
Problem is Sam has no idea what they are talking about and she definitely doesn’t have that kind of money.
I think this book was the perfect beginning to a series. It definitely pulled me in, I fell in love with these characters.
Sam is a strong heroine but yet she is so much like an everyday woman. She will do anything for her kids and this story was totally solid and amazing. Her sons were too cute. They were very supportive and quirky from the beginning and they stole my heart from the beginning. I do have to say I think my favorite character was Grandpa though he was the coolest; he was witty and just kept surprising me throughout the whole book.
This is only the second book I have read from Jennifer Apodaca and let me tell you I am impressed. I love her attention to detail when she is writing. I cannot tell you how many romance novels I have read that are nothing but repetitive. Jennifer Apodaca is far from it. She is such a great writer her stories just pull you in. She writes characters you easily fall in love with.
This was just a great book and I can’t wait to read more about Samantha Shaw. I would recommend this book to everyone.
Dating Can Be Murder
A Samantha Shaw Mystery
Jennifer Apodaca
Publisher: Kensington
Publishing Date: April 1, 2003
ISBN: 978-0758200754
