A FATAL ROMANCERomance hangs in the air for one divorced sister but not the other as Sunny Taylor and Eve Vaughn struggle to get their Twin Sisters Remodeling and Repair business going in their south Louisiana town when their newest customer is found down in his pond near a seating area they created. His wife knew he couldn’t swim and pushed him, Sunny concludes after the man’s ashes fly at his funeral and some land in her pocket. She’s determined to give them to the wife, but complications prevent that and sends evidence pointing at them. Becoming murder suspects hurts their business, and a killer’s warning lets the twins know they need to locate the killer before their similar looks drop down to one, while Eve urges Sunny to find romance, but wouldn’t be thrilled to learn the man attracting Sunny is the person she believes is her own soulmate.
REVIEWS
Nov 27, 2016, Lisa Morin rated it 5 stars: "It was amazing! This is the first book I've read by this author. June Shaw writes an interesting cozy mystery involving identical twin sisters, Sunny and Eve.
Eve is the more outgoing sister, she has an outgoing personality and loves to flirt with the men. Sunny is a truly unique character. When she's scared, she hums and sings Christmas Carols. Though it may not be appropriate, it does give the reader something to chuckle about. In this story, Eve and Sunny are attending a funeral and when things go bad, Sunny is singing and Eve is embarrassed. Sunny believes that there is something fishy about this death and she refuses to sit back and wait for the police to solve the crime. I really enjoyed this story, it was well written and this book is full of colorful characters. I voluntarily read an ARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley."
Nov 30, 2016, Lenore rated it 5 Stars: "I loved this story, the mix of mystery, humor and romance was balanced just right. Adult twins Sunny and Eve are almost identical in appearance, but their life experiences have shaped them into totally different personalities. Sunny added a lot of humor to the story as she investigated the murders of two of their clients. The mystery kept me guessing, and I was satisfied with the final reveal. Sunny’s tentative romance with Dave was sweet, and I hope to read more about them in the next story of the Twin Sisters Mystery Series. I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion."
EXCERPT
“Do this one favor for me, please. Stay here. Be nice to him—unless he tries to hurt you.” She smiled wider. “I’m kidding. And I really like him.”
The shadow of a truck crossed the sheers in front of her den.
She returned the pistol to the drawer. “I’ve gotten close to Dave, so he expects that of me—you. Just be nice. You’ll be safe. Promise.”
She waited, letting me make up my mind. She looked so much like me, except for her better clothes and more confident attitude. This idea of performing was intriguing and pulled my mind away from death scenes. She had no reason to think the man would hurt anyone, and my current purpose in life was keeping this sister safe.
“You won’t regret it. I’ll owe you.”
I forced a laugh. “Go on.”
She dashed toward the door to the garage. My mind screamed Are you crazy? to myself while my stomach squeezed into a knot.
Chimes rang out.
Anxiety swelled through my chest. Eve needed the man checked out. If he wasn’t okay, he wouldn’t have stayed in business long. With an unsteady step, I opened the door. “Hello.”
He took my hand with a firm grip. “Hello, Eve. You asked me to come back.”
His greeting brought me to fully recall I was playing a role. My sister would have told this fine-looking businessman to call her by her first name.
“Yes, Dave, please come in.”
Tall and wearing nice dress clothes, he stepped into the foyer. Eve would stand close to him, so I did. Eyes the color of hot chocolate held on my face.
In the den he sat not far from the right end of the sofa. I started to protest but couldn’t tell him not to sit there because I needed to be near my sister’s weapon.
“I’m sorry I didn’t wait for you to sit first. Sometimes I’m not much of a gentleman.”
Remembering to be Eve, I said, “I don’t always want a man to be a gentleman.” I winced, and his lips turned up at one edge. “I’ll just … sit, too.” I squeezed into the tiny space to the right of him, where I could grab that pistol if needed. He carried a light scent of spearmint, maybe toothpaste. And an enticing smell of male.
Enticing? Where did that come from?
ABOUT June Shaw
June lives in south Louisiana surrounded by slow-moving bayous and the large family and group of friends she adores. She has represented the Southern Louisiana chapter of Romance Writers of America and serves on the board to represent her state for Mystery Writers of America's Southwest Chapter. She loves to hear from readers!
www.juneshaw.com, murderousmusings.blogspot.com, www.facebook.com/june.shaw.338
While I was teaching junior high students and widowed, raising my five children alone, I wrote on Saturday and Sunday mornings and occasionally a little while after school. Now that I'm retired, I get up at about 7:30, read a little prayer in my Daily Word, get a cup of coffee, and bring it into my office that has stacks of papers lying everywhere. I'd love to be an organized person, but when God passed out qualities, I was skipped on that one. I've tried--sometimes. At least my books are more organized. I used to listen to soft music while I wrote but find I'm too easily distracted now, so I keep things quiet. I get coffee all morning, but seldom can write in the afternoon.
SEEKING REVIEWERS
This book is available from NetGalley.
