Played for a Fool
by Stephanie Black
336 pages
Published
September 5th 2015
by Covenant CommunicationsSource: I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Description:
Three years ago, the small town of Britteridge was rocked by the senseless murder of Gail Ludlum. Now the people most affected by the tragedy have returned to the place where it all began, and the scene is set for the perfect revenge . . .
Megan O’Connor’s life was shattered when she was unwittingly drawn into a kidnapping plot that ultimately led to the murder of an innocent woman. Though the road to redemption has been long, she’s finally found happiness with her recent engagement to a wonderful man, a pillar of the community. But amid the chaos of wedding planning, the return of Gail Ludlum’s son to Britteridge sets in motion a disturbing sequence of events. Soon Megan finds herself the victim of a series of cruel deceptions that indicate one thing: her past mistakes have not been forgiven or forgotten. As the mischief escalates to dangerous levels, it becomes clear that someone is determined to avenge Gail’s death. And he won’t rest until he’s taken a life for a life.
My Review:
The first book, Fool Me Twice, introduces the reader to the storyline. Played for a Fool picks up a few years later. I read the previous book about seven years ago and remembered bits and pieces, but it took me awhile to refresh my memory. If possible, I would suggest reading Fool Me Twice first, so that the setting, situation, and characters are fresh in mind. Once I got my bearings, I was completely engrossed in this story.
Megan's twin sister is in prison and Megan is moving on with her life, now engaged to a great guy, Trevor. Megan begins receiving hate mail and having minor crimes committed against her, all in a way that tries to prove she's crazy and a bad person. I can't imagine living in that kind of suspense, always looking over my shoulder, but Megan manages well and takes it all in stride--for a time. She's a very likable character and tries hard to provide for and support herself.
I like Trevor and his family and when events start happening, my heart went out to Megan for their lack of initial trust, but really...it started to become difficult to know whom to trust and whom not to. I do love a good, clean romance, but romance took the back burner in this story. I still really loved it!
The interesting twist with this story is that the reader knows who the bad guy is, but the main characters don't. Although the reader knows, it's still quite suspenseful because the motive is missing--why the revenge? Why the dangerous mischief? I was on the edge of my seat, waiting to find the answers and to see the story play out. I only wish I would've brushed up on Book 1 first.
Content: no language; mild violence (non-graphic); very mild romance; mild religious elements (two or three very brief mentions of religious things pertaining to the LDS faith). Clean!
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About the Author:
STEPHANIE BLACK has loved books since she was old enough to grab the
pages, and has enjoyed creating make-believe adventures since she and
her sisters were inventing long Barbie games filled with intrigue and
danger or running around pretending to be detectives. She is a
three-time Whitney Award winner for Best Mystery/Suspense, most recently
for Cold as Ice (2010).
Stephanie was born in Utah and has lived in various places, including
Arizona, Massachusetts, New York, and Limerick, Ireland. She currently
lives in northern California and enjoys spending time with her husband
Brian and their five children. She is a fan of chocolate, cheesecake,
and her husband’s homemade bread.
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