Lie To Me - Romance Novel Book Review

Plus New Book Exclusive and Author Starr Ambrose Interview
          New romance author Starr Ambrose has set the bar high for subsequent books, for her debut novel, Lie to Me, is a highly entertaining page-turner.
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          Romance novels customarily have a bookstore shelf life of about sixty days. But when a new author debuts a book that gives readers so much to enjoy, that book should never become hard to find.

Lie to Me Captures the Heart of Romantic Suspense

          Determined to avenge her best friends death by single-handedly getting the goods on her killer, Ellie Coggins dives into the world of wealth and entitlement where the killer lives. Shes full of spunk and determination, but her first foray into clandestine snooping takes a wild turn. Instead of bagging a killer, she finds herself caught in a web of lies that includes a fake engagement to Jack Payton, an ex-con who just happens to be the killers brother.

          Jack and Ellie are "pretend" engaged by page twelve, and there's no looking back as Ms. Ambrose takes the reader on a fast-paced, contemporary romance ride filled with intrigue, witty repartee, plot twists and the kind of steamy, passionate encounters that romance readers relish.


An Authors Artistic Gift

          The ability to identify with a character as if he or she were a real person helps to transform a good story into a great book. Ellie's and Jack's characters are well drawn and easily pictured in the mind's eye. Equally compelling is the supporting cast, including Jack's talented friend, Rocky, and his preteen daughter, Libby, both of whom bring something fresh to the story.
Another element of memorable fiction is the ability to take an ordinary event and turn it into an extraordinary one. Ms. Ambrose does this brilliantly in the scene in which Jack drives Ellie home in his Jeep. As he drives, he describes what he would love to do to her if only she were interested. With the rhythm of the vehicle's wheels upon the pavement as the only movement, and without any physical contact between the characters whatsoever, Ms. Ambrose weaves a sexual intensity for Jack and Ellie that cannot soon be forgotten.

Meet the Author
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          Starr Ambrose lives in Michigan with her family and a menagerie 
of animals. Lie to Me is her first published novel, but her second book 
entitled Our Little Secret will hit bookstores in December of 2009.

          When interviewed by this article's author, Ms. Ambrose related 
how Lie to Me evolved from idea to novel. And in an exclusive, she 
breaks the news of her just-signed deal for her third book, a Lie to Me sequel.


In her own words:

          "I wrote Lie to Me with nothing more in mind than the first scene. My heroine is breaking into a house and is caught by the hero who, as it turns out, isn't supposed to be there either. It was cute and funny and suspenseful. Then I had to figure out why she was there, why he was there, who didn't want them there, and what they were going to do about it. That took a whole book to resolve. But by the end I had fallen in love with Jack myself. And that cute friend of his, the reformed jewel thief, Rocky Hernandez, was such a charming devil that he deserved a book of his own. So he is the hero of my third book, scheduled for release in the fall of 2010 and tentatively entitled Death and Diamonds. The story involves the same ultra-rich Westfield family from Lie to Me, along with some stolen jewels, sleazy pawnbrokers and Colombian drug runners. Fun!

          They say write what you know, but I havent exactly followed that advice. I like to write about wealthy, powerful people in dangerous situations, just a little different from my modest rural life of cleaning horse stalls and protecting my chickens from marauding raccoons. It turns out that writing romantic suspense is as much an escape for the author as it is for the reader!"

Starr Ambrose is a Find for Romance Book Readers

          In a field where marginally effective novels are often cranked out with little regard to excellence or entertainment value, Starr Ambrose, with her lively, engaging style, is sure to become a staple for those readers lucky enough to discover her.

The Book:
Lie to Me
Author: Starr Ambrose
Pocket Books, November 2008
384 Pages
ISBN-10: 1-4165-8664-4
ISBN-13: 978-1-4165-8664-7

Author photo provided by Starr Ambose

Author Starr Ambrose
The copyright of the article Lie To Me - Romance Novel Book Review is owned by its author, Tricia Spencer. 
Permission to republish any part of the article in print or online must be granted by the author in writing. 

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Life and Living
   with Tricia Spencer
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