Money, Honey (A Money Novel)

I won't go into an indepth summary of the story as previous reviewers have done such a good job. This book was a breath of fresh air. The characters were masterfully developed, the humor made you smile, the sensuality hot and emotionally satisfying. This is an author to watch and add to your Auto Buy list!

Money, Honey, by Susan Sey This is the first book for author Susan Sey, but it doesn't read like a first novel. It reads like it's her fifth. The characters are well fleshed-out, with tantalizing tastes of a back story that itches to be explored. This book has a heroine (Elizabeth Brynn) who works for the FBI and dresses in ill-fitting, boring pants at the office, and has a secret collection of high-end, vintage cocktail dresses at home. Her personal background is just as disparate. Her first ten years were spent with her father in a cult that believes in child brides and complete obedience to males. Rescued just in the nick of time by the government authorities, she spends the rest of her childhood with her extremely wealthy grandmother, finishing school and all. She works for a living when she doesn't have to and never tells anyone about her early past. When a counterfeiter causes trouble in her jurisdiction, she is put on the case and forced to accept Patrick O'Connor as part of the team. O'Connor is a highly successful crime novelist who used to be a jewel thief until Brynn arrested his sister. He spent three years as an informant to the feds before he broke free and went into writing. He's never been able to get Liz Brynn quite out of his system. He also loves expensive clothes, but he doesn't keep it secret. The counterfeiter is passing bad bills at the businesses run by O'Connor's sister and her husband. Patrick is determined to protect his family and to investigate a possible hook-up with Liz. Liz is determined to be taken seriously, despite her family's wealth and her early childhood. Mara (Patrick's sister) is determined to get her bachelor brother fixed up with someone, while raising her 2-year-old daughter and making her businesses succeed. Add to this mix some humor, some sizzle, the toddler getting jammy hands all over Uncle Patrick's expensive wardrobe, and the criminal mastermind behind the O'Connors' early careers being on a mission to kill them and everyone they love---and you've got an entertaining read.

Fun to read. First-time author Susan Sey writes with great zest and understanding of human spirit and motivation. Immediately you want to know more about former thief and now crime writer hero Patrick who has a past with FBI agent Liz Brynn as they team together on a sting operation. Seemingly all-button-down Liz makes for a compelling heroine as you begin to learn more about her with tinges of her backstory which unfolds to good effect later in the book. It's those little details dropped along the way -- what's up with her designer robe anyway? - that coalesce for textured characters. I found Sey's writing quite smart and sassy, laced with humor (I loved the references to coffee), which really moves along the story.

Patrick O'Connor is a suave and sophisticated "former" criminal. Liz Brynn is a crappy suit wearing FBI agent. They haven't seen each other for three years, and Liz was always the only woman Patrick wanted but never had. Patrick and Liz come together again in effort to help out Patrick's sister who is having some counterfeiting problems at her casino. I just have to come right out and say that I loved this book because I fell in love immediately with Patrick on page two. Love doesn't usually happen that fast for me. But I do believe I have a new book boyfriend on my hands. Patrick is smooth and sophisticated - but is he really? Sometimes I wasn't sure if it wasn't all just an act? I liken him to a certain candy with a shiny hard shell and soft melty middle. Were his Armani suits and witty quips hiding something soft and lovable on the inside? Then there is the no-nonsense Liz. She is an FBI agent who clearly lives and breathes for her job - nothing else matters in her life. She wears terrible cheap suits in boring colors that according to Patrick, do nothing for the curves lurking beneath that polyester. But why does she have beautiful vintage dresses hanging in her closet at home? What is she hiding? What big bad secret is Liz keeping from Patrick? What is the secret that is keeping Liz from giving in to Patrick's advances even though Liz has the same fantasies? Well I'll be darned if it isn't really big and bad. This is Susan Sey's first book release, and I was impressed. Not only did I enjoy the characters and the fast-paced dialogue, but I thought she did a great job with the changing points of views throughout. I never felt like I was stuck in one character's head for too long. I would be just to the point of saying to myself, "I want to know what Patrick is thinking right now" and then BOOM! the POV would switch over. I thought the overall storyline was well thought out and gave the book more substance than just the Patrick/Liz "will they or won't they" dynamic. Her reveal of Liz's big secret was not what I was expecting at all, and I appreciated the fact that I wasn't able to figure it out on my own as I often do with this genre. And if this tells you anything - in the first 61 pages I already had 7 different pages marked with possible favorite quotes.

Patrick O'Conner blames two feisty females over the end of his previous felonious career as a successful jewel thief. He surrendered six years ago to FBI Agent Elizabeth Brynn to keep his sister Mara out of jail. They cut a deal and he assisted the Fed on her cases for the next three years. Ironically she is also the only woman he has wanted but failed at making their relationship personal. Patrick, who is now a published author, leaves Palm Springs for Grief Creek, Minnesota because Mara, whom he has not spoken to in three years, says she and her Brightwater's Casino and Restaurant are in trouble due to counterfeiters. Liz says she has the case under control and he should go back to Los Angeles after she reads the riot act to Mara. Looking forward to the cat fight between the women who turned his life upside down, Patrick accompanies Liz to Mara's place. As the reformed felon and the Fed work the case together; their desire for one another turns to love. However, she has childhood issues that make commitment impossible and he knows the FBI is her first love. This is an amusing romantic police procedural starring two likable lead characters who belong together if the heroine can see passed her childhood demon biases. The investigation is fun due to the squabbling between Liz and Patrick; as each knows the other places them on constant edgy tension by just being near each other. With some late suspense to round out the fun Minnesota thriller, fans will want to read this entertaining investigative romance. Harriet Klausner