Review: Very interesting subject
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 8, 2013
Hot Mess is a very interesting story.  First story I’ve read that deals with this type of subject.  Ms. Conley did a great job at telling this story while keeping Rachel’s secret in the dark till the end.  This book will open your eyes to a subject that was taboo when it first became known back in the 90’s and is still not spoken out loud very much even today.  Hot Mess is a contemporary romance with a happy ever after sort of ending, my type of book.Rachel & Sam are down to earth next door type of characters.  Both characters have a daughter close in age and once Sam and Amanda moved across the street, the girls became instant friends. I liked Rachel’s priorities, her daughter always came first and everything else came second including any relationship with the opposite sex.  I connected with the characters; sometimes I find the characters distant or annoying, neither of those feeling were present while I was reading this story.  I felt Rachel’s pain and her need to have someone to share her love, her life, and share her burdens but so afraid that her secret would be exposed. She suffered alone with the ordeal, until Sam showed up and made things a little more complicated, but in a good way. The only character that I wanted to physically hurt was the principle of the girls’ school; she got what she deserved in the end!!The POV was from both main characters.  The tense was first person present with a few sections where the main characters seemed to be thinking about the past, which was good. This allowed more insight to their past and let the reader know why the characters were the way there were. I tend to enjoy the story more when I can read on what the male character is thinking.The story flowed well and the pace was good. I noticed the cover has changed from the original version which is a lot better, than the fire and a firefighter image. I didn’t care too much for the first cover so I would have completely passed this great story based on the old cover (I know its bad but I do look at the covers, don’t’ judge me please).This is the third book I had the opportunity of reading by Anne Conley and her stories just keep getting better and better. Yes, this is the fourth book in the series and I did mention that Hot Mess was the third book that I have picked up by her; I haven’t had the chance to read the second one. This is perfectly fine since the characters are different in each book, nothing will be missed if they are not read in order.  What makes these stories a set of series is the fact that all the books setting/location/stories are/happen in the same small town of Serendipity, Texas.I will definitely be looking forward to picking up her next book or pick up the second one in this series.  I recommend Hot Mess to the adult audience due to some of the romance scenes and the extra curricular activities that happen in the hallway, in the kitchen, in the living room and in the bedroom that might have had me saying “oh my”.I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion and review.Title: Hot Mess (Serendipity Series #4)Author: Anne ConleyFormat: ebook 243 pgsGenre: Contemporary Adult RomanceCover: Current New Cover 4Series: YesRating: 4