Jared Towers and his cousin, Mia Benson, have a mission and it’s big and risky. Their fathers cheated many out of millions through a Ponzi scheme and avoided justice by fleeing the country with the help of their wealthy and enabling friends. Jared and Mia have a plan in which they can recoup a lot of that money and surreptitiously repay the victims but will need help. They assemble a team to pull off a series of capers that definitely cross over into the gray area of the law. He reaches out to hacker Audrey Abbott, who he only knows as Data (she only knows him as Mr. Green) and has used for other projects. They’ve never met but have communicated often by flirty texts. When they do finally meet in person, Jared realizes his instincts were not only correct about her hacking skills but that she’s someone he’d like to see off the clock.
I loved the whole concept of this story and what Jared was really up to. Audrey was also interesting in that what drives her to accept these assignments is the need to provide care for her grandmother. There are two other members of the team, the art thief and the forger, who add flavor to the mix, especially Nikki the thief. Jared’s attraction to Audrey ramped up quickly and the story detoured too far in that direction, seriously dragging for me as I was much more interested in the caper.
I enjoyed the story once it redirected back to the team’s planning for and execution of the art theft. I really liked the characters, who were very well developed, and the whole effort to plan their first theft. But, it took a while for the story to get back on track for me. Once it did, though, I had a hard time putting it down. The romance had issues because it developed so quickly but I was invested in these two working. I definitely plan to continue the series.
Book Info
- Release Date: April 27, 2021
- Series: Counterfeit Capers #1
- Page Numbers: 274
- Publisher: Carina Press
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(Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
Blue Mood Café 
I dislike he romance part being done to quickly and semi ruining the book’s flow. Great review, Jo!
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Thanks, Marialyce💜 It took me weeks to finish this book because I opted to listen to audiobooks instead. I finally forced myself back to it and by the time I got to the 60% mark, it turned a corner.
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Fab review Jo it sounded really good until you mentioned the romance dragging on. Glad you enjoyed it though!
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Thanks, Nicki💜 You know how when it moves to fast and you’re not into it? That’s what happened and I found myself dreading going back to the book. When it finally got back to the caper, it was a really fast read.
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Oh yes Jo I know that feeling very well. I’m glad it turned around!
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Does sound like a cool plot (minus the romance). You’ve peaked my interest. Wonderful review, Jo!
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Thanks, Tessa💜 By the end of the book, even the romance worked😏 It just wasn’t as interesting getting there.
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Great review! So glad this was a winner for you and that you enjoyed the story and romance enough to keep on with the series! It sounds pretty good!
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Thank you, Susanne💜 I’m so glad I hung in there because the story paid off.
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Glad to hear this one worked well for you overall even though the romance had some issues at the beginning.
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Thanks, Suzanne💜 I had series issues at first but once the story turned that corner, I was rooting for the romance.
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Fabulous review Jonetta! Hope you continue to enjoy the series!💜
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Thank you, Kaceey💜 I added it to my series list!
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