★★★★ @JulieGarwood #SweetTalker
Getting caught up in this series has been a breath of fresh air. I devoured this book on a cold Saturday afternoon. This story catches my attention because it shows a "what-if" scenario from a scammer's relative's point of view. This I believe is a nod to Bernie Madoff and his Ponzi scheme. As an economics major, the whole Madoff Ponzi scheme is mind blowing. How could so many people be taken in? How did it work? It is complicated in many ways. Ms. Garwood does a decent job of giving the readers a crash course in it.
Full disclosure, I did not read the blurbs of any of these books in this series. I went in cold because they are that good that I know I want to read it. I like going in cold too. Not sure what to expect of this story, we start out with Olivia's back story. It is a sad one and I wasn't really sure where this story would go. Fast forward a bit over a decade, Olivia is in remission and she's an IRS agent! After having a client audited by the IRS and traumatized by it in my early 20s, I can safely say that yes, IRS agents are a bit scary.
Learning why Olivia is an IRS agent is even more interesting. I found the lead into this story unique and provocative. I loved how we are introduced to Grayson. I also like seeing the grown up version of Olivia. The foundation of this story is compelling and I wanted to read more. Which is probably why I read this book in one sitting.
Olivia is a daughter of a wealthy man who invests money and helps his "rich" inner circle friends make money. The earnings he promises are too good to be true. I couldn't quite understand how people would trust him. Olivia is the same. Ms. Garwood does a nice job of proposing a theory as to why certain people fall for Olivia's father's schemes. It makes sense.
This story is predictable in that we know what will happen in the end. What is riveting for me is our journey to prove the Ponzi scheme. The twists and turns including the multiple murder attempts of Olivia kept me turning page after page. There is also a little subplot running in the background of the main story and I liked it. I pretty much guessed it from the beginning and I'm sad to know I'm right. This is more than a romantic suspense story. It is a heartwarming story of friendship. It is also a commentary on how we can't pick our families. I do like how supportive Olivia's female childhood friends are to each. This book is recommended to romance readers who want a bit of action and a happily ever after.
