Debra’s wedding day ended when the groom jilted her three hours before the ceremony, leaving her with a stiff catering bill and a broken heart. Now, he’s off to Bora Bora on a one-man honeymoon, and she’s on the couch in her wedding dress, watching Christmas movies and eating her way through the corner market. Inspired by her movie marathon, she decides to do a home exchange on a Spanish island to get over her ex. But Debra’s life is nothing like the movies, and her home exchange goes terribly wrong. Stranded, she draws the attention of a hunky café owner who might know more than he admits about the disappearances of some local women. If Debra's not careful, she may be the next one to disappear.
Elise Sax worked as a journalist for fifteen years, mostly in Paris, France. She took a detour from journalism and became a private investigator before trying her hand at writing fiction. She lives in Southern California with her two sons. An Affair to Dismember is her first novel.
I have to say that I believe that Ms Sax should put a disclaimer on the cover of all of her books stating that you should not be eating or drinking anything while reading any of her books! I have suggested this to her many times before, yet I still don't see them. Go figure! You are in danger of aspirating your coffee or snorting your tea thru your nose while reading this book. It is a fast-paced, HILARIOUS book about a woman jilted at the altar by her fiancé after she has gone into extreme debt to pay for her wedding, then is told she has to vacate the condo that her and her fiancé bought. She decides to do a house trade for 5 weeks with a couple in Mallorca, Spain, only to be disappointed, yet again, to find that her house is disgusting and overrun with mice. She meets a woman, Maisey, who drags her into a café owned and run by her gorgeous brother, Doyle, who gives her a job and a place to stay. Let the hilarity and hijinks ensue throughout this whole book! Ms. Sax NEVER disappoints. She always comes thru with a fascinating book that has you bent over screaming with laughter when you least expect it because you become so involved with the story that the humor sneaks up on you!
The novel reminded me of Jennifer Crusie ones. Ridiculously funny, a bit quirky, alpha hero, heroine prone to troubles, a mystery with villain.
Ignore a little of unbelievability, and not enough place for a romance. You will then have, most probably, as a great time as I have had.
The one thing that spoilt for me a bit of enjoyment was too long (brutal) scene with the main villain. It wasn't because it was bloody, etc., but because it messed up the balance between wit, romance, and action/crime part. It was simply too long.
[4-4.5 stars]
PS I would have liked very much to see Doyle as a character in a longer novel (romance).
I always look forward to Elise Sax's books, and as usual she didn't disappoint. This book is very funny, the heroine is an endearing hot mess and the secondary characters are perfect. Throw in an exotic locale and mysterious missing persons and you have a wonderful book. Well done Ms. Sax!
Este libro creo varias emociones dentro de mi, fue un poco extraño, no sabía si me estaba gustando o no en realidad, pero cuando llegué al final me di cuenta de que en realidad lo disfruté, es la historia de una chica que la dejan plantada el día de su boda, y ella en medio de la tristeza y humillación que siente decide irse de viaje a un lugar lejano que le ayude a despejarse de lo sucedido, pero bueno... ese viaje fue un caos total, todo le pasa, todo lo que puedan imaginar le pasa, yo decía, pobre mujer, que más le puede pasar, fue divertida y aunque no lo crean tiene misterio también porque hay una serie de desapariciones que ella empieza a investigar, si lo se... suena raro porque no piensas que la historia va a ir por ahí, pero si, así que si tienen ganas de leer algo fuera de lo convencional, y divertirse un rato, es una buena opción, no considero que sea apta para adolescentes porque si trae algunas escenas de sexo, para que tengan cuidado.
Seriously, this was another home run by Elise. I read the excerpt and was totally on board, because if I was a jilted bride that is totally what I would do, minus the disappearing women of course.
At any rate, we have Debra who is a well-rounded and developed character who is pretty upset, I mean, she got screwed the day of her wedding she has every right to be upset. She has a best friend who supports her and butts in when necessary and stays out of it when asked. As she’s eating her ice cream and watching movies on the couch, she gets the brilliant idea to do a home exchange. She finally gets an acceptance she is waiting for and off she goes.
Then the fun and craziness starts. Without giving any spoilers away, I’ll say this, nothing goes as planned from there. The house is not at all what she expects and so she has to find somewhere else to stay temporarily. That is how she ends up meeting the very handsome café owner.
Don’t turn your back on any of the characters in this book as Elise takes you on Debra’s journey, with twists and turns that will have you guessing until the very end.
Overall, I was thrilled while reading this book and disappointed when it ended, because I wanted more! Loved this book and would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a bit of humor with their murder :)
Another hilarious offering from Elise Sax. This is a funny romantic mystery that will keep you guessing and giggling. Debra could be my BFF. A smart woman who despite making some poor choices doesn’t give up. When she is left at the alter she pouts for a bit and then pulls up her big girl panties and goes for a change of scenery. She signs up for a house swap in Spain and there she meets some hunky guys and gets into more trouble than Lucy Ricardo. I loved this laugh out loud romp.
I love Elise Sax! So I will pretty much read anything she writes because I know it will be great. And she didn't disappoint me on Switched. Once I started, I couldn't put it down until I was finished. Lots of laughs and action!
Received a complimentary copy for an honest review..This was a crazy, fun read. Just when you think there can be no more curves, bam, there's another one. I don't want to give too much away, but this was a fun quick read. I loved the characters and wouldn't mind a book 2, to see what happens next.
I was so entertained throughout this book! It is such a fantastically written story that I had a hard time even putting it down to sleep! There is so much humor and humorous situations that I dare you to read even a page or two without laughing. Debra is just one of those types of people who has bad luck or bad karma that seems to follow her no matter where she goes or what she does. The things that Debra does as well as the situations she gets in to are so predictable but yet they aren’t! I can’t really explain that properly without giving spoilers away but a hint is that Debra is searching for someone/something, knows that where & who she is poking around & looking for clues with/about is dangerous but she still snoops around there and of course she gets caught. I mean that is “good & proper drama 101”, right? But how all of that happened and what comes next is so NOT predictable and that is just another reason that makes this such a great original story. I have to admit I was very shocked at the end, but then once I read a little more, I loved it! All in all this book entertained me immensely, held my attn. to the point I didn’t even want to put the book down, made me laugh, cry and feel for the characters & their situations which all adds up to being a great read and one you don’t want to miss out on! This was my first book by Elise and she has made me a fan. I can’t wait to read her other books.
A funny, smexy, romantic murder mystery. Debra was jilted 3 hours before her wedding. Her best friend, Stacy, is both supportive and brutally honest. But, let's face it, Debra has to heal on her own. To console herself she is sitting on her couch eating ice cream and watching movies. Because of a movie she decides to take a month off from work and do a home exchange. For Debra that was the easy part. Her travels and adventures are just the beginning of a well developed twisted and humorous plot. I laughed out loud, I was totally surprised by the twists and turns and intimidated by the bad guys - they were scary. Debra does meet a good guy under some exceedingly embarassing circumstances which are all part of her journey to her HEA. If you are looking for a a great vacation read, this definitely fills the bill. Enjoy! I was given an ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review.
This book was just what I needed!!! It's about a girl who gets left at the alter pulls a Kate Winslet and trades houses with a couple in Spain. That would be a dream right!! WRONG!! First she is detained as a terrorist then The house is disgusting and crawling with mice! So the nice neighbor man takes her to a hotel in town where she meets Maisey and Doyle, who just happens to be one of the men who she met while she was detained. Soon she is acting as a waitress in Doyle's little cafe and living with them upstairs and partying with Maisey, which is something she never did back home. But she starts noticing girls are missing, including the girl whose room she is staying. So she tries to figure out what is happening!! The ending was a bit rushed but overall I loved this book. It is a light, super funny read with a little mystery thrown in. I can't wait to read more from this new to me author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I loved this book! I am always excited when Elise Sax has a new book, because I know I'm going to enjoy it tremendously. I laughed out loud a lot :) This book has it all - humor, quirky characters, mystery, romance... I had a very hard time putting it down, & read late into the night, long past when I needed to go to bed! It was a lot of fun to watch Debra go from being a jilted bride who let her mother-in-law-to-be push her around, to being a strong person who stood up for herself & saved others. I could list a lot of hilarious scenes - like the mice scene, or when she called her best friend to tell her she might be involved with a kidnapper - but really, you should go read it yourself :) Every book that Elise Sax has written is one of my favorites :) Fantastic book :)
Received this as an ARC COPY SPEECHLESS What a funny..omg..shockingly good story. So different in a good way story. Never had a clue what was going to happen. lovely surprise but shocks too. Debra you are a walking talking accident waiting to happen. Due to circumstances beyond your control so glad you met Doyle Maise and the gang. So much intrigue excitement hero's and most of all...MICE!!! I could go on forever so much to say BUT just go and enjoy a ...excuse me... bloody good read :-) p.s. I just want Doyle :-)
So this was my first Else Sax book ... however it certainly will not be my last!!
This book has me from the first page and I stayed up till the wee hours of the morning so I could finish it!! The characters were easy to fall in love with, the story flowed, and the story line itself was different and I absolutely loved it!!!
Switched had the perfect amount of humor, mystery, adventures, romance, and suspense!!!
"There are more varieties of kisses than colors of jelly beans."
I downloaded a novella by this author as a recommendation and enjoyed it so much that I decided to buy another (this one).
I absolutely loved it. It was funny, well written and had a bit of intrigue and a fair few twists too, which kept me guessing to the end. It wasn't quite what I was expecting, it was much better! I will definitely read it again, and enjoyed it so much that I also downloaded her other book Bounty.
The book starts out with Debra being jilted at the altar. After a couple weeks of weeping she decides to try to do the home exchange and go off the a Spanish Island. Everything that could go wrong does. Despite trying to figure out why women are disappearing Debra keeps a sense of humor. She also finds time to begin a relationship with a hot cop that is on sabbatical as well. Good book that you have to keep reading to see how it will all end!
I really enjoy are reading all of Elise Sax's books. I always wake up my husband at night with all my laughing! I can always count on her books for an entertaining read!
This story started out to be slightly annoying. You have a brainless clueless twit who has been jilted at the altar but claims to be an accountant on the fast track. Then she jumps into a home exchange with no money and no background check or contract. I was not a fan of the character. However her crazy adventures and the humorous writing kept me going and the other characters were pretty likable and well balanced. The ending was unexpected and yet tied up lots of loose ends. Definitely worth a read
Very stiff writing.. the plot and characters were good.. just the writing was to stiff. No details. No describing things. you don't even know what people look like.. just big??? And instant love? Needed to show down and describe.. paint me a picture.. the story jumped from one thing to another. With better writing would be great.. would love to see plot used for a movie.. just better writing.
Didn't even get through the first chapter. I've known some truckers in my day, and while there may be a bad apple here and there (just like in any group), they are salt-of-the-earth people. Many of them are more chivalrous than your average male. So I was offended when the heroine and her friend walked into a trucker cafe and the author painted the clientele as a bunch of gang rapists.
What a great book! I bought it (free) because the title is the same as one of my books. They are totally different, except... We both mention movies. I love The Holiday and this story is The Holiday gone wrong. Some great funny moments. Some scary ones, too. I figured out the ending, but that wasn't the ending. A great twist at the end. Elise Sax just became one of my fav authors.
I loved, loved, loved this story. It contained a great mystery with a surprise ending. Plus the emotional angst and growth the heroine experienced was just perfect for the storyline. It all worked well together.
I never laughed so hard in reading the first half of this book. Debra was a little dingy though. Doyle was a little slow on the uptake of the missing women. But the silliness of everything just made this such a great read. Thank you for a wonderful story.
Mixed feelings reading this book. Parts of it made me laugh out loud. Parts of it made me uncomfortable and upset. Parts were sweet. Parts were horrible. I have to say, it definitely made me feel, "something". Not sure I would read it again but I really loved the laugh out loud parts.
Cute, but nowhere near as good as her other series. Some laugh out loud parts which is the only reason for 4 stars. Mostly damsel in distress type of romance set in a cool seaside village. Make it smarter.
I read this book in one sitting! The characters are likeable and entertaining. So many laugh out loud moments, and of course the serial killer on the loose to add a bit of action.