Twist of Fate

by Linda Randall Wisdom

Whose life is this anyway? Alice Walker spent long hours on her feet in a doilied pink waitress uniform. Brianne Sinclair danced the night away in strapless gowns and priceless jewels. So how could they be the same woman?

Allie dreamed of grandeur, but even she never fathomed being switched into the body of the world's most beautiful millionaire. Dream come true? Not! For when she came to as Brianne, there was a dead fiance at her feet - and she was holding the smoking gun!

Only struggling P.I. Pete Hackett believed her innocence. As Allie, she'd had a fierce crush on him, and now, as Brianne, she finally made him fall in love with her. But which woman was he in love with?

Genres: Romance, Paranormal Romance

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 1996

About the author

See also Linda Wisdom

When I sold to Silhouette books on my wedding anniversary in 1979 I didn't expect to get this far. I love what I do and can't imagine doing anything else. I'm married living with Katie, a white mini Schnauzer who considers herself the center of our world, Hunter, a Yorkie mix who's a real mama's boy, Olivia my darling diva chihuahua, Dutch, our easy going happy go lucky terrier mix, Syd, our Panama Nape parrot, and Florence, our demented tortoise. We live in Southern California near San Diego in a town that's provided fodder for some of my stories. Once upon a time, I could say that when we moved here there were three romance writers. Now there is only me and to date I have not been considered a suspect. More romance authors have moved in and are safe and sound...so far.

A lot of my backlist books are now available for your Kindle and in print along with new novellas featuring the first witches in the Hex series along with my second love, romantic suspense books. And more books coming!

My Hex series are the books of my heart. The ones I've wanted to write for a long time and so glad to see out there. Many readers are confused by the two Demon titles and different cover looks. They're a part of the Hex series, still the disgraced witches from the Witches Academy, just with a different look. And yes, more Hex books will be coming!

There are times I think I enjoy writing the creatures more than the characters. And probably why my Fluff and Puff bunny slippers tend to never be where I left them! That's more than easy to do since they're tattooed on one ankle and Horace is tattooed on the other.

I'm very thankful for my readers for sticking to me.

I can also be found at www.lindawisdom.com, www.facebook.com/lindawisdom with a Facebook street team called Hexy Haven and http://linda-wisdom.blogspot.com

Reviews

[Saly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
This book had a whole ghostly twist to it. The heroine is a 31 year old waitress, who has smiles for everyone and is spunky but is an utter failure when it comes to men. At the start her good for nothing drug-dealing boyfriend murders her and she comes back into the body of a wealthy socialite accused of murdering her fiancee. The heroine has to navigate some deep-waters, a hateful mother, her (Bri) dull life, wardrobe and vapid friends. When everyone thinks she is guilty she turns to the hero Pete, a cop turned PI she knew as Allie (her old identity). The hero always liked Allie and wanted to protect her and even asked her out(she refused coz she didn't think she was good enough for a decorated cop like him). He now wants to nail Allie's boyfriend for her murder. From the moment he meets Bri(whose body Allie is inhabiting) he notices how different she is and he feels this connection with her. The heroine also has this hilarious internal voice Mathias that helps her fill in the blanks of Bri's life. The hero helps her solve both her dilemma's, these two fall in love and they get an HEA( Allie remains as Bri). A fun read.

[Jae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waitress Allie is attracted to the private eye who regularly comes into her diner, but she doesn't think she's good enough for Pete. Instead, she goes home every night to her good-for-nothing boyfriend, Whit. Allie wishes for a better life, like that of the wealthy socialite she sees in the paper, but she soon learns to be careful what she wishes for. After Whit murders Allie in a rage, she awakes in the body of Brianne Sinclair. Unfortunately, she's standing over another body and holding the gun. Allie, in Brianne's body, now has to prove her innocence. Her coldly distant mother recommends she plead insanity, which will spare her prison time. With no one else to turn to, Brianne hires Pete to look into her case.

Pete is devastated when Allie is murdered. He knows her loser boyfriend did it but has no way to prove it. When prim and proper Brianne Sinclair turns up, looking to hire him to investigate her fiancé's death, Pete takes the job. He has trouble getting a read on the woman. Everyone tells him she's quiet and reserved, but the Brianne that Pete knows is bold and brash and reminds him achingly of Allie. As the two of them work to clear Brianne's name, they form an intimate connection. Allie is desperate to tell Pete the truth, but she fears he'll think she's crazy. Now she has several things to prove: that Whit killed her, that Brianne didn't kill Michael, and that she's actually Allie Walker, given a second chance at life and love.

This was a very enjoyable story. The mystery was compelling, and I really liked Allie/Brianne. She's been thrown into an impossible situation, but she forges on, full steam ahead, which is something the old Brianne never would have had the courage to do. There was no 'how did they fall in love in a couple weeks' issue, because Allie and Pete had been dancing around their mutual attraction for a long time. Characterizations were wonderful, the plot was engrossing, and the resolution was satisfying. One thing bothered me...since Brianne was found with Michael's body and holding the gun, wouldn't a simple gun powder residue test have been able to determine that she didn't fire the weapon? Since the book was written in the 1990's, I wondered if that wasn't a "thing" then, but a quick search of the internet revealed it's been an investigative tool since the 1970's. I mean...a simple test should have eliminated Brianne immediately.

Very good, four stars

[Maura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting little story. Allie is murdered by her boyfriend and finds herself in the body of Brianne, a wealthy socialite who is caught holding the smoking gun over her dead fiancee's body. To clear herself of the charges, Brianne has to take charge of her life (not an easy task with her family) and heads out to hire a private investigator with ties to her old life as Allie. He's tasked with finding out who really killed her fiancee. But it won't be easy, especially when he's trying to clear her of a crime and she has no memory of the event with which to defend herself. She and Pete had flirted and known each other for 8 years, but her death ruined their opportunities. Now, Brianne has a second chance with Pete, but how can she tell him who she really is?

I liked the set up of this particular story. Also, the explanation that Pete gets for Allie being Bri, was very well handled and I had no difficulty believing that Pete was sold on it. Allie was pretty feisty and she handled herself very well. Mathias, the random voice in her head, was a pretty good explanation for Allie being able to adjust to her circumstances, but we're left with almost no explanation for who or what Mathias actually is. Without that, he's still entertaining, but just a convenient plot device. I wanted more background on him. The chemistry between the two main characters was pretty good. The story is pretty well dedicated to the mystery of who actually killed the fiancee, but the romance is definitely worked in there. It felt a bit more like lust than romance, but Pete and Bri were definitely falling in love. I wish there'd been some sort of declaration or acknowledgement of it before the end of the story though. An epilogue would have been great here...or maybe just a slightly longer last chapter. The mystery aspect of this was pretty good - not stellar, but this author didn't make use of obvious red herrings or anything. I honestly wasn't sure who'd done it, but I had my suspicions.

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a quickie paranormal romance surrounding two murder mysteries. This book is a good fit for light reading over vacation or time at the beach.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alice Walker and Brianne Sinclair led vastly different lives. Alice worked tirelessly as a waitress, donning a pink uniform, while Brianne reveled in the glamour of the night, adorned in exquisite strapless gowns and priceless jewelry. It seemed unimaginable that these two women could be one and the same.

Allie, as Alice preferred to be called, harbored dreams of a more extravagant life. However, she never expected to find herself trapped in the body of the world's most beautiful millionaire, Brianne. It should have been a dream come true, but fate had other plans. When Allie awoke as Brianne, a shocking scene unfolded before her eyes—a lifeless fiance at her feet and a smoking gun in her hand.

Amidst the chaos, only one person believed in Allie's innocence—struggling private investigator Pete Hackett. As Allie, she had long held a deep admiration for Pete, and now, as Brianne, she seized the opportunity to make him fall in love with her. Yet, the question remained: Which woman had truly captured Pete's heart?

This paranormal romance offers an intriguing premise and revolves around two murder mysteries, making it a quick and engaging read. It is well-suited for those seeking a light and entertaining book to enjoy during vacation or while lounging at the beach.