In unlikely threesome! Carlotta Wren has always dreamed of taking a vacation from her life as daughter to fugitive parents and mother to her younger brother, Wesley. So when she is temporarily suspended from her job at Neiman Marcus, the invitation from hunky body mover Cooper Craft to ride to Florida for some fun in the sun and a VIP body pickup seems like a good idea.… And then Wesley tags along to elude an irate loan shark and to play chaperone.… And then they're greeted on arrival by three different men, each one laying claim to the celebutante's body they've been hired to move.… And it isn't long before they realize someone is determined that the stressed-out trio won't make it back to Atlanta with their famous cargo intact!
USA TODAY bestselling author Stephanie Bond was seven years deep into a systems engineering career and pursuing an MBA at night when an instructor remarked that she had a flair for writing and suggested that she submit to academic journals. But Stephanie, a voracious reader, was only interested in writing fiction–more specifically, romantic fiction.
Upon completing her master’s degree and with no formal training in writing (her undergraduate degree is in computer programming), she started writing a romance novel in her spare time. Two years later in 1995 she sold her first manuscript, a romantic comedy, to Harlequin Books.
In 1997, with ten sales under her belt to two publishers, Stephanie left her corporate job to write women’s romantic fiction full-time. In 2011,
Stephanie launched a self-publishing business. Since that time, she has sold more than 1 million copies of her own books. To-date, Stephanie has published over 70 novels and has over 6 million copies of her work in worldwide distribution in numerous languages and formats.
*thud-thud-thud* That's me banging my head against the wall. Stephanie Bond's third installment in her "Body Movers" series has me wanting to smack every single character upside the head! Carlotta's man troubles -- *SMACK* -- Wesley's gambling and drug problems -- *SMACK* -- Jack's "I-really-like-you-but-it's-a-conflict-of-interest-to-see-you" -- *SMACK* -- Peter's "I've-finally-seen-the-light-and-want-to-marry-you" -- *DOUBLE SMACK* (for not being man-enough in the first place) -- Coop's too nice "I'll-wait-for-you-till-you-sort-out-your-feelings" -- a light *SMACK* just cuz he's so sweet -- Liz's sleeping with both father and son (and Jack, too) -- *SMACK* -- Chance's drug-induced homemade porn tapes -- *SMACK* -- Hannah's sleeping with married men -- *SMACK* -- Eldora's inability to see that her boyfriend's a thug -- *SMACK* -- Randolph's sudden appearance in his daughter's life after ten years -- *SMACK* -- Carlotta's telling Peter to stay because it will help her jerk-of-a-father -- *SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK SMACK*!!!
Still too frustrated to really love this series...but I can't stop reading it!!! Go figure. Three-and-a-half stars.
I would like to read a book that shows a scene where the reader can reach in and smack a character on the back of the head when they do something stupid. True reader participation! Hahah! Of course if someone smacked me every time I did something stupid I would need to wear a helmet all the time. Any way, in this book our characters do not improve in their emotional intelligence. Our heroine chases the guy who lies to her the most and her brother continues to make bad decisions. So lots like real life. 🤷🏼♀️
The further into these books I get the less I like them. I have the next two in the series and I'll probably read them but honestly I'm asking myself if I should even bother.
Instead of a review of the book, let me give you a review of the characters.
Carlotta = Spineless. She's basically a doormat for the men in her life. She seems to like it.
Wesley = Selfish and self absorbed. He's sleeping with Liz, his lawyer who has also slept with his father. He doesn't seem to think there's anything weird about that.
Jack = A detective who is sleeping with Liz (the strumpet) and has also slept with Carlotta. He treats her really badly...he's the sort of guy who'll probably beat up his wife.
Liz = Slept with Carlotta's father, brother, and the detective Carlotta slept with. The pharmaceutical companies that make treatments for STDs no doubt send her a christmas card every year.
Coop = seems like a halfway decent person, but like all decent people in these books, gets treated like dirt.
Chance = Wesley's best friend who treats women like a toilet (a place to relieve himself). Wesley seems to think he's not a bad person.
The characters in these books are really odious. I guess the good thing about these books is they give people who watch Jerry Springer something to read on the beach.
Dear Carlotta and Wesley. Both of you have acknowledged to yourselves that you are horrible at making a good decision. By my count, about one out of every five major decisions you make is a good one. And the other four, doozies. Particularly, you, Wesley. O.o
May I make a suggestion? Whenever you need to make a decision, go with the opposite of what you were planning. And also? Get some therapy. Stat. You have daddy issues and serious emotional stuntedness. I don't care if daddy dearest was framed in the whole embezzlement gig. Disappearing for 10 years without an iota of emotional or financial support to an 18 year old and 9 year old means the only helping hand he deserves from you is a slap in the face. Just saying.
Carlotta and her brother Wesley continue to weave a complicated web of intentional and unintentional deception with each other and with the people trying to help them.
Beginning exactly where the other book left off, Carlotta is home recuperating from her injuries, nursing an injured soul. Wesley is missing, kidnapped by the loan shark he tricked. Now both of them have more secrets and menance. Carolotta continues to keep three men on a string, moving back and forth into seduction and out again. She cannot make up her mind, is led by her hormones, and inhibited by the unresolved conflicts her her life.
Of course there's a mystery to solve and she moves into the middle of it led by her curiosity and boredom. The mystery itself is entertaining and well spun with a satisfactory and injurious ending. Carlotta spends a lot of time inadvertently getting hurt and narrowly escaping death.
The ongoing story about her parent's flight from justice deepens and becomes more complicated to the point of being tiresome. I like the characters and the writing but enough already, solve this mystery. That way Carlotta can decide which man is for her. It's not sexual tension with witty repartee any more. Time for a new plot. This one is twisted and annoying. I'm going to keep reading the series in the hopes that what is good and endearing about these character endures and what has become boring just fades away.
Stephanie Bond's 'Body Movers' series is more of a romantic mystery than anything else. Bond has a great touch with adding humor to her stories, the mysteries are well-plotted, and there are ongoing and changing relationships (romantic and familial) that run throughout. There are currently six books in the series and the author's website says there may be more. These books made me laugh and made me sigh and even get a little overheated in some spots. In some ways, this series reminds me of Evanovich's 'Stephanie Plum' series.
In book three, Carlotta is recovering from events at the end of book two and has a few more weeks off work. When one of the men in her life, very sexy Cooper--current body mover and former head medical examiner, invites her along for a special body-moving job in Florida Carlotta can't think of any reason to refuse him...er, the job! But this is Carlotta's life so pretty soon there's run-ins with corpse-snatchers, her brother Wesley tags along, she hears from her fugitive father, and she and Cooper...uh, you'll have to read it for yourself to find that one out :)
This series is not deep mystery. It's just fun. If you need a break from the normal routine, this is a series that might be for you.
I like this series but sometimes Carlotta Wren gets on my nerves. She's got three men dangling on the hook and IMHO two of the three aren't worthy. So what's the dilemma? Detective Jack Terry is hunting her runaway (from justice) father and plans to have him incarcerated. What's the attraction here? Peter Ashford, her high school boyfriend/fiance, dumped her like a hot potato when the charges against her father were announced. Hello! On the other hand, Dr. Cooper Craft is a wonderful man who is head over heels in love with her. It seems like no contest to me. Her wishy-washiness is driving me nuts. And don't get me started on her brother, Wesley - what a loser!
Anyway, Carlotta gets involved in the murder investigation of a celebrity and as usual her life is in danger. She's hit by a car, she's almost strangled to death and she's involved in numerous incidents involving guns and body snatchers. Regardless of the personality issues, this is a great mystery and a wonderful adventure for the whole gang.
For someone with a supposedly genius IQ, Wesley is making a lot of bad decisions! And I hope Carlotta makes a decision soon about the guys, even though they always seem to be conveniently available whenever she gets into trouble!
Again the murder mystery is almost secondary to the continuing saga of Carlotta's missing parents that I also hope we get some resolution soon!
What curveball will the universe throw at Carlotta next? Is Wes able go five minutes without getting into trouble? Will Jack be able to redeem himself even if he's just doing his job? And what about Hannah, Peter and Coop?
Great book in this mystery/romance/suspense series. It's been years since I read the last one. Carlotta Wren is a great main character. If you like the Stephanie Plum series you would like this one too.
Love the character Coop just wish there was more to him. Absolutely hate Peter and am also growing to dislike other characters because of their stupidity and lack of compassion. The main character has such potential to be a great character but there is so much missing that she comes off as a flat, slightly gold digging character, unable to let go of her cash cow for what she might have if she keeps him. Even in the light of the request at the end, it would be better to let him go for his own sake but she keep that hook in letting him dangle. I wanted to much to like this series, there is so much potential for it. I hate to stop reading the series because it make me feel like something of a quitter and I have hopes for it to get better, however if the rest are like the first three then I have no desire to finish the series as i am not retaining enjoyment from reading them.
This one was def not the best one. I really was mad at Carlotta most of the book, thinking WHY are you getting yourself into this mess for no reason? At least the last two cases involved you. Also, I hope she has health insurance all that time she is spending In the er. I don't know what to make of Wesley's newest addiction or the fact that he is ok doing his fathers mistress because he reminds her of his father?!? And how is it all these dumb decisions are not catching up with him? Like leaving the state without notifying his PO. Just annoyed with this one!
I’m not sure how many people would read book 3 of a series without reading books 1 and 2, but I found this book to be way too heavy on the recaps from earlier books.
This one was pretty slow. They didn’t even embark on the journey to pick up Kiki’s body until a quarter of the way through the book. The “action” was positioned between endless pages of recapping previous books and reiterating Carlotta’s confusion as to how to feel about her father and what to do about Wesley. I really didn’t enjoy this one, but I’ll probably end up reading book 4.
All I can say is Wow, really liked this story. Carlotta is having a run of bad luck, beginning with her parents. But boy this lady has more men intrested in her than well anyone. Still book kept me intrested all the way to the end. I cannot wait for the next in the series, too bad it is not until april.
*spoiler alert* I refuse to read another book in this series. Carlotta Wren is a pushover, and I'm sick of wishy-washy main characters. This is incredible!!! Where have all the good female leads gone?!!! I'm not gonna waste anymore time reading about her being a human doormat.
Carlotta needs to cut her brother loose to sink or swim on his own. His bratty spoiled selfish behavior takes away from the mystery. It also brings in too much extraneous baggage.
The narrator in the audiobook version continues to be awful; the way she reads some characters is annoying and she can't even pronounce words properly (the way she says "garage" & "drama", etc. is ridiculous).
I didn't think I could like Carlotta & Wesley more than I had but this story proved me wrong. Wesley is not only a gambling addict, in debt to 2 violent loan sharks, having an affair with his lawyer (his father's mistress), & now he's become a drug addict. Carlotta is out of work when she's in debt up to her eye balls then was a victim of identity theft that made it worse. Does she get a temporary job or work to file bankruptcy or clear up the identity theft charges? Of course not, she runs off "on vacation" to Florida with Cooper then unnecessarily involves herself in things that are none of her business. I can not understand why any of the 3 men are even remotely attracted to this idiot. Lastly having the father start popping up after 10 years is ridiculous. Why was this man not working to clear himself for the past 10 years instead of waiting until now? So many aspects of this series that are frustrating.
With all that said, it's a quick read/listen so even with lots of eye rolling, can be a quick story to let run in the background.
And I’m starting to hate all of them. Carlotta for some of her really dumb choice. Wes for pretty much everything he does. Peter for being so stupid and putting Carlotta at such a weird place. Detective Terry is just kind of gross for leading her on and being a jerk but at least he rescues her? And Cooper…for not demanding that she be better. He’s pretty much the only one left I like!
Carlotta’s off work still healing from her incident at the end of 2 Bodies for the Price of 1. Coop invites her to join him on a trip to pick up a VIP body, and she agrees to go since on the way is a stop where her dad’s finger prints were just found. Then the VIP body has some mystery surrounding it – what was the cause of her death?
Ugh. I hate all of them and all their poor decisions and how dumb they all are. 6.5 of 10 overall and 4.5 of 5 readability. Off to read the next one because it’s sort of like a bad train wreck of drama that I just can’t look away from…
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This is the 3rd of the Body Movers series. I listened to the audio book. This one starts with Carlotta Wren, who has been temporarily suspended from her job at Neiman Marcus as well as recovering from a broken arm, being asked by her brother’s boss (Cooper Craft) to ride to Florida (from Atlanta) for some fun in the sun before picking up a VIP body to be brought back to Atlanta to be buried. Unbeknownst to them, Wesley Wren has stowed away in the vehicle to elude a loan shark. For a variety of reasons, this actually turns out to be beneficial. 3 different men show up to lay claim to the celebrity’s body. None are particularly good at this. Supposedly the actress died of asthma complications, but there are indications that she was murdered. Continuing characters are Peter Ashford, Carlotta’s ex-fiancé; Police detective Jack Terry; as well as others, and Randolph Wren, Carlotta & Wesley’s father. Bad decisions continue to be made, especially by Wesley. I'm fascinated for some reason, so I’ll be continuing on to the 4th in this series.
Wasn’t bad. The title is really funny. I thought 3 guys were gonna work at the morgue instead of just one. I haven’t read the other ones or the ones before this one but I don’t really like Peter. I kinda want her to be with Jack but I’d be ok if she was with Coop. But part of me is like but Hannah has a huge crush on Coop and honestly if my friend had a crush on a guy I would not go out with him, that’s like friend code right unless they both agree that it’s ok, not just “get to know” on a weekend work getaway and say the other friend will just have to get over it, it’s kinda bitchy. You know I bet Liz is pregnant with Wesley’s baby. Honestly I wished she didn’t tell Peter to stay, she can still be friends with him if he’s in New York her dad didn’t say she had to date him just stay close.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
OK series. Always a little outrageous, but quite entertaining.....
In unlikely threesome! Carlotta Wren has always dreamed of taking a vacation from her life as daughter to fugitive parents and mother to her younger brother, Wesley. So when she is temporarily suspended from her job at Neiman Marcus, the invitation from hunky body mover Cooper Craft to ride to Florida for some fun in the sun and a VIP body pickup seems like a good idea.… And then Wesley tags along to elude an irate loan shark and to play chaperone.… And then they're greeted on arrival by three different men, each one laying claim to the celebutante's body they've been hired to move.… And it isn't long before they realize someone is determined that the stressed-out trio won't make it back to Atlanta with their famous cargo intact!
Read by Cassandra Campbell. 2008. Carlotta Wren rides along with Cooper Craft to pick up the deceased body of a young famous person in Florida. All is hush hush to keep the paparazzi clueless. Suddenly, Wesley, sits up in the back of the hearse and wriggles his way into a fun and "get to know you better" time between Carlotta and Coop. Resigned, they make the best of things. On the return to Atlanta, things get exciting as body snatchers are after them. Carlotta's dad, in disguise, pops up at a wayside potty stop and guns fire from the goons trying to steal the body. There's a lot of explaining to do.