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Writer Friends #3

Tangled Up In You

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Maddie Dupree isn't in Truly, Idaho, looking for a husband, a boyfriend, or anything in between.

Maddie is determined to uncover the untold story about the town's sordid past--her past. As a child, Maddie lost everything, and now she's back at the scene of the scandal--a local establishment that's always belonged to the Hennessys--determined to uncover the truth, and nothing is going to stand in her way. Especially not a black-haired, blue-eyed Hennessy.

Everyone in Truly knows that the Hennessy men are irresistible, and the current owner, Mick, is no exception. His late father was a skirt-chasing heartbreaker who ended up causing disaster for two families. So far, Mick's managed to keep the ladies in line, but when he claps eyes on Maddie, with her luscious curves and tempting lips, he can't resist getting tangled up with her.

But Maddie is keeping secrets, not the least of which is her true reason for being in town. And when Mick discovers what`s really going on, there is going to be a whole lot of trouble in Truly.

364 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 31, 2007

155 people are currently reading
3358 people want to read

About the author

Rachel Gibson

68 books5,350 followers
Rachel Gibson is a New York times and USAToday bestselling author of 22 books.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 453 reviews
Profile Image for Cyndi.
2,450 reviews124 followers
December 17, 2020
So I actually like this author, but sometimes a plot line is too much trouble to make it work. For instance, in the 70’s we have a serial philandering husband and a pretty young barmaid. Enter husband’s wife with a gun. She kills the young barmaid who is husband’s latest girlfriend, then the husband, then herself. Horrible, sad...but what about the two children left without parents and the barmaid’s little girl?
Fast forward 20 years. Barmaid’s daughter is now a true crime novelist while the philandering husband and murdering wife’s children are still in the small town. Our heroine, or the true crime novelists, decides to write about her mother’s murder. But, when she meets our hero, AKA murderer’s son, the romance begins.
So, yeah, our heroine begins a romance with the son of the woman who murdered her mother. 🤷🏼‍♀️Awkward.
Profile Image for Mo.
1,404 reviews2 followers
December 26, 2013

This is book 3 in the “Writer” series by Rachel Gibson. Liked it as well as the first two.



There was something brilliant and disturbing about Warren Zevon’s lyrics. A little like looking into the mind of someone who stood at the line between crazy and sane and occasionally pushed one toe over. Toying with the line, testing it, then pulling back just before getting into the looneyville.


If you haven’t checked out the music and lyrics of Warren Zevon – DO IT!


How had her life come to this? She had a cat in her house and a Hennessy in her bed.





“When I’m with you, I feel a kind of calm I’ve never felt in my life. I’m tangled up in you and you’re tangled up in me and it feels right.”

Profile Image for ᴥ Irena ᴥ.
1,654 reviews242 followers
July 9, 2015
2.5

You know that feeling when you really need to sneeze and someone or something interrupts it? Well, this book was like that for me.

Maddie returns to a place where she briefly lived as a child to confront her past. Of the four friends in this series, I was looking forward to the most morbid one. Her story was the most promising considering the type of person she is (or I was led to believe she is in the previous two books) and the things she writes about. After all, Maddie is familiar with the dark side of human mind. Her interviews with serial killers gave her a unique insight into the darker side of human psyche which should have made for an excellent story.

Not so much. This is not a suspenseful story with a romantic touch. This is a story of two people lusting after each other and arguing when some secret or other is revealed. Nothing more, nothing less.

To be fair I am not a fan of stories where we know everything, but the characters don't. We are forced to go through all the stages characters must go through to get to the bottom of the things. It is tedious. You know who Maddie is and what she is after, but her love interest doesn't. Plus, he did not grovel enough in the end.
Profile Image for Alba Turunen.
837 reviews270 followers
September 23, 2019
4 Estrellas. He disfrutado bastante de éste libro, a pesar de que parte de un entorno muy duro para los personajes. No creo que sea el mejor de Rachel Gibson, aunque no he leído todos sus libros, pero me ha gustado mucho.

“Enredos y otros líos” es el tercer libro de la serie Escritoras. Nunca entenderé por qué las editoriales publican las series como les da la gana, y de repente de ésta serie de cuatro libros, sólo tenemos el tercero publicado en España.

En éste libro tenemos una historia particular. La protagonista, Maddie Dupree, es una escritora de novelas policíacas y de misterio; y de repente, un día vuelve a Truly en Idaho, donde vivió una de las experiencias más traumáticas de su vida. Maddie era la hija de una madre soltera, una casi adolescente que nunca pudo vivir sin un hombre, y que además tenía fijación por los hombres casados, con la consecuencia de que estos siempre la engañaban con promesas vanas. Su última experiencia desembocó en tragedia, era camarera y estaba liada con el jefe del bar, un hombre atractivo, infiel y mujeriego casado y con dos hijos. Una noche, apareció la esposa del jefe y disparó a bocajarro contra la madre de Maddie, su esposo y posteriormente se suicidó, destrozando dos familias y dejando huérfanos a tres niños.

Maddie fue una de esos niños, y el protagonista, Mick Hennessy, fue otro. La idea de Maddie de volver a Truly y desentrañar lo que realmente ocurrió, es por su afán de hacer público el verdadero relato de su madre, partiendo de los diarios de esta, de lo ocurrido en los informes policiales, y de lo que las personas que vivieron en ése pueblo y en ésa época pueden proporcionarle.

Al poco de llegar Maddie a Truly, conoce a Mick Hennessy, pero esta utiliza un pseudónimo, y en el pueblo nadie sabe que ella es la hija huérfana de Alice Jones. Desde el principio, la atracción entre Maddie y Mick es muy fuerte, a pesar de que ambos no quieren ni desean la estabilidad de una relación, el secreto de Maddie es tan poderoso, que puede convertirse en un escollo para a relación que surge entre ellos.

Mick Hennessy y su hermana Meg, crecieron en Truly con el estigma de lo que hizo su madre, y aunque Mick era más joven y ha sabido cómo enterrar el pasado, su hermana Meg aún vive inmersa en él. Al licenciarse del ejército, Mick vuelve a su pueblo, y reabre el bar de su familia, feliz de que todo haya quedado en el pasado, y sin deseo alguno de establecerse y formar una familia. Por eso la llegada de Maddie a Truly supondrá un problema para Mick, porque no puede evitar fijarse en ella, y a la vez desea expulsarla para que no indague en su pasado ni suelte pestes sobre su familia escribiendo un libro que sólo puede atraer morbo.

Básicamente esto es lo que nos encontramos en “Enredos y otros líos”, pero también tenemos una historia muy bien escrita e hilvanada. Al compararla con otros libros de ésta autora, no puedo decir que sea divertida, pero sí tiene algunos detalles cómicos y cierto encanto que caracterizan a Rachel Gibson.

Sus personajes me han gustado, aunque es cierto que en algunos momentos Maddie me ha resultado algo cargante, pues pareciera que efectivamente querría hacer daño por lo que le pasó, indagando como haría un insufrible periodista. Al contrario que con otros libros de Rachel Gibson, donde sus protagonistas masculinos me han parecido unos idiotas integrales, aquí he podido fijarme en que Mick tenía atractivo y no sólo físico, en el fondo es un buen hombre, honrado y trabajador. Aunque Mick cree que su pasado no le ha afectado, cuando ve las intenciones de Maddie no puede evitar querer mantenerse alejado de ella y enfadarse por lo que pretende hacer, pero la química entre ellos es tan fuerte, que no siempre podrán evitarse.

Este libro ha funcionado, y me ha convencido, y estoy segura de que otras lectoras de Rachel Gibson podrán disfrutar de él, también si os gusta el romance contemporáneo en general, con una chispa de comedia. Lo que más me cabrea es lo que he dicho por ahí arriba, que la editorial solo publicó éste tercer libro de la serie, y nos hemos quedado en castellano sin saber de las historias de las amigas escritoras Lucy o Clare, ni de la última, Adele.
Profile Image for Robin.
1,977 reviews98 followers
July 9, 2023
True crime author Maddie Dupree has moved to Truly, Idaho, to write about a murder-suicide that took place twenty nine years ago. There were many stories at the time of the incident. Maddie wants to uncover the truth, especially since one of the victims was her mother. But there is one family standing in her way. Mick Hennessey and his sister, Meg, have lived with the fact that their mother shot and killed their father and his lover when they were small children. They don't want Maddie stirring up old stories about their family. Even though Mick doesn't want Maddie writing this book, he is attracted to her and wants to get to know her better. Will he still feel that way when he learns how Maddie is tied to his past?

This is an entertaining contemporary romance with some steamy scenes. All of the characters in this book are likable. Maddie is a person with very set ideas. She doesn't want to get married. She doesn't even want a pet. Her views change as the story goes on. Mick is a guy that women, including Maddie, find irresistible. He is upset about the book and is worried how the gossip will affect his sister. But that isn't going to stop him from getting involved with Maddie.

This book is part of Gibson's Truly Idaho series. It is also part of her Writer Friends series. I enjoyed the book so now I'm going to have to catch up on both of these series. My rating: 4 Stars.

2023 Re-read: I read this book seven years ago as part of the Truly Idaho series. Now I'm (finally) reading Rachel Gibson's Writers Friends series and realized I didn't remember anything about this story except for an Independence Day Barbeque. It was a quick read and kept my interest. I liked both Maddie and Mick, and I liked the humor in the story. My rating is still 4 Stars.
Profile Image for KarenH.
189 reviews194 followers
December 16, 2009
I don't have time to do a review right now but I have to share a LMAO scene:

We know the heroine has abstained from sex for the last 4 years, but took the edge off with the help of a vibrating "friend" she named Carlos. After having sex for the first time, a brooding hero asks the heroine, "Who is Carlos?" "Why?" she asks. "Because the first time you climaxed," the hero replies, "you called out his name."

too funny :D GREAT book!
Profile Image for Karen.
814 reviews1,207 followers
March 5, 2019
5 STARS


"Maddie Jones got a cat and fell in love. Hell has officially frozen over."

Whoa. This book caught me completely off guard. I LOVED IT. A very intense storyline, fabulous characters, and just enough angst to keep me glued to the pages. So far out of the four friends, if I had to be assigned a character to be, I'm pretty sure, I'd have been Maddie. She is one tough cookie. But yet, she is probably the most vulnerable. This book hit all my hot points. I think I'll be re-reading it at some point. Rachel, consider yourself forgiven for the ending of Carly's book. If I'd have known you had this one in the pipeline, I would have cut you a little more slack. ;)
Profile Image for Jacob Proffitt.
3,310 reviews2,152 followers
January 1, 2017
This is part of two series. This is the second of the Truly Idaho series. So far, both books have sucked and no small part of it is that Truly is full of jerks and idiots. This is the third in the Writer Friends series and you don't really need the others to understand this one. If you haven't read the others yet, I highly recommend you do. Not because it adds anything to this novel, but because they're actually good. Unlike this one. Go ahead and give this one a miss.

I was looking forward to seeing how Gibson handled Maddie. She's always been a bit prickly and unapproachable and her chosen genre, true crime, means she's somewhat hardened as well. I wondered how Gibson would soften her enough to fall in love. The answer turns out to be that she makes her stupid and weak and sex-starved and she matches her up with a horn dog. Maddie's internal dialogue goes on about how fearless she is, but you never see it, not even once. She knows that keeping her full identity from Mick is just laying landmines for their future and yet every time she steels herself to divulge the truth she wimps out. Over and over and over again. Indeed, this was the only conflict in the novel and I have to say I'm deeply disappointed with Gibson for being so incredibly lame.

And that's not even getting to the waste of a tough returned army vet who runs a couple bars. This has competent tough guy written all over it and we don't see that even a tiny little bit. He's just a sex drive with legs who buries every tender moment under feeling Maddie up. I don't see what Maddie sees in him and I don't see what he sees in her. Except for sex. Apparently they have great sex. I give this relationship a couple months for them to tire each other out before they wake up to the disaster they've created.

So yeah. Go team sex. Or something...

A note about Steamy: Even though their relationship is all sex, there's only one actual explicit scene with any detail to it. The rest is all back-reference and foreplay. So this is the middle of my steam tolerance, but it only got that high because I got tired of how sex was pretty much all they had and all they really cared about together.
Profile Image for Sophie ♥.
125 reviews256 followers
December 26, 2013
Rate: 4 stars

Rachel Gibson will always be one of those authors I'd go to for a fun read. Tangled Up In You is more or less the same as every other one of her books - light-hearted and enjoyable with a side of steam. Probably not her best, I personally love the Chinooks series (Any Man of Mine was perfect) but I have to say, this one was a little heavier on the steam. Picking up this book, I knew exactly what I was going to get, and that's exactly what I got. I wouldn't say this is the kind of book that would have readers tripping all over the place trying to declare their eternal love, but you know, once in a while a quick fun read is exactly what you need. I can see some similarities between Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Rachel Gibson, so if you're an SEP fan then I would recommend you try this book. Otherwise, I would go for this book if you need a break from angst and emotion. If you're looking for something deeply touching and soul wrenching then this is definitely not your go-to book.
Profile Image for Büşra.
582 reviews174 followers
April 14, 2018
Diğerlerinden daha iyiydi. Özellikle ikinci kitaptan sonra ümidi kesmiştim yazardan ama bu kitapta hem konu hem karakterler çok güzel işlenmişti.

Normalde serileri peş peşe okumak gibi bir huyum yoktur ama Maddie'nin hikayesini çok merak ediyordum.

İki günde serinin dördüncü kitabına geçtim, biraz daha romantik kitap okursam pembe kusmaktan endişeleniyorum. Son kitap için biraz ara vereceğim bu yüzden.
Profile Image for ♡Karlyn P♡.
604 reviews1,281 followers
February 25, 2012
4.5 stars. Tangled Up In You is the story of Mick and Maddie, which takes place in Truly, Idaho, the fictional town from the book "Truly Madly Yours". (It is now seven years later, and yes, we get a sneak peak into the lives of Nick and Delany!)

Maddie shows up in town to write the story of a murder / suicide that took place 29 years earlier. Mick is the owner of two bars in town and a former helicopter pilot for the military, and not the least bit happy that the desirable Maddie is un-earthing the story of his parents' death. But she is unlike any woman he has ever met, and they find themselves drawn to each other despite the obstacle of her book.

Maddie is a great heroine. I just loved her outlook on life, her sense of humor, and even her obsession with over indulging in "hedonistic" desires such as carbs, cheesecake, scented lotions and, uhm, sex. Mick is a classic Rachel Gibson hero. He's a bit rugged, handsome as sin, and pursues his heroine in a way that just make your knees weak! Together, these two really steam up the pages. This is definitely one hot and sexy book, and the passion scenes are very well done.

There was a bit of a mystery to the story, but it is not a "who did it?" story. The romance is the main focus of the story, which was great. There were a few minor parts of the story that bothered me, but they were minor. The biggest one being Meg, Mick's sister. I just didn't get her. I am just glad she wasn't in the story all that much. She remains "damaged" from her parents death, which makes you want to scream GET OVER IT!!

The ending was also wrapped up a bit to neatly. Without spoiling anything, all I will say is that I would have liked to see more emotion on both their parts given what happens prior. In short, I can't help but feel that Maddie would have made Mick work much harder for the happily-ever-after. But that goes to show just how much I connected with the hero and heroine. By the end of the book, they felt real and very three-dimensional. A great contemporary romance read with plenty of yummy steam.
Profile Image for Michelle [Helen Geek].
1,775 reviews411 followers
May 2, 2012
I'm going to try this one more time ...

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

4 Stars

Rachel Gibson has a tried and true recipe for success, or at least success according to this reader. She starts out with a bit of fluff building a back story, then she throws a bit of angst, a lovely man with a bit of a dark side, a pretty lady with some relationship issues and waaa laaa, you have a Rachel Gibson story. I’m never bored and she sucks me in every, single time. Just love her stories.

In this one, you have a beautiful blue eyed man who left his childhood behind when he was five. His father owned a bar which had been in the family for three generations. The father, Loch, was messing around with one of his waitresses - not an out of the normal sitch for him... but, he had fallen in "love" with this one and was going to leave his family. Wifey wasn't havin' none of it .. she comes to the bar and shoots him and his lover dead .. bang! Then kills herself leaving three kids without parents. Wow!

This was smalltown Idaho America and Mick never had a chance at a normal childhood from this point forward. Jump ahead 20 years or so and the "waitresses'" daughter comes to town to write a book about the murder. Maddie is a well known author of true crime books. They meet and are immediately attracted to each other, but can they get past the tragic, violent past they share?

I enjoyed this story. It wasn’t great, but it was good. These books are those types of reads you can read rather quickly, don’t take much focus, and provide a nice “warm fuzzy” story. One you don't tire of and can read over, and over again. Who wouldn’t appreciate this? Perfect for when RL is rather trying or an absolute mess and you need a little sum sum to provide distraction.. *sigh*

Happy Reading!
Profile Image for Liz.
Author 7 books40 followers
August 6, 2008
After about 50 pages of not much happening and a TON of exposition and backstory, I put this down. I couldn't keep going. For such an accomplished and usually enjoyable author, I was very disappointed that she forgot the cardinal rule of genre fiction - grab the reader right away and don't let them put down the book.
Profile Image for Lauren.
2,516 reviews159 followers
April 14, 2016
Tangled Up in You
4 Stars

True Crime author, Maddie Dupre, travels to Truly, Idaho to confront the ghosts of her past. Determined to uncover the truth about the fateful night her mother was shot in Hennessey’s bar, Maddie finds herself face to face with the one person just as serious about forgetting what happened - sexy, irresistible Mick Hennessey.

Gibson is a wonderful story teller and this series is very entertaining. The characters are well defined, the romance sizzles and the plot premise is engaging. Nevertheless, the annoying keeping secrets trope puts a damper on the rest.

While the plot involving Maddie’s interest in her mother’s death has potential, it is not as compelling as it could have been if the hints at something beyond a simple murder/suicide had materialized into something more substantial. As it is, the case is apparently clear cut despite the innuendo and as such it sort of fizzles.

The focus, therefore, it on Maddie’s secret and its effect on her relationship with Mick. This inevitably leads to the despised keeping secrets theme, which is problematic for three reasons. First, situations constantly feel contrived to ensure that the secret remains hidden, such as forced interruptions or postponing the inevitable. Second, the reader is constantly on the alert waiting for the other shoe to drop, which results in irritation and annoyance rather than a productive build up and release of tension. Third, the secret keeper often comes across as dishonest and untrustworthy thereby undermining the romance, which is certainly the case with Maddie.

Despite these issues, Tangled Up in You is an enjoyable read mainly due to the wonderful characterization. Maddie is intelligent and resourceful and Mick is charming and sexy. Their chemistry is intense and the conflict between them is real.

The final book is about Adele, the fantasy writer and it will be interesting to see where Gibson takes it.
Profile Image for Zeek.
920 reviews149 followers
June 10, 2010
"You can never come home again-" well, that's sorta true for Maddie Dupree, for come home is exactly what she's done. No longer the orphaned and scared child forced to leave with her Aunt after the tragic death of her mother, Maddie is now a popular true crime novelist making her way in the world and she's decided to make the focus of her next novel personal- very personal.

Maddie's determined to get to know more about the family at the center of her mother's murder - and she'll stop at nothing to get to the truth. Of course her plans are turned on their ear when she meets the handsome and oh so charming son of the cheating man who ruined her mother's life- and thereby her's- all those years ago, even though she finds the attraction she feels toward him annoying to say the least. Still, she'll stop at nothing to get to the truth- even if it means turning everyone elses' world in Truly, Idaho upside down as well.

Tangled Up In You is a quick, entertaining read that is sexy as well as delightful. The heroine is feisty, yet vulnerable and like the first book I read by this author, I so easily related to her. With Mick, she's written a hero that makes it easy to see why her heroine fell for him despite the obstacles she threw at them.

Rachel Gibson once again manages to effortlessly weave romantic suspense and light contemporary romance and I find I can't seem to put her books down once I start them. Simply put, I can't resist a Gibson novel! Another winner as far as I'm concerned!
Profile Image for Jenn.
330 reviews27 followers
February 13, 2013
UPDATE: 2/13/13
The more I have thought about this book, the most I really did enjoy it. I have bumped it up to 3.5 stars versus my previous 2. I still can't stop thinking about all of the luxurious soaps and scents which is why I have a multitude of pretty smelling things suddenly topping my dresser. As my gift to you, coupon code for 20% off Bath and Body Works.
Coupon Code: RMNFEB13 (good until 3/04/13)



This book had a great story line! Exciting, unpredictable and different than anything else I have ever read! But I feel like it should be wrapped in caution tape that reads:
CAUTION: THIS ENDING WILL PISS YOU OFF!

Tangled Up In You picks up the Writer Friends Series with Maddie, the more "rebel" friend. Rebel in the sense that she had no desire to get married and have kids. She is smart mouthed and sassy and she doesn't change for anyone. She is a true crime writer who wants to write about the crime committed against her mother that left Maddie orphaned.

29 years ago Alice Jones was sleeping with the wrong married man. Loch was a known ladies man and had an affair with every woman in town, but his wife had finally had enough... On a hot night in August Loch's wife came into the bar that they owned and shot Loch and the "Waitress", before she shot herself. Left in the aftermath were 3 small children. Alice's 5 year old daughter and Loch's 5 year old son, Mick, and 10 year old daughter.

When Maddie started digging all of the info for her book, she knew it would be difficult, but she never knew how difficult it would be to stay away from Mick... Who knew that he would be gorgeous and charming and want the same things in life as she had... Who knew?


My Commentary:
The book was great! I know, then why did I only give it two stars? The reason is the end. It was not your typical shitty, cop-out ending... Maddie has been a strong character for 3 books. She has her head high and knows what she wants out of life. She is not the "white wedding, picket fence, baby-making" kind of person... but in the last paragraph, Rachel Gibson turned her into one! I felt that it was weak. Maddie could have fallen in love with Mick and they could continue their character as is as opposed to the about-face they were given... I am a "white wedding, picket fence, baby-making" kind of person, but one doesn't need that to be considered a "happy ever after".

As a side note, the book definitely made me want to raid Bath & Body works and buy pretty soaps. Especially if that is the result ;)
Profile Image for Nisha.
788 reviews253 followers
May 3, 2010
My first book by Rachel Gibson was I'm In No Mood For Love and I only kinda enjoyed it. Somehow, I wanted to give her a second chance, especially after reading a quote from this book about Carlos, Maddie's vibrator. I'm glad I did, because this book is worthy of all the praises RG has gotten.

Crime writer, Maddie returns to Truly, Idaho, a town that she had only lived in for 6 months of her life when she was about 4 years old. But it was the place where her mother, a waitress was murdered in a double homicide and suicide. TO confront her past, she had decided to write a book about event of that murder. Bar owner, Mick had grown up in Truly, even after his mother had killed her husband, his waitress lover, and herself. Shaped by the events of that night, neither Maddie nor Mick expected or wanted a serious relationship - but somehow, the attraction between these two made their past irrelevant, at least to Maddie. Could the pair be made for love or could the past threaten to destroy them, again?

I liked both both H/h, especially since they were entangled by events of the past. Maddie has always prized herself to be independent and had even gone without a man for 4 years, despite her hedonistic personality. She's strong and fair and the perfect counterpart for Mick. Mick's father was the town's playboy and his last affair, ended in a murder. Blessed with the same looks and charm as his father, he has never wanted to marry, in case he becomes the same as his father. He just wants to forget the past, and it infuriates him the Maddie wanted to uncover it. Neither character really needed to grow - both were mature and functional, but it was a past that haunted them and the truth was all they needed.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to tackle a good contemporary romance. It does it's best to keep it light, even while bringing up a tragic past. I loved the humor in it and it worked perfectly - Mick's nephew and sister, Maddie's vibrator and her brand new cat, and the small town that was no good with secrets.
Profile Image for Jane Stewart.
2,462 reviews964 followers
September 22, 2010
Pleasant, thoughtful book. A few good lines. OK characters. Nice ending.

This would be ok to get from the library, but I wouldn't buy it. A writer, Maddie, moves back to her hometown to research how her mother Alice was killed when she was 5 years old. Alice was a single mom, having an affair with Loch who was married to Rose. Rose shot Loch, Alice and herself. Mick is Loch's son. Mick and Maddie are attracted to each other. Mick does not know who Maddie is since she is using her pen name.

DATA:
Sexual language: strong. Number of sex scenes: six. Setting: current day Truly, Idaho. Copyright: 2007. Genre: contemporary romance with some mystery.

OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Rachel Gibson books, see my 3.5 star review of “See Jane Score” posted 10-05-09.
Profile Image for Laura (Kyahgirl).
2,347 reviews150 followers
July 6, 2020
I read this over ten years ago and recently re-visited on audio. I didn't rate it as high as the first time because I really disliked the manufactured mystery. I mean, really, a couple of honest conversations and there would be no book. That's annoying. Other than that, I always enjoy this author's sense of humour and the community of characters that are sprinkled throughout her books.
Profile Image for Aneca.
958 reviews124 followers
January 30, 2008
I was a bit worried about starting this one as I thought the previous one in this series was nothing special but now I'm really glad that I did. Because I enjoyed it very much!

Maddie is determined to uncover the untold story about the town's sordid past—her past. As a child, Maddie lost everything, and now she's back at the scene of the scandal—a local establishment that's always belonged to the Hennessys—determined to uncover the truth, and nothing is going to stand in her way. Especially not a black-haired, blue-eyed Hennessy.

Everyone in Truly knows that the Hennessy men are irresistible, and the current owner, Mick, is no exception. His late father was a skirt-chasing heartbreaker who ended up causing disaster for two families. So far, Mick's managed to keep the ladies in line, but when he claps eyes on Maddie, with her luscious curves and tempting lips, he can't resist getting tangled up with her.

But Maddie is keeping secrets, not the least of which is her true reason for being in town. And when Mick discovers what`s really going on, there is going to be a whole lot of trouble in Truly.


I really really liked Maddie. I found her a really likeable heroine and I felt that I really got to know her. She is funny, resourceful, independent and was a very interesting person. A true crime writer she decides to investigate the murder of her mother 29 years before at the hands of her lover's wife that also killed him and then commited suicide. She goes back to Truly, where the tragedy took place.

Mick Hennessy became an orphan when his mother killed his father, his father's lover and then committed suicide. Unlike his sister Meg, Mick only wants to forget about a past that brought him nothing but pain when he was growing up.

Maddie and Mick meet but she doesn't tell him her real name. They are initially attracted but things go wrong as soon as he finds out she is writing about about the crime. He wants her to give it up but she doesn't, she also doesn't tell him who she is even after they get involved. This was something I felt should have bothered me a bit but it didn't. Maybe because Maddie doesn't use Mick for information so I never really felt she was using him. Instead she came across as really in love and torn between telling him and having to face a negative reaction. Also she has to put up with everybody speaking of her mother as "the waitress" and blaiming her for getting involved with a married man. Although it's not a situation I feel should be taken lightly the fact is that the married party is the one that promised to love and to honor. It always annoys me to no end that women are always considered the guilty ones in this kind of situation!

When Maddie finally tells Mick I felt so bad for her that he reacted badly. Maddie was after all a victim just as he and his sister were and nobody seemed to remember that. Speaking of his sister she was really annoying and I'm glad she was kept in a very secondary role.

Grade: B+
Not as good as some of my favourites by her but a very satisfying read!
Profile Image for Thenia.
4,405 reviews180 followers
May 14, 2019
The story of Maddie, true crime writer on a difficult investigation into her own past, and Mitch, .

Maddie stupidly, but somewhat understandably keeps things secret for too long, and Mitch, hurt, cuts off his nose to spite his face, and their relationship is far from effortless. I would have liked .

Engaging, original story, with a couple with a lot of history between them that they need to overcome before they can reach their happily ever after.

Previous book reviews:

Sex, Lies, and Online Dating
I'm in No Mood for Love
Profile Image for E.
721 reviews12 followers
February 10, 2024
I like Rachel Gibson as an author and find that her books very enjoyable.

This book doesn't disappoint. A quick read with interesting enough characters and and entertaining romantic dynamic between the two main characters.

This book reminds me of Kraft-Dinner on a rainy Tuesday: Good because you're too lazy to look for something better.
Profile Image for Kady.
769 reviews17 followers
January 6, 2014
Maddie & Mick were awesome. This one was steeeeeeamy. Oh, how much do I love Rachel Gibson books! Stand alone novels with gradually building plots and relationships with plenty of chemistry. And she can REALLY write a HOT bad boy. More please! I will be so very sad when I've read the last existing Rachel Gibson novel...
Profile Image for Dee.
1,426 reviews
November 13, 2010
Rachel Gibson is very quickly becoming an auto-read author for me and Tangled Up In You is no exception. an entertaining story with some comedic elements, some sweet spicy scenes between the hero and the heroine and a satisfying HEA (although in this one, it did feel a bit rushed)
Profile Image for Amy.
2,710 reviews16 followers
February 13, 2018
I read the paperback years ago and have been rereading the series via audiobook. I had planned on rereading this one via audio as well but I had a few minutes and thought I'd pick up the paperback and skim thru it; but what actually happened was I ended up rereading the whole book in one sitting.
Profile Image for Eugiluam.
500 reviews
December 11, 2023
2.75… but I liked it. Revised down… because there a lot of casual and unnecessary fatphobia. Like, it serves no purpose and it’s not addressed.
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