Desperate Times, Desperate Pleasures

by Jan O'Hara

Tall. Dark. Dazzlingly deceptive. Until they wise up, the Gibson women always fall for a certain kind of man.

This time it's Mia's vulnerable sister who is hurting, which is why Mia has a
Bring Tabitha to Hilton Head Learn the smooth-talker's identity Grind his gonads into dust as fine as the island's sands But the challenge proves unexpectedly complex and soon Mia is brushing up against a powerful and potentially dangerous local figure that she can't defeat without help.

Enter Jackson, if that's even his real name, whom she meets under shady and...inconveniently intimate circumstances. When he offers aid, can Mia trust a proven liar? Her heart whispers yes. But as peril draws near, if Mia's heart has grown no wiser than her sister's, the consequences could prove fatal.

For fans of lighthearted romantic-suspense in the vein of Rachel Gibson or Jennifer Crusie. See why Kirkus Reviews said this book delivers "sheer enjoyment."

272 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 17, 2019

About the author

A USA Today bestselling author, former family physician and academic, Jan O’Hara left the world of medicine behind to follow her dreams of becoming a writer.
Janice fulfilled her dreams and published several books. Janice passed away in May 2025 and is dearly missed by her family and the many people she touched as a doctor and author.

Reviews

[Rositsa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story line, well written, easy flowing, with fantastic humour.I truly enjoyed it. It kept me guessing what happened next. Nice mixture of romance and suspense!

[Judith · Rating 5 out of 5]

What fun! The book is a subtly humorous Rom-Com married with the suspense of an amateur sting operation to expose an unscrupulous faith leader preying on naïve young people. All the characters are expertly described and the dialogues match their personalities. The storyline is novel, the language witty and the book is a real page-turner.
While Mia and her sister Tabitha successfully recover a necklace, a family heirloom from the cult leader, she meets Jackson, an undercover policeman masquerading as a security guard pretending not quite to be dealing with a full deck. The two experience an incredible sexual chemistry and have mind-blowing sex. Mia becomes obsessed with bringing down this corrupt religious organisation extorting exorbitant amounts of money from unsuspecting followers. 7 months after Mia’s first brush with ‘’undercover operations.’’ Mia turns up 7 months pregnant, working for First Faith. Now the cult has an amateur sleuth looking at their operations from the inside and the police running surveillance on the outside. Jackson seeing the heavily pregnant Mia is convinced that he is the father. I can’t give any further synopsis on this book, you’ll just have to read it to find out what happens. Following a series of bungled spy manoeuvres, Mia and Jackson pool resources and work together to rid the world from a crooked criminal and his ‘’inner circle ‘’ of confidants. A series of nail-biting, somewhat complicated plots later, we get a frenzied, action-packed finish with a moral high note and HEA. Jan is a good writer, this is my second book I read from her and I would gladly read more. Good editing enhanced the experience.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Shifty Bugger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the book it was great, the story was well written and the characters are interesting. Once I started I could not put the book down from start to finish you just could not get enough with twists and turns, hot and steamy, funny, danger.
Thank you for allowing me to review your book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[K B · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars
I received a free copy of the novel Desperate Times, Desperate Pleasures by Janice O'Hara and this review was given freely.
The overdramatic humor and drama of a RomCom merges with suspense and a twisted sting operation in this full length novel with sinister undertones and a hint of steam.

The unlucky in love Jack of all trades Mia becomes embroiled in a religious plot of corruption and extortion when her mother enlists her help to discover what her sister Tabitha is hiding.

Their plan to steal back a family heirloom starts a domino effect that ends in subterfuge, Mia meeting a man who is not what he portrays, a fake pregnancy, a kidnapping and finally fulfillment of love. Interesting characters along with family and workplace drama combined with a complicated plot make this an interesting and action packed story.

[Mindy Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first read by this author, and let me just say that I am pleasantly surprised. I quite enjoyed the storyline, the characters, and the author's writing style. It is a funny yet suspenseful romance between Mia and Jackson. These flawed characters are likable, their chemistry is combustible, and the unique plot makes for an intriguing read. It is a romantic adventure filled with enough drama, suspense, humor, and steam, plus engaging secondary characters to keep the reader interested, with a happy ending.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun book! When Mia’s little sister is essentially blackmailed by the pastor of her family’s cult like church, Mia goes all in to help her out of the predicament. In the process she meets a man she immediately falls for and discovers that the pastor has been involved in much more wrongdoing than what she suspected. Months later Mia goes undercover to work for the church to prove the illegal deeds are happening. In the process she runs into Jackson again and they have to decide if they’re working together or are at odds with one another. I received an advance copy of this book and voluntarily left a review.

[Tracy Fritts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was entertaining, smart, and funny it had many twists and turns. It had some drama, turmoil and revenge.It was well written and a good story line. I truly enjoyed reading this book and the characters I thought were wonderful. I look forward to reading other books by this author.

I received an advanced copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. All thoughts and opinions are of my own.

[Lisa H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mia and Jackson

Mia takes Tabby on a trip.
There’s a revival/ church that’s up to no good. She meets Jackson.

Jackson is undercover and ends up working with Mia to take down the baddies.

This is not an instant story. Nope it takes place over a decent amount of time.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining, funny, twists and turns, suspense and add in some drama. The Gibson sisters definitely keep you guessing about what happens next. A well written story line that grabs the readers attention and holds it until they turn the last page.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the way this story was built. The characters are well drafted and fun. There is humor and suspense and drama. I really like Mia and I like Tab and I love Jackson. There is a lot going on and there is laughter. The story flows easily and it is quite refreshing.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Brin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desperate Times, Desperate Pleasures is not your everyday romance. It's a thrilling multilayered read with intriguing characters who offer the perfect balance of unexpected twists to keep you wanting more. I immediately re-read it! A delicious and satisfying read. Highly recommend!

[Sherry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this story because it was so much more then I expected. The steamy romance leads to espionage, danger and a lot of illegal activities. The characters were all so interesting, multilayered and colourful.

[Elvira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was highly entertained while reading this book. The characters are well developed and engaging and had plenty of chemistry. The storyline was enjoyable.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Danielle Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story starts with a bang, and the action does get heavy. This plot is insane but it is a lot of fun. Mia attracts the wrong kind of guys, and Jackson although he is good guy. He's the wrong kind of guy for Mia to settle down with. At least while the relationship lasts, the ride will be wild.

[Laura Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story!! Full of intrigue, suspence and humor. With a very sassy dialog. A must read, you won't be disappointed.