Title: Lane Changes Series: Cassie Cruise Mysteries #1
Author: S.L. Ellis
Genres: Women's Fiction
Release Date: December 20, 2014
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Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review. Read more
About Lane Changes:
Cassie Cruise wants her life back as a kick-ass P.I. Trouble is, she has zero credibility since bungling a case on reality TV. After a public tantrum, she slinks off to bury her head in the sandy beaches of Southwest Florida. Just as she starts over as the owner of The Big Prick Tattoo Shop, a body is discovered in the trunk of her burning car. Cassie's aware there are those who'd get in line for their turn to torch her car. But murder?
You don't have to like her, but you damn well better respect her. And get out of her way—this is one case she intends to solve, with or without an audience.
My Review:
This one wasn’t for me. The past few years, I’ve almost exclusively read romance, but when I did have time to read in college, it was always women’s fiction like this book. The blurb seemed interesting, and for some reason I love when characters are P.I.s, so I requested it.
It definitely wasn’t bad. I feel like my 3-star reviews are always books that other people would really like.
It was just kind of blah for me. Not a lot of humor, not a lot of romance. Those are my two favorite things. There was stuff that was supposed to be funny, but my reaction was more, “that’s cute,” than “hahahaha.” I like going “hahahaha.”
There were also a lot of characters, none of whom you got to really know much about. And some of them, I’m not really sure why they were there. For example, Cassie’s boyfriend/fiance/I’m not even sure. He was barely in the book at all when he’s supposedly an important part of Cassie’s life.
But on the other hand, I can’t blame him, because Cassie didn’t seem to treat him, or the other people in her life, very well. She has awful tunnel vision where she gets an idea or fixated on a case, and seems to ignore everything else in the universe. She was also nosey and rude to pretty much everyone. Sometimes, a character can pull this off with the balance of other redeeming qualities, but I didn’t seem them in her. You couldn’t shrug off some of her behavior with an, “Oh, but she means well.”
About S.L. Ellis:
S. L. Ellis is from a small town in Michigan. After too many decades of winter, Ellis was ready for a fresh start. A move to Florida and a few days on the beach improved her disposition a hundred-fold, and it was here that writing became more than a thought. Classes were taken, workshops worked, and a few books written.
Always rude main characters are one of the worst traits of novels. Who wants to read that?
Right?! Unlikeable characters are *sometimes* tolerable when it’s not told in first person from their POV. But as the main character in a first-person narrative, nope.