Robert Zimmermann

I’ve been a big fan of Tara Sivec ever since I finished Seduction and Snacks (then the rest of that series and it’s spin-off). I’ve also enjoyed Watch Over Me, a more serious novel from Sivec. What the author’s done with her Fool Me Once series is take the comedy and dialogue from her Chocolate Lovers books and combined it with her more serious side, showing another facet to her writing. I’ve come to appreciate the variety Sivec brings to her books.

Shame on Me doesn’t fall short in doing this, and I might even go as far as to say that the writing strengthened even more from the first book in this series. As always, the characters are fun and well developed. This is the case even for minor characters who don’t get much “screen time”. When it comes to the story, I felt that Sivec does well throwing so much into such a short book. I was hesitant at some points because I wasn’t sure that it could be wrapped up so soon, being that there are a few different case that Paige is dealing with at once, but this wasn’t an issue after all. Without spoiling the book, my doubt was unnecessary.

The only thing that brought this down from a 5 star was that it felt a bit overdone in the conclusion. It was a bit unrealistic (even though this is fiction) as to how it all went down. I can’t explain myself more without major spoilers, but don’t worry too much. I don’t feel it ruined anything, and I did greatly enjoy the book . Book 3, Shame on Him is soon up on my TBR.