Daisy's friend, Chloe, invited her to her book launch party. Since Chloe's book is based on Daisy of course she goes to the party. Too bad the party was a bust. There weren't many people attending but the ones that did go sure made it a memorable night.

Chloe's publisher, Hank Hammond, argued with several employees that evening and his wife found out that he had TWO mistresses! When he was later found dead there were so many suspects it was going to take the police a long time to find the murderer. Daisy couldn't let her friend, Chloe, be declared guilty so she decided to find out who the real killer was. Detective Stern was handling the case but he wasn't happy about Daisy's interference in the investigation.

I have always liked the Daisy McDare books and the way she solves the crimes. They are well written, light mysteries that are fun to read. Unlike some other reviewers, this wasn't my favourite. I thought it was slow starting with the first 20% or so giving information about Daisy that wasn't necessary. In general, this book wasn't as interesting as the others in this series.

Please note I received a complementary copy in exchange for an honest review.

22yo college senior didn't expect her internet request for a sugar daddy

to yield the famous fashion-merchandising guru she's had a crush on since childhood. 49yo CEO Hero not only wined her and dined her in luxury but also eagerly supported her career ambitions in the fashion industry. He also matched her sexual prowess and openness to sexual adventure. However, he seemed to be distancing himself away the more from her the more he made things happen for her career. Why is putting limits in their relationship?

This was a waste of time. And I felt fooled by the book synopses. It made it sound like it would be a good & sexy May-December romance, especially the part that described it as “A red hot affair (that) transforms into a beautiful love story”. It was neither good, sexy, or romantic. And, “love story”? Not even. The book description made it sound like the book was an erotic romance. It's NOT. It's purely erotica & it wasn't even good erotica. There was plenty of detailed sex scenes but it was too technical to evoke sensuality. It catalogued the life of about-to-retire 49yo Hero, which is now filling up with sexual adventure than ever before. His voice was the most real among all the other POVs (point of views). I'm actually convinced that the author of this book is an older male.** If the author is actually a female, then the author writes male gerontology better than female young adulthood. Except for the archaic endearments 49yo Hero used for heroine. It made him sound more like a 70-year-old than a 49-year-old American male. Emotional pull of this book was severely lacking. Pages were spent more on business & luxury items than on character and romance development. I got bored & didn't want to waste any more time so I skimmed the last half. Turned out it was the best idea.

Not recommended.

**My explanation of why I believe this author is an older man is here.
 

In the summer of 1962, nineteen-year-old Mimi Beardsley arrived in Washington, D.C., to begin an internship in the White House press office. After just three days on the job, the privileged but sheltered young woman was presented to the President himself. Almost immediately, the two began an affair that would continue for the next eighteen months. Emotionally unprepared to counter the President’s charisma and power, Mimi was also ill-equipped to handle the feelings of isolation that would follow as she fell into the double life of a college student who was also the secret lover of the most powerful man in the world. After the President’s assassination in Dallas, she grieved alone, locked her secret away, and tried to start a new life, only to be blindsided by her past.
 
Now, no longer defined by silence or shame, Mimi Alford finally unburdens herself with this unflinchingly honest account of her life and her extremely private moments with a very public man. This paperback edition includes a special Q&A, in which the author reflects on the intense media attention surrounding the book’s initial release. Once Upon a Secret is a moving story of a woman emerging from the shadows to reclaim the truth.

Amazon.com

I remember not too long ago seeing this interview with Mimi Alford and found myself intrigued by her story. I remember thinking I'd like to read her memoir to hear more of that story, but it was a book title I quickly forgot in the ridiculously long list that is my TBR. I'd entirely forgotten about it until just recently when it popped up during one of my casual book browsing trips.

I ended up having mixed feelings about this one. If you're one to idolize JFK, this one's likely to put some tarnish on that silver. It's tough, in one respect, to read a book like this because the dead are not around to defend themselves -- and while Alford is completely respectful when discussing Kennedy, her tale does shed some unflattering light on Kennedy. Particularly with her description of the first night the relationship moved past professional, Kennedy's behavior appalled me. Alford insists that he was kind and considerate, but given the circumstances I say that a "kind and considerate" man would have stepped back and been man enough to admit that proceeding on would have been wrong. A man needing to get himself off is no excuse for irrevocably affecting a young girl's life.Then there was Mimi's side. She adamantly says she "has no regrets" in this matter but then goes on to repeatedly recount moments that left her "ashamed" or brought about cringes in remembrance. Seems like that's at least in the vein of regret?

One thing I think Alford's memoir does illustrate really well is just how susceptible a young woman barely in her adulthood can be to the mystique of "the older man". I myself have succumbed to it so in that, I could relate to her descriptions of the heady intoxication of a man's charisma, the confusion of feelings that ultimately come about. It's easy for someone to read her story and think "how could she be so stupid as to fall for that?" but from my personal experiences, I can attest that you can't know that you wouldn't fall for it yourself until it's there in front of you, giving the option to go forward with it. I didn't always agree with or like Alford's reasoning for her actions, but on some level, I could see where she was coming from. After so many years of this tumultuous period of her life haunting her, I was happy for her that she was able to find a silver lining.