This one took me a little longer to get into than Susan May Warren's other books. That might be because this is book 2 of a series so I might have been playing catch up. But once I got the characters sorted out it was a good story with some funny moments. ( )

While a fun read, I did not enjoy Double Trouble as much as its predecessor. The characters weren't as lovable this time around. I had expected more from the love triangle between PJ, Boone, and Jeremy since they showed great chemistry in the first book. Boone came across as a tad needier than expected, but I suppose in good reason since PJ did not immediately respond to his proposal. Jeremy, on the other hand, gets brownie points for discussing Roman Holiday with PJ in a philosophical manner. Yet I think both men hardly deserve PJ's attention at the moment since they failed to keep mine.

Story-wise, the mystery was rather unexciting. It was more of a waiting game for something to happen than a whodunit, so not a whole lot of nail-biting suspense. A little anti-climatic for a sequel since I had such great time with Nothing But Trouble. ( )

I needed something lighter to read, then Susan May Warren’s Double Trouble came in the mail. The blurb on the back quotes another author (Lori Copeland) saying the “dead-on characterization always makes me laugh.” It sounded good to me, and was good too. Just what I needed in fact.

PJ Sugar is reinventing herself as a private detective—well, private detective’s assistant to be precise. She has a history that makes living back home a little difficult, and romantic ties to the local policeman. I’d know more about it if I wasn’t joining the series halfway through, but I never felt like I was missing any necessary information, or that the author was dumping details on me to catch me up. The characters quickly became real and their relationships and backgrounds all fell into place.

Detective Boone Buckam: Overly protective—possibly controlling—maybe it’s inherent in being a guy—I just don’t know if he’s the guy for her… PJ Sugar: Overly quick to jump to conclusions—possibly low self-esteem—maybe just inherent in being a woman…But none of it was really a simple as that. The characters built up then overcame their stereotypes. The delightful Russians were just fun to hang around with. The elderly neighbor could be more, or less, batty than she seems. And the little boy was cute. The danger in PJ’s adventure is cleverly low-key, and the intrigue definitely fishy but the red herrings still smell okay.

I really enjoyed the book, and when, halfway through, I found that characters weren’t just “going to church” on occasion, but might even talk about God, that was fine because I already felt like I knew them. It was also fine because the lessons the protagonist learns are ones applicable to many of us, and most certainly to me.

So, light but not fluffy, entertaining but though-provoking too, gentle and oddly deep. Some more of this series may turn out to be just what I need on future occasions so I’ll make sure to remember the author—Susan May Warren. ( )