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Tempting Fate
In a town of flamboyance, wealth and family feuds, a mystery of the past is about to resurface.
Despite her success as a young entrepreneur, Dani Pembroke is a haunted woman. Long ago her mother vanished without a trace, leaving Dani to live with her wealthy relatives, who have their own questionable pasts. Although the residents of Saratoga, New York, gossip that Lilli Pembroke's disappearance will never be solved, Dani is confident that she will find the truth one day.
That day draws near when security expert Zeke Cutler arrives in Saratoga. The two join forces in an effort to find out what really happened to Lilli Pembroke. But Dani is unaware that her fearless partner has his own reasons for uncovering the truth…and that their search is putting them on track to collide with a killer who will do anything to keep that secret buried.
Despite her success as a young entrepreneur, Dani Pembroke is a haunted woman. Long ago her mother vanished without a trace, leaving Dani to live with her wealthy relatives, who have their own questionable pasts. Although the residents of Saratoga, New York, gossip that Lilli Pembroke's disappearance will never be solved, Dani is confident that she will find the truth one day.
That day draws near when security expert Zeke Cutler arrives in Saratoga. The two join forces in an effort to find out what really happened to Lilli Pembroke. But Dani is unaware that her fearless partner has his own reasons for uncovering the truth…and that their search is putting them on track to collide with a killer who will do anything to keep that secret buried.
338 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1993
249 people are currently reading
546 people want to read
About the author
Carla Neggers
144Ìýbooks1,588ÌýfollowersCarla Neggers is the New York Times bestselling author of the Sharpe & Donovan series featuring Boston-based FBI agents Emma Sharpe and Colin Donovan, and the popular Swift River Valley series set in the small, fictional New England town of Knights Bridge. With many bestsellers to her credit, Carla loves to write now as much as she did when she climbed a tree at age eleven with a pad and pen and spun stories perched on her favorite branch.
A native New Englander, Carla and her husband divide their time between their hilltop home in Vermont, a sofa bed at their kids' places in Boston and various inns, hotels and hideaways on their travels, frequently to Ireland.
Find out more and sign up for Carla's newsletter at CarlaNeggers.com.
A native New Englander, Carla and her husband divide their time between their hilltop home in Vermont, a sofa bed at their kids' places in Boston and various inns, hotels and hideaways on their travels, frequently to Ireland.
Find out more and sign up for Carla's newsletter at CarlaNeggers.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
October 15, 2018
An okay kind of audio.. but only really listened to it for a certain reading challenge.
Tempting Fate isn't a book that I would normally listen to. I'll even admit, I was a bit bored throughout some of this book. In it, you will meet Dani Pembroke. Long ago, her mother disappeared and to this day Dani is still haunted about it. She's determined to find out what the hell happened to her mother because things aren't adding up.
Enter Zeke Cutler, the handsome ass security expert. One day Dani's house was broken into and she was attacked. When she met Zeke, the two kind of form a team to figure out what the hell happened in her home that day and to find out what exactly happened to her mother. Every character you meet in this book was boring (in my opinion). They all have their own agendas in this book and the entire mystery about her mom's disappearance was just frustrating at one point. I wanted to know what happened, when it happened, and why it all happened. I didn't care about all of their life stories because they were distractions from the bigger picture.
Besides all of that, the "romance" was okay. I'm glad that it wasn't the sole focus of the book because who knows if I would've finished this thing. Other than that, I probably would've forgotten that this book even had a romance in it.
Overall, it was okay. Kind of boring and didn't really pick up until the end of the book.
Tempting Fate isn't a book that I would normally listen to. I'll even admit, I was a bit bored throughout some of this book. In it, you will meet Dani Pembroke. Long ago, her mother disappeared and to this day Dani is still haunted about it. She's determined to find out what the hell happened to her mother because things aren't adding up.
Enter Zeke Cutler, the handsome ass security expert. One day Dani's house was broken into and she was attacked. When she met Zeke, the two kind of form a team to figure out what the hell happened in her home that day and to find out what exactly happened to her mother. Every character you meet in this book was boring (in my opinion). They all have their own agendas in this book and the entire mystery about her mom's disappearance was just frustrating at one point. I wanted to know what happened, when it happened, and why it all happened. I didn't care about all of their life stories because they were distractions from the bigger picture.
Besides all of that, the "romance" was okay. I'm glad that it wasn't the sole focus of the book because who knows if I would've finished this thing. Other than that, I probably would've forgotten that this book even had a romance in it.
Overall, it was okay. Kind of boring and didn't really pick up until the end of the book.
November 26, 2017
borrowed from library:
hidden truths and 1/2 truths affect 3 generations of a family across the continent.
This is a mystery/crime/kind of thriller story with an understated touch of romance.
The suspicious disappearance of 1 member of the family 25 years ago has repercussions throughout all 3 generations and 3 family businesses.
hidden truths and 1/2 truths affect 3 generations of a family across the continent.
This is a mystery/crime/kind of thriller story with an understated touch of romance.
The suspicious disappearance of 1 member of the family 25 years ago has repercussions throughout all 3 generations and 3 family businesses.
July 20, 2022
For me this was a ok book but not a real favorite.
March 24, 2010
Her mother went missing twenty-five years ago, she grew up pretty much on her own, she threw her inheritance back into her grandfather's face and embraced the flamboyant half of her family as hers...Now, the mystery of her mother's disappearance just might be revealed, but there is someone who doesn't want it to and will do anything to prevent it from happening. But is that someone the same man she's falling for?
I complained about the first chapter being boring and slow...Well, the next chapters didn't improve the initial impression. This was a very slow book, hindered by a boatload of characters each with their own story (and apparently their own agenda), a lot of flashbacks that seemed unimportant at first but soon clicked into the bigger picture (I still found them bothersome, though), and the constant jumping from character to character and their inner thoughts and psyche.
The romance was pushed way back into the background in this one, but it didn't bother me, since the hero and heroine had very little to none chemistry. In fact, he was a dash too laconic for my taste, she was just plain annoying with her "feminism", and there just was no spark. It just happened. Hmmm.
Despite a good suspense subplot, full of intrigue and perils, reading this book was rather tiring, since it only picked up pace toward the end. The resolution was a little mind-boggling, though I have to give kudos to the author, because I sure didn't see that one coming.
2 ½ stars
I complained about the first chapter being boring and slow...Well, the next chapters didn't improve the initial impression. This was a very slow book, hindered by a boatload of characters each with their own story (and apparently their own agenda), a lot of flashbacks that seemed unimportant at first but soon clicked into the bigger picture (I still found them bothersome, though), and the constant jumping from character to character and their inner thoughts and psyche.
The romance was pushed way back into the background in this one, but it didn't bother me, since the hero and heroine had very little to none chemistry. In fact, he was a dash too laconic for my taste, she was just plain annoying with her "feminism", and there just was no spark. It just happened. Hmmm.
Despite a good suspense subplot, full of intrigue and perils, reading this book was rather tiring, since it only picked up pace toward the end. The resolution was a little mind-boggling, though I have to give kudos to the author, because I sure didn't see that one coming.
2 ½ stars
March 5, 2018
Lots of great characters
This book is filled with lots of great characters and their history. It’s has a main love story set against the mystery suspense of the twenty five year old disappearance of a heiress. The story centers around Dani, spa owner and bottle water entrepreneur, who grew up motherless because her mother went missing when she was little. The impact of that disappearance is far reaching going back generations.
The book was a fun read as it jumps from present to past with ease and I loved the mystery of finding out what really happened to Dani’s mom. Good romance too.
This book is filled with lots of great characters and their history. It’s has a main love story set against the mystery suspense of the twenty five year old disappearance of a heiress. The story centers around Dani, spa owner and bottle water entrepreneur, who grew up motherless because her mother went missing when she was little. The impact of that disappearance is far reaching going back generations.
The book was a fun read as it jumps from present to past with ease and I loved the mystery of finding out what really happened to Dani’s mom. Good romance too.
March 7, 2018
Secrets
This was the first mystery I've read by this author.. it was was terrific! I stayed up all night trying to finish this story. I just couldn't find a good place to stop. Families are always full of secrets in one form or fashion. However, this family enough for many, many families. I was hanging until the end. Great stuff!
This was the first mystery I've read by this author.. it was was terrific! I stayed up all night trying to finish this story. I just couldn't find a good place to stop. Families are always full of secrets in one form or fashion. However, this family enough for many, many families. I was hanging until the end. Great stuff!
March 18, 2018
I usually like this author; she is a skilled writer; however, I had trouble following this plot or caring much about the characters. If I had to give a summary right now, I'm not sure I could. I am upping the star rating to three because I think that I, as much as the author, am responsible for my blah reaction to this book. It just didn't hit me right at the right time for some reason.
April 3, 2024
exhausting
This was one of those books where there are so many characters that I thought it would take me to the end of the book to figure out who was who. I was wrong…I never did figure it out. A book should be enjoyable, not exhausting. The story was just okay so I think maybe 3 stars was too many.
This was one of those books where there are so many characters that I thought it would take me to the end of the book to figure out who was who. I was wrong…I never did figure it out. A book should be enjoyable, not exhausting. The story was just okay so I think maybe 3 stars was too many.
February 26, 2018
Twisted
I LOVE Carla Neggers!!! I have over 30 of her books so far and I'll keep adding to that. This story was full of twisted suspense and great characters. A very enjoyable, worthwhile read!!!
I LOVE Carla Neggers!!! I have over 30 of her books so far and I'll keep adding to that. This story was full of twisted suspense and great characters. A very enjoyable, worthwhile read!!!
September 9, 2018
Good book
I am writing yobs so I can leave this site will not allow me to leave until I do so
I enjoy these books
But I do not want to do review
If I did not like them I wouldn't be reading them
Waiting for next one
Characters are interesting
Keeps you reading
I am writing yobs so I can leave this site will not allow me to leave until I do so
I enjoy these books
But I do not want to do review
If I did not like them I wouldn't be reading them
Waiting for next one
Characters are interesting
Keeps you reading
August 2, 2019
It was a bit lengthy and the mystery could have been solved sooner than it was. There was a lot going on throughout the story. Dani was frustrated because she could not get answers from the people she loved the most. Eventually she is able to get the answers she was looking for.
June 16, 2020
This was a great mystery. It seemed to drag in places but overall It was a good book.
I have read it twice or should I say 1.5 times. The first time all the way through the second time hit and miss and then the end to remind myself of the story before I gave away the book.
I have read it twice or should I say 1.5 times. The first time all the way through the second time hit and miss and then the end to remind myself of the story before I gave away the book.
April 8, 2021
Carla neggers is one of my favourite authors, she never failing to hook you into her stories from the first page and although you might try to guess the end result you are rarely right, this story will have you guessing up to its conclusion. she is a master story teller.
June 15, 2017
nice story but very confusing characters; took me most of the book to figure out who was who
February 27, 2018
Who done it.
More mystery than romance. Excellent tale hat keeps you guessing. While I didn’t care for the heroine, the hero was believable and intriguing.
More mystery than romance. Excellent tale hat keeps you guessing. While I didn’t care for the heroine, the hero was believable and intriguing.
July 29, 2019
I always love reading romantic suspense by this author. This wasn't my favorite, but I still enjoyed the story. Zeke Cutler is a good hero.
January 21, 2020
Another great read!!
February 16, 2021
3.5 stars - the second half of the book is much better than the first half so stick with it.
December 10, 2021
Mild swearing, a couple easy-to-skip sex scenes, but really good overall. Engaging, easy to follow, classic Neggers.
June 2, 2023
Easy read, makes you appreciate what you have.
September 13, 2023
This was a good mystery book with a complex plot. At times, it was a bit confusing because there were so many characters. It would have been nice to have a family tree to help keep them straight.
November 7, 2023
The book was rather confusing. It was an okay read.
July 15, 2024
Did not finish. Didn’t like.
September 11, 2008
Full of suspense and mystery but almost predictable.
Much to the chagrin of her Chandler relatives, Danielle Chandler Pembroke (Dani Pembroke) has returned to Saratoga Springs and has become an entrepreneur. Opening the Pembroke home as a hotel and re-opening the bottling plant (Pembroke mineral water), rumors begin to fly that she is over-extending her funds and is in trouble. The family is one edge as well - 25 years ago, Lilli Chandler Pembroke, her mother, had gone missing, never to be seen or heard from again. But Dani is determined - not only to persevere in spite of what others and her family thinks of her thriving business, but to figure out what happened to her mother as well.
Ezekiel Cutler (Zeke), a security expert, receives a note from Dani’s estranged great-aunt; seems there is more to Lilli’s disappearance than most people would like to believe. He’s come to Saratoga Springs to figure out what happened and seek justice for his dead brother, Joe.
First, Dani finds a Pembroke gold gate key, believed to be the key that Lilli was wearing around her neck when she disappeared. Someone breaks into her cottage and ransacks it, taking the matching gold and brass keys and gives Dani a shove before escaping. While waiting in her garden, Zeke enters her life. Believing him to be her attacker, she throws a bottle at his head, runs through the house, grabbing a cast-iron frying pan and her car keys and races to the front, only to find Zeke leaning against her car door.
Zeke wants Dani to trust him, but he’s mysterious, evasive with answers to her questions and Dani doesn’t trust him in the least. Especially when he gets close - mysterious and evasive are enough to distrust him, and his looks and manner don’t help in the least. He’s too good-looking, and Dani believes she has enough on her plate than to be distracted by him.
More events begin to happen; someone ransacks room 304, Zeke’s room. More facts arise but don’t fit each other. Her father, who has come back to Saratoga at his father’s request, is attacked while roaming the grounds. While in the forest on Pembroke grounds, Ira has come looking for Dani, only to be attacked, believed by the same man who attacked her father. And while all this is going on, her grandfather and grandmother both come back to Saratoga. As if Dani didnt� have enough to worry about, now the press is hounding her as well. More attacks, shootings, and confrontations make up a lot of the suspenseful and tenseful scenes.
Despite it all, Dani and Zeke are determined to find out what happened to Lilli.
I found Dani to be a strong woman, one who goes after what she wants, despite threats and concerns from her relatives. When rumors begin to fly that she’s over-extending herself and facing financial ruin, she is determined more than ever to make her businesses succeed, regardless if the notorious Pembroke name has everyone believing otherwise. I think in spite of it, Dani is proud to be a Pembroke, even if the two most important men in her life, her father and grandfather, have let her down time and again. She’s determined to rise above.
Zeke enters her life in a rather strange way. His evasiveness to talk about himself or his past has her on alert and distrustful. And no matter how much she wants to distrust him, he still manages to get under her skin.
One strange thing leads to another, and both become even more determined to find out what happened to Dani’s mother - for completely seperate reasons. Dani hasn’t seen nor heard from her mother in 25 years, since she was nine years old. Not knowing makes the past all that more painful. For Zeke, the disappearance seemed to disturb his brother, who was killed in combat overseas. After the pulitzer prize winning book, Joe Cutler: One Soldier’s Rise and Fall written by Quint Skinner, had disturbed Zeke the most. By the end of the novel, Joe was no longer the brother he knew and loved, and he believed that there was a reason for it, that Lilli’s disappearance played a part of it. Quint had been a soldier beside Joe when Joe was killed, and Zene believed that Quint knew more than he was telling.
The suspense and tension had this reader flipping the page, the mystery constantly in my mind. The action picks up as more attacks and shootings begin to happen, adding more to the mystery. But Dani figures it out first, putting her in a position she never dreamed she’d be in, and Zeke comes to the rescue, figuring it out right after Dani. I thought the ‘who� was slightly predictable, but the why wasn’t. It was the scenes after the end of the mystery that I thought was a great added touch: two estranged sisters (Dani’s grandmother, Mattie, and great-aunt, Naomi) finally reunited, Mattie and Nick still love each other, even if they couldn’t be together. When Zeke had left, he told Dani that she’d have to find him if she wanted him. Everyone at the Pembroke pitched in a plane ticket, and with Zeke’s partner’s directions, Dani hunts Zeke down. A perfect ending.
Much to the chagrin of her Chandler relatives, Danielle Chandler Pembroke (Dani Pembroke) has returned to Saratoga Springs and has become an entrepreneur. Opening the Pembroke home as a hotel and re-opening the bottling plant (Pembroke mineral water), rumors begin to fly that she is over-extending her funds and is in trouble. The family is one edge as well - 25 years ago, Lilli Chandler Pembroke, her mother, had gone missing, never to be seen or heard from again. But Dani is determined - not only to persevere in spite of what others and her family thinks of her thriving business, but to figure out what happened to her mother as well.
Ezekiel Cutler (Zeke), a security expert, receives a note from Dani’s estranged great-aunt; seems there is more to Lilli’s disappearance than most people would like to believe. He’s come to Saratoga Springs to figure out what happened and seek justice for his dead brother, Joe.
First, Dani finds a Pembroke gold gate key, believed to be the key that Lilli was wearing around her neck when she disappeared. Someone breaks into her cottage and ransacks it, taking the matching gold and brass keys and gives Dani a shove before escaping. While waiting in her garden, Zeke enters her life. Believing him to be her attacker, she throws a bottle at his head, runs through the house, grabbing a cast-iron frying pan and her car keys and races to the front, only to find Zeke leaning against her car door.
Zeke wants Dani to trust him, but he’s mysterious, evasive with answers to her questions and Dani doesn’t trust him in the least. Especially when he gets close - mysterious and evasive are enough to distrust him, and his looks and manner don’t help in the least. He’s too good-looking, and Dani believes she has enough on her plate than to be distracted by him.
More events begin to happen; someone ransacks room 304, Zeke’s room. More facts arise but don’t fit each other. Her father, who has come back to Saratoga at his father’s request, is attacked while roaming the grounds. While in the forest on Pembroke grounds, Ira has come looking for Dani, only to be attacked, believed by the same man who attacked her father. And while all this is going on, her grandfather and grandmother both come back to Saratoga. As if Dani didnt� have enough to worry about, now the press is hounding her as well. More attacks, shootings, and confrontations make up a lot of the suspenseful and tenseful scenes.
Despite it all, Dani and Zeke are determined to find out what happened to Lilli.
I found Dani to be a strong woman, one who goes after what she wants, despite threats and concerns from her relatives. When rumors begin to fly that she’s over-extending herself and facing financial ruin, she is determined more than ever to make her businesses succeed, regardless if the notorious Pembroke name has everyone believing otherwise. I think in spite of it, Dani is proud to be a Pembroke, even if the two most important men in her life, her father and grandfather, have let her down time and again. She’s determined to rise above.
Zeke enters her life in a rather strange way. His evasiveness to talk about himself or his past has her on alert and distrustful. And no matter how much she wants to distrust him, he still manages to get under her skin.
One strange thing leads to another, and both become even more determined to find out what happened to Dani’s mother - for completely seperate reasons. Dani hasn’t seen nor heard from her mother in 25 years, since she was nine years old. Not knowing makes the past all that more painful. For Zeke, the disappearance seemed to disturb his brother, who was killed in combat overseas. After the pulitzer prize winning book, Joe Cutler: One Soldier’s Rise and Fall written by Quint Skinner, had disturbed Zeke the most. By the end of the novel, Joe was no longer the brother he knew and loved, and he believed that there was a reason for it, that Lilli’s disappearance played a part of it. Quint had been a soldier beside Joe when Joe was killed, and Zene believed that Quint knew more than he was telling.
The suspense and tension had this reader flipping the page, the mystery constantly in my mind. The action picks up as more attacks and shootings begin to happen, adding more to the mystery. But Dani figures it out first, putting her in a position she never dreamed she’d be in, and Zeke comes to the rescue, figuring it out right after Dani. I thought the ‘who� was slightly predictable, but the why wasn’t. It was the scenes after the end of the mystery that I thought was a great added touch: two estranged sisters (Dani’s grandmother, Mattie, and great-aunt, Naomi) finally reunited, Mattie and Nick still love each other, even if they couldn’t be together. When Zeke had left, he told Dani that she’d have to find him if she wanted him. Everyone at the Pembroke pitched in a plane ticket, and with Zeke’s partner’s directions, Dani hunts Zeke down. A perfect ending.
December 7, 2024
Disjointed. Too many characters introduced in a way I couldn't keep track. Did not like at all.
April 16, 2016
I loved the title and had to read this mystery novel about a dark eyed beauty born into a family of ‘legends and scoundrels�. Dani runs a luxury spa hotel and a water bottling plant. Even though her relations have millions, she insists on doing everything alone. Dani’s solitary nature is a result of her mother disappearing a long time ago--without a trace—well there is a possible clue with that golden key-- her mother wore as jewelry. Ever since she found the key there have been strange things happening around the bottling plant. A Pulitzer Prize winning journalist comes to town and so does a casual guy with an easy smile who says he’s a security expert called Zeke. Meanwhile, there are family disputes, history lessons and photographs churning up the past. As the tension builds, so do trips to the hospital emergency room. Sparks fly and so do the bullets in this family tale containing Hollywood glamour, bi-coastal greed and blackmail. It’s quite a twisting, turning tale and I have to admit I had a little trouble following the plot and the names of all the family members but I still enjoyed it and definitely loved the ending.
March 11, 2013
Really 3 and 1/2 stars. The character background and plot development was really good. The romance was not so good. I guessed the bad guy and the motive - always a bad thing to me.
Dani Chandler Pembroke comes ftom an eccrentic family, to say the least. I won't go into details because the book beats you over the head with them ad nasseum. Zeke is a wounded soul whose older brother, whom he adored, turned out to have feet of clay (or did he?). Zeke shows up in Sartoga Springs, NY trying to find ansewer to the disappearance of Dani's mom and if his brother had any part in is. 75 year old Naomi sends him after she sees a picture of Dani wearing a gold key that disappeared with Dani's mother 25 yeras ago.
Dani Chandler Pembroke comes ftom an eccrentic family, to say the least. I won't go into details because the book beats you over the head with them ad nasseum. Zeke is a wounded soul whose older brother, whom he adored, turned out to have feet of clay (or did he?). Zeke shows up in Sartoga Springs, NY trying to find ansewer to the disappearance of Dani's mom and if his brother had any part in is. 75 year old Naomi sends him after she sees a picture of Dani wearing a gold key that disappeared with Dani's mother 25 yeras ago.
January 12, 2014
The story was quite interesting and it was difficult for me to see what was coming at the end which for me is rear. However there were far too many different characters and I found them to be confusing. I also thought that they caused a cluttered type atmosphere because they where so difficult to keep track of. The pase was too slow and it didn't seem to build tension or suspence so that was frustrating.
March 14, 2009
This book was given to me and I chucked it off to the side waiting to read it as a last resort. (When I was out of books and couldnt make it to the library). But I was really surprised. This was a very good book. I liked the characters and the mystery behind the missing women. The ending could not have been more perfect. Truly a good read and I will be searching out more from Carla Neggers.
November 30, 2014
What happened to Lilly Chandler Pembrook when she disappeared 25 years ago? Her daughter Dani wants to know as well as four or five others, including a man who went to see Lilly's famous actress mother-in-law when he was 13. What link does his brother have with the Chandlers-Pembrooks, and how does it tie into his death in combat?
A wonder Carla Neggers story.
A wonder Carla Neggers story.
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