Results May Vary

It's Friday!  Did you read the Little House books growing up? They are such heartwarming books (I own the whole set).  If you enjoyed them, I want to suggest A Chloe Ellefson Mystery series by Kathleen Ernst.  The main character, Chloe Ellefson is the curator of a living history museum in Wisconsin.  There are seven books in the series.  The first book is Old World Murder and it is currently on sale on Amazon.  After reading a book in this series, I then went and purchased the remainder of the novels. 

Results May Vary is a new novel by Bethany Chase.  Caroline Fairly Hammond is going to an art gallery with her husband of fifteen years, Adam.  The photographer, Patrick Timothy (Rubinowitz is his real last name) is having an exhibit.  Jonathan Brast, their friend, as well as his latest girlfriend, Alicia are attending as well.  Caroline is looking at the photos when Alicia asks if she wants to see some special photos that are not on exhibit.  Caroline agrees and Alicia pulls her into the office.  When Caroline sees the intimate photos, she understands why they are not on display.  They are very sensual (erotic) pictures of two men in bed.  Caroline notices a birthmark on one of the men that looks very similar to her husbands.  Adam comes looking for her, and Caroline points out the birthmark.  She then sees the look on Adam’s face and realizes that Adam is the man in the photo.  The other man is Patrick Timothy (the photographer).   Caroline is shocked, upset, outraged (and so much more).  Caroline ends up going home with Jonathan and stays at his apartment for a week before finally returning to her home in Williamstown, Massachusetts.  Caroline is an art curator for MASS MoCA.  Caroline’s sister, Ruby comes to visit.  Ruby is hoping to cheer her sister up, but she also just got out of a relationship and lost her job.  Caroline has to find a way to deal with Adam’s betrayal, work through it, decide how to proceed with her marriage, and move on with her life.  Join Caroline on her journey in Results May Vary.

Results May Vary is nicely written and deals with an issue that many women and experience every day.  I found Results May Vary a slow paced novel.  Caroline does the usual post-betrayal things of evaluating what went wrong, what could have caused it, etc. (but it did not feel real).  Caroline then takes off her wedding rings and proceeds with her “new” life (whiplash).  Caroline just did not come alive for me (I found her to be a very self-absorbed person).  We actually get very little information on Adam.  More is revealed about him near the end of the novel (mostly he comes across as a jerk).  I am not quite sure how these two stayed married (they did not seem to have much in common and even lived apart during the week). The more interesting character was Ruby, Caroline’s sister.  She embraced life and lived it (even started her own business when she got fired).  The action does not pick up until the latter portion of the story (the last 20% or so).  I’m afraid that I found Results May Vary predictable.  I was hoping for something different or unique in this book that would make it stand out from the crowd.  I give Results May Vary 3 out of 5 stars (it was okay, but not for me).  I really wanted to like this book, but instead I had a hard time finishing it.  While this book was not for me, other readers have enjoyed it and you may as well.

Here is how Bethany Chase describes Caroline's clothing style:

Caroline has a very classic, 50's inspired, feminine style: she never wears pants if she can wear a skirt. A typical Caroline work outfit would be a silk button down tucked into a full, knee-length skirt, finished off with a beautiful belt and a pair of round-toed pumps. And one of the things that helps her get through the long New England winters is the sweaters: she's never met a cable knit, Fair Isle or intarsia that she didn't love.

You can follow Bethany Chase on Amazon and Facebook to get updates on her latest novels.  Her first novel is The One That Got Away.  I received a complimentary copy of Results May Vary in exchange for an honest evaluation.  The comments and opinions expressed are strictly my own.

I appreciate you taking the time to visit and read my latest review. I am off to the pharmacy to pick up some prescriptions for my mother.  May all of you have a special day (you deserve it).  Take care and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader