Famous Penultimate Words


Romance - Suspense
328 Pages
Reviewed on 07/31/2015
Buy on Amazon

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.

This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.

Author Biography

Roberta Pearce’s relationship with romance novels began when she fell into a box of her aunt’s dog-eared treasures that miraculously opened at the most interesting bits. All through post-secondary adventures – Russian Lit: good; torrid love scenes: better – this amour de HEA took her, though it goes without saying that she failed French. One day, she decided to make a useful contribution to society and write HEAs rather than just reading them, and still seeks one for herself in real life.

Winner of 2013 & 2014 NaNoWriMo, Pearce is still waiting for her cheques. Her influences include Fyodor Dostoyevsky [his dreamy side], Douglas Adams, Rupert Brooke, Mary Burchell, and Omar Khayyam. While she currently has no pets, she once had a pair of Siamese fighting fish named Pat and Mike, whose ghosts appear occasionally in her novels. Her imaginary hobbies include climbing Kilimanjaro and enjoying lofty literature. Her real hobbies include drinking copious bottles of wine with good friends while discussing anything that pops to mind.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Tracy A. Fischer for Readers' Favorite

What a fun read! Those were the words that came to mind when I finished reading Famous Penultimate Words by Roberta Pearce. The book starts with the protagonist, Adelyn “Adie” Wilding, being surprisingly shot and dying. Thankfully for her, and for me as the reader, she was resuscitated, because it would have been a crying shame if the book had ended there! While at the hospital, she meets the mysterious, handsome and green-eyed Nathan. Even while she’s looped up on pain meds, Adie’s still able to recognize that Nathan’s someone she might want to get to know. The book moves along quickly through Adie’s journey of both trying to figure out exactly who Nathan is to exactly who her would-be murderer is as well.

I picked up this book on a day that I was busy with meetings and appointments, and that was a HUGE mistake. It was so engrossing that I kept finding myself making excuses to try to get a little more reading time. Famous Penultimate Words is definitely a book you want to have time available to read all the way through, it’s that addictive! This book would appeal to both lovers of mystery and light romance, and it’s funny too. I giggled out loud in several spots, and found myself truly rooting for the irrepressible Adie. If you’re looking for a delightful read, one that is attention-grabbing from the get-go, and one that will keep you wanting more when you have to put it down, then Roberta Pearce’s new novel is for you!

Natasha Jackson

When we meet Adelyn “Adie” Wilding in Famous Penultimate Words, she is just walking along The Strand when she’s randomly shot. Like most of us not involved in illegal activities, Adie believes she was shot by mistake, at least until the fake cops in uniforms show up and have her questioning that idea. But then the real police show up and the all too handsome and mysterious Nathan with the ‘really green eyes’ soon becomes her protector in his efforts to unravel the mystery of why Adie was shot and by whom. When it becomes clear the shooting wasn’t all that random, and others in her life are found dead, Adie realizes her life has suddenly gotten complicated. Roberta Pearce has crafted a wonderfully hilarious story with a truly witty heroine and enough suspense to hook you until the very end.

One of the things I enjoyed most about Famous Penultimate Words was Adie and her weird sense of humor. She’s witty and sometimes sarcastic and often too honest, especially when morphine is involved. But I also loved the way Roberta Pearce was able to seamlessly blend suspense and romance without either parts of the story suffering. It wasn’t just how well they blended together but how well Pearce executes the story. The pacing was spot on — not too fast or slow — and the mystery is truly a mystery. A few times I thought I’d nailed the doer, only to be disappointed, which I love. So much happened between the first and last page; it was all interesting and it didn’t feel stuffed in for the sake of longevity. This story was, simply put, a really great time.

Jack Magnus

Famous Penultimate Words is a romantic suspense novel written by Roberta Pearce. Adelyn Wilding was on her way to her favorite restaurant for lunch when her life was abruptly cut short -- literally. Someone shot her, and her last moments were spent analyzing the smell of gardenias and stale ale and looking up close at the blackened bits of gum on the pavement. A paramedic was able to revive her, and when she woke up again, she was in hospital with a trio of uniformed police officers asking her questions about the attack. Adie was enjoying the self-service morphine pump, however, as it helped keep the pain to manageable levels and let her float through the disconcerting experience, so her recollections of that interview were hazy at best. Later, when the real police show up, Adie and the very dishy Nathan, who Adie thinks must be in hospital management, begin to suspect that the attack was anything but random. When Susie Kunkel, a co-worker Adie had a confrontation with just before leaving for lunch, is found murdered, their suspicions are confirmed.

Roberta Pearce's romantic suspense novel, Famous Penultimate Words, is a disarming and entertaining blend of police procedural, detective and romance genres as Adie, Nathan and the police assigned to the case attempt to solve the mystery before Adie's life is taken once again. Adie stoutly affirms that she is not Canadian but a dual citizen, having been born in England and raised in Toronto. Her move to London as a young woman has been a thing of joy, though she hasn't really made any close friends yet, only a few office friendships and random acquaintances. Everything changes with the attack on her, and facing an unknown and deadly assailant seems to cause Adie to channel Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden, and she can't seem to help but get just a bit too involved in catching those responsible for her demise. Pearce's plot is humorous, breezy and, at the same time, a rip-roaringly good whodunit that kept me guessing until the very end. Her characters are well-defined and engaging, and her storyline is deliciously unpredictable. Famous Penultimate Words is a marvelous romantic thriller and it's highly recommended.

Samantha Dewitt (Rivera)

Life for Adie is never going to be the same. Ever since a chance encounter in her boss’s office that led to her picking up an envelope she was never supposed to see, she’s been in one dangerous situation after another. Luckily for her, there seems to be one new constant in her life that’s working on making all of these dangerous situations go away and that’s Nathan. But there are still questions to be answered. Who wants her dead? What could have happened that fateful day that suddenly so many people are after her? And most important of all, will she survive the repeated attempts on her life?

This book was one that I did not want to put down. I was very excited when I first started reading it because Adie definitely seemed like a normal woman that I could relate to. When you throw Nathan into the mix the whole adventure just seems to get even better. I loved the way the action really seems to build up and you’re not just thrown right into the middle of something that seems too abrupt. You never see it coming who’s actually behind everything that happens either (the bad guys are definitely hidden well until it all comes out in the end). I loved the romance and the development of the relationships. Plus you’re going to be drawn to everything that’s happening throughout the book (even the less adventurous parts). Adie may fancy herself somewhat of a detective, but her antics are sometimes more funny than informative in Famous Penultimate Words by Roberta Pearce.

Anne-Marie Reynolds

Famous Penultimate Words by Roberta Pearce is a romantic suspense. Can you die twice? Somebody thinks you can. Adie Wilding is nothing special, just a normal everyday kind of girl. But someone wants her dead and shoots her. She dies but is revived in hospital, where she meets Nathan Crawford. Nathan and Adie get together to try to figure out why she was randomly shot – only it wasn’t quite as straightforward as that. As the bodies begin to pile up, people that Adie knew, it becomes clear that there is more to this than first appeared. Adie’s life is truly hanging in the balance now as she fights to find the killer and keep herself alive one more time.

Famous Penultimate Words by Roberta Pearce was a real mix of suspense, mystery and a bit of humor thrown in for good measure. I thoroughly enjoyed the story; Ms. Pearce has a real way with words and the ability to bring her characters to life in an instant. The story was told in a no-nonsense manner, straight to the point, but with plenty of description as well. The plot unfolded nicely, a few twists and turns that kept me reading. The mark of a good author is one who can keep her readers interested, wanting to read on to see what happens. Ms. Pearce has achieved that very well with this book and I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes a bit of romance mixed with mystery.