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    Enemies and Playmates
    Enemies and Playmates
    Enemies and Playmates
    Ebook405 pages5 hours

    Enemies and Playmates

    By Darcia Helle

    3.5/5

    ()

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    About this ebook

    When the abused decide to fight back, the abuser's world might just shatter.

    Lauren Covington's family maintains a grand facade that hides the private abuse they suffer at the hands of her father. Jesse Ryder, a private detective, steps into that world and, in the process, falls in love with Lauren. Together, Lauren and Jesse dodge death and expose the truth behind the facade.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDarcia Helle
    Release dateSep 14, 2009
    ISBN9781452366890
    Enemies and Playmates
    Author

    Darcia Helle

    I write because the characters trespassing through my mind leave me no alternative. My books are available in trade paperback on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, as well as my website - www.QuietFuryBooks.com. I hope you'll join me in my fictional world. The characters await you.

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    Reviews for Enemies and Playmates

    3.5/5

    55 ratings11 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I clicked went through my list of Kindle freebies recently, and decided to make a dent in them. So I chose this book at random. It happened to be a pretty great pick.

      Lauren Covington lives in a world where appearances are everything, well, atleast that's what she was taught by her family. They have to keep up appearances, that her father in a #1 dad and #1 husband. Although this is about as far from the truth as you can possibly get. He's an abusive bastard. He beats their mother daily and if either Lauren or her brother, Stephen, "step out of line" Alex (daddy dearest) beats their mom more to keep the kids malleable to his every whim.

      Alex, Lauren's father, is a lawyer who is pretty shady. He gets his way no matter what, and has a habit of collecting people. He's a womanizer, and a D-Bag. Not really sure what else to say about him. Read the book, and you will understand completely why, you don't really want to think of a man like that.

      Jesse Ryder was hired by Alex to investigate some things. Jesse is a P.I., who use to be a cop, but decided he didn't want to be a cop and deal with all the shady politics that go on with police. When Jesse gets an assignment from Alex that goes against his morals, he turns it down. This pisses Alex off because he is a man who gets his way no matter what. Alex threatens Lauren and Jesse's budding romance, by threatening Jesse's life. And that is only the beginning...

      I liked this book because, to me, it didn't seem as though there was that much effort invested in the romance. Which is nice if your looking for something like that. Which I was, it was a change. Don't get me wrong there is romance in this book, and it is very tender and sweet.

      But what I think makes this book so worth reading, is the rest of the story as a whole. Lauren standing up to her abusive father, and rallying her mother against him. The emotional pains that Lauren goes through. Alex's persecution of Jesse, trying to persuade him, and if that doesn't work destroy him. Jesse tries to build evidence against Alex, and with people on Alex's payroll, that become difficult.

      The rich and the corrupted and the abused. Makes you realize that there is shit going on out there that you don't always know about because looks can be deceiving.
    • 4/5
      This was a pretty good romance-thriller about a girl finding her man & dealing with her abusive father. The situation was fairly horrifying & logically structured. The hero & heroine were both tough, but very believable. While there is some sex, it wasn't over done nor too explicit. I should probably give the book an extra 1/2 star for that since too many authors succumb to filler sex lately.

      If I have any criticism, it's that the fight scenes just didn't work all that well for me. They weren't bad, but they didn't grab me the way they have in other books. The detail & logic of the story suffered a little there. Still, they weren't bad - just not as good as the emotions & motivations.

      The good guys were all very likable, while the villains had no redeeming qualities, so there was no trouble separating the two nor was there much doubt how it would all play out. Still, there were some interesting twists throughout the story.

      It was a fun, quick read. I'll be interested in reading another book by this author in the future. After finding out it was her first book & was self edited, plus the lack of sex, I just can't resist giving it an extra star & will REALLY be interested in her future work.
    • 5/5
      Enemies And Playmates (Darcia Helle) is a suspense novel. Lauren Covington should have the perfect life. Her father is a high powered attorney, she lives in a beautiful home and is attending a prestigious university. But her family life is not what it appears to be. Her father is abusive, manipulative and controlling. Lauren is tired of the lies and hiding her family secrets. Jesse Ryder enters her life. He worked for her father at one time, and knows the truth about Alex Covington. Soon Lauren's life is spiraling in new direction. She is falling is love. This love turns to be dangerous as her father come between the two. Lies, deceit, betrayals and murder abound in this page turner.Fast paced and full of twists, secrets and surprises. Another great suspense by Miss Helle
    • 3/5
      This review I had to think about. I' m not really sure what to rate this book.I liked the story for the most part. A bit slow in areas, very repetitive, and too much side stuff added in.So the main character is Laura Covington. She is in her 20s, has a good job, and lives with her parents and younger brother. She appears to everyone (even her best friends) to have the perfect life and family. When she mets Jesse in a bar and falls for him, the perfect image she portrays shatters.Jesse knows Laura's father, has worked for him, and knows the real Alex Covington. Not the image the rest of the world is shown. After 20 years of hiding the truth and watching the abuse in her house, both mental and physical: she decides it's time for a change. With Jesse's help of course.
    • 1/5
      Who are the people rating this book? Amazon.com has a high rating as well, and I don't understand why. The book is very poorly written, with extremely poor editing (it's a travesty that the editor let the word "stocked" be used instead of "stalked" in one passage and "bale" instead of "bail" in another). The characters are not well-formed, and the plot just seems to meander with no real direction other than to show hackneyed romance novel vignettes with a few crime-related bits that all lead to their obvious conclusions.Thoroughly dissatisfying, and the only reason I bothered to finish this book was because it was a free Kindle ebook. If I had paid money I would have returned it after the first few chapters.
    • 3/5
      I thought the book was pretty good - dragged in some places but kept me guessing what would happen next. Did not dwell too much on the issue of domestic abuse to sound "preachy" Had just enough mystery and suspense.
    • 5/5
      This is a fast-paced action packed book! There are so many twists and turns, most of them leaving me with my mouth open as they were so unexpected! Darcia Helle is undoubtedly a talented writer who knows how to hook the reader and keep them interested with a well structured and fulfilling storyline. This story would make a good film, I'd love to see it on the big screen. Lauren Covington meets and falls in love with Jesse Ryder. She has a deep mistrust of men due to her violent father, Alex, a well-respected lawyer who shows one face to the world and another to those nearest to him. At home and in his personal life he is one of the greatest villains ever to grace the pages of a crime novel. Despite her reluctance to let him get closer, somehow Jesse's irresistible charms get the better of Lauren. Soon she is in too deep even though she knows that her relationship could cause problems. By an unhappy coincidence, Jesse, the one man who could offer her some happiness away from the dark and terrifying world at home, has worked for her father in the past and there is unfinished business. The characters are all well developed and very believable. I found myself being able to picture very clearly all the action as Darcia Helle's skills for describing events are well tuned. Much of the action is character driven with a great deal of conversation, making the book a page turner. I would recommend Enemies and Playmates to everyone. I was surprised to hear that this was the author's first novel as it is so skillfully written, and it has made me eager to read more of Helle's work.
    • 5/5
      ENEMIES AND PLAYMATES by Darcia Helle is a suspense/romance. It is well written with depth and details. The plot is easy to follow and very intriguing. Do not let the title confuse you into thinking it is anything except a wonderful sensationally interesting suspense and romance. While it does have a small amount of sweet sensuality, it is about abuse of a spouse toward his family, other people, power, murder, violence, deceit, betrayal, family, tragedy, romance, and love. The hero, Jesse, is handsome, strong, determined, a policeman turned into private investigator and determined to bring to justice the powerful lawyer, Alex Covington, but he doesn't plan on meeting the beautiful, Laurene. The heroine, Lauren, is brave, beautiful, the daughter of Alex, only knows her father is abusive to her mother and brother. She quietly learns of all the things her father is capable of, and has been doing for years. After the death of her brother more things begin to come to light. She soon learns just how evil her father really is and what he is capable of doing. Jesse, is her strength, her love and her hero. Lauren, is Jesse's world also and together they must outwit and outsmart her father to stay alive. This is a wonderful suspenseful romance with twists and turns and will keep you on the edge of your seat. I would highly recommend this story. This book was received for review from the author and Library Thing and details can be found at CreateSpace and My Book Addiction and More.
    • 5/5
      This book was a page-turner and I found myself looking forward to the times that I'd get a chance to sit down and read more of this compelling romance/thriller. It kept me up several nights, glued to the page. Readers will sympathize with the main character Lauren and her love interest Jesse as they deal with her callous and shady father. This is a book in which readers know who the enemy is and are captivated to see how Lauren and Jesse will overcome all the danger thrown in their path. Author Darcia Helle surprised me several times with stunning plot twists that I didn't anticipate. She has several other books written and I can't wait to read her others. You'll be glad that you discovered this talented new voice in suspense fiction.
    • 5/5
      Everything is not as it seems...

      I fell madly in love with this book. Darcia Helle does a phenomenal job with the plot, the characters, the setting, the pace, and the perfect blend of lies, deceit, hatred, murderous rage, physical and mental abuse, and passionate ecstasy in this well-written and exciting thriller.

      The Covington family appear to have it all: money, a huge house, the finest of luxuries, a close-knit bond of love, respectability, the whole kaboodle ... But it's all a lie.

      Lauren Covington, the protagonist, is the eldest daughter of Alex Covington, an "upstanding" and "well-respected" businessman in the community. But everything is not quite as it appears. Alex is actually a murderous participant in the business of criminal activity. Enter private detective Jesse Ryder, Alex's employee and hated nemesis, whom Lauren meets at a bar while out with her two best friends, and with whom she eventually falls into a passionate relationship?much to her father's enraged appall.

      As the plot unfolds, the page-turning suspense builds the ever more intense, bringing on a shattering climax.

      Enemies and Playmates is five-star perfect! I loved it, and I highly recommend it.
    • 4/5
      Oh how this book took me by surprise. From the cover alone one would expect a lustful wild ride, but then I read the description and found myself intrigued. From the start this story reveals a mystery thriller with a romance twist. It was nothing that I was anticipated from cover or description, but it offered such a sweet surprise. I really liked this story of the good vs. evil. It was the ultimate battle that leaves readers praying good will finds a thread of chance to prevail. My heart took one hell of a beating through this novel. I was overcome with emotion as the story uncovers more and more about Lauren's terrible and despicable father. As the story drags you deeper and deeper into its world readers will find themselves reevaluating their own characters for the boundaries of right and wrong. Darcia is one author not afraid to blatantly shock readers with the reality of her villains’ evil character. I was astounded by the levels to which she will catapult readers into the unknown showing the truly evil character in all his glory. I experienced a whole new level of hopelessness with this novel as the characters begin running out of resources. This was an impressive display of talent from this author that has me curious to check out her other titles. This is perfect for mystery lovers that are craving a dark and twisted read.~BookWhisperer Reviewer JO~

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    Enemies and Playmates - Darcia Helle

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