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Thirty-Two and a Half Complications (Rose Gardner Mystery, Book 5) by [Denise Grover Swank]

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Denise Grover Swank

Thirty-Two and a Half Complications (Rose Gardner Mystery, Book 5) Kindle Edition

by Denise Grover Swank (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

1,718 ratings

Book 6 of 16: Rose Gardner Mystery

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Book five in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling Rose Gardner Mystery series.

One bank robbery in Henryetta. Thirty-two complications to Rose's business.

There's no denying trouble finds Rose Gardner like a divining rod finds water, especially when Rose finds herself in the middle of a bank robbery. But after the robbers steal her deposit bag—containing a large amount of cash—she soon finds out that thanks to her sister Violet’s financial mismanagement, trouble is threatening her business as well.

To top it off, Rose’s ex-boyfriend Joe Simmons has moved back to Henryetta to fill the chief deputy sheriff position. Rose’s involvement as a witness is the perfect opportunity for Joe to reinsert himself into her life. But Mason Deveraux, Fenton County Assistant District Attorney and Rose’s new boyfriend, has waited too long for Rose to give her up without a fight.

Rose’s pregnant best friend, Neely Kate, suggests they find the robbers using Rose’s visions and Neely Kate’s knowledge about everything in town. The women are soon hot on the trail of the stolen money, but Rose is caught off guard when Neely Kate’s snoopiness detects the biggest complication of all: Rose might be expecting a baby of her own.

Print length

350 pages
Language

English
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Publication date

June 24, 2014
File size

665 KB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Denise Grover Swank has released over thirty novels and novellas and has sold over two million books. She writes mysteries with romance, humorous romance, light-hearted young adult romance, and urban fantasy. She lives in Blue Springs, Missouri with her three naughty dogs and six imaginative children. You can find out more about Denise at denisegroverswank.com.

Book Description

The fifth book in the USA Today Bestselling Rose Gardner Mystery series. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00I2HG4XA
Publisher ‏ : ‎ DGS (June 24, 2014)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 24, 2014
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 665 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 350 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1495354253

Best Sellers Rank: #159,362 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,256 in Mystery Romance
- #5,972 in Women Sleuths (Kindle Store)
- #6,758 in Women Sleuths (Books)

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1,718 ratings

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Denise Grover Swank

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New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Denise Grover Swank was born in Kansas City, Missouri and lived in the area until she was nineteen. Then she became nomadic, living in five cities, four states and ten houses over the course of ten years before she moved back to her roots. She speaks English and smattering of Spanish and Chinese which she learned through an intensive Nick Jr. immersion period. Her hobbies include witty Facebook comments (in own her mind) and dancing in her kitchen with her children. (Quite badly if you believe her offspring.) Hidden talents include the gift of justification and the ability to drink massive amounts of caffeine and still fall asleep within two minutes. Her lack of the sense of smell allows her to perform many unspeakable tasks. She has six children and hasn’t lost her sanity. Or so she leads you to believe.

You can find out more about Denise at www.denisegroverswank.com

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5

1,718 global ratings

5 star		78%
4 star		15%
3 star		5%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

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Fancy Nancy

An excellent installment in an excellent series, by an excellent writer!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 25, 2014

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It's hard to go overboard when a book is this good. And I loved this book. Until I hated it. Then I loved it again. Really, though:

YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK NOW!!!!!!!

The book starts about a week or two after Thirty-one and a Half Regrets leaves off. Mason and Rose are living together in the farmhouse Rose's birth mother left her, Joe is ... around, and Rose's sister Violet is busy, um, being Violet. Which does not turn out well. Everyone else is here, too; Jonah the preacher, Rose's landscaping employee Bruce Wayne, Neely Kate, Miss Mildred, and, of course, Rose's dog, Muffy. Mason's mother even makes an appearance!

Poor Rose. She just falls into trouble like a Slinky tumbling down a staircase. She doesn't do anything to make it happen, she's just always in the wrong place at the wrong time. This time, it's a bank robbery. She's been paid in cash for a large job, and Violet has forgotten to make the bank deposit, so Rose does it. Except before she can hand her money over to the teller, the bank gets taken off, Rose annoys one of the robbers, and the local constabulary just makes it all worse by being... themselves. It's all downhill from there, as Rose then discovers a dead body, makes a deal with the devil, narrowly evades arrest, and tries to host her first Thanksgiving in her new home. All while seeing visions and throwing up.

The thing is, these people are people you know. Rose is your friend, the girl you went to school with and chat with in line at the bank, and you know you'd sit down and drink sweet tea with the girl. Ms. Swank's characters are three-dimensional and conflicted and human and real and when you read a Rose Gardner book, you feel like you've been taken to visit Henryetta, Georgia. The conversations, the idioms, the characterizations, even the weather, are purely perfect. Denise has these people and places down pat, but she's not letting them stagnate. No sir-ree bob cat tail! (Trust me, they say stuff like that.) It's nice to stop in and visit, though, and see what's going on.

Well, Joe's still around. He's living in Henryetta, determined to win Rose back from Mason, although the tack he takes seems a little counterproductive. Can't blame the guy, though; he's still got his father and Hilary to contend with, and now it seems as if Violet wants into the mix.

You know I don't do spoilers, but suffice it to say that financial necessity takes our Rose down a lot of paths she might never have trod otherwise. She becomes involved with a guy named Skeeter who is... fun. A criminal, and a little scary, but fun. He and Rose are a delight to watch in this book.

Ultimately, Rose solves the crime (was there every any doubt?) and things settle down. A bit. For a few minutes. We are left with some cliffhangers, which makes sense since there are least three more novels, and a novella, planned for this series. Possibly more. It also makes sense because, just like in my life or yours, Rose's life doesn't ever settle down all the way, with every t crossed and i dotted. Just as in reality, Rose's life is messy and complicated and never easy. Isn't that why we love her?

There are issues, of course. At least, for me. I love Joe Simmons. I can relate to Joe Simmons I am #TeamJoe all the way. And he really gets the dirty end of the stick in this book. I have no idea where Swank is going with the triangle she's crafted in this series, but if you want to keep both men as viable options, you don't accuse one of pretty much everything bad including tearing the wings off flies and kicking puppies. And that one kiss? (You'll know the one I mean when you read.) Joe is a lot of things, but he's not that. And Mason? You'd think the guy could walk on water while simultaneously feeding the hungry and saving the whales. Most of the time Swank's characterizations are excellent, but the gap between our two male protagonists is widening and that's not conducive to romantic tension. Or to my happiness, really, although I'm fairly certain that doesn't factor into Swank's writing.

On the up side... she didn't go there. Again, no spoilers, but there is a trite, common, teeth-grindingly cheeesy pot trick that a lot of lesser authors use to create resolution or tension or whatever. Swank uses that little trope carefully, sparingly, and in the end, well, it's all sleight of hand. Yay for that, Denise. I knew you wouldn't take the easy way out.

This is a great book, worthy of the series, and worth every second you spend with it. I spent 14,400 of them with this one. That's 4 hours, for those of you who can't find your calculators. And that should tell you something right there; I read this book in FOUR HOURS!!!!

I cannot recommend this book, or the Rose Gardner Mystery series highly enough. I have convinced many people to start reading these and now they are as hooked as I am. If you are already a fan of Denise and/or Rose Gardner, this book is going to make you happy, sad, furious, afraid, tense, and ultimately gratified for the glimpse into your favorite fictional southern town. If you're not already strung out on Swank and her fabulous series, get the whole lot of them, take a week off work, and read them. You won't be sorry. Heck, the first one is free! Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes (Rose Gardner Mystery Book 1) You like free books, right?

3 people found this helpful

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Tabitha M. Rogers

Another winner from Denise Grover Swank

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 25, 2014

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It's no surprise that I finished this book in about seven hours (with many breaks to take care of my three kids). What is surprising is that this is the FIFTH book in a series, and I'm still reading with rapt attention and bated breath. I can't think of more than maybe two other series that has managed to keep my attention this long. Usually if they stretch to a fourth book I am starting to lose interest and the next book in the series moves lower and lower on my "to be read" list until I just forget that I ever even cared. But not with Rose Gardner mysteries. I pre-ordered this book (I don't do that often, people!) and sat up last night until I just couldn't stay awake hoping it would come in early just to know I had it even if I couldn't start it until after lunch today. It was a struggle to wait until I finished some chores that couldn't wait, but I held out and showed a rare moment of self-discipline. Once I started, it was a struggle to stop for those hardly important tasks like feeding my kids. And myself. I brought the Kindle everywhere I could just to get those few sentences in while I was preheating the oven and getting stuff out of the fridge. Yes, it was THAT good!

Rose's growth and development as a young woman has just been amazing over the previous four books (and one novella), but this book was the best for her personality finally shining through. I don't mean in her ability to tell off some people that really needed it (although I did enjoy those moments), but just that she had that confidence and self-assuredness to not take any crap anymore! The fact that she was able to stand up and fight for what she wanted was just awesome. For instance, after a fight with Mason, he tries to leave and she basically doesn't let him. Old Rose probably would have watched dumbfounded and heartbroken as he drove away. Not this Rose! She doesn't let him walk away before he hears what she needs to say, even though it's something he may not like. I was so fired up for Rose and her boldness in this book!

The supporting characters in this book were wonderful, as well. Whether you're Team Mason or Team Joe, there were some surprising interactions with those guys. Joe kind of ticked me off and surprised me not in a good way. And Mason did some things that gave me pause (even though I've been on Team Mason since the novella). Rose's relationship with her sister, Violet, was something that just had me stunned through a good bit of the book. I don't have a sister, so this kind of stuff had me pretty shocked. I'm really hoping that DGS focuses more on their relationship than her relationship with the boys in the next book! We also got some additional involvement with some seedy characters that made for some very entertaining scenes. It will be interesting to see how these relationships develop over the next couple of books. See, I'm already hoping for more than just one more book!

Bottom line, if you are already a Rose fan, you probably were waiting impatiently for this book to come out anyway. If you haven't discovered the treasure that is Rose Gardner, go ahead and buy this book. Then go back and get the bundle that has the first three books and the novella. Then buy the fourth book. Yes, that's a lot of books to buy, but trust me: it's worth it! Then head over to Denise Grover Swank's webpage and sign up for her newsletter. You'll be glad you did!

This is by far one of my favorite series, and it just gets better and better.

4 people found this helpful

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JC

Desperately Disappointing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 19, 2014

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I have to say I am sad to be writing this review as I absolutely loved the other books in this series. I pre-ordered after reading the other 4 Rose Gardener stories so by the time I received it I had read many other books. When I started reading I thought something must have changed with my taste during the break between DGS books but once I finished I checked out other readers’ reviews and see that other people also noticed the change in style to the detriment of the series.

I found much of this book tedious to read and found myself scanning much of it. There is constant repetition not only of the events of the previous 4 books but also of conversations taking place at the time. Rose will have a conversation with Mason then Nealy Kate will arrive and the entire conversation is repeated for her benefit. I imagine if you take out all these repeats you would have around 2 pages per chapter.

I admired DGS for having created a couple (Rose and Joe) that had you rooting for them all the way through to then in an instant make you change your opinion about Joe and have you hating him. In contrast, the relationship between Rose and Mason doesn’t seem to have any momentum. Any piece of dialogue that isn’t a repeat of the page before is ruined by unnecessary innuendo so the relationship never shows any depth. Add to this that the book is based only 2 weeks after the end of book 4 (despite months of waiting for its release) makes their apparent love for each other very difficult to believe.

None of the characters were very likeable throughout the story. Joe now seems like a creepy stalker and Violet is just a bitch. The story has you questioning the point in several of the minor characters like Nearly Kate, who has lost all of her quirkiness and now seems to be just a weird friend whose purpose is just to fill pages with unnecessary words. At one point there is at least one paragraph dedicated to Rose texting Nearly Kate to tell her 'if I haven't called you in 30 minutes then text me' . Firstly what use is texting in that situation and secondly nothing even comes of this so how is this book worthy? At another point Rose leaves Masons take away lunch in the cafe then she goes back to pick it up. No value whatsoever to the storyline. She may as well have just taken the lunch with her and saved another 2 paragraphs of my time. There are many points like this that left me utterly frustrated at the end of the book and even though it has been several weeks now since I read it they still stick in my mind.

I still like to think I would give the series another chance based on the standard of books 1 - 4 but unfortunately the value has gone down for me. If the price is right for book 6 I might give it go but I'll be waiting for the reviews before I order this time.

Despite this negative review I would strongly recommend books 1 - 4 as well as other DGS books like The Gingerbread Man, Bad Ass Brides and The Texas Brand Series. She’s a great author. This book just seems a little rushed.

One person found this helpful

Angie

Good Read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 26, 2014

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Could only give this book 4 stars as I didn't think it was as good as the others, however saying that, I still can't wait for November and the next release. Violet's character is getting worse every book and sister or not, no-one would put up with it. Joe has gone from despising Rose's behaviour to condoning it by being with her. In the other books, the love triangle kept me hooked and I even found myself thinking about it at work however this one has gone off the boil. I was always, be with Joe, no be with Mason but now I just think Joe is acting like a spoiled brat and there is something definitely dodgy about Mason, dump them both and be with Bruce! Overall I will be sorry to see the series come to an end.

S.P.

Starting to verge on the ludicrous

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 10, 2015

Verified Purchase

I have absolutely loved some of Denise Grover Swanks books. I would really highly recommend the Curse Keepers series. This series, however, is starting to become slightly ludicrous and the story is getting increasingly immature. One thing tumbling after another-the characters never get the ham e to grow or develop as they're merely tools to enable the constant (and unbelievable) chain of events around the main character. I started reading the series as a bit of light hearted entertainment...the first book left ,e wanting more immediately and so I jumped straight into the next...but as each book unfolds I've been increasingly less excited to read the next. This book has finished and I actually feel slightly grumpy at the thought of reading the next book so I think to myself that I won't bother...but in the first book I invested to the characters, to the series so it actually pains me a little to leave the rest of the series unread. The author of the Curse Keepers is an engaging, intuitive writer with a talent for story telling; the author of this series is slightly lazy and childish...writing by numbers perhaps?

Kindle Customer

Brilliant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 3, 2016

Verified Purchase

Although I bought the first book a while ago I only recently read it. I loved the book so much that I bought the other twelve books in the series and I have read them all within in 2 weeks, I couldn't wait to find out what happened next, the humour is brilliant, to the point you laugh out loud and everyone looks at you, but the heartache is just as emotional. Never mind the love stories, friendships and not forgetting the mysteries that get solved

louise mccartney

It felt like they took s step back from the previous book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 10, 2015

Verified Purchase

Slow to start, found this volume wanting. The plot could have really went somewhere. Quite a weak book. It was over before it started, quite an unfinished ending. I had to check I didn't skip a page. I found myself frustrated by some of the characters. It felt like they took s step back from the previous book. The stalker quality of one of them was more than I could bear only the vastly over used 'ornery' pipped it in the cringeworthy stakes. Iv never read a series of books where the only looks people give are ornery. Everytime!? Please use something else. This may seem petty but 5 books in its beyond grating, I find myself typing this with an ornery look that could only mean the death of me...

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