Review: The Escape Diaries by Juliet Rosetti

Title: The Escape Diaries: Life and Love on the Lam

Author: Juliet Rosetti

Published: Loveswept December 2012

Synopsis: Introducing the hilarious new heroine, Mazie Maguire, in Juliet Rosetti’s irresistible debut novel that follows the outrageous adventure of a woman on the run. Wrongly convicted of killing her philandering husband, Mazie Maguire is three years into her life sentence when fate intervenes—in the form of a tornado. Just like that, she’s on the other side of the fence, running through swamps and cornfields, big box stores and suburban subdivisions. Hoping to find out who really murdered her husband, Mazie must stay a few steps ahead of both the law and her mother-in-law, who would like nothing better than to personally administer Mazie the death penalty via lethal snickerdoodle. With the Feds in hot pursuit and the national media hyping her story, Mazie stumbles upon a vast political conspiracy and a man who might just be worth a conjugal visit—if she survives.

Status: Read on December 09, 2012 — I own a copy {Courtesy Random House/Netgalley}

My Thoughts:

In this lighthearted, funny, romantic caper, Mazie Maguire barely hesitates before scrambling over the fence when a tornado touches down in the prison yard. As she struggles through swampland, cornfields and cow herds, Maizie, wrongly incarcerated for the murder of her feckless husband, is determined to find the real killer and prove herself innocent.

The first tip in The Escape Diaries is to “Be Prepared”, but Maizie’s impulsive flight from the Wisconsin jail leaves her floundering. At first she is simply desperate to stay a step ahead of the Fed’s on her trail, taking inspiration from Doctor Richard Kimble from the movie The Fugitive and using some handy skills picked up during her sentence from Vicki-Jean the Boosting Queen. Luck seems to be with Maizie, to a point, when she eludes a trigger happy security guard and an amorous farmer, and finds an unexpected ally in Ben, a news cameraman.
Maizie is a mixture of naivety and pluck which is endearing despite her missteps. She demonstrates remorse when she breaks the law during her escape and displays sense of loyalty to those that offer her help. The romance that develops between Maizie and Ben sizzles, despite being wildly inappropriate under the circumstances.
Though credibility is stretched a little thin, Mazie’s adventures on the run are wildly entertaining. As Maizie is hunted by the FBI, her crazy mother in law and the ‘Janitors’, the fast pace and constant threat of being caught sustains the tension leading to an exciting finish.

The Escape Diaries: Life and Love on the Lam is a fun, quick read sure to be enjoyed by romance fans seeking a spirited adventure.

Available to Purchase

@Random House I @AmazonUS