A parenthetical phrase in one awkward sentence is preceded by a hyphen and finished with both a hyphen and a comma. And 'foot steps' is not a choice for 'footsteps.' Punctuation throughout is deplorable. You usually presented compounds as two words one was used as both one word and two words. Problems and inconsistencies with compound words. 'Nune's' is not the possessive of the character named 'Nunes.' Verb tense sometimes makes no sense. 'Past' is not the same as 'passed.' A good writer or editor would never allow something like so-and-so past him in the hall. Spellcheck is not the same as proofreading. One who dreams up a story might be an 'author' but not necessarily a 'writer.' And I find it hard to believe that the 'editor' ever read this manuscript. I did not know that you could pack that many mistakes into 127 pages. I was trapped by my habit of finishing every book I start, resulting in the painful experience of reading this mess. When I have chosen to read something or someone new to me, I have sometimes been delighted to find a gem this one was a broken piece of flawed glass. Shelly detests him and his white knight in shining armor come on or does she? Player #2: Local cop, Carlos Nunes, Chandlerville's hero, the Mayor's best friend and Shelly's obnoxious unofficial body guard. Should she consider her childhood heart throb's 'marriage for the kids sake' proposal?

Player #1: Handsome bestselling author Justin Raye, Chandlerville's author in residence for the summer. But a softened heart is not her goal because 'Shelly's Revenge' is the name of the game. Running a quaint but charming book store and being a full time single mother does little to soften her heart. Settling in for the long haul, she invests the profit from the sale of her house into a local business and newly built property on the outskirts of Chandlerville, Kentucky. Tired of all the speculation and gossip of the husbands' wives' club and bored with a life that no longer resembles the fantasy life style she had grown accustomed to, Shelly opts to move on. The promised settlement is one no woman in her right mind could refuse. Before noon, she answers her door to a smug, navy suit, red tie wearing process server who hands over her official divorce papers. One bright sunny Friday morning, her attorney husband of ten years pecks her on the cheek, pats her son on the head and leaves for his office. Shelly Stavins is divorced, bitter and vindictive. Shelly's Revenge is the name of the Game!

Missing Pieces by Stephany Tullis