Double Trouble (The Coxwells 2)

Double Trouble (The Coxwells) by Claire Cross

Two sisters. One disaster.

First things first: I’m the bad twin. While my sister, Marcia, has the perfect family in the perfect suburb, I’ve been making my living as an Internet advice columnist and designing Web sites in my downtown loft. I always thought I had the right answer - and hair color - for any occasion. That is, until Marcia ran up loads of debt and ran out on her husband and kids, and I was left helping to pick up the pieces. Her husband, James, is a lawyer who I hate on principle alone.

But for a guy who’s just lost his job, his marriage, and his expensive toys, he’s keeping it together - and making me rethink my feelings toward him. It’s not that he’s traded in his conservative suits for sexy jeans. It’s that he’s not giving up what’s important to him, and oh baby, I’m a sucker for a guy who hangs tough.

That doesn’t mean I’m ready to step into Marcia’s designer shoes now that she’s gone AWOL.

And it doesn’t mean I’m going to fall for James’s easy charm...not again, anyhow. Besides, I’ve had a lifelong policy of not being mistaken for my twin and I’m not backing down on that one now - no matter how convenient it might be for a certain sexy (and persuasive) man...

Double Trouble (The Coxwells 2) is number two in The Coxwells Series, which I didn’t know when I read it. I don’t if it hurt or help me when I was reading. The reason I noticed it was the title, then the blurb. One of my friends is a twin and I always find twin stories fascinating.

Marica and Mary Elizabeth, better known as Maryals, are the O’Reilly twins. For the majority of the read you are made to believe that Maryals is the bad twin. Maybe because my dad did the same thing as Marcia, Maryals was always the more sympathetic character. When Marcia’s family started to rely on Maryals I felt it was a natural transition.

Then the revelations come out. I was totally justified. Honestly it wasn’t a surprise that Marcia was the bad twin in my opinion. It was the magnitude of the betrayal, how far she took it, and for how long. These are the things that surprised me.

I can’t say that it made me interested in reading the novel before, Third Time Lucky (The Coxwells) or the novel after, One More Time (Cowells Family). I can say that Claire Cross created an okay standalone novel. The subplot of the story with Marcia’s family works to counter point Maryals own life. At thirty-eight she’s more together than she gives herself. It was nice for her to final see that in herself.

I give Double Trouble (The Coxwells) 3 out 5.