In 2016, the American Library Association awarded her the prestigious Reading List Award for outstanding genre fiction. Born and educated in the Midwest, she finished her first manuscript just after college. After publishing more than twenty-five novels, she is now taking a turn toward the darker side of genre fiction. Victoria Helen Stone is the nom de plume for USA Today bestselling author Victoria Dahl. Jane Doe was a quick read, and Jane is an interesting character, but the rest of the book didn’t have the depth I hoped for. From the way Jane was talking throughout the whole rest of the book, I would have thought she would have taken a different course of action. I liked the end of this book, if only because it was unexpected. So much of the stuff he says and does is excessive, to the point where it felt like it was being forced. One issue I had with this book is that at times, it seemed like the author was going out of her way to make sure that the reader knew how bad of a guy Steven was. Jane knows what she is doing, she plans meticulously, and therefore there is never a point where the reader thinks she might fail or get caught. I didn’t feel much of a sense of danger or suspense–the mystery basically lies around finding out the truth about Steven. I wish there would have been a bit more thrill in this book. She uses her lack of emotions to her benefit, and it has seemed to work for her in her life so far. Jane is not a good person, in fact she is a self described sociopath. It’s always interesting to me when the narrator of a story knows exactly what kind of person they are, but they embrace it instead of trying to change. Jane gets to work seducing him, and she’s fun to watch. Steven had a relationship with Jane’s friend, and treated her horribly, which Jane thinks is to blame for her suicide. Steven is as white bread as it gets–working in an office, single, preys on women. Her target is pastor’s son Steven Hepsworth.

So when she finally does find her person, her best friend, they become close as sisters.

Jane has learned from a young age not to rely on anybody. It’s time for Jane to dig out everything that matters to Steven. Nothing can distract Jane from going straight for his heart: allowing herself to be seduced into Steven’s bed, to insinuate herself into his career and his family, and to expose all his dirty secrets. And Steven’s bringing out the worst in her. Least of all Steven.īut plain Jane is hiding something. She’s just the kind of woman middle manager Steven Hepsworth likes-meek, insecure, and willing to defer to a man. She blends in well, unremarkably pretty in her floral-print dresses and extra efficient at her low-level job. Jane’s days at a Midwest insurance company are perfectly ordinary. A double life with a single purpose: revenge.

Jane doe victoria