Researcher Tracy Price is trying to find a dead writer and forget a live musician.
Rock star Jesse Elliot is sure Tracy is demented, and she believes he wouldn’t recognize the truth in a lineup of Bibles. Their only hope is to stop trying to read each other’s minds and start speaking their own.
Anyone who has ever had a crush, felt betrayed, or been forgiven will appreciate Tracy's struggle to claim the life she never knew she wanted.
As a journalist, Patrice Locke wrote articles about everything from city councils and drug busts to Navajo Code Talkers and haunted houses.
Eventually, the desire to give the stories she wrote happy endings led her to write fiction. The best thing about that, she says, is having time to think before her characters speak, so they can say the things most of us only come up with after the perfect moment has passed.
She loves to write, read, and watch romantic comedies where life always turns out the way it should. Her only obsessive relationships are with semicolons and Oxford commas.
Patrice lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, not far from her daughter Kaitlin, eight hours from her son Trevor, and way too many miles from amazing grandsons Alexander and Zackary.
I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review.
Whether it be television, movies, or books, it takes a LOT to make me laugh, and I found myself laughing out loud (an even rarer occurrence) at the wit in this book. I truly could not wait for evening to come, for the day the close when I could open the pages of this book and fall into the banter created by Ms. Locke.
The story caught my attention right off...who hasn't fallen victim to a crush on a star? I ran through the Las Vegas airport to glimpse The Monkees as a teen (did I just admit that?) so yeah, I get it. Though the romance between Tracy Price, a quirky researcher, and Jesse Elliott, debonair rock star was the center of the story,the unique mystery about a long lost author who disappeared years ago kept my rapt attention. The people in Tracy's life are fun and interesting, and I especially enjoyed the glimpse into Jesse's "back stage" life. Who hasn't wondered about the glitz and glamour of that? Think again...truly an interesting look back stage.
Although I figured out the connections fairly quickly (no spoilers here, folks), the plot unfolded at a steady pace and I was happy with the way the author handled the ending. The novel was filled with sometimes hysterical banter and inner wit, the ending was heartfelt and the perfect ending--not too sweet, not too romantic, not too over-dramatic. Just the right touch for the personalities of the characters.
I would have given the novel 5 stars had it not been for the excessive amount of introspection. There were either paragraph after paragraph of inner thoughts by the MC, or layers of dialogue without much more. I would like to have seen the two woven together a bit more. I've put aside some best-selling novels that have done this, but Ms. Locke's strength is in her humor, and this kept me going.
"I hate it when eyebrows take it upon themselves to enter conversations." Lines like this kept my eyes on the page until the end.
Thank you, Ms. Locke, for a wonderfully humorous yarn I won't soon forget.
I am giving five stars, only because Amazon and Goodreads don't allow ten. When I read the ARC of Exit Signs I fell in love. I hoped to be amused. I wasn't prepared to be blown away. I love this book! I fell in love with Patrice's voice and most of all, with Tracy. To me, this a romantic comedy the way Austen books and the Shopaholic books are romantic comedies. I read till I couldn't keep my eyes open and dreamed about it in my sleep. This novel is intelligent, full charming understated humor and wonderfully delineated characters. I have told my writing and reading friends and bought two copies to give away.
I absolutely loved this book! It was very intriguing and I couldn’t put it down. It had my emotions all over the place. It’s a must read by this author. I really can’t wait to read more by her.
It’s always a delight to read a book after having met the author. I met Patrice Locke at this year’s Women Fiction Writers’ Association retreat in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which is also the setting of this delightful tale. In fact, we met just a few days before her book’s release, and she was a bit nervous about the whole business. She needn’t have been—this story is a delight. Researcher and ghost writer Tracy Price is hired to help dreamy rock star Jesse Elliot with his memoir. Sparks fly, naturally, but her cautious nature and his cockiness lead to misunderstandings and doubts. Meanwhile, Tracy and her partner are digging up intriguing clues about a long-dead poet from the 1930s, whose story may be the key that unlocks their success, as well as freedom from the odious boss, AKA “the dragon.” Locke knits these two plot lines together in a clever and touching way. The on-again, off-again romance between Tracy and Jesse delivers humor and heartache. I read this novel during the very busy run-up to the holidays, and made sure to carve out a precious hour each day to escape to Albuquerque and see what new adventure or screw-up Tracy would deliver. Tracy’s the sort of heroine who shoots herself in the foot so often that she’s going to need a much smaller shoe, but Locke makes her an extremely sympathetic, well-rounded character all the same. Her quirky snack concoctions, awkwardness around achingly-handsome Jesse, her dogged independence, and her warm heart make her a character to fall in love with. The same holds true for her circle of friends, all well-rounded characters I enjoyed spending time with. This book delivers a satisfying resolution and plenty of warm fuzzies—sweet but not cloying, and great fun.
Reading this book was enjoyable on two levels: firstly, the story-line itself, and, secondly, the fact that the author is a friend of mine.
I purchased the book on Kindle when it was first released and promised myself that I would read it asap. Things (life?) happened, got in the way, put up obstacles, and, despite every good intention, it was months before I did get around to reading it. And then what prompted me was the fact that my husband, working in a remote location, scrolled through his Kindle, discovered this little gem, and, under the thousands of stars of the Outback, read it and thoroughly enjoyed it. A man reading a book that I had thought would be a woman's read? And enjoying it, to the point where he gave me a run-down on the story (leaving out, of course, the ending)? I had to check it out for myself without further delay.
Reading a book written by somebody you know is always something to be approached with a certain level of trepidation. I needed to have had no worries with "Exit Signs". It delivers. The story romps - dare I say "rocks", because the highly desirable love interest is a rock star? - along. There are no jarring moments, no "Have I missed something?" moments, no "Why did she put it that way?" moments; it is just a really good read. This is not a book that is going to keep you awake at night or give you disturbing thoughts. This is something we all need at times: a little bit of escapism.
I loved the writing, voice and characters in Exit Signs. The author has a lot of great lines and I found myself highlighting multiple passages throughout the book and wishing I had come up with them :) Lines like "Unaware of my epiphany, the sky stayed plain old blue, and the driver pulled into traffic as if it were an ordinary day." Or "This was a full stop ending. There was no reason to think it might be a semicolon waiting for a sentence to continue." A lot of truth in those lines.
The protagonist's struggle was universal. Wanting to be loved, known and understood but at the same time fearing it. I was constantly rooting for her while also cringing as I saw another bad decision coming her way.
The cast of characters kept up the fun banter throughout the book, there was a little mystery to be solved and a satisfying love story to round out the character's journey.
I so enjoyed reading this! I was a bit nervous as Romance isn't really my thing, but I loved the humour and the pace of the book - and actually really liked the characters as well. I hoped for the happy ending, but it wasn't a foregone conclusion and that was a pleasant change. I have even tried to vary my snack habits, inspired by the book. I would certainly encourage people to read it, the style of writing and the intertwining storylines are a real pleasure.
I bought copies to give friends. That's how much I love it. It blew me away, I fell in love with the author's 'voice' and most of all, with Tracy. To me, this a romantic comedy the way Austen books and the Shopaholic books are romantic comedies. This novel is intelligent, full charming understated humor and wonderfully delineated characters. Highly recommend.
Either a romantic comedy or romantic suspense, but who cares? The main character, a documentary writer, is always trying to pin down the genre controlling her life with limited success--until she meets Jesse Elliot and then all bets are off. Fun Read!
Two reasons I didn't give this 5 stars. The first is that it got a little long-winded in the telling and the second is the lack of detail in the bedroom scenes. The character development is good, the editing clean, and it's an interesting twist on your normal romance plot. The heroine might be a tad ditsy, and the hero might be just a bit of an egotist, but they seem to click together, for now. An entertaining read even if it seemed to drag at times.
The first 15 chapters were a bit difficult to get through.. Seemed glib and lots of genre talk, but I kept reading. Then it got philosophical and the pretty good. Glad I finished it.
Engaging and entertaining from beginning to end. Very hard to put down. Well written, great setting, and the author demonstrated an incredible sense of humor. It's a feel good book with many twists and turns on the way.
I can not write an honest review because I quit reading before I got even a quarter of the way through. It was boring to me. Others may like it but it is not my cup of tea.
Tracey is a researcher who takes on odd jobs until she meets him. She falls into a mystery of a lost person from the 1930s and events start to happen. Good or bad
Fun debut! Such a refreshing voice from Patrice Locke! She presents some interesting history of Albuquerque without getting too serious, but also brings the fun without getting too light or silly. This book is just right!
I love the lead character, Tracy. Again, Patrice delivers a perfect balance. Tracy is independent and strong, with just a touch of insecurity or self-doubt, which makes her relatable and real. I enjoyed hearing her humorous thoughts, but most of all her funny snack combinations kept me giggling the entire time.
Tracy has great chemistry and intrigue with her rock star, Jesse, but I loved the realistic balance between Tracy's romantic life and her work.
If you are looking for a light-hearted, witty, funny book with a slice of romance and a side of mystery-solving, this is a perfect novel for you! I had the pleasure of listening to the author read a short scene from this book and Patrice has great humor - which comes out in the clever writing of this novel!
I really enjoyed this story. I thought I knew the direction it was going several times, and then the road curved and took a detour, then got sort of back on the road. I loved the "thinking" dialogue that was "answered", and the crazy snacks were great, too! Great read!
I really liked the story it was a romance and a mystery all rolled into one. Enjoyed learning about Loretta’s past, Tracy’s future and how love doesn’t turn out how you would expect it to. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. Reviewed by Jennifer
Read the full review in the December issue of Uncaged Book Reviews.
This is an adorable, clever romance that captures Albuquerque perfectly (except for the anomalous grassy green cover pic). The plot with its historical mystery works well and the main characters, with all their foibles, are believable.
Love the witty characters, the play on words, and the interwoven mysterious plot twist of this romance novel. Can't wait until the author writes another!