Miranda Vaughn has a chip on her shoulder as we begin Ellie Ashe's second exploit into her tale, this time as the assistant to her Aunt Marie's boyfriend, her former defense attorney Robert Fogg.

Miranda has been cleared of all charges related to her former job at investment bank Patterson-Tinker Investment Strategies, though members of the community haven't forgotten her name or their suspicions about her innocence. This time around, Miranda hopes to be of help to Kathryn Hammond, CFO of Leonidis Developments, Inc., a thriving real estate company with expenses that don't quite balance out. Along the way, she must also juggle her romantic feelings for two men—a cowboy named Quinn Bishop with a past conviction to his name, and Jake Barnes, an FBI agent with whom Miranda had a fling previously.

DROPPING THE DIME is an engaging read full of mystery and deception, both from the good guys and the bad. The events of the novel will keep readers in their seats as they go on the journey to find out whodunnit, though not without faults along the way.

It's surprising to learn our protagonist, Miranda Vaughn, is a thirty-two year old woman. The novel, told from a first person perspective, indicates she is far less mature, at times seeming like a teenage girl.

Every interaction she has with a man in this novel ends with thrills going down her spine and somersaults in her stomach, as if her hormones are on a never-ending estrogen-binge. And I can't blame her—just about every man in this story is described as gorgeous, attractive, and sexy, with broad shoulders and biceps to boot. It's a wonder any of them pay attention to clumsy Miranda, who is described as the only unattractive woman in the story.

The events in DROPPING THE DIME hinge on coincidence, with Miranda twice breaking into rooms described as rarely used only to be greeted minutes later by key characters who happen to decide to visit. The writing, while easy to read, lacks unique prose to wow readers. Descriptions are bland, for example grass is described as green and dresses described as body-hugging/curve-hugging. The writing is uninspired—namely when inside Miranda's head, who appears as though she's trying to speak directly to readers.

If you can get past the flat character descriptions and writing, DROPPING THE DIME may be the adventure for you. Otherwise, I'd drop my money elsewhere.