Review – Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone @VictoriaDahl

Posted September 12, 2018 by Carole in Audiobook, Book Reviews / 16 Comments

Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone
Narrated by Nicol Zanzerella
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Publication Date: August 1, 2018
Date Read: August 29, 2018
Length:  7 hours 48 minutes
Source: Kindle Unlimited
★★★★☆

A double life with a single purpose: revenge.

Jane’s days at a Minneapolis insurance company are perfectly ordinary. She blends in well, unremarkably pretty in her floral-print dresses and extra efficient at her low-level job. She’s just the kind of woman middle manager Steven Hepsworth likes—meek, insecure, and willing to defer to a man. No one has any idea who Jane really is. Least of all Steven.

But plain Jane is hiding something. And Steven’s bringing out the worst in her.

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. It’s time for Jane to dig out everything that matters to Steven. So she can take it all away.

Just as he did to her.

My Review

This was great!  I first heard about this book on Goodreads where some of my friends were discussing some of the books that have been recommended by Ilona Andrews.  I immediately straightened up a bit and started taking note of the books being mentioned because I can’t think of anyone I would rather take book recommendations from that Ilona Andrews.  Once I realized that I could borrow this audiobook from Kindle Unlimited, I decided that it would be my next listen…and what a great listen it was!
Jane Doe has a plan and she knows how she needs to act in order to complete her mission.  She is looking for revenge from a man that she has never met Steven Hepsworth.  Jane becomes the perfect person to get close to Steven with her carefully planned and executed actions.  Steven thinks he has met someone that he can have in his life for as long as he wants.  Jane’s hate for the man grows exponentially by the day.

It was wonderful having the chance to be in Jane’s head as she went through her plan and worked to remain in character.  I loved her inner dialogue and often found quite a bit of humor in it.  It was kind of interesting to get to know the real Jane while she was playing the role of a very different individual to those around her most of the time.  There were times where Jane was able to to show more of her true self and the contrast was very eye-opening.

I loved the fact that I wasn’t always sure who the bad guy was in this story.  I mean Jane is out for revenge and embraces the fact that she is a sociopath but I still liked her more than Steven.  He was truly horrible but completely oblivious of that fact.  The more that I read, the more that I wanted to see him suffer.

I thought that Nicol Zanzerella did an amazing job with the narration.   This was the first time that I have had an opportunity to listen to this narrator’s work and I was very impressed.  This book is told entirely from Jane’s point of view and I thought that she captured her personality very well.  It was always very obvious when Jane was speaking as the character she was using for her revenge.  I found her voice to be very pleasant and wanted to listen to the book for hours at a time.  I do plan to look for more of her work in the future.

I would recommend this book to others.  I had a great time with this darker story that held more than a few surprises.  I definitely plan to read more from this author in the future.  

About the Author

Victoria Helen Stone (nom de plume of USA Today bestselling romance novelist Victoria Dahl) is the author of Evelyn, After and Half Past. Born and educated in the Midwest, she finished her first manuscript just after college. In 2016, she was the recipient of the American Library Association’s prestigious Reading List Award. After publishing more than twenty-five books, she has taken a turn toward the darker side of genre fiction.

Having escaped the plains of her youth, she now resides with her family in a small town high in the Rocky Mountains, where she enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, and not skiing (too dangerous). For more on the author and her work, visit www.VictoriaHelenStone.com and www.VictoriaDahl.com.

Author Links: Website | Goodreads | Twitter

16 responses to “Review – Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone @VictoriaDahl

  1. I would have sat up and paid close attention to that list, too. Isn't it fun when you can root for a sociopath? I'll have to add this one to my own list.

  2. I also grabbed this book on KU beause of the IA recommendation but haven't gotten to it yet. I also didn't realize I could get the audio instead. I might read just because i have so many audios right now but it's nice to have a choice. I'm even more excited to read it since you liked it. Anne – Books of My Heart