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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
Very well written. I enjoyed this as a “light thriller” I’m one for the dark and twisty thriller. This is more of a cat and mouse thriller but didn’t have as many twists and plot changes I would like. I’m not one for a jewel heist but the characters were well thought out and defined and just enough back story for all. Wasnt to wordy where you start to get lost in back story if that makes sense . I did enjoy the writers style the story moved along very smooth .
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’ve had this book in my TBR for a very long time, and I’ve just finally gotten to it! I don’t know what I was waiting for, this book was great! Thank you to @bookpublicityservices and the author @ricostays for my #gifted copy!
For underworld enforcer Richard “Rico” Sanders, it seemed like an ordinary job: retrieve his gangster boss’s stolen goods, and teach the person responsible a lesson. But the chase quickly goes sideways and takes Rico from the mean streets of Chicago to sunny Honolulu. There, the hardened hit man finds himself in uncharted territory, when innocent bystanders are accidentally embroiled in a crime. Faced with a tough decision Rico must either follow his orders or endanger the life of the woman he loves!
This one was such a quick and fun read set in the world of crime and gangsters. The entire time I was reading it I wanted it to be turned into a Netflix series! There was a good amount of action and the way the character stories all knitted together so nicely made for a perfect book! The ending did seem quite rushed, but it didn’t detract from the story too much.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and wish I wouldn’t have sat on it for so long! I hear this is book 1 in a series, so I’ll definitely be looking out for the others! Thanks again Book Publicity Services for my gifted copy, y’all are awesome!
For underworld enforcer Richard "Rico" Sanders, it seemed like an ordinary job. Retrieve his gangster boss's priceless pigeon-blood red ruby necklace and teach the double-dealing cheat who stole it a lesson. A job like a hundred before it. But the chase quickly goes sideways and takes Rico from the mean streets of Chicago to sunny Honolulu, where the hardened hit man finds himself in uncharted territory when a couple of innocent bystanders are accidentally embroiled in the crime.
As Rico pursues his new targets, the hunter and his prey develop an unlikely respect for one another and Rico is faced with a momentous decision: follow his orders to kill the couple whose courage and character have won his admiration, or refuse and endanger the life of the woman he loves?
This isn't the longest of books, only 203 pages, but there was a lot packed into it and it certainly kept my interest. Without any spoilers, there was something likeable about the main character, even if he is a hitman. I would have liked there to have been a bit more about him as a person but there was enough to start to get a feeling for him and why he does what he does. Also this is the first book in a trilogy so hopefully there will be more backstory or insight. Although crime fiction, there was elements of romance in there too and I felt they were merged together well.
Overall, after getting past the first couple chapters which I did struggle with as they seemed a bit random, this was a fast paced, old school crime story and I did enjoy it. I'd like to see where it goes next.
I was gifted this book for my honest review
As Rico pursues his new targets, the hunter and his prey develop an unlikely respect for one another and Rico is faced with a momentous decision: follow his orders to kill the couple whose courage and character have won his admiration, or refuse and endanger the life of the woman he loves?
This isn't the longest of books, only 203 pages, but there was a lot packed into it and it certainly kept my interest. Without any spoilers, there was something likeable about the main character, even if he is a hitman. I would have liked there to have been a bit more about him as a person but there was enough to start to get a feeling for him and why he does what he does. Also this is the first book in a trilogy so hopefully there will be more backstory or insight. Although crime fiction, there was elements of romance in there too and I felt they were merged together well.
Overall, after getting past the first couple chapters which I did struggle with as they seemed a bit random, this was a fast paced, old school crime story and I did enjoy it. I'd like to see where it goes next.
I was gifted this book for my honest review
Thank you to Book Publicity Services and the author for the gifted copy.
SUMMARY:
Rico is a fixer who works for people with money and power. He is good at his job and does so with ease and without stress. His latest job is to find a pigeon-blood red ruby that he lost / was stolen. The re-con mission takes him to Hawaii, following the thief and his wife. Once he arrives, he finds out the job is not as simple as it once seemed.
MY THOUGHTS:
SUMMARY:
Rico is a fixer who works for people with money and power. He is good at his job and does so with ease and without stress. His latest job is to find a pigeon-blood red ruby that he lost / was stolen. The re-con mission takes him to Hawaii, following the thief and his wife. Once he arrives, he finds out the job is not as simple as it once seemed.
MY THOUGHTS:
(I received a free copy of this book from the author and the publicist Kelsey Butts in exchange for an honest review.)
Actual Rating - 3.5
CHARACTERS
While the story isn't a long one, we still get to see the personality of each character come through. I enjoyed getting to know Evelyn. She's a woman who believes in herself and at the same time isn't scared to accept her own mistakes. While the summary of the book on Goodreads talks of Rico as the main character, for me it was Evelyn. Through our glimpses into her past, I enjoyed getting to know the person she used to me and the person she'd grown into.
Paul too was an equally interesting character with a past that haunts him. It was interesting to see how he lets go of that and learns to move on even while they're caught up in a dangerous plot. Rico sure is not the kind of character we normally see in books. He is not really a bad guys but not really a good guy either. He's one of those gray characters who always make interesting decisions.
PLOT
Truth be told, I expected the plot to be a lot more complex but I do understand that's not possible when the book isn't long enough. For me the best twist was around the middle of the story when we learn about a certain someone. But I think the little blurb on the backcover would give away this little twist and make readers guess before they get to the part. Thankfully I read the blurb only after finishing the story. The most interesting parts of the story for me was learning about each person through their past. I also liked how the plot was character driven most of the time. It's the kind of book you know would also make for a good gangster thriller movie. At the beginning of the story, I felt a little confused as to what was happening but the author clears up things soon enough
WRITING
The writing is clear and to the point, making this a really fast read. At certain points, I felt the dialogue wasn't natural enough. I think the best part of writing was when we learn about Paul's backstory. The dialogue between him JoAnne was written wonderfully.
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE BOOK
- The character driven plot
- Evelyn and Paul
- The fast pace
- The cover
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE ABOUT THE BOOK
- how the story feels confusing at first
- certain characters whose personalities weren't explored much.
CONCLUSION
A noir drama that is character driven and fast paced making sure to keep readers interested till the very last page.
Actual Rating - 3.5
CHARACTERS
While the story isn't a long one, we still get to see the personality of each character come through. I enjoyed getting to know Evelyn. She's a woman who believes in herself and at the same time isn't scared to accept her own mistakes. While the summary of the book on Goodreads talks of Rico as the main character, for me it was Evelyn. Through our glimpses into her past, I enjoyed getting to know the person she used to me and the person she'd grown into.
Paul too was an equally interesting character with a past that haunts him. It was interesting to see how he lets go of that and learns to move on even while they're caught up in a dangerous plot. Rico sure is not the kind of character we normally see in books. He is not really a bad guys but not really a good guy either. He's one of those gray characters who always make interesting decisions.
PLOT
Truth be told, I expected the plot to be a lot more complex but I do understand that's not possible when the book isn't long enough. For me the best twist was around the middle of the story when we learn about a certain someone. But I think the little blurb on the backcover would give away this little twist and make readers guess before they get to the part. Thankfully I read the blurb only after finishing the story. The most interesting parts of the story for me was learning about each person through their past. I also liked how the plot was character driven most of the time. It's the kind of book you know would also make for a good gangster thriller movie. At the beginning of the story, I felt a little confused as to what was happening but the author clears up things soon enough
WRITING
The writing is clear and to the point, making this a really fast read. At certain points, I felt the dialogue wasn't natural enough. I think the best part of writing was when we learn about Paul's backstory. The dialogue between him JoAnne was written wonderfully.
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE BOOK
- The character driven plot
- Evelyn and Paul
- The fast pace
- The cover
WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE ABOUT THE BOOK
- how the story feels confusing at first
- certain characters whose personalities weren't explored much.
CONCLUSION
A noir drama that is character driven and fast paced making sure to keep readers interested till the very last page.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was gifted this book in exchange for an honest review. This books was a lot different than books that I normally read, however I still enjoyed it. My favorite aspects of the book was the constant action and twists. However, I never felt like I got to know enough about the characters. I usually enjoy POV switches throughout books, but in this case I felt like it hindered our connection to characters such as Rico.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
3.5 ⭐
This was a very fast-paced book about a hit man named Rico. It felt like I was watching an action packed movie or TV show. It kept me entertained, which I always appreciate. You can tell that the author knows his way around the legal system!
The only negative is that the story was hard to follow at times since there is so many characters, especially at the beginning, but by the end of the book it was all brought together in a very cohesive way.
This was a very fast-paced book about a hit man named Rico. It felt like I was watching an action packed movie or TV show. It kept me entertained, which I always appreciate. You can tell that the author knows his way around the legal system!
The only negative is that the story was hard to follow at times since there is so many characters, especially at the beginning, but by the end of the book it was all brought together in a very cohesive way.
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.
While this isn't a book I would typically pick up, I am glad I got the chance to read it! I was in the mood for a fast paced, suspenseful read and this book did not disappoint.
Rico was given a job that wasn't unfamiliar to him. He was sent to retrieve a ruby necklace that was stolen from his gangster boss and teach the thief a lesson. Simple enough. Until things begin to go south and he finds himself in an unfamiliar situation as he is faced with a difficult decision of following his boss' orders or put the woman he loves in danger.
While this isn't a book I would typically pick up, I am glad I got the chance to read it! I was in the mood for a fast paced, suspenseful read and this book did not disappoint.
Rico was given a job that wasn't unfamiliar to him. He was sent to retrieve a ruby necklace that was stolen from his gangster boss and teach the thief a lesson. Simple enough. Until things begin to go south and he finds himself in an unfamiliar situation as he is faced with a difficult decision of following his boss' orders or put the woman he loves in danger.