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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
Needless to say, the review to follow will not be a favorable one. -___- Need some time to reflect on how I'm going to word it.
****Originally posted here on my blog. Contains spoilers.*****
Whenever I have a non-favorable review for a book, I try to take some time before writing a bunch of negative things so that my point of view does not come across as skewed or bias. However, I still managed to come to the same conclusion: this book was just a badly written romance novel with a speckled crime/mystery theme throughout the narrative.
Given the synopsis of the book, you'd think it would be the other way around. With the prologue anticipating her appearance at a murder scene I was really, really excited to see what was going to happen next. Not to mention a thrill-ride that the courtroom shooting started to build upon. But there were just too many pit fall blunders to get over or ignore.
For instance, the police department and the lead detective on the case? They're a joke. These people couldn't find their way out of a paper bag. :-|
It was no wonder Neal Lester's his chief wanted someone else brought in to handle the case. He literally had a mountain of evidence and enough suspicion to follow the trail toward Ottoman, but he blatantly and continuously ignored it. Holly even brought it up to his face, which perplexed me because as a judge, I'm pretty certain she has a way to pull rank and press charges on him for hindering an investigation, but I digress.
Second, the exposition is enough to make you want to pull your hair out. Third, the main character, Crawford Hunt is stereotypical grunt of a man or what is supposed to be, I guess perceived as the macho, struggling hero type nearly the moment we're introduced to him. Crawford's character is actually an extremely possessive and controlling and acts like he's a martyr.
As the story goes on, we see that he is actually a pretty reckless, power pushing, control freak when it comes to the courtroom case and the custody battle over his daughter, Georgia. My desire to see things through for Crawford dwindled with each page and with it Judge Holly Spencer's likeability, integrity, the focus on her career and foreseeable future. Nearly every scene between these two, Holly's character practically goes week in the knees whenever Crawford is around, which is pretty ridiculous—she just met the guy—and casts an even bigger misogynistic cloud throughout this entire book.
This aspect is most upsetting because Holly isn't some lovesick teenager or a flighty, non-educated woman hung up on a guy she's known her entire life and whose only purpose in life is to be together with him again. And yet...
All in all, if this was strictly a romance novel, then yeah, maybe I think it does an O.K. job of incorporating all of the predictable plot points—maybe. Ranked with all of your anticipated stereotypes and comical tropes (I mean this book is basically stitched together with them.) I am the way that I am because: dad was a drunk/parents divorced. Son-in-law and father-in-law can't see eye-to-eye because the father never wanted his daughter to be with or married to Crawford (nothing to do with Georgia well-being or care, by the way. When it's all about her and not them.)
And in all honesty, I didn't really find Does that information often get plastered on the front pages of newspapers?
To top it all off, the book's pacing through five consecutive days (and over 400 pages) was like watching an extremely slow domino effect be mapped out in detail, seeing the actual trail collapse and then reading about the recap.
****Originally posted here on my blog. Contains spoilers.*****
Whenever I have a non-favorable review for a book, I try to take some time before writing a bunch of negative things so that my point of view does not come across as skewed or bias. However, I still managed to come to the same conclusion: this book was just a badly written romance novel with a speckled crime/mystery theme throughout the narrative.
Given the synopsis of the book, you'd think it would be the other way around. With the prologue anticipating her appearance at a murder scene I was really, really excited to see what was going to happen next. Not to mention a thrill-ride that the courtroom shooting started to build upon. But there were just too many pit fall blunders to get over or ignore.
For instance, the police department and the lead detective on the case? They're a joke. These people couldn't find their way out of a paper bag. :-|
It was no wonder Neal Lester's his chief wanted someone else brought in to handle the case. He literally had a mountain of evidence and enough suspicion to follow the trail toward Ottoman, but he blatantly and continuously ignored it. Holly even brought it up to his face, which perplexed me because as a judge, I'm pretty certain she has a way to pull rank and press charges on him for hindering an investigation, but I digress.
Second, the exposition is enough to make you want to pull your hair out. Third, the main character, Crawford Hunt is stereotypical grunt of a man or what is supposed to be, I guess perceived as the macho, struggling hero type nearly the moment we're introduced to him. Crawford's character is actually an extremely possessive and controlling and acts like he's a martyr.
As the story goes on, we see that he is actually a pretty reckless, power pushing, control freak when it comes to the courtroom case and the custody battle over his daughter, Georgia. My desire to see things through for Crawford dwindled with each page and with it Judge Holly Spencer's likeability, integrity, the focus on her career and foreseeable future. Nearly every scene between these two, Holly's character practically goes week in the knees whenever Crawford is around, which is pretty ridiculous—she just met the guy—and casts an even bigger misogynistic cloud throughout this entire book.
This aspect is most upsetting because Holly isn't some lovesick teenager or a flighty, non-educated woman hung up on a guy she's known her entire life and whose only purpose in life is to be together with him again. And yet...
All in all, if this was strictly a romance novel, then yeah, maybe I think it does an O.K. job of incorporating all of the predictable plot points—maybe. Ranked with all of your anticipated stereotypes and comical tropes (I mean this book is basically stitched together with them.) I am the way that I am because: dad was a drunk/parents divorced. Son-in-law and father-in-law can't see eye-to-eye because the father never wanted his daughter to be with or married to Crawford (nothing to do with Georgia well-being or care, by the way. When it's all about her and not them.)
And in all honesty, I didn't really find
Spoiler
the fact that Grace cheated on Crawford that big of a deal. Why would that matter if he took care of her and loved her as his own? And so what if it was revealed in court.To top it all off, the book's pacing through five consecutive days (and over 400 pages) was like watching an extremely slow domino effect be mapped out in detail, seeing the actual trail collapse and then reading about the recap.
this one actually gets more like 4.5 stars from me. it's the most I've connected with any of the characters in the past few SB novels I've read. this was a good one.
This was a fast read that was certainly not deep literature, and it was fairly entertaining. Some of the plot/the main relationship seemed more than a bit cliched, though. I have to question what message is being conveyed when our "diamond in the rough" main character is downright abrasive, a bit nasty, and overall unpleasant, and yet the female lead ends up falling for him. What does that say? I think the author is probably trying to develop a story where she sees past his rough exterior, but to me it just seemed to describe an unhealthy situation where a guy acts like an ass but still gets the girl. Not a healthy message for either gender.
This is the second book by Sandra Brown. The first one was a Stockholm-Syndrome romance, which is rather morally icky, but I thought she was a good writer and that I should try another one of her books. Plus the adorable elderly man who volunteers for the library says he loves her and has read everything she’s written, so I wanted to give her another chance for him. Funny thing is that Brown has written more than one book that has a Stockholm-Syndrome romance in it! Wth! So I had to hunt around for one that wasn’t quite so... rape-fantasy-y. This one starts kind of rocky. Like Texas Ranger love interest guy is such an ***, why is Holly risking her career for him? He must be REALLY hot, like on fire hot is all I’m saying to put up with his attitude. Also, I know the FIL is a Class A a-hole, but he spikes his wife’s drink so she’ll sleep? First of all, that is a violation of trust and consent, and second of all, wouldn’t the wife have tasted it in her chamomile tea? Little things like that... So I guess if you like that old-fashioned cowboy kind of guy mixed with Dirty Harry? I almost stopped reading, but then I got hooked on the mystery and action. But then the Neal Lester cop was so persistently stupid!!! I don’t know... it’s hard to know how to even rate this, but I guess it is one of those guilty pleasures where you suspend disbelief and go on an adventure.
Entertainment guaranteed! Pulse-racing thrillers are Sandra Brown's forte and she knows to create a web of intrigue around her characters,forbidden attraction adding to the thrill of the drama. She's always been one of my favorite authors and last few years she's been consistent in delivering books that hooks any reader. Friction is sure to be liked by her millions of fans but there's a small change from her usual twisty curly endings. Here, the antagonist is introduced early and other than a small surprise which doesn't affect the story much, its pretty much an expected ending.
tense
fast-paced
This was actually a really good book. I enjoyed the writing, the characters and the plot. It was nice that there was a romantic relationship between two of the characters that seemed to develop organically. I would recommend this book to people.
I ended up abandoning this book, which was a shame because it started off really strong. The author made some style and characterization choices that, in the end, became too numerous for me to overlook and care about the story.
First, the style errors. The story is told in the standard third-person with most of the story told from the POV of the lead male character. At no point while reading are we given the hint that the author is also using the 'unreliable narrator' device...because she's not. For example, the lead character is in the morgue trying to identify the body and the reader is experiencing this story alongside him, reading his inner thoughts and feelings about what he's experiencing. He doesn't know the body.
But wait! In the next chapter he's sharing with the female lead that he did notice something while he was examining the body. It's just lazy writing because the decision to not include a hint to the reader that something was up wasn't in line with the rest of the book.
This happens frequently and as a result causes logic problems. Characters move from A to C without any inclination as to what B was.
Secondly, the characterization. The story has a strong romance element to it, which is fine and I think the idea of a judge and a client is rather intriguing. The male lead seems decent....until he isn't. He becomes aggressive, stalkery, and rude and it's all framed as romantic. Wtf.
To further this, he is constantly forcing his emotions onto the lead lady and demanding things from her. He tells her what she's feeling (cause she won't tell him so he tells her what she's feeling) and just makes demands of her time that are repugnant.
And lastly, the female lead is a goddam judge. She didn't get there by being a meek little woman, but you wouldn't know it from this book.
Gag.
I couldn't get over these things to find out the resolution to the overall plot, which was, to the author's credit, actually interesting.
First, the style errors. The story is told in the standard third-person with most of the story told from the POV of the lead male character. At no point while reading are we given the hint that the author is also using the 'unreliable narrator' device...because she's not. For example, the lead character is in the morgue trying to identify the body and the reader is experiencing this story alongside him, reading his inner thoughts and feelings about what he's experiencing. He doesn't know the body.
But wait! In the next chapter he's sharing with the female lead that he did notice something while he was examining the body. It's just lazy writing because the decision to not include a hint to the reader that something was up wasn't in line with the rest of the book.
This happens frequently and as a result causes logic problems. Characters move from A to C without any inclination as to what B was.
Secondly, the characterization. The story has a strong romance element to it, which is fine and I think the idea of a judge and a client is rather intriguing. The male lead seems decent....until he isn't. He becomes aggressive, stalkery, and rude and it's all framed as romantic. Wtf.
To further this, he is constantly forcing his emotions onto the lead lady and demanding things from her. He tells her what she's feeling (cause she won't tell him so he tells her what she's feeling) and just makes demands of her time that are repugnant.
And lastly, the female lead is a goddam judge. She didn't get there by being a meek little woman, but you wouldn't know it from this book.
Gag.
I couldn't get over these things to find out the resolution to the overall plot, which was, to the author's credit, actually interesting.
I wanted to try a new crime writer, just for my fun, listen while working out book. This book didn't do it for me. The characters were one-note, the plot was dull and the twist (?) was a downer. Plus, I wasn't expecting such graphic sex! There weren't too many scenes of it, but the two-three were more than enough! I need another John Sanford type crime writer as Sandra Brown just isn't my jam.