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lisa01's review against another edition
5.0
What an exciting suspenseful story! This easily kept my interest and my ears tuned in. It is filled with action and drama. I loved all the characters….even those bad ones. Jace’s story is interesting and the way he met Maddie is epic! I enjoyed how he couldn’t stay away from her and all he did to be with her. I enjoyed meeting Black crew and who knew that Ian could joke.
I really enjoyed this fast paced story. I did listen to this on audio. Joe Arden and Emma Wilder were both spot on! I look forward to the next in the series.
mslizalou's review against another edition
4.0
Lynn Raye Harris has once again delivered with another great book with Black List which is the first book in Black's Bandits series. Fans of her Hostile Operations Team series of books have been wanting a book about Ian Black, and with Black List we get plenty of time with Ian Black as well as a few of his operatives. First up is Jace Kaiser, who is a man without a country thanks to his parents. Jace mistakenly captures art historian Madeline Cole when trying to capture a known assassin going by the name Calypso. I loved Maddy has such a strong personality and gave as good as she got when she was with Jace and the other BDI operatives. She even stood up for herself with Ian Black, and I feel like that is something not everyone does.
Jace and Maddy had really strong chemistry from the moment they first met, even though it was under less than perfect circumstances. Even before everything was sorted out about identities, you could totally feel the attraction between Jace and Maddy. I loved for the first time in Jace's life he found someone he couldn't stay away from even when it went against all the rules. I loved that Jace would do anything to be with and protect Maddy.
I loved the suspense element of Calypso, though I figured it out before it was revealed. Calypso is the type of bad guy you love to hate, yet feel like cheering her on at the same time...once she has an agreement with you anyway. I loved the action and suspense elements of Black List and have to say that Lynn Raye Harris have another series to fall in love with. I've wanted to learn more about Ian Black since he first appeared on the page and figure with Black's Bandits we will finally get all the answers we have wanted. I feel like Black List can easily be read as a stand-alone story if you haven't read any of the Hostile Operations team series of books, but also think readers will understand the need for Ian Black's story if they have read both series.
Rating: 4.5 Stars (B+)
Review copy provided by publisher
Jace and Maddy had really strong chemistry from the moment they first met, even though it was under less than perfect circumstances. Even before everything was sorted out about identities, you could totally feel the attraction between Jace and Maddy. I loved for the first time in Jace's life he found someone he couldn't stay away from even when it went against all the rules. I loved that Jace would do anything to be with and protect Maddy.
I loved the suspense element of Calypso, though I figured it out before it was revealed. Calypso is the type of bad guy you love to hate, yet feel like cheering her on at the same time...once she has an agreement with you anyway. I loved the action and suspense elements of Black List and have to say that Lynn Raye Harris have another series to fall in love with. I've wanted to learn more about Ian Black since he first appeared on the page and figure with Black's Bandits we will finally get all the answers we have wanted. I feel like Black List can easily be read as a stand-alone story if you haven't read any of the Hostile Operations team series of books, but also think readers will understand the need for Ian Black's story if they have read both series.
Rating: 4.5 Stars (B+)
Review copy provided by publisher
cdnmrs's review against another edition
2.0
Review posted at Red Hot Books (http://redhotbooks.com/2019/04/review-black-list-by-lynn-raye-harris.html)
Black List, book 1 of Lynne Raye Harris’ Black’s Bandits series begins as Jace Kaiser, former Russian fugitive and now premier spy and mercenary for Black Defense International(BDI), joins the hunt for international assassin Calypso. After tracking her down at a Russian oligarch’s birthday party, Jace captures Calypso and ferries her away to BDI’s American headquarters. Unfortunately for Jace, the woman he brings back to the States isn’t Calypso, but American and Russian art appraiser, Dr. Madeline Cole. Oops!
Dr. Madeline Cole is a self professed nobody. Alone in the world except for her Grandmother who suffers from dementia, her best friend Angie and her long suffering cat, Kitty, Dr. Cole’s existence until her time in Russia has been pretty low key. Now, because of her similar appearance to Calypso, she’s jet setting all over the globe and being interrogated by handsome mercenaries. As much as she wants to be furious with Jace, she’s also sad to see him go once she’s released. It could’ve been the whole traumatic experience, but Maddy felt there might have been a spark of something between her and Jace.
Jace knows that Calypso likely isn’t done with Maddy and is determined to protect her even if it means going against all of his training or even sacrificing his life to keep the woman who’s stolen his heart safe. While Maddy, will have to decide if being with a man who’s past, secrets and even his real name are classified is something she can handle all while under the threat of constant danger.
I really enjoyed the beginning of Black List. I thought the premise of mistaken identity in the high stakes world of mercenaries, assassins and spies was a really cool concept and I was really interested in learning more about the main characters, Jace and Dr. Cole. I love the kind of alpha male and the nerdy, but sassy, female character pairing, but as soon as the action of the Black List’s beginning was over these two both went through a severe personality change. Jace quickly became more of a jerk than an alpha male. He flew off the handle more than once at Maddy, exhibited some pretty extreme anger, and ran really hot and cold when it came to getting intimate in a way that was less about nerves or wanting to take things slow, and more of a demeaning, “I know what’s best for you” kind of way. He also really infantilized Dr. Cole, constantly calling her sweet and innocent, making pretty huge decisions for her, and getting weirdly turned on by her using the word “fuck”. Jace’s character, to me, went from super, cool spy with a tragic backstory to angry, overbearing, creepy douche.
On the other hand, Dr. Cole’s character went from a smart, talented, well-travelled woman with a cool job to an obtuse doormat. After Jace and Maddy return back to the US and the romance portion of the book really kicks into gear, Maddy constantly refers to herself negatively. She calls herself “dull”, “nothing special” and she simply cannot understand why Jace is with her. Maddy is also really slow on the uptake on what dating a spy/mercenary while being under the threat of violence from another spy/assassin is going to be like. She is completely hung up on the fact that Jace won’t reveal his real name to her and brings it up several times. Maddy’s also put out that she’s not given all the information on her situation and is probably the worst person to guard because she does things that are in direct opposition to the goal of keeping her safe. Maddy goes from Dr. Cole, a character I want to see more of, to a whiny, self-deprecating, moron who can’t figure out why a spy might not give you his real name.
Another issue that killed Black List for me was the timeline of Jace’s backstory. I found that accounts of Jace’s past conflicted and didn’t seem to add up. I couldn’t pin down his age at all and he was either a really accomplished and skilled young man or someone a bit too old and battle scarred for Maddy. I don’t like math and the last thing I want to be doing while I’m reading a book is trying to sort out how old a character is.
The concept of Black List and the characters introduced in the book’s first several chapters were excellent, but as Black List progressed the story became less focused, the plot predictable, and the characters more and more unlikeable. Black List just wasn’t for me.
Rating – D
*ARC provided for honest review.
Black List, book 1 of Lynne Raye Harris’ Black’s Bandits series begins as Jace Kaiser, former Russian fugitive and now premier spy and mercenary for Black Defense International(BDI), joins the hunt for international assassin Calypso. After tracking her down at a Russian oligarch’s birthday party, Jace captures Calypso and ferries her away to BDI’s American headquarters. Unfortunately for Jace, the woman he brings back to the States isn’t Calypso, but American and Russian art appraiser, Dr. Madeline Cole. Oops!
Dr. Madeline Cole is a self professed nobody. Alone in the world except for her Grandmother who suffers from dementia, her best friend Angie and her long suffering cat, Kitty, Dr. Cole’s existence until her time in Russia has been pretty low key. Now, because of her similar appearance to Calypso, she’s jet setting all over the globe and being interrogated by handsome mercenaries. As much as she wants to be furious with Jace, she’s also sad to see him go once she’s released. It could’ve been the whole traumatic experience, but Maddy felt there might have been a spark of something between her and Jace.
Jace knows that Calypso likely isn’t done with Maddy and is determined to protect her even if it means going against all of his training or even sacrificing his life to keep the woman who’s stolen his heart safe. While Maddy, will have to decide if being with a man who’s past, secrets and even his real name are classified is something she can handle all while under the threat of constant danger.
I really enjoyed the beginning of Black List. I thought the premise of mistaken identity in the high stakes world of mercenaries, assassins and spies was a really cool concept and I was really interested in learning more about the main characters, Jace and Dr. Cole. I love the kind of alpha male and the nerdy, but sassy, female character pairing, but as soon as the action of the Black List’s beginning was over these two both went through a severe personality change. Jace quickly became more of a jerk than an alpha male. He flew off the handle more than once at Maddy, exhibited some pretty extreme anger, and ran really hot and cold when it came to getting intimate in a way that was less about nerves or wanting to take things slow, and more of a demeaning, “I know what’s best for you” kind of way. He also really infantilized Dr. Cole, constantly calling her sweet and innocent, making pretty huge decisions for her, and getting weirdly turned on by her using the word “fuck”. Jace’s character, to me, went from super, cool spy with a tragic backstory to angry, overbearing, creepy douche.
On the other hand, Dr. Cole’s character went from a smart, talented, well-travelled woman with a cool job to an obtuse doormat. After Jace and Maddy return back to the US and the romance portion of the book really kicks into gear, Maddy constantly refers to herself negatively. She calls herself “dull”, “nothing special” and she simply cannot understand why Jace is with her. Maddy is also really slow on the uptake on what dating a spy/mercenary while being under the threat of violence from another spy/assassin is going to be like. She is completely hung up on the fact that Jace won’t reveal his real name to her and brings it up several times. Maddy’s also put out that she’s not given all the information on her situation and is probably the worst person to guard because she does things that are in direct opposition to the goal of keeping her safe. Maddy goes from Dr. Cole, a character I want to see more of, to a whiny, self-deprecating, moron who can’t figure out why a spy might not give you his real name.
Another issue that killed Black List for me was the timeline of Jace’s backstory. I found that accounts of Jace’s past conflicted and didn’t seem to add up. I couldn’t pin down his age at all and he was either a really accomplished and skilled young man or someone a bit too old and battle scarred for Maddy. I don’t like math and the last thing I want to be doing while I’m reading a book is trying to sort out how old a character is.
The concept of Black List and the characters introduced in the book’s first several chapters were excellent, but as Black List progressed the story became less focused, the plot predictable, and the characters more and more unlikeable. Black List just wasn’t for me.
Rating – D
*ARC provided for honest review.
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