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mrose21's review
1.0
Instant one star. Dog died. Pointless? what is the actual point of killing off a dog if you put the effort into putting it into the bloody story.
mbrown13669's review
1.0
I so rarely write reviews...
If you cut Shay out of the book this would have been worth reading.
Shay was the sort of female personality-wise that just GRATES.
A woman who knows she's pretty--probably has been abused because she was pretty--but decides to make her beauty be the thing that defines all her interactions with people.
She's beautiful so she is pre-emptively aggressive to men. Man looks at her? Kick him in the balls.
If a man doesn't find her to be Gods gift to men--they must be gay, couldn't be that he's just not a thirsty piece of dog excrement, nope, must be gay. (Show us where the bad man touched you on the dolly. I get it, apparently you (the author) were trying to set up a character with systemic sexual abuse as many people who act this way in real life have been or have been around people who have been sexually abused to the point that their defense mechanism is to shove men away so hard they can't make it back and if they DO make it back they can't get it up to do anything about it.)
Now that it comes to it not sure if Mr. Brownstone's sexual preference was really defined, to be honest. He might in fact be gay. He had females throwing themselves at him.
He complained about being "hideous" in appearance so he apparently hasn't had much, if any?
I don't know as there was actually a definition.
Don't really care.
I'm not here to police what should or shouldn't be going on in characters bedrooms, but the female lead was annoying about it.
Do you really have this much time, when you are walking through a house with multiple murders to be wondering about if the person you're tailing takes it in the front or the rear? Really? How have you not gotten shot, stabbed or otherwise dead because you are so busy rubbing one out? Shoo. You bother me.
Don't get me wrong, I know a good portion of males who are thirsty pieces of dog excrement just like Shay talks about.
I mostly hope they don't reproduce or that because they are excrement they probably just ding-dong-ditch the women they knock up and they won't be around their child to infect them with their personality traits.
Gotta admit I skimmed the last 50% of the book, so saying it's read is a little cheaty, but honestly...WHY would anyone want to read this with that character in it? I am going to pick up book 2 and hope since this is a long running series that Shay either improves or was cut out of the book directly after the last scene in this book.
If you cut Shay out of the book this would have been worth reading.
Shay was the sort of female personality-wise that just GRATES.
A woman who knows she's pretty--probably has been abused because she was pretty--but decides to make her beauty be the thing that defines all her interactions with people.
She's beautiful so she is pre-emptively aggressive to men. Man looks at her? Kick him in the balls.
If a man doesn't find her to be Gods gift to men--they must be gay, couldn't be that he's just not a thirsty piece of dog excrement, nope, must be gay. (Show us where the bad man touched you on the dolly. I get it, apparently you (the author) were trying to set up a character with systemic sexual abuse as many people who act this way in real life have been or have been around people who have been sexually abused to the point that their defense mechanism is to shove men away so hard they can't make it back and if they DO make it back they can't get it up to do anything about it.)
Now that it comes to it not sure if Mr. Brownstone's sexual preference was really defined, to be honest. He might in fact be gay. He had females throwing themselves at him.
He complained about being "hideous" in appearance so he apparently hasn't had much, if any?
I don't know as there was actually a definition.
Don't really care.
I'm not here to police what should or shouldn't be going on in characters bedrooms, but the female lead was annoying about it.
Do you really have this much time, when you are walking through a house with multiple murders to be wondering about if the person you're tailing takes it in the front or the rear? Really? How have you not gotten shot, stabbed or otherwise dead because you are so busy rubbing one out? Shoo. You bother me.
Don't get me wrong, I know a good portion of males who are thirsty pieces of dog excrement just like Shay talks about.
I mostly hope they don't reproduce or that because they are excrement they probably just ding-dong-ditch the women they knock up and they won't be around their child to infect them with their personality traits.
Gotta admit I skimmed the last 50% of the book, so saying it's read is a little cheaty, but honestly...WHY would anyone want to read this with that character in it? I am going to pick up book 2 and hope since this is a long running series that Shay either improves or was cut out of the book directly after the last scene in this book.
ari_reading_'s review
4.0
This was very enjoyable. The main characters are written well, I really like the lead and two supporting and since they will be the main focus of the series as it continues, I feel like that's a good thing. It's weird reading about Alison here compared to Alison in the Alison Brownstone series and the Alison School of Necessary Magic series. We learn her real name and how she truly meets James, we see her before she goes to school. Shay's POVs are nice to read about, she's such a powerhouse and as for James, he's hilarious, it's a fast read.
However, if you're not acquainted with the world, you're going to be confused about Oriceren, to be honest, it's not really explained in the other books, even with the ones by Martha Carr.
However, if you're not acquainted with the world, you're going to be confused about Oriceren, to be honest, it's not really explained in the other books, even with the ones by Martha Carr.
iffer's review
3.0
Definitely not high literature, but this is knowingly a caricature that reminds me of cheesy, but enjoyable and endearing sci-fi network TV in the 90s. James Brownstone is oddly a combination of super beefy testosterone action hero and loveable lug.
ravenwood1984's review
1.0
I so rarely write reviews...
If you cut Shay out of the book this would have been worth reading.
Shay was the sort of female personality-wise that just GRATES.
A woman who knows she's pretty--probably has been abused because she was pretty--but decides to make her beauty be the thing that defines all her interactions with people.
She's beautiful so she is pre-emptively aggressive to men. Man looks at her? Kick him in the balls.
If a man doesn't find her to be Gods gift to men--they must be gay, couldn't be that he's just not a thirsty piece of dog excrement, nope, must be gay. (Show us where the bad man touched you on the dolly. I get it, apparently you (the author) were trying to set up a character with systemic sexual abuse as many people who act this way in real life have been or have been around people who have been sexually abused to the point that their defense mechanism is to shove men away so hard they can't make it back and if they DO make it back they can't get it up to do anything about it.)
Now that it comes to it not sure if Mr. Brownstone's sexual preference was really defined, to be honest. He might in fact be gay. He had females throwing themselves at him.
He complained about being "hideous" in appearance so he apparently hasn't had much, if any?
I don't know as there was actually a definition.
Don't really care.
I'm not here to police what should or shouldn't be going on in characters bedrooms, but the female lead was annoying about it.
Do you really have this much time, when you are walking through a house with multiple murders to be wondering about if the person you're tailing takes it in the front or the rear? Really? How have you not gotten shot, stabbed or otherwise dead because you are so busy rubbing one out? Shoo. You bother me.
Don't get me wrong, I know a good portion of males who are thirsty pieces of dog excrement just like Shay talks about.
I mostly hope they don't reproduce or that because they are excrement they probably just ding-dong-ditch the women they knock up and they won't be around their child to infect them with their personality traits.
Gotta admit I skimmed the last 50% of the book, so saying it's read is a little cheaty, but honestly...WHY would anyone want to read this with that character in it? I am going to pick up book 2 and hope since this is a long running series that Shay either improves or was cut out of the book directly after the last scene in this book.
If you cut Shay out of the book this would have been worth reading.
Shay was the sort of female personality-wise that just GRATES.
A woman who knows she's pretty--probably has been abused because she was pretty--but decides to make her beauty be the thing that defines all her interactions with people.
She's beautiful so she is pre-emptively aggressive to men. Man looks at her? Kick him in the balls.
If a man doesn't find her to be Gods gift to men--they must be gay, couldn't be that he's just not a thirsty piece of dog excrement, nope, must be gay. (Show us where the bad man touched you on the dolly. I get it, apparently you (the author) were trying to set up a character with systemic sexual abuse as many people who act this way in real life have been or have been around people who have been sexually abused to the point that their defense mechanism is to shove men away so hard they can't make it back and if they DO make it back they can't get it up to do anything about it.)
Now that it comes to it not sure if Mr. Brownstone's sexual preference was really defined, to be honest. He might in fact be gay. He had females throwing themselves at him.
He complained about being "hideous" in appearance so he apparently hasn't had much, if any?
I don't know as there was actually a definition.
Don't really care.
I'm not here to police what should or shouldn't be going on in characters bedrooms, but the female lead was annoying about it.
Do you really have this much time, when you are walking through a house with multiple murders to be wondering about if the person you're tailing takes it in the front or the rear? Really? How have you not gotten shot, stabbed or otherwise dead because you are so busy rubbing one out? Shoo. You bother me.
Don't get me wrong, I know a good portion of males who are thirsty pieces of dog excrement just like Shay talks about.
I mostly hope they don't reproduce or that because they are excrement they probably just ding-dong-ditch the women they knock up and they won't be around their child to infect them with their personality traits.
Gotta admit I skimmed the last 50% of the book, so saying it's read is a little cheaty, but honestly...WHY would anyone want to read this with that character in it? I am going to pick up book 2 and hope since this is a long running series that Shay either improves or was cut out of the book directly after the last scene in this book.
karyanca's review
I've read the first four books of this series, so I can say that it's entertaining enough to keep reading. I really enjoy the main character. The level/type of humour hits the right spot for me.
Having said that, there are issues. The single most important is the portrayal of women (especially in this first book, but to a lesser degree in the rest). Most of the male characters, even if they should be unlikable, are presented in a sympathetic manner. Great! The female characters, not so much. Shay in particular comes across, even when using her own POV, as unpleasant. In fact, she doesn't seem "real" but rather a hostile male view of a strong (and supposedly attractive) woman. Her backstory sounds like weak justification rather than explanation. I could ignore this if it was only one female character, but most of them are either shallow or nasty (see Lt. Maria Hall introduced in book 3).
A lesser issue, or maybe not an issue depending on reading tastes, is the ease at which Brownstone solves his problems. The plot feels like a straight charge from A to B. I like fast pacing, but I also enjoy more layering in the plot and some setbacks. Still, it's a lighter, less stressful read than some other UF series and a good option for switching up after reading something heavier.
Having said that, there are issues. The single most important is the portrayal of women (especially in this first book, but to a lesser degree in the rest). Most of the male characters, even if they should be unlikable, are presented in a sympathetic manner. Great! The female characters, not so much. Shay in particular comes across, even when using her own POV, as unpleasant. In fact, she doesn't seem "real" but rather a hostile male view of a strong (and supposedly attractive) woman. Her backstory sounds like weak justification rather than explanation. I could ignore this if it was only one female character, but most of them are either shallow or nasty (see Lt. Maria Hall introduced in book 3).
A lesser issue, or maybe not an issue depending on reading tastes, is the ease at which Brownstone solves his problems. The plot feels like a straight charge from A to B. I like fast pacing, but I also enjoy more layering in the plot and some setbacks. Still, it's a lighter, less stressful read than some other UF series and a good option for switching up after reading something heavier.
kesnit's review
3.0
The story is very good. The writing and characters leave a lot to be desired.
This book is all action, no crunch. That is not in and of itself a bad thing. However, there is no real depth to the book. The characters just go in and shoot up a bunch of places (barely getting injured) and then leave.
The best character development is the very beginning of the book when James and Allison first meet. Once Shay comes in, the character development disappears.
This book is mindless fluff. It's decent mindless fluff, but there is no "there" there.
This book is all action, no crunch. That is not in and of itself a bad thing. However, there is no real depth to the book. The characters just go in and shoot up a bunch of places (barely getting injured) and then leave.
The best character development is the very beginning of the book when James and Allison first meet. Once Shay comes in, the character development disappears.
This book is mindless fluff. It's decent mindless fluff, but there is no "there" there.
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