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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
3.5/5 stars
I can now proudly say that in the middle ofpreparing cramming for a test, finishing off an assignment and getting sick, I have finished this book. :D
Honestly, I felt that I would've enjoyed it a lot more if I hadn't read the In Death series. It wasn't like I was actively looking for similarities, but some parts jumped out to me were:
#1 : "I never get to be bad cop... It's so not fair." -Freddie
o.o Reminds me of Peabody/Eve with the bad cop/good cop.
#2: "You need to eat and you need to sleep." - Nick
#3: "Sam spoke in a monotone as the scene played itself out in her imagination."
....
"You're good, Sam," Nick said, his tone reverent."
#4: She wanted to order pizza!
Not that pizza love is a trait that solely belongs to Eve (heh) but it's like her trademark fav. food. And being in a romantic suspense book, with a protagonist who is almost always bad cop AND lives and breathes work?
- I liked the later part of the book towards the end, maybe that's when relationships/personal traits were a little more developed. It made me appreciate and enjoy character quirks, such as Nick's need for order with his stuff, as well Sam's dyslexia and her constantly aching stomach.(Wonder why, though)
- I didn't see the killer coming, so it was a nice twist. Love the epilogue. I also liked how the characters got to the position they were by the end.
I can now proudly say that in the middle of
Honestly, I felt that I would've enjoyed it a lot more if I hadn't read the In Death series. It wasn't like I was actively looking for similarities, but some parts jumped out to me were:
#1 : "I never get to be bad cop... It's so not fair." -Freddie
o.o Reminds me of Peabody/Eve with the bad cop/good cop.
#2: "You need to eat and you need to sleep." - Nick
#3: "Sam spoke in a monotone as the scene played itself out in her imagination."
....
"You're good, Sam," Nick said, his tone reverent."
#4: She wanted to order pizza!
Not that pizza love is a trait that solely belongs to Eve (heh) but it's like her trademark fav. food. And being in a romantic suspense book, with a protagonist who is almost always bad cop AND lives and breathes work?
- I liked the later part of the book towards the end, maybe that's when relationships/personal traits were a little more developed. It made me appreciate and enjoy character quirks, such as Nick's need for order with his stuff, as well Sam's dyslexia and her constantly aching stomach.(Wonder why, though)
- I didn't see the killer coming, so it was a nice twist. Love the epilogue. I also liked how the characters got to the position they were by the end.
Mediocre at best. Felt like it was trying hard to be a JD Robb “In Death” book, but missed the mark. The dialogue was flat, not helped by the audiobook reader who verged on the robotic. It had a lot of strengths; the plot was fine and the characters were pretty good, I think it was just the clunky, repetative dialogue that ruined it.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Overall, great book. It did start out kinda slow for me, but picked up momentum the further we got in the story. It starts right off with the Senator's murder and the first half of the book was more about Sam interviewing suspects with the secondary story being about her reconnecting with Nick, the Senator's Chief of Staff and Sam's old flame. It took about half way through the book before I felt like the story really picked up. Once things started to heat up, I began to really enjoy this book more. This story is definitely for readers who love a good "who done it" plot with politics thrown in .
I received a complementary copy from NetGalley but I also purchased the audio book. I loved the Narrator. I've listened to a handful and she did the best impersonations of the men's character I've heard to date. I had no trouble distinguishing the switch in characters.
I received a complementary copy from NetGalley but I also purchased the audio book. I loved the Narrator. I've listened to a handful and she did the best impersonations of the men's character I've heard to date. I had no trouble distinguishing the switch in characters.
2.5 stars.
Welp, this let me down after reading the prequel novella. It was a fast read and kept my attention, but there were some things that were off for me. The insta-lust/attraction from the novella was understandable, but I don't know if I'll read beyond this book.
Welp, this let me down after reading the prequel novella. It was a fast read and kept my attention, but there were some things that were off for me. The insta-lust/attraction from the novella was understandable, but
Spoiler
the insta-love after not having contact 6 years was eye-rolling (and it was ok when it was just that attraction/connection again, but then they were saying love after only days - DURING A MURDER INVESTIGATION- so I was like NOPE). The sex scenes were perfunctory and basically the same each time, description-wise - none of it made me hot and bothered. The murder/mystery started out good but I figured out the killer before the characters and the reveal was lackluster/fell flat. I felt that the suspect(s) were staring the detectives in the face the whole time and they were oblivious. Sam and Nick were MEH characters/love interests. The fact that this novel took place in a week also felt rushed, like too much happened in such a short amount of time. And, hey, maybe that happens in real life for police/detectives, idk, but I was like, dang can you space this out just a bit more? 2 weeks even. It was so rushed, all the plot points/(lack of) character development)!
Book club book
Our April book was Fatal Affair, by Marie Force. This is the first in a series of what is now ten books. We soon discovered that it's not just a crime story, but also what's called contemporary romance, as evidenced by the early emphasis on the main detective's curvy body and endless legs. We meet Nick, a tall dark and handsome political assistant, who has just found his boss's body. Samantha, the lead detective on this case had a brief fling with Nick, but still has feelings for him. And has fond memories of his 'strong efficient hand, that changed forever what she expected from a lover." Within a few pages more she closes the distance, and 'her lips are burning from his kiss'. From there it's only a chapter or two to some very descriptive bedroom scenes. No cutaways needed to surf or rockets, no discreet fades, we get all the details here. As for the mystery, yes, it's still going. There's an ever-growing list of suspects, with enough motivations and alibis to ensure most of them stay on the list. The characters are fairly well developed, if not a little cliched, but the police details and plot twists believable. The final reveal, in the final chapter, was a surprise and well done. While we did describe this as 'a good romp', 'romance on steroids', and 'brain candy for the cottage', it is still an enjoyable read. We gave it a 3.5/5 overall.
Our April book was Fatal Affair, by Marie Force. This is the first in a series of what is now ten books. We soon discovered that it's not just a crime story, but also what's called contemporary romance, as evidenced by the early emphasis on the main detective's curvy body and endless legs. We meet Nick, a tall dark and handsome political assistant, who has just found his boss's body. Samantha, the lead detective on this case had a brief fling with Nick, but still has feelings for him. And has fond memories of his 'strong efficient hand, that changed forever what she expected from a lover." Within a few pages more she closes the distance, and 'her lips are burning from his kiss'. From there it's only a chapter or two to some very descriptive bedroom scenes. No cutaways needed to surf or rockets, no discreet fades, we get all the details here. As for the mystery, yes, it's still going. There's an ever-growing list of suspects, with enough motivations and alibis to ensure most of them stay on the list. The characters are fairly well developed, if not a little cliched, but the police details and plot twists believable. The final reveal, in the final chapter, was a surprise and well done. While we did describe this as 'a good romp', 'romance on steroids', and 'brain candy for the cottage', it is still an enjoyable read. We gave it a 3.5/5 overall.
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4 Stars
I love a bad ass female character and this FMC is the epitome of that. A dead senator, a top notch female detective, a slew of suspects and an ex from the past make this an exciting read. I love mysteries because you just don’t want to stop reading! This was amazingly done and I can’t wait to read the next one in the series.
I love a bad ass female character and this FMC is the epitome of that. A dead senator, a top notch female detective, a slew of suspects and an ex from the past make this an exciting read. I love mysteries because you just don’t want to stop reading! This was amazingly done and I can’t wait to read the next one in the series.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
2.5/5*
I read a lot of fantasy so this was a great change of pace which I definitely enjoyed. Unfortunately there were quite a few things that placed this in the ‘eh’ category.
Firstly, I struggle with second chance romances a lot because a lot of the relationship building and tension is done before we even meet the characters which makes things feel a bit fake. The orgasm she has literally the second he has sex with her for the first time really sums up the point of unrealistic chemistry that seems a bit out of the blue
Secondly, the way the investigation panned out made very little sense to me. They went after his brother so hard until they could rule him out but then left the illegitimate son lead for so long which to me seems like a huge secret to check into ASAP.
I did enjoy the side characters, the premise was interesting and it was a pretty light read for a murder investigation which I liked but for the reasons above it definitely turned out just okay for me
I read a lot of fantasy so this was a great change of pace which I definitely enjoyed. Unfortunately there were quite a few things that placed this in the ‘eh’ category.
Firstly, I struggle with second chance romances a lot because a lot of the relationship building and tension is done before we even meet the characters which makes things feel a bit fake. The orgasm she has literally the second he has sex with her for the first time really sums up the point of unrealistic chemistry that seems a bit out of the blue
Secondly, the way the investigation panned out made very little sense to me. They went after his brother so hard until they could rule him out but then left the illegitimate son lead for so long which to me seems like a huge secret to check into ASAP.
I did enjoy the side characters, the premise was interesting and it was a pretty light read for a murder investigation which I liked but for the reasons above it definitely turned out just okay for me
Somethings were hard to swallow, plot points or details that were like “really?” though I’m having trouble remembering them all now. It didn’t affect the overall narrative but I had to suspend disbelief that, for example, the detective would be allowed to interrogate her ex husband in a stalking case against him where she was the subject. Or just bring a civilian around to all her stakeouts. Or that they’ve both been dreaming about one night, six years ago.