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rogue_lurker's review
5.0
I was really interested to see what it would be like to read a book written by three established authors - is it easy to identify who wrote what, will their styles meld? I've read and enjoyed Ullrich and Bryant's books, but Cummings is not an author I was familiar with - how would she stack up against two authors I really like?
I started reading the book trying to dissect the writing and ended up forgetting all about the fact that three people were involved in writing it because the story just grabbed me by the ears and dragged me along for the ride.
This is a romantic suspense novel that works extremely well. The start is a bit horrific - a mass shooting at a bridal shop where the two leads are both trying on bridesmaid dresses - but the authors manage to present it in such a way that the gore factor is not over the top but it still hits you hard. They even switch things around where Peyton, an off-duty cop, is the one who needs saving by Tory, the realtor.
The romance is handled quite well - prior to the shooting, the two women meet and flirt a bit, to the point of exchanging numbers so its established that there is a spark and interest from the beginning and the relationship would have likely developed if the day had not gone so terribly wrong. The chemistry between the two works particularly well - fueled by the fact that they both experienced the same life altering event and have been lucky enough to survive and make the most of their lives.
Both women are strong - they each deal with what happened in their own way, but they do deal with it and help one another. The set up could have easily fallen into an angst driven melodrama, but the characters and the storyline didn't go for the easy route and focused on the healing rather than how broken the events could have left them.
The suspense factor worked so much better than I expected. The book is told in three POV's: Peyton's, Tory's and Bradley (the shooter). I normally hate when the killer gets a POV as it is usually cheesy and over the top, but whoever manged Bradley's POV did a fantastic job - inserting a certain level of menace and suspense and also giving a nice twist as he begins to obsess over the two women who managed to escape the shooting.
Overall - a really great romantic suspense that manages both parts of the equation perfectly. This is a book you won't be able to put down.
Definitely recommended.
I started reading the book trying to dissect the writing and ended up forgetting all about the fact that three people were involved in writing it because the story just grabbed me by the ears and dragged me along for the ride.
This is a romantic suspense novel that works extremely well. The start is a bit horrific - a mass shooting at a bridal shop where the two leads are both trying on bridesmaid dresses - but the authors manage to present it in such a way that the gore factor is not over the top but it still hits you hard. They even switch things around where Peyton, an off-duty cop, is the one who needs saving by Tory, the realtor.
The romance is handled quite well - prior to the shooting, the two women meet and flirt a bit, to the point of exchanging numbers so its established that there is a spark and interest from the beginning and the relationship would have likely developed if the day had not gone so terribly wrong. The chemistry between the two works particularly well - fueled by the fact that they both experienced the same life altering event and have been lucky enough to survive and make the most of their lives.
Both women are strong - they each deal with what happened in their own way, but they do deal with it and help one another. The set up could have easily fallen into an angst driven melodrama, but the characters and the storyline didn't go for the easy route and focused on the healing rather than how broken the events could have left them.
The suspense factor worked so much better than I expected. The book is told in three POV's: Peyton's, Tory's and Bradley (the shooter). I normally hate when the killer gets a POV as it is usually cheesy and over the top, but whoever manged Bradley's POV did a fantastic job - inserting a certain level of menace and suspense and also giving a nice twist as he begins to obsess over the two women who managed to escape the shooting.
Overall - a really great romantic suspense that manages both parts of the equation perfectly. This is a book you won't be able to put down.
Definitely recommended.
lezreviewbooks's review against another edition
5.0
When Police officer Peyton Clarke and real estate agent Tory Stevens meet by chance at a bridal shop trying bridemaids' dresses, their attraction is instant but it's interrupted by a mass murderer attacking the shop customers. As the only survivals of the shooting, Tory and Peyton see their initial bond grow stronger. But with the attacker on the loose, taking their relationship for granted could be a fatal mistake.
Lately in lesfic we've seen a series of two authors joining forces to pen books together, we've even seen three authors writing as many books as part of a series. But, as far as I know, this is the first collaboration of three authors writing a single novel. As I normally read (and love) books by these three authors, for me it was a no-brainer to give it a try. I'm glad I did.
'Against all odds' is equal parts thriller and romance, the balance between action and love, fast and slow pace makes this novel a very entertaining read. The authors managed to weave the plot consistently and make it flow without issues. It is written in first person from the point of view of Tory, Peyton and mass shooter Bradley, each one a chapter at a time. However, this doesn't affect the flow as each scene is told by only one character and the book is always moving forward. My only criticism is that I found Bradley's voice very distinctive (for obvious reasons, him being the villain and the only man), but, Tory and Peyton's voices were not that easy to tell apart. They sounded pretty much the same to me and I found myself several times going to the start of the chapter to check the point of view.
Having said that, the romance part is very sweet, Tory and Peyton have great chemistry and the intimate scenes are well written. Bradley is also a very well rounded character and adds a great creepy factor to the thriller part of the story. Once the action scenes are set out, it's a page turner impossible to put down.
Overall, a very well written book by an unusual collaboration, it's entertaining, gripping and will appeal both romance and action fans. 4.5 stars.
ARC provided by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
See all my reviews at www.lezreviewbooks.com
Lately in lesfic we've seen a series of two authors joining forces to pen books together, we've even seen three authors writing as many books as part of a series. But, as far as I know, this is the first collaboration of three authors writing a single novel. As I normally read (and love) books by these three authors, for me it was a no-brainer to give it a try. I'm glad I did.
'Against all odds' is equal parts thriller and romance, the balance between action and love, fast and slow pace makes this novel a very entertaining read. The authors managed to weave the plot consistently and make it flow without issues. It is written in first person from the point of view of Tory, Peyton and mass shooter Bradley, each one a chapter at a time. However, this doesn't affect the flow as each scene is told by only one character and the book is always moving forward. My only criticism is that I found Bradley's voice very distinctive (for obvious reasons, him being the villain and the only man), but, Tory and Peyton's voices were not that easy to tell apart. They sounded pretty much the same to me and I found myself several times going to the start of the chapter to check the point of view.
Having said that, the romance part is very sweet, Tory and Peyton have great chemistry and the intimate scenes are well written. Bradley is also a very well rounded character and adds a great creepy factor to the thriller part of the story. Once the action scenes are set out, it's a page turner impossible to put down.
Overall, a very well written book by an unusual collaboration, it's entertaining, gripping and will appeal both romance and action fans. 4.5 stars.
ARC provided by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
See all my reviews at www.lezreviewbooks.com
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