Reviews

The Catch by Taylor Stevens

tunamunki's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

lisagray68's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

delz's review

4.0

The catch is exciting and fast paced. This is the forth in the Vanessa Michael Monroe series and it's still just as fresh and fun to read as the first. Michael Monroe has been in her own self imposed hiding, trying to protect the people she loves. She's still gathering information however, working for a maritime security firm, but they have no clue she's a woman or what her skill set involves. She wanted to be a "regular" person. Until her boss takes on a job that she refuses to do and he threatens to fire her unless she comes along to protect a ship going through Somalia. Unfortunately Leo, her boos and the rest of his crew don't give her all the necessary information and they end up being hijacked. Nothing is as it seems and of course the one person to land on their feet is Monroe. Should she rescue her traitorous co-workers or just save herself. Of course you have to read to find out. I love this series and I can't wait for the next one.

erinmjustice's review

5.0

The Catch throws all the familiarity aside: no female MacGuffin catalyst. No sidekick/support stepping in early on – this is Vanessa Michael Munroe at her best and worst. No client compelling her. No safety net. And while you trust VMM to make it out okay (with held breath and rapid-fire reading), you never realize how dangerous she really is until this point – because without a client, she can be the one calling the shots, and without a safety net, she doesn’t have another moral tether. The latest book is a jolt of energy, with gripping scenes layered with intense vulnerability I wasn’t anticipating.

VMM is a character I've enjoyed getting to know, and she made me question my preconceived notions of the genre. Is this what I'm missing? Is this slice of the bookstore where I can find characters who aren't stereotypes?

See full review of the series here.

Disclosure: I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. I selected the book based on my own preference, and all opinions are my own.

vkemp's review

3.0

Vanessa Michael Munroe has fled the US to return to Africa as an information broker. Working out of Djibouti, she has been hired to facilitate a crew to guard a ship sailing the Gulf of Aden. When she is forced to go on the trip itself, she is the victim of a pirate attack on the vessel. Barely escaping with her life, she makes her way to Mombasa, Kenya and, working her contacts, tries to figure out who attacked the Favorita and who wants the Russian captain. The first part of the book is rather dense with detail and hard to plow through, but once the action moves to Michael working her magic, the pace picks up. Wheels within wheels are turning and she has to juggle all of them. She is badly beaten and left for dead, but manages to find an ally in Gabriel who takes her to his compound to help her recover. With her savant-like ability to pick up languages, Michael is able to work within the African system to figure out the myriad of paths being followed by several interested parties. The ending is a little abrupt after the great build-up to the climax, but Michael is a heroine the reader has to root for and I wish her well in her next adventures.

srchief's review

Vanessa Michael Munroe is just trying to get away from her recent adventures and recharge. She takes a job as a 'fixer' for a team in East Africa. She down plays her capabilities and is only interested in basic work of soothing the way for the teams next job. Then the leader of the group, Leo, talks her into accompanying them on their next job. She agrees and that is where the trouble begins. The team is tasked with protecting the cargo aboard a freighter as it passes through Somali pirate waters.

The freighter is attacked and this sends Munroe on a dangerous journey to find the people responsible and award her own brand of justice.

Taylor Stevens has created such a compelling character with Munroe and The Catch is another wonderful story about this enigmatic character. I highly recommend this series to anyone that likes adventure/thrillers with a slightly different type of 'hero'. I look forward to each new book.

litwtchreads's review

5.0

I still love this series so much