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rellimreads's review against another edition
3.0
This one took a little bit to really get going, but once it did - I enjoyed it. It's a nice mix of romance, suspense, and action. It's heavier on the romance/relationship aspect - but still enough FBI undercover investigation to keep things moving.
I like Alex & Madison. We get to really know them individually and as a couple. (though, this may have been what contributed to what felt like a slow start.) Madison's roommate, Lauren, and Alex's brothers, Court & Nate, as well as other FBI agents are introduced. Enough to contribute to the plot as well as be intrigued about their role in future books. While this book had it's own story arc and romance plot focused on Alex & Mad, this is also kicking off a series arc (big reveal in the epilogue!) that I'm looking forward to.
This is 3rd person, but there's a lot of 1st person dialogue. The perspective changes between Alex & Madison - unfortunately, it's not always clearly defined and it tripped me up a few times. This was compounded by the fact that a few times the wrong narrator was speaking during the opposite POV. (ie. York speaking when it was obviously Madison's perspective/thoughts.)
I didn’t find these issues in subsequent books and overall its a good series.
Dual narration. I'm a huge fan of both Amy McFadden & Sebastian York. McFadden did a great job here with all the various voices, perspectives, and emotions. I struggled a little with York's narration in this one. There wasn't a lot of differentiating between male speaking voices. Alex & Nate sounded exactly alike, as did Rand (though he didn't speak much). There was also an action scene where he didn't sound any more excited than he did in regular conversation.
I like Alex & Madison. We get to really know them individually and as a couple. (though, this may have been what contributed to what felt like a slow start.) Madison's roommate, Lauren, and Alex's brothers, Court & Nate, as well as other FBI agents are introduced. Enough to contribute to the plot as well as be intrigued about their role in future books. While this book had it's own story arc and romance plot focused on Alex & Mad, this is also kicking off a series arc (big reveal in the epilogue!) that I'm looking forward to.
This is 3rd person, but there's a lot of 1st person dialogue. The perspective changes between Alex & Madison - unfortunately, it's not always clearly defined and it tripped me up a few times. This was compounded by the fact that a few times the wrong narrator was speaking during the opposite POV. (ie. York speaking when it was obviously Madison's perspective/thoughts.)
I didn’t find these issues in subsequent books and overall its a good series.
Dual narration. I'm a huge fan of both Amy McFadden & Sebastian York. McFadden did a great job here with all the various voices, perspectives, and emotions. I struggled a little with York's narration in this one. There wasn't a lot of differentiating between male speaking voices. Alex & Nate sounded exactly alike, as did Rand (though he didn't speak much). There was also an action scene where he didn't sound any more excited than he did in regular conversation.
suzysuzy34's review against another edition
4.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ narration was good, and one of my favs Sebastian York.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ story 3 stars, I didn’t enjoy this one as much as her K2 series but the ending was promising with the introduction of a sister to the Gentry boys, will def continue seeing as the audio version and KU book are free.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ story 3 stars, I didn’t enjoy this one as much as her K2 series but the ending was promising with the introduction of a sister to the Gentry boys, will def continue seeing as the audio version and KU book are free.
bliss_books's review against another edition
4.0
It was cute! Obviously romance novel tropes galore, but without being so bad that it took me out of the story.
katmorrisey's review against another edition
5.0
This was a fun romantic suspense. I liked the set up and it set a good pace. The mystery behind the brothers' mom is going to keep me reading the next in the series! (Also, I really like Court!)
thegeekyblogger's review against another edition
3.0
Read/Listened for Fun (Kindle/Audible)
Overall Rating: 3.00
Story Rating: 3.00
Character Rating: 3.00
Audio Rating: 3.00 (not part of my overall rating)
Quick Thoughts: This is one of those books that I both liked (at times the characters were engaging, the action was on point, and until the end resolution I was liking suspense) and didn't like (at times the characters were not believable at all and the end really made me shake my head given the leading guy's career). I don't want to be specific but I also think this book will totally work for other people. Overall I probably will not continue the series but I would totally read Sandra Owens again (I did like her story flow).
Audio Thoughts:
I like both of these narrators but this was not my favorite narration by either of them. Their pacing was a little different from each other and it just didn't flow as normal. However, loving both of them I know I will get audiobooks from them in the future.
Part of my Read It, Rate It, File It, DONE! Reviews
Overall Rating: 3.00
Story Rating: 3.00
Character Rating: 3.00
Audio Rating: 3.00 (not part of my overall rating)
Quick Thoughts: This is one of those books that I both liked (at times the characters were engaging, the action was on point, and until the end resolution I was liking suspense) and didn't like (at times the characters were not believable at all and the end really made me shake my head given the leading guy's career). I don't want to be specific but I also think this book will totally work for other people. Overall I probably will not continue the series but I would totally read Sandra Owens again (I did like her story flow).
Audio Thoughts:
Narrated By Amy McFadden, Sebastian York / Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
I like both of these narrators but this was not my favorite narration by either of them. Their pacing was a little different from each other and it just didn't flow as normal. However, loving both of them I know I will get audiobooks from them in the future.
Part of my Read It, Rate It, File It, DONE! Reviews
summermusings's review against another edition
3.0
I was torn between 3 stars and 4 stars on this one. Yes, it is the start of a new series and I usually grade up on the first book of a series because it has to provide backstory and all that so I was tempted to give it 4 stars. It is probably a 3.5 for me. It is a book club pick and sounded like something I would like. This book and the series premise reminded me a bit of Julie Ann Walker's Black Knights Inc series and Laura Kaye's Hard Ink series minus all the action of those series (both of which I LOVE). I liked this overall story and the end, while not a cliffhanger, made me interested enough to borrow the second book from the Kindle Lending Library. All of that said, the heroine annoyed the crap out of me several times - never a good sign. The biggest issue I had was her not telling her business partner about the loan she received. I also found it weird that her best friend didn't know about her cousin's behavior since it had been going on from the time she was a teen. I'm also confused by the best friend's boyfriend. Unless I missed something at the end (possible since I was also watching CSPAN at the same time - I know, I'm weird), the story ended with a simple he was spying for the uncle. That reasoning seemed off and a little too easy of an excuse. I was figuring he was spying for some other agency or something... and off to read book 2 because I called the sister angle early in book 1 and would like to see where that leads.
mags_louise's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this was an enjoyable story and a great start to a new series. Although I did find it a little slow to start with but once all the characters were introduced and the investigation established. I was drawn in and it stayed that way throughout.
As for the two main characters Alex and Madison I liked them both, and they certainly shared a spark. Which did lead to a few hot moments throughout the story, but they were balanced well with the suspense element. Which I did enjoy a lot, especially as the investigation progressed and there was even a bit of action near the end. Which was exciting to read.
Overall though this was a great story, and as a new author to me. I will definitely be checking out more from Sandra Owens in the future and certainly will be reading more from this series. As there were a few intriguing moments scattered through Jack Of Hearts relating to both of Alex's brothers and Madison's best friend, not to mention the epilogue and I would recommend this story to others too.
***I was kindly provided with an ARC by the Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***
As for the two main characters Alex and Madison I liked them both, and they certainly shared a spark. Which did lead to a few hot moments throughout the story, but they were balanced well with the suspense element. Which I did enjoy a lot, especially as the investigation progressed and there was even a bit of action near the end. Which was exciting to read.
Overall though this was a great story, and as a new author to me. I will definitely be checking out more from Sandra Owens in the future and certainly will be reading more from this series. As there were a few intriguing moments scattered through Jack Of Hearts relating to both of Alex's brothers and Madison's best friend, not to mention the epilogue and I would recommend this story to others too.
***I was kindly provided with an ARC by the Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***
corbin22's review against another edition
5.0
This book was exactly what I was looking for after being in a slump. It had the perfect amount of mystery, action, romance, and spice. I listen to the audiobook for the majority of the book and it was really good. I loved how devoted all the brothers seem to be. They are devoted to each other, the job, and those they care about. They may give each other a hard time and joke around but they always seem to be there for each other and have a great bond. I also enjoyed Madison. I like how she didn't just give in and how she was stubborn but knew where to draw the line and when not to be. There were bits that were predictable especially with the lying, but I liked the few added twists that I didn't expect. Plus the epilogue! I can't wait for the rest of the Gentry sibling books!
laurenlovestoread's review against another edition
mysterious
4.0
I really enjoyed this audiobook, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.