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stang_gt3's review against another edition
4.0
I believe this is the first Kade Boehme book I've read and I have to say I did really enjoy the writing. The characters are engaging and the world is clearly detailed and enriching. That being said the story falls a little short for me being on the slightly unbelievable side. Admittedly if you let that little wrinkle go you'll probably enjoy this story more.
Logan and Gianni as a couple are once wrong step away from exploding as a couple, but you really could feel that they were inexplicably drawn to each other. I liked that we got the intro to how these two met before jumping a year into the future. This story is all about the effects of these two finally getting to see who the other really is...ok so really Logan getting to see who Gianni really is, but that's ok. The people they are as a couple is the heart of who each man is, but the external day to day of Gianni's world has the potential to complete destroy the relationship he and Logan share.
The reality of the world that Gianni grew up in and lives each day isn't the unrealistic part of this. You sympathize with his plight, because it's easy to see how he ended up living in the world he does and following the rules that are expected of him. Logan is the only bright spot in his life and yet just being with Logan puts him in danger and makes him face the reality of his choices.
So where do things go downhill...well it's the actual conflagration that occurs for me. Ok not the event per se so much as how the aftermath plays out. This isn't really a happily ever after scenario in real life, though I do appreciate the author giving these two characters theirs anyway. I'll take it in my fiction. :D
Logan and Gianni as a couple are once wrong step away from exploding as a couple, but you really could feel that they were inexplicably drawn to each other. I liked that we got the intro to how these two met before jumping a year into the future. This story is all about the effects of these two finally getting to see who the other really is...ok so really Logan getting to see who Gianni really is, but that's ok. The people they are as a couple is the heart of who each man is, but the external day to day of Gianni's world has the potential to complete destroy the relationship he and Logan share.
The reality of the world that Gianni grew up in and lives each day isn't the unrealistic part of this. You sympathize with his plight, because it's easy to see how he ended up living in the world he does and following the rules that are expected of him. Logan is the only bright spot in his life and yet just being with Logan puts him in danger and makes him face the reality of his choices.
So where do things go downhill...well it's the actual conflagration that occurs for me. Ok not the event per se so much as how the aftermath plays out.
Spoiler
First of all I don't really think Miguel would let Logan go, secondly there's no way he could just leave the city and be fine to live his life how he likes, and thirdly Gianni wouldn't be allowed to just head out no repercussions to join his man. The only way they could possibly be together in this sort of scenario is Witsec and that's not even really likely. Gianni went to the cops but for the things he's done he'd be in jail for ages himself. Not to mention Miguel's whole "yeah letting you live is worse plan" nope, not buying that with him keeping his street cred. I found the ending got rushed over and I really want to know what actually happened in that car between Miguel and Gianni. I want to know where he's been the last 6 months and what he lived through. Felt a little cheated there honestlyhippiedaizy's review against another edition
5.0
I went on a Kade-binge over the weekend and this was the last one I read. I'm glad I ended with this, because it was different.
I'm seeing this book get a lot of negative/mediocre reviews and for the some of the same reasons. "How did Logan not really know his "boyfriend" of a year?" The thing is is that Until you've been in the situation I'm not sure anyone can say what they would or wouldn't do. I tend to get personal when it comes to books vs. my real life, but I can't in this case. Let me just say that you see what you want and you really don't ask questions. If you ask questions it becomes real.
I loved Logan's Gi. The one very few people knew. I loved his whole "I know how he takes his coffee and what Chinese place to order from." I loved Logan's real reactions to things happening.
Fuck it, I just want more. I'm not done with Gi and Logan. I might be okay with Gabe, but right now I'm mad.
PLEASE say there's more in the works. GAH! See, this is why I want more.
I'm seeing this book get a lot of negative/mediocre reviews and for the some of the same reasons. "How did Logan not really know his "boyfriend" of a year?" The thing is is that
Spoiler
Logan KNOWS. Deep down he knows Gianni is bad news. He knows he's dangerous. He may not know what he does exactly, but he knows he's trouble.I loved Logan's Gi. The one very few people knew. I loved his whole "I know how he takes his coffee and what Chinese place to order from." I loved Logan's real reactions to things happening.
Fuck it, I just want more. I'm not done with Gi and Logan. I might be okay with Gabe, but right now I'm mad.
Spoiler
How could Logan be kind to him after he started the mess? Sure get him out of there, but to have him stay? Bitch, you got people killed! Yeah, I'm really mad at Gabe right now.PLEASE say there's more in the works.
Spoiler
What's Gi going to do now that he's "straight"? Is Logan still doing social work or does he work on the ranch more? How are Logan's parents handling all of this? What happened to Gi in those 3 months? How did he get free? What about the rest of the gang, is Gi afraid they'll come after him for snitching?
nicole_reads_everything's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't get into it. I couldn't help seeing the parallels between this book and Zero at the Bone, which is fantastic, and all the comparisons just showed what this book was lacking.
The prologue shows us how Logan and Gianni meet, but the actual story starts one year later after they had already been seeing each other for awhile. I really like seeing the beginning of relationships, so I think jumping into an already established thing was the first let-down. I liked Logan (and especially his religious AND accepting parents) and I definitely could see where Gianni was coming from in terms of their relationship and his being stuck in his lifestyle, but I was just never really sold on their relationship. I really didn't see what Logan was getting out of the relationship and once he learned the truth about Gianni, it seemed a little unbelievable that social worker Logan would forgive him. It also felt like a cop out when we learned that
There were also a lot of editing errors, which is par for the course in this genre, but they got pretty bad in this one. And a lot of "angel" as a pet name, which I am not into.
Oh, and can we talk about how
Overall, I wouldn't recommend. There are better things to spend your money on. Like Zero at the Bone,.
The prologue shows us how Logan and Gianni meet, but the actual story starts one year later after they had already been seeing each other for awhile. I really like seeing the beginning of relationships, so I think jumping into an already established thing was the first let-down. I liked Logan (and especially his religious AND accepting parents) and I definitely could see where Gianni was coming from in terms of their relationship and his being stuck in his lifestyle, but I was just never really sold on their relationship. I really didn't see what Logan was getting out of the relationship and once he learned the truth about Gianni, it seemed a little unbelievable that social worker Logan would forgive him. It also felt like a cop out when we learned that
Spoiler
Gianni started working with the cops to turn on his brother. It felt like the author realized Gianni really wasn't that forgivable, and so he had to have something else "good" going for him.There were also a lot of editing errors, which is par for the course in this genre, but they got pretty bad in this one. And a lot of "angel" as a pet name, which I am not into.
Oh, and can we talk about how
Spoiler
Logan takes Gabe back to Texas with him to get him clean and heal. After he fucking turns them in Gianni's brother, get's Wendy murdered, and possibly Gianni as well? I call bullshit.Overall, I wouldn't recommend. There are better things to spend your money on. Like Zero at the Bone,.
pathenshaw's review against another edition
4.0
Another exciting novel from Kade Boehme. Can't wait to read what he writes in 2014.
divapitbull's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the premise of Gangster Country and I liked the story – but I felt it fell short of what it could have been. My main issue with the story was the lack of character and relationship development - which likely was due to at least in part to length - or lack thereof. Gangster Country starts with Logan Marshall more or less fresh from the Texas farm meeting Gianni Rodriguez at a Manhattan party. Logan has taken his Social Work degree to the big city to make a difference and work for the Manhattan office of the Department of Children and Families; and Gianni is a half Italian, half Hispanic gang-banging thug with the Los Cuervos gang. They almost don’t hook up because Gianni is first hitting on Logan’s twinky roommate, but then they do, and then it’s a year later.
So somehow - unbeknownst to me – they boys went from hook up to regular fuck buddies, except that Gianni knows how Logan takes his coffee and calls him Angel (shudder, no one should be called Angel -ever. Unless that’s like actually their name). For his part, Logan knows that Gianni is “fiercely loyal and cared deeply for his family and friends, though he rarely spoke of them”. He also after being with Gianni for a year and knowing next to nothing about his life, began to grow wary, concerned Gianni was into something bad. Logan is not the most perceptive of social workers – by a long shot. I didn’t feel like Logan and Gianni were fully developed characters, I didn’t know enough about them to develop an emotional investment or to feel the chemistry between them. So when their world’s collided and the shit hit the inevitable fan… I wasn’t really drawn in.
There’s some pretty implausible melodrama, some efforts at angst, the whole Gabe thing was just kind of squicky (that’s probably just me), another leap into the future and a HEA.
So somehow - unbeknownst to me – they boys went from hook up to regular fuck buddies, except that Gianni knows how Logan takes his coffee and calls him Angel (shudder, no one should be called Angel -ever. Unless that’s like actually their name). For his part, Logan knows that Gianni is “fiercely loyal and cared deeply for his family and friends, though he rarely spoke of them”. He also after being with Gianni for a year and knowing next to nothing about his life, began to grow wary, concerned Gianni was into something bad. Logan is not the most perceptive of social workers – by a long shot. I didn’t feel like Logan and Gianni were fully developed characters, I didn’t know enough about them to develop an emotional investment or to feel the chemistry between them. So when their world’s collided and the shit hit the inevitable fan… I wasn’t really drawn in.
There’s some pretty implausible melodrama, some efforts at angst, the whole Gabe thing was just kind of squicky (that’s probably just me), another leap into the future and a HEA.
gloame's review against another edition
4.0
At one point in this book, Logan puts his own dick in his own ass. This is not a feat of amazing dexterity, but one of the name-slip typos found therein.
Other things of note:
- Logan calls his father "Daddy" well into his twenties
- At one point, a new character named Marco or something like that shows up and it's mentioned that he thought something and I have no idea where he came from
- At another point, a character's dead husband changes names from Elijah to Eric or maybe the other way around
Despite this, I read the book all the way through. It was because of the characters and their relationship. I really did like it a lot. Aww.
Other things of note:
- Logan calls his father "Daddy" well into his twenties
- At one point, a new character named Marco or something like that shows up and it's mentioned that he thought something and I have no idea where he came from
- At another point, a character's dead husband changes names from Elijah to Eric or maybe the other way around
Despite this, I read the book all the way through. It was because of the characters and their relationship. I really did like it a lot. Aww.
teresab78's review against another edition
3.0
Oh my, my, my... This book suffered from a lack of decent editing. it's a shame too as it was a decent story. I loved Gianni's internal struggle and was rooting for this couple. I wasn't sure how it was going to work out positively but thought it was pulled off well.
Spoiler
Character names changed (Gabe becomes Angel for a few paragraphs and Elijah is referred to as Eric); physical details changed (Gianni starts at 5'11 and then grows to 6'2", while Logan shrinks from taller than Gianni to 5'10", surprise!) as well as Logan changing his coffee preference from 3 cream 3 sugar to 2 and 2. Not to mention the various wrong word substitutions.mrsherrera's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use
whitneydr's review against another edition
3.0
Another Kade Boehme book I liked a lot, but felt there were aspects of the story that were missing.
3.5 stars.
More review to come.
3.5 stars.
More review to come.
jenniferhar's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 stars?
I think that if the book was just a little bit longer, and I got to see more about their life together, this could even be a 5 star book.
So the book starts with them meeting eachother, but then it kinda fast-forward into a year later. Some people might not like that, but I thought that was great since the book was so short, which also eliminated the possibility of insta-love.
I liked the characters and their chemistry, even though you didn't get to see alot of that.
I did like the ending, but again I would've liked to see how things went. It ended kinda abruptly, at least in my opinion.
There were also some wrong grammar in this book, it did not ruin my enjoyment, but it could get annoying sometimes.
But all in all, I do think this was a great book and I do recommend it if you want something short and great.
I think that if the book was just a little bit longer, and I got to see more about their life together, this could even be a 5 star book.
So the book starts with them meeting eachother, but then it kinda fast-forward into a year later. Some people might not like that, but I thought that was great since the book was so short, which also eliminated the possibility of insta-love.
I liked the characters and their chemistry, even though you didn't get to see alot of that.
I did like the ending, but again I would've liked to see how things went. It ended kinda abruptly, at least in my opinion.
There were also some wrong grammar in this book, it did not ruin my enjoyment, but it could get annoying sometimes.
But all in all, I do think this was a great book and I do recommend it if you want something short and great.