Matt Hilton has the potential to be a four star ...
354014
Matt Hilton has the potential to be a four star author but does not take the time to understand how weapons function and basic tactics. It is distracting while reading considering the main character is supposed to be ex-special forces.
3105799
Stay is all about Matt Eriksson, star forward on the Toronto hockey team, and teammate of Ryan Wesley (from HIM and US), and Blake Riley (from US and GOOD BOY). Matts been burned by love pretty badly  his ex-wife hated hockey and blames him for the dissolution of their marriage because he wasn't reliable. On top of that, he has two beautiful twin daughters that he adores, but doesnt get to see that much because of his busy schedule. So yeah, Matt isn't really a believer in relationships anymore.

Meanwhile, Hailey Taylor Emery is Matts secret assistant. Through her company, Fetch, she helps celebrities and others get everything delivered to their door for a price. Shes a successful business owner, but one who is also recently divorced and still working with her ex-husband.

Theyve been flirting on the Fetch app for awhile, but its hard for both of them to take another chance  even though they're both attracted. Its this push and pull that makes this book compelling  and a more mature romance than the first book in the WAGs (Wives and Girlfriends) series by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy.

I appreciated so much that these two were a bit older and a bit more wary in their romance. Dont get me wrong  things definitely get steamy at points, but theres also an understanding that it takes more than just passion to make a relationship work.

The thing that Sarina and Elle do so well is create two characters who have a lot in their lives aside from each other  but cant help but come together. Its adorable and realistic watching them navigate the difficulties of being in a relationship  whether the lonely nights of road trips, or the complications of being together and in the spotlight, this book addresses those issues more than in the last WAGs novel.

Also, Im very happy that we got to see more of the other WAGs ladies, because they are strong and fierce and fun.

I think my only qualm about this book is that it kind of left me wanting more  I wanted a little more depth, a few more romantic scenes, a few more friendship scenes.everything just felt a little fast.

Still, STAY is a compelling, if quick read, and will definitely not be my last in the WAGs series.
303315
HER BODYGUARD OR THE MUSICIAN...HOW WILL SHE CHOOSE?

Heir to her familys hotel legacy, Kat McMaster is ready to take her rightful place as head of the most prestigious McMaster hotel. The only thing standing in her way is her Grandfathers final test: she must prove her skills by resurrecting The Majestic a run-down property in New Orleans.

Being well known puts a target on her back so she is assigned a strong, silent, incredibly hot ex-soldier as her security detail. One look at her bodyguard and her blood turns hot. If the lingering looks he keeps giving her is any indication the feeling is mutual.

About to give in to her desire Kat meets the The Majestics passionate manager. Manager by day musician by night he makes it known that he wants Kat in his bed.

A strong woman who knows her own mind, she wants The Majestic to be great again and both men to be hers - in her bed and by her side - but will the unconventional relationship work or will everything she has ever worked for fall apart?

Review:

The thing that stuck out and I liked most about this book is Kat is really in charge of herself, her business and her love life.  She goes for what she wants.  Even if it is a menage with two men.  Kat is strong, smart and feisty what I love in a heroine.  I did have a little issue with the men who seem to be in a hate spiral with each other, agrees pretty quickly to share Kat and never really have issues with that sharing.

Thought the writing was great, I loved the characters and wanted them to succeed as a trio.  The tension with the kidnapping and everyone finding about the three of them added the right amount of drama.  The sexy scenes had the right amount of heat to make them exciting to read.  This is part of the Entwined Hearts series, but I do not see how they are related other than menage relationships, so this is self contained and can be read without any confusion.

3.5Stars

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.*
3361628
Matt Hilton knows what he can do. He doesnt try to make this book a jack of all trades, with romance or love stories. He doesn't try to make it a social commentary or much of a character study. There are no far fetched plot twists or overly complex relationship or even character development for our hero Joe Hunter.

The book starts with violence and ends with extreme violence. We follow ex-soldier/good guy enforcer as he searches for his missing astranged brother while following the tracks of a knife wielding murder... Will they cross paths? Read this exciting book and find out!

This book reminds me of those great B horror movies of the 70's and 80's. Its not trying to be anything more than it is, which in an odd way makes it better than it set out to be. It's refreshing and un-pretentious and the author well knows you're reading to find out what kind of trouble Joe is going to get into (and out of-with violence probably!) next. I'd have to double check to be completely sure, but I don't think 10 pages go by without a fight or an action scene or the promise of violence right around the corner.
4277549
I should say up front that Ive known Matt Spencer for most of his writing life. It has been a pleasure to watch his writing, and his style, mature over the years. With The Night and the Land he has reached a satisfying height.

The other thing I should mention is that Brattleboro is my hometown, and so I know, intimately, most of the places Matt describes in Night. Certainly, he has captured the town quite well, and I can see the events Matt describes as taking place there, easily.

The love story, which I won't discuss in detail because there are certain things readers must learn for themselves, has an echo of 1950s space opera, when aliens were hidden and insidious creatures, and you never quite knew who you were dealing with, despite outward appearances. If you recall the 1960s series The Invaders, you understand what I mean.

Matt, I believe, is now ready to take his writing to the next step; not rely so much on flashback to illuminate character, use description less to give the reader more, show more rather than tell. The journeyman period is over. Time to give the wings a solid test.
619356
Matthew's strengths are in his characters and the world he has built. He has good writing with only a few mistakes that, for the most part, don't distract from the story. His main character, Heden, is immediately established as interesting and relate-able to readers. From the way other characters interact with him, you realize there is more to the character than the narrator explains right away, and it takes the reader quite a while to finally realize why so many give him a side-eye. Occasionally when Heden hearkens back to his past and mentions the names of old companions, it feels like a confusing throwback to characters we've not been introduced although the author feels as though we should recognize them.

The other characters Matthew created are interesting in their own rights as well, but it's clear that Matthew's focus is on Heden. This is Heden's story, and if they're not directly interacting with him then they seem to completely disappear from the story. Sometimes it feels like these characters do things or agree to things simply because "Heden is the protagonist of this story" and not because they have an internal drive to agree to the same plans. And I would have to say that some of these characters provoke a major issue in the book, particularly Renaldo. Renaldo feels like a character you create because you like the idea. And perhaps you have plans for the character far later but you *really* like him and want to introduce him *now*, even though he doesn't really further the plot. When Renaldo first appeared, I felt for sure he was going to accompany Heden. But then he didn't. Instead, he disappeared from the story for a couple dozen chapters before reappearing. "Ah, *here* is where he'll join Heden!" but no, he just disappears again. I'm not sure what Renaldo is doing in the story beyond giving Heden someone to talk to for a chapter

This problem is certainly obnoxious. However, I think the biggest issue this story stems from the moments of whiplash the reader experiences as Heden and the story go from one place to another. There were several points in reading where I stopped and thought, "Wait. What? Where are we? How did we get here?" and would turn back and reread the last page, looking for some transitioning hint, only to find none. The first time this happened, I felt sure that an entire chapter must have been missing from the book--the jump just seemed that sudden.

The story also struggles with different plot lines tugging Heden in different directions that I think are okay in their own right but should have been spaced out from one another or paced differently. (Spoilers!) We have Vanora and her needs in the town, which later becomes a problem related to some Count. We have the bishop and his commands. We have the baron and her request. Each of these change as the story progress but it feels like they change at awkward points in the story. Vanora stays with Heden then freaks out because 3 days is too long and goes back to her madam and so near the end of the book we have to rescue Vanora. The bishop's command related to the Green Knights and the baron's related request come to a very sudden, almost grinding halt, and so Heden returns from the wode. Then returns to the wode. Then leaves the wode again, no longer thinking about Vanora or anything but becoming some "vessel of revenge"? All in all, it felt like a video game where you start stacking on all these sidequests to your main character to the detriment of the main story.
4493814
I would love to see any of Matt Shaws books made into films but Consumed seems like it was tailor made for the big screen. It opens with a shocking scene that tells the reader something very bad is going to happen. From there, we meet our cast. We have a boyfriend/girlfriend, an ex-boyfriend/ex-girlfriend, and a guy and girl that might in the future be in a relationship. They are traveling in a retro VW with an unreliable engine. As you can imagine, they get lost along the way to their campsite and meet an interesting family that has plans for them. This story very much reminds me of Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  With Matts love of television over book reading (Go figure), it doesnt surprise me that he has a book that lends itself towards being more screenplay-like. As the cover warns, there is some gory scenes. If youve read Sick Bastards and didn't like it, Consumed is very similar in terms of horrifying scenes. If you loved Sick Bastards, Consumed might tide you over until Sicker Bastards comes out.

 The book is not without its flaws. There is quite a bit of the relationship storylines leading up to the gory bits. The story also ends a little abrupt without a lot of these prior relationship storylines being resolved. If you don't care for that part of the story and just want gore, you might not care about this. I wished the story just went on a little bit longer to tie up some loose ends.

 Despite those flaws, the book was still damn good. I consumed it in a day and Im still hungry for more books by Matt Shaw.
3559267
but THE WATCHMAN is so over the top I found myself smirking at every new twist.  I just can't get away from the image of Paris Hilton, to whom Robert Crais has sworn the kind of devotion Sir Walter Raleigh gave to Queen Elizabeth I.  Here disguised as "Larkin Conner Barkley" (always with the three names, as if she were Ivy Compton Burnett) and topped with a sultry mane of Lindsay Lohan's red hair, Paris Hilton has Joe Pike under her thumb from page one.  At first she's devil may care and puffed up with paparazzi attitude, but as the pages go on and she's forced to live "The Simple Life" on the run with Joe and, to a lesser extent, Elvis Cole, she gets to appreciate the big guy's Marine Force Recon experience and even to love Elvis' quirky sense of humor same as we all do.

Joe opens up his heart to her--they begin to touch covertly--never anything erotic--just a pat here, a hand slithering down a knee there.  All in the background of a truly confusing case I couldn't make any sense of.

I like Paris Hilton too but I don't write books about her claiming that she has the immortal romanric depths of Cathy in WUTHERING HEIGHTS.  Robert Crais, you are whipped boy!

And worse, you have made John Chen into a total laughing stock.  We always thought his "I'm in it for the tang" complex was amusing but he is now a total Pike slave and will do anything for the man.  C'mon, Crais, read some post-colonial theory!  Why is John Chen the total Kato to Joe Pike's Green Hornet?  Get your houseboy somewhere else,

I like Joe's back story, the part in italics, these flashbacks help build up the picture we have heard in previous novels of Joe being abused by a stern dad and that's why he's now "the Watchman."

Will Paris Hilton--I mean "Larkin Conner Barkley" return in future novels?  Maybe she'll bring Nicole Richie with her this time so that Elvis can have a new love affair.  I'll keep reading Robert Crais because he's so great but this book is a gigantic celebrity love letter.
2725436
While searching through Vevo, I came upon Matt and his single "When Will I Be Famous".  I had no idea who this guy was...or that he was part of "Bros" with his brother Luke.

But, this song was good enough for me to do some research on him and scope out this CD in hopes the remaining 9 tracks would live up to the single...and...good news people: IT DOES.  "Strong" is fantastic..."Lovely Las Vegas" is fun..and the rest is pure entertainment of the (dare I say Matt Dusk/Michael Buble) kind!

I hope Matt and this CD doesn't get lost in onslaught of releases this year.  It's a solid CD from a strong singer.

Time to check out his other stuff....
295295
There may be a multi-star endorsement by myself appear for The Vanishing Game. But that is the result of hitting the wrong star with the tip if my finger in the kindle. Here is my actual opinion.

Boyd is an English writer of some note who has written the latest James Bond installment, Solo,  presumably following Jeffery Deaver's Carte Blanche. Boyd was approached to do  a story by the Land Rover folks, who only suggested that if a Land Rover appeared in the story it would be a good thing. And left Boy with that assignment and a hefty check.

Intrigued I downloaded the freebie version to my Kindle and finished reading in a bit over an hour, longer than a short story, a novella if you will. And I enjoyed it right up the the conclusion, and that is when it fell from four to two stars.

Without revealing the ending we can tell you this combines the Transporter idea, think Jason Sathem with Daniel Craig in Skyfall, alone on the coast of Scotland.  Alec is hired to deliver a flask of water presumably from the River Jordan, from London to a small church in Scotland. One thousand pounds for the job with a Land Rover Defender furnished.

Needing the money, Alec is short on questions and long on let's get this done and pocket the money. But things, as they do in such stories, take on a strange series of coincidence. A female hitch hiker re-appears at the next gas stop. A pair of headlights looms in the rear view mirror.

Boyd uses a clever idea in making Alec a minor league actor most of whose characters get killed in as they used to say, the third reel. He recalls various props and plots as his current real world  plot thickens.

I will stop here  as the plot, Alec, and the Defender all leave the hard surface highway to plunge into the Scottish forest.

The McGuffin here is the flask of water he is asked to deliver, which well now really, no reader figured it  was actually a flask of water anyway. But the unsettling part is the failure to tie up the loose ends even in a novella. As Deaver states in a short story all bets are off, the bad guys can have their day. But with over an hour invested in reading this story, one expects more loose ends to be explained. And if in fact the water is not water, but is a plot device for something else and if the actor hasn't worked in months, well really, and with two bodies missing, and a parallel set of adventures playing out on Facebook in the Caribbean (recall that an alternate identity is created for Cary Grant in North by Northwest)  I don't think this ending, well to make a pun of it,

holds water.

All the parts are here, Boyd is just 8/10 complete.
441210
I have found my candidate and his name is Matt Hamilton!

Matthew Hamilton is a Presidential legacy. He is charming, magnetic, wealthy, determined, and focused. He has plans, drive, good ideas and intentions. He believes in himself and America. He is inspiring, charismatic, intelligent, and persuasive.

Charlotte Wells has been fascinated with Matt since she met him at age eleven. She's a poised, hard working, caring, social worker and Senator's daughter. She is used to politics, propriety, and rules. She is strong, honest, and stands up for what she believes in. When Matt calls on her to join his campaign, she can't resist joining the cause. And eventually it is hard to resist their chemistry.

Smoldering looks, secret touches, common interests, and a need to steal time together begin a dangerous game. They want what they really can't have. Matt is being watched by the country and the world. Any misstep could mean a scandal and loss. She's the good girl who wants to do the right thing. He's America's great hope with so much pressure on him to succeed. And the media and his opponents are just waiting to pounce. But he feels both the need to take risks with her, but also protect her.

Matt actually realizing his dream to become President means sacrificing his personal life. She believes in him and believes in love but knows that she will have to sacrifice her heart eventually. Her commitment to his campaign and possible presidency is as strong as her feelings for him as a man--but they cannot co-exist. She grounds him and inspires him to be a better man and future President. He wants and needs her, but knows he can't really have her and the presidency too. Helping him win will ultimately make her lose.

It's passion and love on the campaign trail, but what happens with their fate is decided by popular vote?

This was a slow build, steamy, inspiring, political romance with two truly lovable characters stuck in an impossible situation. This was full of sizzling chemistry and building tension. The forbidden aspect and possible ramifications just amped up the intensity. Katy Evans knows how to create memorable characters and bring you into their world with her engaging writing style. My only complaint is that sometimes it felt a bit repetitive with the campaigning and a lot of stolen sexy times...they were hot, but I guess I was waiting for something dramatic to happen or to see more resolution. I did not realize it was going to be a duet before I started, so I was surprised as I got near the end and realized there was no way to resolve everything. But with that being said it ended in a logical place to start the second book, Commander in Chief.

These characters were easy to root for and it was hard to accept the limitations they were sure to face. I am looking forward to seeing what happens next with them. I am not really into politics, but this story made me believe in hope for our country if we could just find an honest, intelligent, passionate man such as this to run for office. Matt Hamilton made a believer out of me!
935718
A common pitfall that independently published authors fall into is a lack of plot. That is not a problem with this book. It is fast paced action right from the beginning and does a good job of pulling you in. Unfortunately, at times it feels like there is too much plot. Certain plot points and side issues get lost or dropped, and there are a lot of names to keep track of. There is a definite story here, with some interesting characters, but as it stands, this first novel in the series reads like a first draft. With some more heavy editing, this book has the potential to be something epic.
3096108
Because I'm an Elvis fan and a writer, a friend (not the authors--I don't know them)  sent me this book.

PROS: Long-time Elvis fans and amateur scholars feel like we know the man and his family, and we are sensitive to any perceived deviation from our hero's speech patterns, personality, and reaction to stimuli.  The authors wisely took a less-is-more approach and did a fine job overall in this crucial component. The plot was mostly excellent, with plenty of suspense, and the story unfolded nicely. Definitely a page-turner.

CONS: Proofreading was fine, but syntax and general structure would benefit from a deeper professional editing. For my taste, the supernatural characters seemed superfluous and the ending a bit anti-climatic and/or confusing.

OVERALL: I liked it--the authors had a good idea and developed it well. This story would make a fine TV movie if an agent can get the Presley dynasty on board. Hope it works out!
1473918
This is supposed to be one of the hottest books for 2014. So of course I had to jump all over this book and check it out. Well I have to say that this book is not all that. First getting used to the second person narration did throw me some. However I did quickly get over it and it was a nice addition to the story. It made me feel more connected to Nathan. Although I liked this connection, I did feel that was too much talking and not enough action. As country singer, Toby Keith states "A Little Less Talking and A Lot More Action".

I could see the potential that the author was getting at with the concept of the black witches and white witches. I hope that the next book is better. This book is on the darker side of the young adult genre.
4786310
Matt Hunter is an ex-con. He served four long years hard time for the accidental slaying of a young college student, while trying to break up a fight at a fraternity party. After his release, his brother Bernie got Matt work with his legal firm as a Paralegal (an ex-con cannot become a lawyer).

After a little research and a planned, accidental/on purpose encounter with the lovely, Olivia Murray, Matt and Olivia get married. Matt had been carrying a king size torch for Olivia for years, even before prison, when he met Olivia and spent the most memorable, though chaste, evening of his life with Olivia, in Las Vegas.

Life is great. Matt and Olivia are enormously happy and in love. Olivia discovers she is with child. Matt is ecstatic. Things couldn't be better. But they could be worse and all of a sudden Matt experiences Murphy's Law, firsthand.

Olivia drags Matt down to a mobile phone dealer where they pick up matching camera phones, before one of her scheduled business trips. Not much later, while Olivia is allegedly in Boston, Matt is sent a cell phone photo. Thinking at first it was from his wife, he is surprised when the picture turns out to be some unknown smug looking guy. Another picture some time later shows the same guy and Olivia in a blond wig.

Other things are happening and happening fast. Matt is questioned by a county investigator about the murder of Sister Mary Rose, a nun and school teacher who had breast implants - a person Matt has never heard of. Then he is being tailed and after another murder, Matt's life begins spinning out of control. Olivia is almost murdered and he's on the run from the police. The answers to these events point toward Nevada and Olivia and Matt agree to meet there.

Conclusion

Harlan Coben is an interesting writer. The Innocent is the third novel I have read by him and each book had a compelling plot. In the case of The Innocent, the story reminded me of a rockslide. Coben starts with a disclosure, like a pebble on an incline, which dislodges more pebbles, (more disclosures) which in turn dislodge rocks, then boulders, then a full fledged avalanche.

Coben's writing style is lucid and easy to follow. His choice of verbiage seems to coincide with the vocabulary of the average reader. At least this average reader. His character development is a little weak, in this novel but as the book goes on, you realize it was purposeful. He does use some well used clichs and throws in a moldy joke occasionally, and that's okay. It fits with the story.

What's not okay and the reason I didn't give The Innocent, five stars is the several stretches and loose ends that are evident. Yes, there are a few things that don't ring true, like Matt's nebulous, almost invisible connection to the murder victim, Sister Mary Rose, was enough for the U.S. Attorney to decide to indict him for murder and issue a warrant for his arrest. This, and about a half dozen other problematic revelations, were enough to lower my rating to four stars. Those problems aside, The Innocent is a great read that will keep those pages turning late into the night.
1450864
I truly appreciate the author's style of writing and I hope he continues with the characters he created in this book.  However, to be honest in my review, I was not really engaged until half way through the story. The drama just did not suck me in initially and the humor was limited to a single character rather than the snappy back and forth Haywood is so skilled at writing. That said, this is easily a four star book with every indication of being a five star series.
3104709
Kat Bishop has been in a lot of sticky situations, but she may be a little in over her head in this one. When Hale inherits his family's company after the sudden death of his grandmother, Marcus (Hale's loyal and ever-present butler) alerts Kat that not all is kosher at Hale Industries. He suspects the will may have been tampered with and this time Hale isn't in on the con... he's the mark. If Marcus's theory is true, Kat will have to risk everything, including her relationship with Hale, to right the wrong and catch the bad guy.

Ally Carter continues to be awesome with her newest novel in the Heist Society series. She brilliantly writes seamless storylines and unbelievable complex cons with a loveable group of characters and her signature wit.

Though this is different from the other HS novels in one respect: Hale is simply not the same Hale every female reader fell in love with. Don't get me wrong, his grandmother died and his inheritance was a lie. The kid has a reason to be upset. But Hale's usual snarkiness and sense of humor was definitely missed. If anything, though, it gave more dimension to his character. Hale isn't just some handsome, rich, teenage playboy. He has another side of him that does care what his family thinks, despite what he claims. So even though I was disappointed to not see the Hale I know and love, I can appreciate learning more about his character.

On the plus side, we're introduced to almost everyone in Kat's thieving family (including a hilariously naked Uncle Felix) while Kat tries to run the biggest con of her teenage life. But we also get an inside look at Hale's family as well. Parents, cousins, aunts, uncles (including a long lost uncle which may or may not be Uncle Eddie) are all introduced. Family dynamics are a big theme in this novel, and by the end we have a better understanding of Hale's real family (FYI: A very kind note from an unexpected character may make you tear up).

In typical Ally Carter fashion, Perfect Scoundrels is full of brilliant plans, witty quips, and a full cast of quirky characters. Despite having a bit of a darker element than the other Heist Society novels, this one is just as fun as the others. It's sure to draw readers in for a quick, easy read that's full of intriguing and hilarious con-men action. I give it 9/10.