SSN-Good Read if you actually read the cover
353716
Having read all of Clancy's writings (solo and collaborative)I feel this is pretty good book. When I first picked it up, I read the book jacket and knew what to expect. I think that this book is judged by many on the same  level of his solo books, which is not the way I feel it was written. This  book was written to put the reader inside a submarine during a highly tense  scenario, so that they could get as close to experiencing sub warfare as  possible without joining the navy.
The stratgegies and tactics were  highly detailed and believable.  The ability of one (1) sub to fight a  dingle handed war is certainly far fatched, but isn't this fiction?  I  enjoyed the book for what it was, not on what I had read before and may  have wanted it to be.
4734966
The title of the book "Wrong" should clue a potential reader into the fact that there might be a few things in the book that are considered taboo. So if you are a potential reader then consider this aspect.  Here are a few things to know about this book:

1. There is a romantic storyline in this book between Sophie and Luke. It is not all about sex.
2. Luke is an older man - he is 36 to Sophie's 21. He is sexually experienced and Sophie is not. She is not immature in her behavior. He is not creepy.
3. Luke likes raunchy sex - including a**l.
4. Luke is a doctor and Sophie ends up seeing him for an exam - this was not contrived - it was coincidental. They already had an
awareness / sexual attraction to each other before this visit.
5. There is foul language in this book - coming from Luke during sex. I am a reader who does not put myself into every scenario so I can accept the things he says to her but if you are the reader who puts yourself into every scene - then you might be offended.
6. Sophie's best friend is foul-mouthed - but it fits her character as written. Contemporary romance often uses foul words. People say the words "b**" and "p**" in the year 2015. It is not in every other sentence and it is between people who know each other very well so I was not offended.
7. I don't see it as a "daddy issue" book. Sophie had been raised by normal people (grandparents). There is a 15 year age gap between Luke and Sophie. He tells her what to do sexually - but he knows and she doesn't. He doesn't force her to do anything or override her. Even when she leaves him, he lets her decide on her own and waits for her to come back to him.

I love her socks.

I really enjoyed the book. I guess you could say that a few wrongs make a right.
2393816
First of all - beautiful cover. It caught my eye instantly and I was so excited to receive the opportunity to read and review this book.

Paper Daughter is a double entendre. At first the book appears to be a story of a young woman, the daughter of a newspaper reporter who was killed suddenly. She has plans to follow in her father's footsteps and becomes involved in investigating an interesting story about her local government.

In addition, Paper Daughter or Paper Son has another meaning.

Q: What is a "Paper Son"?
A: "Paper Son" was a term coined for young Chinese males attempting to enter the United States on identity papers that were bought for them. The identity papers were established by American citizens of Chinese descent who left the US to travel back to China. Upon returning, they would claim a marriage and the birth of several sons. Years later, these young Chinese males would appear claiming to be the sons of these citizens. In fact, a substantial number of these boys were sons "on paper only", thus the term "Paper Son". (from [...])

This short, to-the-point book had every ingredient necessary for an interesting novel. I read it in a single sitting and will be encouraging the teens that I know to check it out as well.
299286
On the first try at reading this book, I did not like the cover (which seemed amateurish) or for that matter, the story despite the promising beginning.  I set the book down for a couple of weeks, during which I indulged a vampire/erotic fix.  When I came back to the book, I was much more forgiving of the cover, of the story itself (writing style, plots and all).
There are significant jumps in logic (or errors, if you will) starting from the fact that there were few marquesses (not marquises) in the Irish peerage (or for that matter in the British peerage), and any one could have challenged Gabriel's identity from the start.  I chose not to penalize Nicole Byrd on this point, given the errors made by other authors (including Kelly in MISS MILTON SPEAKS HER MIND).
If this and other problems in logic bother you, avoid this book.  I read it strictly as a piece of fantasy.  I allowed for Gabriel's deception to proceed, for Gabriel's allowing a villain to harrass him without calling in the forces of law and order, for the villain to be obssessed by revenge without his motivations being made clear (although I guessed that his hatred increased over time when Gabriel saved a friend from his cluthes).  If I do not allow for those things, and mark off for other deductions, this book would rate a 3.2 or so.
The writing style is also rather detailed, so if you are not a fan of descriptions of dresses (when the tailors are called in to help Gabriel and at the ball), this book will not please.  This is a fun read, a well-written read, but not perfect.  I treated it as a slightly upmarket Amanda Quick with a more tortured hero, and was perfectly happy when I finished the book.  Others will view this book differently.
Rating (taking flaws into account) 3.2
Recommendations - avoid if you dislike errors in logic and hate descriptions of fashion and costume.
1329326
While this books not bad, and has great tips, I feel the title of the cover is degrading and insulting the population who reads it, if you treat people with respect, you usually get respect. I'm sure it's supposed to be motivational, or manly, but it really turned me off for a professional read. It's not professional at all the title.
4788911
My Blurb:

Lila Howell is a gifted psychic who has been raised and trained by the Government to archive memories from the elders who lived in a time much different than the present.

In her current assignment Lila meets Susanne Newton, a very famous woman in her 90's who helped shape the Government that now seeks information they believe Susanne to be withholding.

Lila is torn between her way of life and the possible way of life Susanne presents to her. As Lila learns more from Susanne she becomes a threat to the very Government who employs her.

Lets Talk About It:

This book embodies the old quote 'Don't judge a book by it's cover'. I know we all are very guilty of this. Books with cool covers tend to get noticed more so than book such a this with a simple tasteful cover. But don't let this cover fool you.

Found between the pages of this book is a well written page turner. The characters are believable, the world created is a possibility of the future, the story is a classic love story where the good guys win.

Brandy Hunt promised a good read and you can consider the Promise Kept! I look forward to more work from this author. Check the links below for where you can find this book.

Melissa
Reviewer for 1000 + Books to Read
1713908
I ordered this book and discovered  the cover to be  repulsive. This was the first book that I purchased and had to cut the cover off prior to reading it.  On the cover was a picture of a man with weird colored eyes and hair like  Medusa. There was  nothing about this picture to epitomized or evoked one's imagination of what a sexy, strong, and alluring male Familiar would look like. The cover featured on Amazon shows a rather unattractive woman standing in front of a very sexy man. This cover is more tolerable than the one I received; Dara could have made the female Familiar more attractive, since readers have been waiting forever for a good read about a Familiar women.  Enough about the cover.  After reading the first few pages it was easy to fathom what the story was about.  The story line  was written in such a way that  the reader is not inspired to look forward to the next chapter.  To put it simply the story had a  phlegmatic start, feeble climax, and ended with an  air of exaggerated self-opinionated male confidence, that overshadowed the female character in the story. I would have liked to have seen a Familiar women who was intellectually warrior minded, quick witted, strong yet feminine, possessing some type of physical and psychological ability other than enjoying a good run.
2135162
Enjoyed the read but the book was inserted upside down in the cover -- anyone else get the book that way?
1130444
Good fast read - interesting dirt on some of our recent presidents and their families.  Two facts are incorrect in the book which makes me mildly question the veracity of the rest of the book.  The author states that the new Secret Service Protection law for former presidents would make Bill Clinton the first president to only get 10 years of post-presidency protection.  In truth, George W. Bush is the first former president to receive 10 years of post-presidency protection.  Clinton gets it for life.  (Presidents elected after 1997 only get it for 10 years.) [...]
4202440
This was a very good read. The title says it all. It almost nullifies any reason to consider the witness protection program, though it does not recommend against it.
2607095
The book reveals that Ayn Rand took SS and Medicare. One hundred people that knew Ms. Rand were interviewed for the book. An interview with Evva Pryror, a social worker and consultant to the law firm of Ernst, Cane, Gitlin and Winick, who had Ms. Rand as a client, verified that on Miss Rand's behalf she secured Rand's Social Security and Medicare payments that Rand received under her married name of Ann O'Connor (husband was Frank O'Connor).

Ms. Rand evidently did not want the checks delivered to her house.  A bit hypocritical, but her books were not bringing her an enormous income, and as every senior knows medical bills are so expensive.

A very interesting book.
4033524
Really a fun read, loved the characters-just wish that I lived in their world.  Oh well!  My dislike?  Again it's the cover with the extremely obviously NOT-curvy female pictured.  What's with that?  We're good to write about and cash in on but gods forbid, no one REALLY WANTS TO SEE IT!  Truth?  If I had had to buy it I wouldn't have, simply because of the cover.
2305491
I'll start with the admission that I judged this book by its cover.  The author posted a copy of the cover artwork on IMGUR (a web-based image hosting service) and threw out a quick sales pitch.

As an avid supporter of the e-book movement, and of inde authors that can make money without huge publishers I decided to give the book a read.  At a very modest price, I figured it to be worth the chance.

It turns out, the book was a very good read.  There were some small misses by the editor (spelling, grammar, or punctuation), and the writing style definitely reflects a new genre of younger writers.  In other words, it's written like a professional FB status update, or some such.  The english language has evolved, and you can see that clearly from Authors like Ben Chaney, who clearly don't have the classical education or background in writing.  To many, this would make the book a 1-2 star deal.  As a progressive person, I was able to adapt and enjoy the book very much.
I recommend this book for ages 15-35.
4139914
While this was an interesting read and supposedly true crime, I am curious to know why the author uses only aliases for the characters.  All other true crime that I read uses actual names- at least for the perpetrators if no one else.
The author acknowledges that he writes how he would speak and that's fine.  I'm glad to have that disclaimer, though.
The dialogue in the story is simple and a bit elementary.
There were some grammar and spelling errors throughout, but the author acknowledges that those are being worked out.
2394180
If you have undertaken efforts to protect your identity from theft, have you thought to check on the credit reports of your children? I certainly had not, but this is one of the hidden gems/tips in the just published How To Own an Identity (Raven Adler, Jay Beale, et al, Syngress Press, 2005, 450  Pages, ISBN 1597490067), the third book in Syngress' Stealing the Network series.

While not the best book in the series (I believe the second book, How to Own A Continent, holds this distinction). But it is still a very good read, offering insights into how your identity is not only vulnerable to theft by individual hackers, but how these hackers may be just a pawn in larger attacks by organized crime and other groups. Like the first two books in the series, this book is presented as fiction laced with technical fact and education. The main characters are much the same, but you are given new insights and backstories about them.

You may think you know a lot about social engineering, but this art form takes on new meaning and perspective when you read Chapter 6, "The Java Script Cafe". In fact this chapter provides a good back drop that leads to revelations on how a hacker might turn the tables on the very people they were trying to serve. The book may also make you think twice about how much the government may not be on your side in protecting you identity, whether it be by siding with the companies that buy and sell your information in the marketplace, or even some unnamed agencies that you think are working for you.

It all makes for a very good read, but at the same time it does not flow together as well as the first two titles in the series. This may be a case of just too many authors contributing to one book, which is unfortunate. But it does not mean you should not read the book. It is an important topic to understand or at least try to. Some portions may be too technical for nontechnical readers, but that should not dissuade this potential audience.

Now go and check your childrens' credit reports. I know that I am.

The Scorecard

Birdie on A Downwind Par 5 Easily Reachable in 2
958436
The title is misleading. The book contains good and practical advice for incoming earning middle class who want to look and behave like old money individuals (I am saying this without being pejorative). But I don't like the way that the author flags the phrase "old money" every paragraph. Also there are a lot of judging in the name of old money! (Old money will never do that... this is not how old money does it, etc.) Otherwise an easy read. The content is a bit thin.
4476988
Do not be dissuaded by the cover of this book. What I thought was going to be an aggressive narrative on why the internet is ruining our brains, I was instead treated to a narrative that is quite varied and objective about the idea of 'too much information.' The author begins by explaining what prompted him to research this topic in the first place: his disappointing revelation that he has begun to tire of the prospect of reading long articles and even books (his mind just can't seem to focus anymore). Refreshingly, the author does not spend the entire book rehashing and uncovering social science experiments. Note: there is a fair share of these experiments detailed in the book, but that is not everything. He talks about the history of language and books, and how Socrates was fearful that humans would soon need not memorize anything; he delves into the chemistry of the brain and what the internet and information-age may be doing to it; and, most respectably, he tells us that he himself is not immune to the desires of modern entertainment. He didn't write this book to chastise a generation (he, in fact, indulges in the luxuries he suggests may be harmful), rather he wanted to compile a narrative of a topic that he thinks needs to be discussed and considered.

I really enjoyed the history lessons in this book. And, as I have suggested, the author is cautious about prescribing any type of life style change upon us. If you can handle some in-depth social science experiments, and are open to even the suggestion of the idea that he is discussing, I think you will find his narrative insightful.