After reading, I'm now questioning all the 5-star ratings
352259
This book's main concept is a good one--ask yourself why anyone cares about the point you are about to make, and you may decide to present your case differently.  I had higher expectations based on all the five-star reviews...now I'm wondering if the reviewers may be colleagues of the author?

Suspicions aside, this book is short, to the point, and a worthwhile read.  I recommend this text if you are not making the sales you hope to make or if your audience is not giving you the response you were hoping for. I did learn something from this book, but it could have offered more real world examples of how asking "So What?" resulted in significant change.
2290342
This book starts with "hype"--how great it is to work for yourself, yada yada (there goes an easy 20% of the book), and the suggestions after that are pretty obvious and very generic--something anyone with a grain of sense would say.  NO depth, lots of self promotion.  Save your time, but...what's with all the 5 star reviews?

I happened to be looking at this book and noticed all the 5 star reviews dated July 4(the day I happen to be writing this).  As I was reading them, underneath where it says how long ago the review was added, SEVERAL were less than an hour old, and seemed to be about 6-7 minutes apart--I was seeing reviews from "38 minutes ago"  "44 minutes ago" and "53 minutes ago", etcetera.-they just kept growing, every 6 minutes, (after an hour the "minutes" ago changes to "an hour").  Hmmmm, Odd, isn't it?  That's about how long it takes to type one.  So I clicked on a half dozen reviewers, and oddly, this is the only book they reviewed (maybe now that I've said that, suddenly--every 6 minutes or so--they will have some other item reviewed--AFTER this book on July 4th).  Maybe that's just luck, but it makes me wonder...
1269282
I think this is the last time I pay any attention to book reviews on Amazon. Words thrown together without much planning before or checking afterwards do not make for pleasant reading. How this book earned so many 5-star ratings is a mystery. Or is it? If you are still interested, at least try the free sample first.
4215772
I'm at 6% and I have already made several notes in reference to the authors ability (or lack thereof) to keep her thoughts straight and make the story flow smoothly. I guess I'll keep reading and update my review if necessary, but right now, I'm really disappointed
344227
When I finally finished, I thought to myself "What in the heck did I just read?"  I had heard of this on NPR and it sounded interesting so I went ahead and ordered it for my Kindle even though it was given a 3 Star overall rating.  I even read the very insightful (hindsight) review by one gentleman.  Why didn't I listen to my internal voice telling me "You NEVER order books that are rated 3 stars or below"...  Why didn't I take for advice of the other reviewer?  Hardheaded I guess, cause it was on NPR, I suppose.  In any event, please don't waste your money.  It's gross, depressing and doesn't have a satisfying ending to boot!
1054851
I don't get it - 419 people actually got through this? And half of those gave it high reviews? After this sentence in chapter one, I closed it. "What Shorty couldn't know what that the young man had realized the trap, although too late, when he glimpsed the remaining gang members block the opening to the alley."  This is the feel through the first chapter.  I am sorry I cannot get further into this book in the hopes there may be a redeeming story line - this sounds like something an elementary school kid would write.  Could the author do better?  Of course!!! He needs to learn grammar and sentence structure and, if he did, he might become a great author!

Has America become this illiterate that it accepts this kind of writing and thinks it's good writing?  Heck, if that's the case, I'm going to write this caliber, hire a book rating company, and sell similar.  It makes me mad this kind of stuff actually makes it into Amazon Books.
3203889
Every review is a perfect 5.  Hard to believe.  In fact, it stinks with the odor of personal friends doing him a favor on Amazon to help him sell his book.

So why did I give a 5 too?  I'm not POSITIVE, yet I wanted to say that I do not trust those reviews.  So what's one more 5 gonna hurt?
1350847
I'm so confused right now. I'm not entirely sure what I just read. It started off fantastic but went rogue very quickly.
4674179
I wanted to love this book so much, I really did. All through my reading I was thinking "Why the hell am I continuing?" I was convinced there had to be something more. By reputation and reviews alone, Lisa Renee Jones is a great author. I couldn't fathom why I could not LOVE this.

I was dumbfounded.

After much, much deliberation this is what I came up with.

 - I don't like Amy. Not one bit. She was flighty (pun, totally intended). She didn't know what she wanted and didn't even try to figure it out. I felt compelled to skim through most of her thoughts. She just kept harping on and on about her handler, her fears and attraction to Liam. It was a merry-go-round where the conductor fell asleep and forgot to let the passengers get off. I was nauseous.

 - I loved Liam but wanted to smack him up-side the head. I couldn't understand his motive for pursuing Amy, but he was sexy as hell and I was drawn to his mysterious appeal. I wish I got to know more about him. I made some assumptions and I am mad at myself that I want to know more about him. Pffft!

 - Their chemistry was "iffy" at best. Yep, there was something there, but it felt forced not at all 'flowy' and believable. Sex scenes? Yes, they were well written. That's about it.

 - The plot was one giant mesh of unfinished facts. I understand building up to the resolution. Hell, I could understand a cliffhanger, but to let the reader turn the page after page without revealing anything about what's going on? Absurd! Okay, so I could understand the mystery behind it all. Keep the reader guessing and all that. But really? What about character development? Meaningful dialog? Emotions others than lust? There were details here and there but nothing I could grab a hold of appease myself with. It all felt unhinged somehow.

 - What's with all the other characters? Do all of them have to be a mystery? I like a guessing game as well as the next gal, but this was preposterous! Instead of enticing me to get to the bottom of it, I was more inclined to stop reading and lose myself in something more enjoyable. Mysteries where the facts are examined, thought out and allow the reader to make assumptions and take interest in getting to the bottom of it? I could deal with that and revel in it. Round and round guessing with nothing to go on and then have the audacity to leave you hanging? That is so NOT worth my time.

I wish I could say that I want to read the next installment, but I don't. And I hate it, because I don't like NOT liking a book. It's a rare moment for me when I do and it frustrates the hell out of me when it happens.

I received this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange of my honest opinion.
4477561
I can't believe this many people actually gave a 5-star rating to this book.  At first I thought it sounded like something I would be interested in, and the first part was pretty good.  Then all of a sudden, there were aliens!  They were introduced in such a way that I really thought it wasn't going to be true and was just a joke.  But they never went away and it was true. Plus, some people like reading about aliens and some don't.  I don't, and I think it's important for publishers to at least tell you there are alien references in the jacket summary.  This one gave you no clue other than saying ""powerful shadowy forces." Then the sex was poorly handled--I get it--they had great sex, but was it necessary to make a big deal of how hot it was--not important to the plot.  Then the ending was so simplistic I couldn't wait to finish. It's one of those books that draws a bunch of conclusions at the end so just it can wrap up the story neatly.  I gave it 2 stars because I did actually finish it, but I was so happy when I finished it!
4213557
**Review Copy Provided by Author**

I'm going to be honest up-front and say that this is a DNF review. I made it approximately a tenth of the way through the book before I gave up on it. Based on the description provided, this sounded like an interesting read, so I requested it through one of my goodreads group (to which the author had donated a copy of members to review).

However, upon starting to read, I was immediately confused as to what was going on. There was no semblance of chapters, but rather vignettes of different experiences. I still can't figure out how the numbering for these went, it started at 3, went to 1, then jumped to 4 and back to 1...so I was wondering if there was something funky with my copy. Looking at some of the reviews on amazon they talk about how it is a stream of consciousness work, but if that is the case, then it is an extremely fractured stream - in one vignette, the two main characters Michael and Bridgette are driving to Austin, then they are in Austin, and then they are back on the road. There is swapping of points of view from Michael to Bridget without any indication (normally the only sign of that is mentioning the other person's name).

When I started to look closer and try to re-read a couple of the scenes to understand, it seemed as though the author expected the reader to see other places. For example, in one part he talks about his grandfather and how he used to visit him in college. He ends the scene with the statement that he hasn't seen his grandfather in a while, but then says that "I can tell he's freshly barbered, straight razor and all, doing the best he can" - while I assume this means, he is projecting the imagine of what he remembers his grandfather to be, it just doesn't ring true - if his grandfather was that influential - why hasn't he seen him recently, are they staying in touch - it just seems very disjoined.

One of my pet peeve's when it comes to books is when stuff is said in 20 words what could be said in 5 or 10, and in the few sections that I read, this did seem to be an issue. Maybe it is because as part of my job we focus on writing for maximum utility, but the verbose-ness of the language used was distracting and maybe played into why I was having difficulties reading it.
4011133
I enjoyed this series up until book 5.  Perci Jean is a hard working, tough--but sensitive--woman doing the best she can with her unwanted legacy.  Books 1 through 4 portray a woman who has suffered horrendous losses, but still maintains a dignity that highlights the best in our humanity.  Book 5 unveils a confused, immature woman who really doesn't have a clue who she is.  I wondered if her memaw was the one providing the illusion of the Perci mentioned initially--or maybe my perceptions of memaw hid the real Perci Jean from me.  I am southern, after all.  I suffer with the ideals of most southerners--that is, with the expectation of what is considered appropriate behavior.

*******SPOILER ALERT**********

Regardless, from the ashes of so much loss arose a reborn Phoenix--of Perci's cousin Rae.  I didn't care for this new Perci Jean.  There's a hard, willful ignorance displayed in her that makes me root against her.  I cannot form the words to describe my opinion of some of her actions.  Especially those to make Wade hers.  Does the word "no" mean anything?  If not, why be so hard on Tubby?  Perci and Tubby were more alike than I realized, and I choose not to care for manipulative characters that are self-serving.

At this point in the series, the only character worth reading about, for me, is Gage.  He proves consistent and determined--a villain with a goal.  It would have been interesting seeing things from his perspective.  After all, he would have remained an everyday white-collar criminal in that small corner of the world, but for a forced reversal of fortune.  Once that happened, what is there for him to do--besides be the villain he was comfortable being?  At least he knew who he was, and didn't stand around taking the blame for every jacked-up situation that unfolded.  Aside from my general dislike of Perci Jean's constant fumbling through adulthood in this entry, I also thought she was skanky.

I couldn't see why Perci thought she was so different from her cousin, when we find that so much of Rae's story reflected actions to protect those she loved--although in this book Perci holds the position Rae once held.  To any observer of both women's actions, the two are indistinguishable, imo.
999970
It had no logical sequence to it. I am beginning to have serious doubt about your rating system,books that are rated three and four stars do live up to that standard.
3073495
I am astonished at the reviews after reading. I kept plugging through the book waiting for amusement, redemption, structure, something. This book was awful. I can only hope that the other reviews are by friends/family or I despair of the future of our literature if this is considered 5 star.
4469851
Who in their RIGHT mind gave this book more than 2 stars? Seriously? I'm at a loss for words! I really just don't know what to say! I really wish I could get my 5 bucks back! Did I read the same book as everyone else?
2382460
First of all, I think the banter in the comments is proof-positive that the author is having trouble accepting the reviews. It's getting him much higher rankings on Amazon, but it really shouldn't.

The second point is that I DO NOT have any affiliation to the author. I don't know him, he doesn't know me, I'm not in the book etc.  I found this book through a friend of a friend of a friend of a (you get the point) on Facebook. I read it because I was curious about kink, and some of the lessons the author learned (and hoped would subsequently teach/share with me). I truly had no idea what I was getting myself into.

Please do not spend your money on this book. If you're still curious about all this "fuss" over it, download the FREE kindle sample and try it out. Unfortunately for Mr. Winter, the spelling, grammar, and sentence formatting errors are just too much to get past. Other reviews have stated that when the reader comes up against an error, the brain will try to correct it to make sense... and THEN it can take in the meaning of the sentence.  This is 512 pages of my brain trying to correct your words and THEN try to take it in.

IF, and this is a big if, you can make it past all these errors, the subject matter is utter garbage. I understand it's a memoir of sorts, but it lacks any insightful reflection. It's just an incredibly long-winded ego-boost. With the exception of a few chapters in which he describes struggles in actual relationships, he spends the majority of this book rambling on about how sexually gifted and amazing he is. It's very hard to move into the book when the first 90 pages are him boasting about the size of his manhood, and what sounds like almost comically made-up adventures in sex. I don't know what's true and what's not, so it's not my place to correct him; however, he mentions that he's currently slept with 200 women, and describes situations that I have trouble believing.

For the sake of an honest review, I pushed myself to get past the "hard to believe" parts of the story line, and tried to see it for the entertainment value. Even choosing to see the book as a work of fiction, there isn't any entertainment here. I was bored reading about him. I would read pages and come up to a sentence in which he mentioned his sexual prowess or manhood, and think, "Oh here we go again."

The bottom line is this: the book is rubbish. The story underneath it all is rubbish. The stroked ego is tiring and unforgivably annoying. And truly, above all else, the grammatical and spelling errors are painful. The book clearly wasn't edited, proofread, or checked for spelling in Word.

Honestly, the most fun and entertainment you'll get from this book is the comment stream in the reviews. The author and reviewers are trading opinions, and it seems to get more interesting every day.
160930
So to start this off, I read a lot.  My genre of choice is romance (paranormal, sci-fi, and especially urban fantasy).  I probably read about 3-4 books per week.  Saying that, I am really good at picking up what authors are describing to me in their world building and plot.  I don't understand this book.  I spent the whole book being confused and still don't have a clue about what happened.