lauconn's review
emotional
tense
slow-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
chicchic325's review
1.0
TW- on page rape and murder.
There was too much rape and almost rape for me to rate this any higher. When the "hero" has to force and cajole the "heroine" into wanting sex in like three sex scenes in a row, i just can't any more. And by force i mean grab her and kiss her when she is saying no. Then proceed to make her want it and she just gives in. And making the heroine so abrasive that only the hero likes her, and that she is a black women whose mom was a prostitute and grew up in the system? Like really?
There was too much rape and almost rape for me to rate this any higher. When the "hero" has to force and cajole the "heroine" into wanting sex in like three sex scenes in a row, i just can't any more. And by force i mean grab her and kiss her when she is saying no. Then proceed to make her want it and she just gives in. And making the heroine so abrasive that only the hero likes her, and that she is a black women whose mom was a prostitute and grew up in the system? Like really?
red_enigma_94's review
4.0
Wow! Not a bad start for this Deadly series. The suspense certainly kept me on my toes, as did the romance between the hero and heroine. The villain, Kareem Gregory, is as evil as they come, and he doesn't care who he hurts to get what he wants. It didn't surprise me that he'd eventually force himself on his wife. The man thought he was above the law. Of course his sense of entitlement probably has a lot to do with his mother. Their relationship is super weird, as is her relationship with Kareem's wife, Kira. I didn't quite know what to make of that because the story only scratches the surface. But as far as villains go, Kareem fits the bill to a "t".
As hero and heroine, Amara and Jack were both kind of jerks in the beginning, and they definitely take some getting used to. I guess the author was going for a push-pull, enemies-to-lovers kind of thing, but it felt more like two people badly insulting each other. As a matter of fact, most of these characters are snarky, sarcastic, and sort of rude to each other, including the DEA boss, Dexter Brady. Surprisingly enough, the only one who didn't come off as a jerk was the villain's lieutenant/right-hand man Kerry! Crazy, right?!
Once Jack and Amara go on the run, the dynamics of their relationship changes. I see two people who are not only smart, brave, sexy, and have lots of chemistry, but they have a deeper connection. The more Jack tries to keep Amara at arm's lengths, the more determined she is to get under his skin and in his heart. With everything that has happened, and all of the people who got caught in the crossfire of Kareem's need to stay out of prison, its understandable why Jack was driven with desperation to pull Amara close to him in order to protect her, as well push her away...to protect her. Talk about Catch 22! Sometimes, they could both be abrasive, but I loved how much they cared for each other and fought for each other. In the end, I really liked them, and rooted for their HEA.
****Minor Spoiler****
While I really liked this romantic suspense, I wish the author would have done a better job weaving in the minor side characters. The first assassin was dealt with pretty good, so no complaints there. But the pill-popper who stole the info for the safe house was given a lot of story, but her duplicitousness was not uncovered in this book. It wasn't obvious until the end that she worked with the DEA, but her character was killed off with no reactions from Dexter or anyone else from the DEA. I really wanted to see how what she did and the addiction she hid affected her family and the people she worked with.
**************************
I have to compliment the author though. I know there are things about this story that could have been better, but it did feel like I was watching things unfold in an action or Lifetime movie. So now I need to check out the rest of the series to see how things work out for the other characters.
As hero and heroine, Amara and Jack were both kind of jerks in the beginning, and they definitely take some getting used to. I guess the author was going for a push-pull, enemies-to-lovers kind of thing, but it felt more like two people badly insulting each other. As a matter of fact, most of these characters are snarky, sarcastic, and sort of rude to each other, including the DEA boss, Dexter Brady. Surprisingly enough, the only one who didn't come off as a jerk was the villain's lieutenant/right-hand man Kerry! Crazy, right?!
Once Jack and Amara go on the run, the dynamics of their relationship changes. I see two people who are not only smart, brave, sexy, and have lots of chemistry, but they have a deeper connection. The more Jack tries to keep Amara at arm's lengths, the more determined she is to get under his skin and in his heart. With everything that has happened, and all of the people who got caught in the crossfire of Kareem's need to stay out of prison, its understandable why Jack was driven with desperation to pull Amara close to him in order to protect her, as well push her away...to protect her. Talk about Catch 22! Sometimes, they could both be abrasive, but I loved how much they cared for each other and fought for each other. In the end, I really liked them, and rooted for their HEA.
****Minor Spoiler****
While I really liked this romantic suspense, I wish the author would have done a better job weaving in the minor side characters. The first assassin was dealt with pretty good, so no complaints there. But the pill-popper who stole the info for the safe house was given a lot of story, but her duplicitousness was not uncovered in this book. It wasn't obvious until the end that she worked with the DEA, but her character was killed off with no reactions from Dexter or anyone else from the DEA. I really wanted to see how what she did and the addiction she hid affected her family and the people she worked with.
**************************
I have to compliment the author though. I know there are things about this story that could have been better, but it did feel like I was watching things unfold in an action or Lifetime movie. So now I need to check out the rest of the series to see how things work out for the other characters.
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