bfdbookblog's review against another edition
3.0
While the synopsis captured me, the story fell a bit short for me. I liked Ethan and Shawn together…I thought they were sweet at times and their banter was entertaining. Davies was a great supporting character as were Ethan’s family. All of the sex scenes are off page so if you are looking for that you won’t find it here (this doesn’t bother me but I know some folks want some on page scenes).
Here are my issues with the book (some of these may be a little spoiler-ish and may not make sense to those that haven’t read the story):
1. The opening scene is still confusing to me. I don’t understand why the patrolmen were after Ethan at all. It was purported they chased and attempt to apprehend him because he looked suspicious but that is a huge stretch for me considering the lengths they went to for his capture.
2. The flow of book was erratic as the transition between scenes skipped what I would consider critical points of the story. We went from dating and not sleeping together to so serious that Ethan freaked out and stopped communicating with Shawn while he worked through his issues…and said issues were weak at best. Large amounts of time were skipped between scenes which made it hard to follow. This felt almost like a really long plot outline that needed to have more meat added to complete the story.
3. Shawn’s family was brought into the story and was left as a dangling storyline. Shawn didn’t want to reconcile with them but still attended a family party…with Ethan…which he knew would be an issue but nothing came of that at all, it just sort of died.
4. Shawn seems to have a couple of issues to work through – which were uncovered when he attended Ethan’s shrink sessions with him. So much so that he stopped attending the sessions. Those were never dealt with. Again, a dangling story line for me. Both this and Shawn’s family either need more attention or should be removed from the story as they were superfluous to the book at this point.
5. Ethan progressed through his therapy even hanging out at the cop shop surrounded by patrolmen. He improved so much over the course of the story; he backed off to going once a week but completely panicked when a few of patrolmen came into the bar he and Ethan were in making it seem like he hadn’t progressed at all. We had a front row seat to his shrink sessions at the beginning of the story but that stopped which led me to believe he was better. His progress was a bit conflicting so I’m not sure he’s fully recovered even though the focus is taken away from his therapy and shifted to his relationship with Shawn (this goes back to the erratic flow of the story).
This was slow read with really not much happening. It was my first Casey Wolfe book so I’m not sure if this is the norm or not. I'm not sure I'd read another.
Here are my issues with the book (some of these may be a little spoiler-ish and may not make sense to those that haven’t read the story):
1. The opening scene is still confusing to me. I don’t understand why the patrolmen were after Ethan at all. It was purported they chased and attempt to apprehend him because he looked suspicious but that is a huge stretch for me considering the lengths they went to for his capture.
2. The flow of book was erratic as the transition between scenes skipped what I would consider critical points of the story. We went from dating and not sleeping together to so serious that Ethan freaked out and stopped communicating with Shawn while he worked through his issues…and said issues were weak at best. Large amounts of time were skipped between scenes which made it hard to follow. This felt almost like a really long plot outline that needed to have more meat added to complete the story.
3. Shawn’s family was brought into the story and was left as a dangling storyline. Shawn didn’t want to reconcile with them but still attended a family party…with Ethan…which he knew would be an issue but nothing came of that at all, it just sort of died.
4. Shawn seems to have a couple of issues to work through – which were uncovered when he attended Ethan’s shrink sessions with him. So much so that he stopped attending the sessions. Those were never dealt with. Again, a dangling story line for me. Both this and Shawn’s family either need more attention or should be removed from the story as they were superfluous to the book at this point.
5. Ethan progressed through his therapy even hanging out at the cop shop surrounded by patrolmen. He improved so much over the course of the story; he backed off to going once a week but completely panicked when a few of patrolmen came into the bar he and Ethan were in making it seem like he hadn’t progressed at all. We had a front row seat to his shrink sessions at the beginning of the story but that stopped which led me to believe he was better. His progress was a bit conflicting so I’m not sure he’s fully recovered even though the focus is taken away from his therapy and shifted to his relationship with Shawn (this goes back to the erratic flow of the story).
This was slow read with really not much happening. It was my first Casey Wolfe book so I’m not sure if this is the norm or not. I'm not sure I'd read another.
the_novel_approach's review
3.0
~ 3.5 Stars ~
Ethan Brant, off-duty policeman, is caught up in a bad situation—he’s shot by fellow officer. Resigning from the force and becoming somewhat of a recluse, he suffers from PTSD and panic attacks whenever confronted by police. Ethan is trying to have a normal day while walking to work, but when police confront him and become aggressive, even after Ethan identifies himself, he goes into full panic mode.
Detective Shawn Greyson shows up on the scene, and is more than angry that the orders laid out were not followed. He is well aware of who Ethan is—Shawn was there when Ethan was shot, and he helped save Ethan’s life. Shawn, feeling protective of Ethan, takes him home, where Shawn becomes a source of calm for Ethan. They start to spend a lot of time together, going places, discussing family, and Ethan invites Shawn to meet his parkour friends. It’s interesting to see a different side to Shawn, then, as he struggles with abrupt changes and the new social environment.
Shawn has also been reading various self-help books about PTSD, and with Ethan eventually agreeing to Shawn attending his therapy sessions, they learn about controlled exposure and music therapy. As Shawn gets more wrapped up in his cases, Ethan agrees to spending time at the station, testing the new therapy strategies. Ethan even finds that he likes Senior Detective Richard Davies, and they both give Shawn a hard time.
Just as things start to heat up between Shawn and Ethan, however, Ethan disappears. Shawn is sick with worry, but Davies has received a text from Ethan. Driven to the edge, Shawn heads to Ethan’s apartment and breaks in, and he’s shocked and hurt by what he finds. Is this the end of the beginning, or can Ethan come up with a good explanation for leaving?
Casey Wolfe created two really great characters with a nice chemistry in Shawn and Ethan. Ethan still has an innocence about him, and Shawn is the protector. Having their own separate issues, the storyline also addresses the need for both Ethan and Shawn to heal. There’s a good mix of characters who bring warmth and humor to the storyline, and the story itself is an easy read with a nice flow to it. It gives an insight as to how different Shawn’s and Ethan’s lives and families are. As I sometimes am intrigued by secondary characters, I’m hoping there’s a sequel with Davies and Sebastian.
Reviewed by Maryann for The Novel Approach
Ethan Brant, off-duty policeman, is caught up in a bad situation—he’s shot by fellow officer. Resigning from the force and becoming somewhat of a recluse, he suffers from PTSD and panic attacks whenever confronted by police. Ethan is trying to have a normal day while walking to work, but when police confront him and become aggressive, even after Ethan identifies himself, he goes into full panic mode.
Detective Shawn Greyson shows up on the scene, and is more than angry that the orders laid out were not followed. He is well aware of who Ethan is—Shawn was there when Ethan was shot, and he helped save Ethan’s life. Shawn, feeling protective of Ethan, takes him home, where Shawn becomes a source of calm for Ethan. They start to spend a lot of time together, going places, discussing family, and Ethan invites Shawn to meet his parkour friends. It’s interesting to see a different side to Shawn, then, as he struggles with abrupt changes and the new social environment.
Shawn has also been reading various self-help books about PTSD, and with Ethan eventually agreeing to Shawn attending his therapy sessions, they learn about controlled exposure and music therapy. As Shawn gets more wrapped up in his cases, Ethan agrees to spending time at the station, testing the new therapy strategies. Ethan even finds that he likes Senior Detective Richard Davies, and they both give Shawn a hard time.
Just as things start to heat up between Shawn and Ethan, however, Ethan disappears. Shawn is sick with worry, but Davies has received a text from Ethan. Driven to the edge, Shawn heads to Ethan’s apartment and breaks in, and he’s shocked and hurt by what he finds. Is this the end of the beginning, or can Ethan come up with a good explanation for leaving?
Casey Wolfe created two really great characters with a nice chemistry in Shawn and Ethan. Ethan still has an innocence about him, and Shawn is the protector. Having their own separate issues, the storyline also addresses the need for both Ethan and Shawn to heal. There’s a good mix of characters who bring warmth and humor to the storyline, and the story itself is an easy read with a nice flow to it. It gives an insight as to how different Shawn’s and Ethan’s lives and families are. As I sometimes am intrigued by secondary characters, I’m hoping there’s a sequel with Davies and Sebastian.
Reviewed by Maryann for The Novel Approach
thequeerbookish's review
4.0
(actual rating: 3.5)
A short but feel good read.
I enjoyed Ethan and Shawn's story, but especially Ethan's PTSD and the way he works to overcome it were of great interest of me. This book manages to be a fluffy read without romanticizing PTSD or mental illnesses in general. Yay!
But its shortness does not work in its favour. A lot of important and interesting plot points are glossed over. I didn't get too invested in their relationship as well, because it develops rather quickly - and if you know me you know I need a realistic development to root for a pairing.
One Bullet is still a nice one time read, maybe even more because you'll read it real quick.
The portrayed therapy is a huge bonus point to me, because therapy sessions aren't that often portrayed in books. Plus maybe there are readers out there who learn something from it and they can try it themselves? The musical approach could be of benefit for quite a lot of people, not only those having PTSD.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy through the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.
A short but feel good read.
I enjoyed Ethan and Shawn's story, but especially Ethan's PTSD and the way he works to overcome it were of great interest of me. This book manages to be a fluffy read without romanticizing PTSD or mental illnesses in general. Yay!
But its shortness does not work in its favour. A lot of important and interesting plot points are glossed over. I didn't get too invested in their relationship as well, because it develops rather quickly - and if you know me you know I need a realistic development to root for a pairing.
One Bullet is still a nice one time read, maybe even more because you'll read it real quick.
The portrayed therapy is a huge bonus point to me, because therapy sessions aren't that often portrayed in books. Plus maybe there are readers out there who learn something from it and they can try it themselves? The musical approach could be of benefit for quite a lot of people, not only those having PTSD.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy through the author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.
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