hhushaw's review against another edition
4.0
An honest review thanks to netgalley. This was a great read of three short novellas by three great lesbian authors. I loved the first two but the third by Ali Vali I was a bit disappointed in, I love Ali Vali but wasn't a big fan of her work in this. Though if you are looking for a new read from some of your favorite authors with some romance thrown into crime and guns then this is your book.
kelley_ob's review against another edition
2.0
This was an entertaining collection. A quick read that I was able to polish off on my lunch breaks and spare minutes of downtime in about a week. Despite being by different authors, the theme held up well.
I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
elvang's review against another edition
4.0
Short stories can be challenging. You need memorable characters, a plot which grabs the reader's interest and ends with a satisfactory resolution all in the space of a few normal chapters. The word count is your enemy and your friend. Novella's give the author a bit more time to develop their characters and plot but there are word count restraints forcing the writer to keep it simple yet hold the reader's interest.
Some authors go with characters they have used in the past, making their short story a 0.5 contribution to their continuing series. Others come up with entirely new characters and snapshots of time and place in their original tales. Entering into Girls with Guns I assumed that our leading ladies would be well armed. After that I was open to whatever these three seasoned authors would create for our reading pleasure.
Carsen Taite does not disappoint with Bow and Arrow. Her rough tough bounty hunter Luca Bennett is hot on the trail of rogue bad cop Teresa Perez. She is seeking revenge for both her girlfriend Jess and her own treatment at the hands of the now notorious drug runner. Luca has a Colt 45 and is not afraid to use it. Perez is also being hunted by the Mexican mafia she has double crossed. Just as Luca receives tips on possible Perez sitings she is called up for jury duty. Adapting to her new domestic arrangement with Jess, dealing with over eager juror Cris and tracking Perez keeps Bennett on the run. Add in Luca's loveable and well trained husky and Bow and Arrow is an entertaining fast paced read.
Michelle Grubb's Hammersmith is more novella than short story.
Belinda Reilly, recently assigned to the Hotstream task force is charged with protecting passengers riding the London Underground from urban terrorists. Her training and ability to blend with morning commuters allow her to spot potential suicide bombers or “cleaners”. Bel takes her new role and her Glock 17 very seriously. Nights of passion with her girlfriend Esther make her dangerous day job bearable.
I really enjoyed reading Hammersmith and appreciated the mini-course on suspect identification presented in entertaining fashion as Bel observes her fellow riders on their morning commute. Urban terrorism is our new reality and the city of London has experienced its share of violence. Fiction done well opens the possibilities that MI5 might just have highly trained squads of agents monitoring the CCTV and public transit riders on a daily basis. Grubb writes believable fiction. When background info ramps up to full blown tension the reader is pulled into the train with Bel. Foreshadowing made me feel like a super sleuth thinking I had everything figured out until the author threw in some unexpected twists and left me relegated to spectator status. Good fun.
Ali Vali's Hell Fire began with great promise. Finley Abbott is an FBI hacker on loan to the NYPD to help uncover a sex slave ring operating in the city. The stakes are raised when a group of sex slaves are gunned down and the massacre is witnessed by Abigail Eaton and her children. Finley is forced into protection duty as the eye witness to the slaying becomes a target.
The story is long relative to the others in this anthology and I think it had the makings of a entertaining full length romantic intrigue/ police procedural. As a novella it felt choppy and unfinished. Finley is an interesting character with a background only hinted at and slowly revealed. She is resourceful, brave and married to her job, perfect for the recently widowed Abigail and her children.
Hell Fire didn't work for me. It has an ambitious what if scenario but the story is poorly executed thanks I assume to the need to condense scenes to fit into a novella format. Like Orcs in Lord of the Rings, the bad guys are just too easy to kill. We don't have enough time to get to know key people in the story and threads and threats are left hanging without resolution. I did like the relationship between Abigail, her kids and Finley. Their scenes were highlights and kept me interested and reading. Fin's weapon of choice in the final scene was straight out of a gangster movie and more cringe-worthy than clever.
Like most anthologies, Girls with Guns has stories I loved and stories which were okay. A nice mix.
4 stars
ARC received from Bold Strokes Books via NetGalley
mgncpr's review against another edition
4.0
This anthology highlights longer shorts from Ali Vali, Carsen Taite and Michelle Grubb. I was familiar with the first two but this book introduced me to Michelle Grubb's writing. All three are strong stories and I enjoyed reading each of them. All three work particularly well as gritty suspense novels - each with their own take and flair.
Note that the Vali and Taite stories take place within the confines of two of their series so you may feel a bit lost without the backstory or knowledge of some of the characters. Grubb's is a standalone so no obsessive pre-reading and you can dive right in.
Taite's novella, Bow and Arrow, is a follow on to the Luca Bennett series (omigod ... love Luka) and we rejoin the most kick ass bounty hunter with a heart of gold as she tracks down a rogue cop, gets roped into juror duty and has to deal with her new domestic situation. This is a great re-visit of Luca and reminded me how much I loved the series. Lots of action, humour and best of all, lots of Luca. I'd recommend you read the series as this book seems to wrap up some of the loose ends from the last book - and it was a fantastically fun series.
Vali's novella, Hell Fire, is sort of a sidebar to the Cain series. I didn't realize that until a good portion into the story and thought it might be a standalone. At a certain point though, if you haven't read the Cain series you'll be a bit lost with who this Cain person is and if you are reading the series, it will make the newest book make a bit more sense. Now that I've spoiled the fact that its part of the Cain series ... Finley is a blacksheep of the Cain dynasty who is working for the Feds . As part of an investigation, she ends up entangled with Abigail and her children as they are being targeted by some rather nasty folks. This was a fun read and I actually want to see more of Finley and Abigail in the larger Cain series or in their own offshoot.
Grubb's Hammersmith is a standalone and was quite captivating and full of suspense. Bel is an operative who is responsible to monitor public areas for suicide bombers. The very idea of this being a real role is disheartening but it actually seems like it may be true. Grubb builds up a fair bit of suspense and tension. I will admit there were a few twists that had me second guessing myself and Bel's girlfriend. A great suspense story.
Note that the Vali and Taite stories take place within the confines of two of their series so you may feel a bit lost without the backstory or knowledge of some of the characters. Grubb's is a standalone so no obsessive pre-reading and you can dive right in.
Taite's novella, Bow and Arrow, is a follow on to the Luca Bennett series (omigod ... love Luka) and we rejoin the most kick ass bounty hunter with a heart of gold as she tracks down a rogue cop, gets roped into juror duty and has to deal with her new domestic situation. This is a great re-visit of Luca and reminded me how much I loved the series. Lots of action, humour and best of all, lots of Luca. I'd recommend you read the series as this book seems to wrap up some of the loose ends from the last book - and it was a fantastically fun series.
Vali's novella, Hell Fire, is sort of a sidebar to the Cain series. I didn't realize that until a good portion into the story and thought it might be a standalone. At a certain point though, if you haven't read the Cain series you'll be a bit lost with who this Cain person is and if you are reading the series, it will make the newest book make a bit more sense. Now that I've spoiled the fact that its part of the Cain series ... Finley is a blacksheep of the Cain dynasty who is working for the Feds . As part of an investigation, she ends up entangled with Abigail and her children as they are being targeted by some rather nasty folks. This was a fun read and I actually want to see more of Finley and Abigail in the larger Cain series or in their own offshoot.
Grubb's Hammersmith is a standalone and was quite captivating and full of suspense. Bel is an operative who is responsible to monitor public areas for suicide bombers. The very idea of this being a real role is disheartening but it actually seems like it may be true. Grubb builds up a fair bit of suspense and tension. I will admit there were a few twists that had me second guessing myself and Bel's girlfriend. A great suspense story.
lezreviewbooks's review
3.0
I've received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book is a compilation of three different stories under the umbrella of girls with guns: Bow and Arrow by Carsen Taite, Hammersmith by Michelle Grubb and Hell Fire by Ali Vali. Coincidentally, this was the order of my preference.
In Bow and Arrow, Carsen Taite reintroduces her character from the Luca Bennet bounty hunter series. This series has three books that I recommend to read chronologically and maybe even before this story, though this novella stands on its own. Luca Bennet is my favourite character of all Ms Taite's novels and she manages to keep her as funny, entertaining - and sometimes even deep - as in the previous installments. The chemistry with cop Jessica Chance is great and the secondary characters add to the entertainment of the story.
Hammersmith by Michelle Grubb describes the issue of suicide bomber, very original to this genre. However, the chemistry between the main characters didn't work for me and sometimes the story didn't seem completely believable. I've lived and used London's transport system for seven years and even for me sometimes the description of the lines and stations of the "tube" was a bit tedious. I can only imagine that it'd be at least a bit confusing for a complete outsider. However, I think this story is worth a try and I'll definetely read something by this author in the future.
Hell Fire by Ali Vali didn't work for me at all. At times, the story seems too sketchy for the novella format and the amount of characters and the complexity of the story deserve more development. I got confused with the story line and the chemistry between the main characters didn't work for me. It was also hard to mantain the suspension of disbelief as much of the plot seemed quite implausible to say the least. Without this last story, I would have rated this book with 4 stars
but I feel that a third of this book let me down hence the 3 star rating.
This book is a compilation of three different stories under the umbrella of girls with guns: Bow and Arrow by Carsen Taite, Hammersmith by Michelle Grubb and Hell Fire by Ali Vali. Coincidentally, this was the order of my preference.
In Bow and Arrow, Carsen Taite reintroduces her character from the Luca Bennet bounty hunter series. This series has three books that I recommend to read chronologically and maybe even before this story, though this novella stands on its own. Luca Bennet is my favourite character of all Ms Taite's novels and she manages to keep her as funny, entertaining - and sometimes even deep - as in the previous installments. The chemistry with cop Jessica Chance is great and the secondary characters add to the entertainment of the story.
Hammersmith by Michelle Grubb describes the issue of suicide bomber, very original to this genre. However, the chemistry between the main characters didn't work for me and sometimes the story didn't seem completely believable. I've lived and used London's transport system for seven years and even for me sometimes the description of the lines and stations of the "tube" was a bit tedious. I can only imagine that it'd be at least a bit confusing for a complete outsider. However, I think this story is worth a try and I'll definetely read something by this author in the future.
Hell Fire by Ali Vali didn't work for me at all. At times, the story seems too sketchy for the novella format and the amount of characters and the complexity of the story deserve more development. I got confused with the story line and the chemistry between the main characters didn't work for me. It was also hard to mantain the suspension of disbelief as much of the plot seemed quite implausible to say the least. Without this last story, I would have rated this book with 4 stars
but I feel that a third of this book let me down hence the 3 star rating.
corrie's review
4.0
Book Club Buddie D. and I were in the mood for some cop action hence Girls With Guns. I am not particular well read in this genre but D. is and she assured me that Ali Vali's Cain Casey story would be worthwhile reading this anthology. I had a personal stake in Michelle Grubb because I've absolutely loved everything I've read of her so far.
So there are three stories, two of them are part of a series but all three can be read as stand alones.
1) Bow and Arrow by Carsen Tate was part of the Bounty Hunter Luca Bennett series. The writing was solid, Tate is obviously well known for her excellent courtroom drama. Nice little plot too. I personally thought Luca Bennett was acting and thinking very much like a dude, but maybe I have to read the other books to get a better feel for the character.
2) Hammersmith by Michelle Grubb was an absolute adrenaline story. D. and I were on the edge of our seats the whole time and we stayed up past our bedtime to finish it. This story alone makes the whole book worth while. Great characters, super plot with a heartwrenching twist. Just when you think you know where this is going, the author throws you on your ass. I highly recommend reading this one! I am in awe of Grubb's knowledge of the London Underground system. You did your homework, girl!
3) Hell Fire was the other story that was part of a series. This story is set between book 5 and 6 of the Cain Casey series. First I feared it would be too far in for me to enjoy it, but I was wrong. The plot was good, great writing too. I never read Ali Vali before (yeah, shame on me) but she made me a believer. So much so, that I immediately started on book one of this series after we finished.
f/f explicit
Themes: bad guys and the tough girls who catch them, I might become a fan of hard boiled cop series afterall, mobsters galore, this book was a pleasant surprise indeed!
4.4 stars
So there are three stories, two of them are part of a series but all three can be read as stand alones.
1) Bow and Arrow by Carsen Tate was part of the Bounty Hunter Luca Bennett series. The writing was solid, Tate is obviously well known for her excellent courtroom drama. Nice little plot too. I personally thought Luca Bennett was acting and thinking very much like a dude, but maybe I have to read the other books to get a better feel for the character.
2) Hammersmith by Michelle Grubb was an absolute adrenaline story. D. and I were on the edge of our seats the whole time and we stayed up past our bedtime to finish it. This story alone makes the whole book worth while. Great characters, super plot with a heartwrenching twist. Just when you think you know where this is going, the author throws you on your ass. I highly recommend reading this one! I am in awe of Grubb's knowledge of the London Underground system. You did your homework, girl!
3) Hell Fire was the other story that was part of a series. This story is set between book 5 and 6 of the Cain Casey series. First I feared it would be too far in for me to enjoy it, but I was wrong. The plot was good, great writing too. I never read Ali Vali before (yeah, shame on me) but she made me a believer. So much so, that I immediately started on book one of this series after we finished.
f/f explicit
Themes: bad guys and the tough girls who catch them, I might become a fan of hard boiled cop series afterall, mobsters galore, this book was a pleasant surprise indeed!
4.4 stars
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