cdeane61's review against another edition
4.0
A good quick read when you're in the mood for swords and sorcery.
Eddie is a pretty likeable character, and the situations he gets into are unusual enough to keep the story interesting.
A nice little tale for when you're between books and having a hard time finding your next read.
Eddie is a pretty likeable character, and the situations he gets into are unusual enough to keep the story interesting.
A nice little tale for when you're between books and having a hard time finding your next read.
jaymeks's review against another edition
3.0
A solid 3 star book, marginally better than the first book. Ending was a little bit of a letdown, but somewhat enjoyable for wrapping up the lingering stories.
Basically, a meh type of book.
Basically, a meh type of book.
alishaaye's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
majkia's review against another edition
5.0
"But the advantage to my plan was that, for the most part, all I had to do was wait. Since there was no way to get around this animal, it seemed an especially good plan."
Eddie LaCrosse is a sword-jockey, as he calls himself. He's a bit past his prime, has an, ahem, colorful background, and is therefore smart- most of the time- and has no illusions.
So when a girl who'd obviously been beaten and tortured runs into him on the road, he's a bit less than enthusiastic to help her. But, well, what the hell, he doesn't have anything else on at the moment.
Well, that's when things start going pear-shaped.
Second in the series, Burn me Deadly is a fun read, with a reluctant hero, some intriguing pals, and a chase that keeps you guessing throughout.
I look forward to reading more of Eddie, Liz and Little Blackie.
Eddie LaCrosse is a sword-jockey, as he calls himself. He's a bit past his prime, has an, ahem, colorful background, and is therefore smart- most of the time- and has no illusions.
So when a girl who'd obviously been beaten and tortured runs into him on the road, he's a bit less than enthusiastic to help her. But, well, what the hell, he doesn't have anything else on at the moment.
Well, that's when things start going pear-shaped.
Second in the series, Burn me Deadly is a fun read, with a reluctant hero, some intriguing pals, and a chase that keeps you guessing throughout.
I look forward to reading more of Eddie, Liz and Little Blackie.
srlemons42's review against another edition
5.0
Eddie LaCrosse is back in a new mystery! Eddie’s on his way back from a routine investigation when his horse almost runs down a half-naked blonde in serious trouble. Against his better judgment, he promises to protect the frightened young woman, only to find himself waylaid by unknown assailants and left for dead beside her mutilated body. Who killed Laura Lesperitt? And Eddie's awesome horse? And left him for dead beside the both of them? Eddie is out for revenge and nothing will stop him.
I liked this story better than the first one. I felt the plot had more movement to it. The first book had some pacing issues and places where I felt it got bogged down in backstory exposition. I didn't feel that this book had that problem. It did have a few other problems but nothing that made me dislike the book and I did give it five stars on goodreads. The writing is still as crisp and fast-paced as ever and the story is interesting and fun. The story goes to some interesting places that I really enjoyed.
I like that these stories aren't afraid to hurt the main character. A lot of stories will have a protagonist that is basically immune to being injured. Those stories always have some sort of save for the main character or deus ex machina that helps them get away unscathed from most of their troubles. Eddie gets hurt....a lot. And so do the people around him a lot of the time.
Eddie is written better here and seems to be less flat than the last book. His issues from the past have mostly resolved and he has dealt with them so there isn't a need to dwell on them in this book. He seems happier in general and more content with his life. One reason is certainly his new girlfriend Liz who was introduced at the end of book one.
Liz is a pretty good character in her own right. She has her own job and past secrets but they never fall int o the cliche of seriously affecting the relationship with Eddie. These are both older characters (i.e- not angsty teenagers) who know that , well, life happens. And sometimes in life secrets happen that you feel you can't tell your romantic partner about. Both Liz and Eddie have some serious secrets weighing on their mind, but luckily they come out in to the open and DO NOT affect the relationship they are working on. THANK GOD. I hate books like that, I want people in relationships to deal with things like the adults that they are.
This is a story with lots of murder, crime bosses, secret dragon cults/religions, and some torture. I really did like a lot of it and the points that dragged didn't do so for long and nothing made me exasperated or roll my eyes. Definitely recommended.
I liked this story better than the first one. I felt the plot had more movement to it. The first book had some pacing issues and places where I felt it got bogged down in backstory exposition. I didn't feel that this book had that problem. It did have a few other problems but nothing that made me dislike the book and I did give it five stars on goodreads. The writing is still as crisp and fast-paced as ever and the story is interesting and fun. The story goes to some interesting places that I really enjoyed.
I like that these stories aren't afraid to hurt the main character. A lot of stories will have a protagonist that is basically immune to being injured. Those stories always have some sort of save for the main character or deus ex machina that helps them get away unscathed from most of their troubles. Eddie gets hurt....a lot. And so do the people around him a lot of the time.
Eddie is written better here and seems to be less flat than the last book. His issues from the past have mostly resolved and he has dealt with them so there isn't a need to dwell on them in this book. He seems happier in general and more content with his life. One reason is certainly his new girlfriend Liz who was introduced at the end of book one.
Liz is a pretty good character in her own right. She has her own job and past secrets but they never fall int o the cliche of seriously affecting the relationship with Eddie. These are both older characters (i.e- not angsty teenagers) who know that , well, life happens. And sometimes in life secrets happen that you feel you can't tell your romantic partner about. Both Liz and Eddie have some serious secrets weighing on their mind, but luckily they come out in to the open and DO NOT affect the relationship they are working on. THANK GOD. I hate books like that, I want people in relationships to deal with things like the adults that they are.
This is a story with lots of murder, crime bosses, secret dragon cults/religions, and some torture. I really did like a lot of it and the points that dragged didn't do so for long and nothing made me exasperated or roll my eyes. Definitely recommended.
shirezu's review against another edition
4.0
The next in the Eddie LaCrosse series I had only meant to make a start on it but then found, like the first book, that I couldn't put it down. Whilst it wasn't as good as the first book it was still a decent tale.
This time it is more straight forward with less of the humour and almost none of the anachronisms of the first book. Eddie is sucked into danger and adventure when he tries, and fails, to save a young woman running from something. All the action takes place around his current home town and is less detective and more swordsman this time.
I want to know more about Angelica's past and Liz didn't add much except for the appropriate impetus for action and the right time. I think this book is a step backwards from its predecessor but it hasn't slipped far enough away to not be salvageable.
Hopefully things bounce back up in the next book which I believe is actually a prequel to the first two books. Bring it on.
This time it is more straight forward with less of the humour and almost none of the anachronisms of the first book. Eddie is sucked into danger and adventure when he tries, and fails, to save a young woman running from something. All the action takes place around his current home town and is less detective and more swordsman this time.
I want to know more about Angelica's past and Liz didn't add much except for the appropriate impetus for action and the right time. I think this book is a step backwards from its predecessor but it hasn't slipped far enough away to not be salvageable.
Hopefully things bounce back up in the next book which I believe is actually a prequel to the first two books. Bring it on.
verkisto's review against another edition
3.0
The Sword-Edged Blonde, the first in Bledsoe's series of hard-boiled fantasy detective novels, was a fun read, in part because the meshing of the two genres gave the book the feel of an homage without it being a parody. Bledsoe did a great job of blending the two genres, from the office with the seating area over a seedy bar, to the cache of guns ... er, swords that our hero uses, down to the wise-cracking comments that he makes to those around him. I haven't read a lot of noir crime fiction, but I know enough about the tropes to know when to recognize them, and the way that Bledsoe translated those tropes into fantasy were effective, and interesting.
The thing is, all those tropes are cliches, and after reading one book, fresh ideas like this one become stale, or at worst, cliches, and the stories start to feel more like parodies. I know this is just the second book in the series, but as I write this, I've begun reading the third book, and I'm definitely seeing the pattern. A. Lee Martinez has parodied a lot of genres with his books, and while some parts of his stories are cliches, they're also silly and laughable, so it's easier to overlook. The Eddie LaCrosse books seem to take themselves pretty seriously, and it's hard not to be put off by these characteristics.
In addition, the series continues to have a slightly denigrating look at women (which I'll grant could be another characteristic of these types of detective stories, even though it's something that doesn't translate well to modern fiction), where they are all referred to -- and identified by -- how attractive they are, even if they're intended to be strong characters. Also, the men are either square-jawed goons or small-bodied milquetoasts, and how the women relate to the men depends on which one of those two descriptions they fit. "Progressive" isn't a word I would use to describe these novels is what I'm saying.
Another issue I'm seeing with the series is that Eddie, the central character and narrator of the stories, feels insincere to me. It's not that I feel like he's lying, or that he's unreliable; there's just something about his character that makes him less than genuine. In Burn Me Deadly, he's faced with the idea that I wanted a little more out of that scene to make it feel more real.
For all their foibles, though, the stories are entertaining, readable, and compelling, which are what good stories should be. Burn Me Deadly starts off cold, with the characterization coming after a gripping opening (which, unfortunately, starts with a semi-naked woman), and the story develops piecemeal as Eddie gets more and more evidence relating to his investigation. There's a palpable buildup that teases the reader forward, and after I passed the 1/3 mark of the novel, I knew I was in it for the long haul.
So, the books aren't perfect, but they're entertaining and enjoyable, so long as you don't think too hard about them. They're good beach reads, and what I don't like about the books isn't enough to keep me from reading the rest of them.
The thing is, all those tropes are cliches, and after reading one book, fresh ideas like this one become stale, or at worst, cliches, and the stories start to feel more like parodies. I know this is just the second book in the series, but as I write this, I've begun reading the third book, and I'm definitely seeing the pattern. A. Lee Martinez has parodied a lot of genres with his books, and while some parts of his stories are cliches, they're also silly and laughable, so it's easier to overlook. The Eddie LaCrosse books seem to take themselves pretty seriously, and it's hard not to be put off by these characteristics.
In addition, the series continues to have a slightly denigrating look at women (which I'll grant could be another characteristic of these types of detective stories, even though it's something that doesn't translate well to modern fiction), where they are all referred to -- and identified by -- how attractive they are, even if they're intended to be strong characters. Also, the men are either square-jawed goons or small-bodied milquetoasts, and how the women relate to the men depends on which one of those two descriptions they fit. "Progressive" isn't a word I would use to describe these novels is what I'm saying.
Another issue I'm seeing with the series is that Eddie, the central character and narrator of the stories, feels insincere to me. It's not that I feel like he's lying, or that he's unreliable; there's just something about his character that makes him less than genuine. In Burn Me Deadly, he's faced with the idea that
Spoiler
dragons are real (a conclusion that was broadcast by his continuing denying of their existence), and it's brushed aside and accepted within the span of a few sentences. There was no real shock or revelation associated with it, just a "Hey, how about that? They are real! Now back to the story" sort of moment, instead of making that reveal a part of the story.For all their foibles, though, the stories are entertaining, readable, and compelling, which are what good stories should be. Burn Me Deadly starts off cold, with the characterization coming after a gripping opening (which, unfortunately, starts with a semi-naked woman), and the story develops piecemeal as Eddie gets more and more evidence relating to his investigation. There's a palpable buildup that teases the reader forward, and after I passed the 1/3 mark of the novel, I knew I was in it for the long haul.
So, the books aren't perfect, but they're entertaining and enjoyable, so long as you don't think too hard about them. They're good beach reads, and what I don't like about the books isn't enough to keep me from reading the rest of them.
synobal's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoy these books but I'm a bit worried, so far it's been two books and no female has made it out of the damsel or victim role yet. The blurb mentions a femme fatale but there isn't really one at all. Maybe Dark Jenny will introduce a female who doesn't need to be rescued or get killed at some point but I'm starting to lose hope for that. Regardless of this flaw though it's still a good book.
vailynst's review against another edition
4.0
Notes:
Series is Currently on Audible Plus
Burn Me Deadly was a classic adventure story. Good times!
Series is Currently on Audible Plus
Burn Me Deadly was a classic adventure story. Good times!
vailynst's review against another edition
4.0
Notes:
Series is Currently on Audible Plus
Burn Me Deadly was a classic adventure story. Good times!
Series is Currently on Audible Plus
Burn Me Deadly was a classic adventure story. Good times!