Ciao, amici. It’s Tuesday again; time for me to share something I recently read. This time, its from the thriller genre.
★★★★☆ Solid Story, Great Hero, So-So Heroine
I downloaded this because I thought it was a psychological thriller. I was surprised to find it was a romantic thriller (which I don’t mind at all and even write on occasion).
It all sucked me in. Except for the heroine.
The hero is everyone’s book boyfriend. Well, any girl who likes a bad boy will like him. He isn’t even BAD, but he does have an edge that keeps people on their toes.
The plot is riveting. The heroine’s twin was abducted when they were nine, and she went into law enforcement to find out what happened. Seems like a typical start for a cop. But it’s not. Once all the threads were untangled and I could see how everything ties together, I was delighted with the plot.
It was the heroine that left me wanting. There were times she was so green, so innocent, that even with her tragic backstory, I couldn’t believe she was in the FBI. Then there were other times that she exhibited extraordinary bravery. Well, she’d think it was courage. I thought she was stupid, rash, and reckless.
If this is a series, I would read the second. Hopefully the heroine will have developed to everyone else’s level by then. This one is a solid four out of five for me.
Is this a genre you enjoy or are willing to try? Did you maybe read this one? Let’s talk about it below.
Hey Staci! Glad to stumble upon your review! I’ve done a review for this too, but I found her okay
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I admit I always lean toward being too easy on a book/author instead of too hard. I would have done half stars if they had been an option, I think. I’m off to find your review. Thanks for stopping by!
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Ohh, I understand. And by the way, there is a half-star option, if you’re talking about WP. Thanks 🙂
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Oh. No, sorry. I meant on Amazon. I don’t want to end up with half stars in some places and whole in the others, so I keep it consistent. (I post my reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub, and here.)
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Ohh, I see. Really great for the authors, to be honest. And that’s an intelligent thing to do, indeed!
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Most of the authors I talk to (and that’s a lot) prefer BookBub to Amazon for reviews, but they aren’t a selling platform, so they’ll never have the traction Amazon does. I try to post in all three places (plus my blog) because most readers get their recommendations from those three. When I used to have the time, I’d post on iBooks and B&N, too, but I’ve gotten away from that in the last year or so.
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Good review, Staci, and I like your assessment of the heroine–the honesty! There is definitely something about good solid characters that don’t do stupid stuff, like Judi’s comment. I have never read Toni Anderson; I have too many other books on my list. I do like the occasional thriller, though.
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I’m hooked on thrillers. (I’ll even be publishing some next year.) So I read quite a few. Maybe that makes me pickier on them. But I stand by what I said—the heroine was inconsistent. It was like it had to be that way for the plot to work, which made it not work.
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I’m not really a romance thriller type of girl, myself. I like supernatural thriller, paranormal thriller etc. I don’t mind if there’s romance IN my thrillers, but not sort of a main part… just bring on the mystery (and gore…)
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Very few people are ambivalent about romance. They either love it or hate it. I am pro-romance. I don’t need to see the private bits, but I like a little love on the page. It gives me hope that there is something positive when all the $^!@ hits the fan. If Freddie Kruger is chasing me, I’m not stopping with my guy for some PDA, but I’m going to feel better having a hand to hold and someone to hug me while I’m hiding.
I do love the mystery part, though. And sometimes the gore. 🙂 Thanks, Jess.
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Haha, your Freddie Kruger analogy made me smile.
I don’t mind reading the private bits, as long as there’s relevance to the story why these two characters are getting it on. If it’s sex in a book just for the sake of it, meh.
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“Meh” sums it up perfectly!
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I’ve read a few of Toni’s books and she does a good job with police procedures. I think it’s hard to write a female agent in a romantic thriller. She needs to be tough and competent, but yet soft and womanly as well. A fine balance to walk.
Great review, Staci, thanks!
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That is a fine balance. And I was with her right until the end. It’s good to have your recommendation here, Jacquie. I said I’d try another book of hers, but now that I know you’ve read and enjoyed some, I have no qualms about trying more. Thanks!
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I can hardly stand it when heroines risk their lives stupidly. It’s like the girl going down in the basement in horror movies. Who’d do that? But the rest of the book sounds solid.
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You hit the nail on the head.
This one was particularly frustrating. This female cop spent the whole book being “super cop” and chasing leads even when she was warned off. Then at the end, she broke every possible protocol and ended up in a real jam. Totally out of character. And so annoying. You could see the trouble coming a mile away.
She’s the type of girl who would go swimming in the dark at Camp Crystal Lake. Moron.
Thanks, Judi.
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How refreshing to read an honest review, Staci! I love your take on the heroine and that you took the time to explain why. Great post!!
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Thanks, Jan. I always hesitate to say something negative. As an author, I know how hard writers work and don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. But readers deserve an honest assessment, otherwise, what’s the point in a review at all? Thanks for setting my mind at ease.
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Thanks for sharing your review, Staci. It sounds like a good read minus the heroine.
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That’s exactly it, Denise. It was a good book, minus the heroine.
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I never seek out the romance titles. If it’s there as part of something more spectacular, I’m okay with it.
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Romantic suspense and romantic thrillers aren’t really romances. You just know there’s a couple forming in addition to the mystery. And I’m a big old softie, so I like knowing love can happen even when you fear for your life. Most of the time, there’s nothing explicit to ruin the pace of the plot. And if there is, it’s easy enough to skip.
In this case, it was definitely there as part of something more spectacular.
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I have one that could come out that way, if I ever write it. The trick is to keep them apart and let it sizzle until the end.
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The Sam-and-Diane problem. Or the Moonlighting problem. Or the Castle problem. Or Bones.
Yeah, that seems to be the general consensus.
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Romantic thrillers aren’t my usual genre, but you know I occasionally venture outside the borders of my comfort zone. The heroine sounds like someone I’d get annoyed with pretty quickly.
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OMG, she did annoy me. She had the potential to be so much more! She was really the only negative in the book.
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I love thrillers! I will read the occasional romantic thriller and you know how much I love psychological thrillers. I’ve seen some other titles by Toni Anderson as well that I’ve considered. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this one. As always, an insightful review.
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Thanks, Mae. She is a new-to-me author. I’d try another book, but if there’s another hero/heroine misstep, I won’t try a third. Hopefully this was a one-off. The rest of the writing is solid.
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I am not into romance, but I do love a good thriller. When the two mix, it is something.
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Like I said to Craig, I like that there can be love in a world fraught with peril. I just don’t want to be clubbed over the head with it. (I’ll read a romance if that’s what I’m in the mood for.) This one, the romance didn’t take over the plot.
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You know I like romantic thrillers and romantic suspense. This sounds like a book I would enjoy.
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You’ll absolutely love the plot and the writing. I’m not sure how you feel about annoyingly stupid decisions by your heroine. Might be worth a try, though.
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I wouldn’t reach for a romantic thriller, but occasionally I read outside my norm, to enjoy something different or even just to broaden my perspective.
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There probably aren’t many horror writers who read anything remotely related to romance. There’s not much overlap there.
It is nice to step outside your comfort zone, though. Which genres do you consider when you do?
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Sounds like a good read, Staci. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the book. If a book is well written, I’ll give a lot of different genres a go 🙂
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I’m like you. I have preferred genres, but I’ll try almost anything if the writing is good. In this case, the writing is sound. It’s just that one character that I can’t get over. It brought the book down from a five to a four for me.
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